That I enjoy betaing other people's stories way more than writing my own... and maybe that means I'd be better as an editor than an author. But for some reason, I have a suspicion that's even harder to get into 
-
Basic Writing questions is not a crit forum. All crits belong in Share Your Work
What's On Your Mind About Your Writing?
- Thread starter Undercover
- Start date
Only about halfway through my novel (or a little bit more) but I've made the decision to give a beginning character the ax. Or at least, his POV in the first chapter. The thing is he disappears after that and I just can't seem to find a good way to work him in later, so I'm just going to have his part be brief and part of the environment of my one MC instead.
It's a huge load off my mind.
It's a huge load off my mind.
I'm doing my copy editing review, and I just moved into the last third of the novel. I realized today that once this stage is over, I'll have finished my ability to make major changes / adjustments to the novel. Don't get me wrong. I feel good about the book, and I think my editor has helped me make it much, much better. I've just never hit this stage before where a novel moved beyond my control. It's a little unnerving.
There's a lot to be afraid of, even if our fears aren't logical. Mostly, the fear is of actually submitting a finished piece and having it -- our time, our soul, our "best" writing as far as we know, our dreams, our view of ourselves as authors -- stepped all over by editor after editor.
Our fear is finding out that we're no good.
Look at some of the books currently out there. You probably are good enough. You may be more than good enough, if there's such a thing.
Also, sometimes we think of a debut piece as our "one chance" at success (this was how I felt with my first sample article when I was applying for a job as associate editor; I did get the job). It's not. It's never our one and only chance. There are always more chances.
And remember that every author -- bar none -- has his or her work called shit by somebody. Sometimes a lot of somebodies. Look at Stephen King's staggering success. Many, many people call his work shit. People have called Kafka shit. Someone will call your work shit. And a lot of other someones may call it a really, really, really worthwhile bunch of hours spent reading.
So just do it.
- Joined
- Nov 23, 2011
- Messages
- 5,773
- Reaction score
- 1,687
- Location
- Left of center
- Website
- kkelliewriteme.wordpress.com
I'm feeling duplicite. Err, duplicatious. Duplicitious.
Of two minds.
Excited that I'm close to that finish line, which means beta time is coming! And scared shitless because I'm close to that finish line, which means beta time is coming.
Of two minds.
Excited that I'm close to that finish line, which means beta time is coming! And scared shitless because I'm close to that finish line, which means beta time is coming.
- Joined
- May 22, 2012
- Messages
- 1,438
- Reaction score
- 86
- Location
- Queens, New York
- Website
- www.michelleathy.com
My WIP is with my beta and I think the time away has been good. Once I have her comments, I'll be able to move on it either way. In the meantime, I'm outlining my NaNo project and for the first time, I'm outlining it chapter by chapter.
Mm.
Sat down with some old stuff (short story starts) last night and was pleased to find it was well-written. To the point where I decided to finish it.
And then I got blocked. Instantly.
Frustrated now. I think I've isolated the block as a "just because it's well written doesn't mean it's your style" kind of situation. It just felt like a story somebody else should be writing, not me.
But it kind of took the wind out of me. Grah!
Sat down with some old stuff (short story starts) last night and was pleased to find it was well-written. To the point where I decided to finish it.
And then I got blocked. Instantly.
Frustrated now. I think I've isolated the block as a "just because it's well written doesn't mean it's your style" kind of situation. It just felt like a story somebody else should be writing, not me.
But it kind of took the wind out of me. Grah!
Searching around for an opener for my next scene. Once I get the first few words the rest pretty much just comes. So I'll cast around for a good opener today.
Yay! Finished beta reader's comments on one MS!
Boo! Time to get back to the train wreck of the WIP.
Boo! Time to get back to the train wreck of the WIP.
Well, the other night, I adjusted my font & page size to match the book I'm currently reading & came up with 196 pages, rather than 115.
Which is great. If you want to be technical, almost three quarters of a decent sized manuscript. Only, all that's happened in that 196 pages is character introduction, a bit of growth & three small scale action scenes- one of which not really having anything to do with my paranormal theme at all.
I keep going in circles thinking I'm not writing enough, or too much, or not the right things or the right way. In any normal author's book, everything that I've covered would be within the first 100 pages. I'm determined to get this done, but I need some prioritizing.
I will admit that I have managed to do a couple of scenes that I thought were amazing. But most of what I've written are character internalizations rather than simple, straightforward movements and action and a lot of it I don't even know if it belongs there or not.
Do I just keep going like this, then worry about it whenever I get to the end, or do I play perfectionist and figure out what I'm doing before I give myself more unnecessary work? That seems to be the question...
Which is great. If you want to be technical, almost three quarters of a decent sized manuscript. Only, all that's happened in that 196 pages is character introduction, a bit of growth & three small scale action scenes- one of which not really having anything to do with my paranormal theme at all.
I keep going in circles thinking I'm not writing enough, or too much, or not the right things or the right way. In any normal author's book, everything that I've covered would be within the first 100 pages. I'm determined to get this done, but I need some prioritizing.
I will admit that I have managed to do a couple of scenes that I thought were amazing. But most of what I've written are character internalizations rather than simple, straightforward movements and action and a lot of it I don't even know if it belongs there or not.
Do I just keep going like this, then worry about it whenever I get to the end, or do I play perfectionist and figure out what I'm doing before I give myself more unnecessary work? That seems to be the question...
DGamelan
Registered
I have 3k+ words of outline and I'm not remotely done yet. The story feels like it's actually starting now.
- Joined
- Sep 18, 2008
- Messages
- 6,087
- Reaction score
- 413
- Location
- Michigan
- Website
- keskedgell.blogspot.com
So, I know how the final chapter to my new WIP is going to play out, but I don't know from which point of view to write it from. It'll involve only two characters, but I'm not sure which one will have the greater impact because parts of the scene, as I keep playing it in my head, can impact one or the other more. So far I've written this story in 3rd close, alternating the POVs between the three main characters, so it would be weird to switch to Omni which I don't think I can pull off. I could write it from both and then decide. I don't know. Once the whole thing is written I'll most likely end up rewriting the ending anyway, so might as well get on with it and stop procrastinating over-thinking.
- Joined
- Dec 1, 2012
- Messages
- 936
- Reaction score
- 178
- Location
- New York State
- Website
- ajaxkallistrate.com
Wrote up a blurby thing for my Nano novel. It kind of falls apart at the end but I might have enough material to start Snowflaking. Now if only I could get my depression and anxiety to leave me alone long enough to do that...
What's going on? I'm feeling down on my ability to edit. I just finished the third book of my series after a year. I am trying to once again edit my zombie stuff for E-publishing, but I have zero confidence in my ability to edit through the damned thing. I am overwhelmed. Other than that, I started writing a cute little high fantasy -- my first attempt at writing without modern technology. It's so cute, I adore it.
I hate doing blurbs/summaries etc, I'm terrible at them!
Good luck with the depression/anxiety, they completely suck.
Well, the other night, I adjusted my font & page size to match the book I'm currently reading & came up with 196 pages, rather than 115.
Which is great. If you want to be technical, almost three quarters of a decent sized manuscript. Only, all that's happened in that 196 pages is character introduction, a bit of growth & three small scale action scenes- one of which not really having anything to do with my paranormal theme at all.
I keep going in circles thinking I'm not writing enough, or too much, or not the right things or the right way. In any normal author's book, everything that I've covered would be within the first 100 pages. I'm determined to get this done, but I need some prioritizing.
I will admit that I have managed to do a couple of scenes that I thought were amazing. But most of what I've written are character internalizations rather than simple, straightforward movements and action and a lot of it I don't even know if it belongs there or not.
Do I just keep going like this, then worry about it whenever I get to the end, or do I play perfectionist and figure out what I'm doing before I give myself more unnecessary work? That seems to be the question...
A manuscript is actually based on the number of words, not pages. You'll get a much better idea of where you are if you go by the word total.
Not been getting on well. Need to pull my finger out.
I'm at the stage where I'm creating new problems by solving the old ones, which is getting me down, but I can see solutions to the new ones, so I just need to keep on going. I'll feel more cheerful once I get to the stage of solving the ones I'm currently creating.
I'm at the stage where I'm creating new problems by solving the old ones, which is getting me down, but I can see solutions to the new ones, so I just need to keep on going. I'll feel more cheerful once I get to the stage of solving the ones I'm currently creating.
- Joined
- Sep 18, 2008
- Messages
- 6,087
- Reaction score
- 413
- Location
- Michigan
- Website
- keskedgell.blogspot.com
Congrats and good luck!
I was able to knock out 1359 words yesterday, most of them in about an hour and a half before going to bed. If it hadn't been for the need for sleep because of work this morning, I would have kept going and finished up the chapter. They may not all be good words, but they're words none the less. And the most I've written in one day in a long time.
I woke up around 3:30 this morning feeling thirsty and needing to pee (always a good combination), but when I got back into bed I couldn't quite get back to sleep. I kept thinking about the looming plot corner I have been painting myself toward in my WIP. I dozed for a bit, but at about 5 a.m. I woke up with a potential solution to said plot corner. I got out of bed, fired up the computer, banged out a brief scene and put it aside. I don't want to look at it just yet, but I feel like heaven just sent me down a ladder.
I'm wondering if my artist will ever produce even a single page of the on-spec comic book series we're working on.
Last edited:
Well, last night I came to the conclusion that everything that I've done so far needs to be redone. Then, I got really depressed and mental blocked every attempt to start writing all night, fell asleep early & slept in.