Excellent blog post SuperKate! I really enjoyed it.
Thanks so much! I'm glad you stopped by.
Excellent blog post SuperKate! I really enjoyed it.
I just wanted to share that I finished my latest book. It is the rough, ROUGH draft. I have not yet reread it or proofed it. There are probably holes I need to fix, but I made it to the end! So excited!
Congrats! Congrats! congrats!I just wanted to share that I finished my latest book. It is the rough, ROUGH draft. I have not yet reread it or proofed it. There are probably holes I need to fix, but I made it to the end! So excited!
I thought I'd keep my mind off of it by working on my current ms except I'm literally two chapters away from finishing it and I've only just gone on sub. What am I going to do for the rest of that time to keep my mind busy? This isn't supposed to happen. I expect to finish by end of August if life doesn't get in the way, but then what?
Wait... aha! I have a Gothic chapter book in line. Hold on... I'm already 5K into that one. I'll finish it in no time since it'll be between 10-15K. I have tiny grains of ideas, but none are fleshed out enough to consider writing. *hyperventilates*
What am I going to do with myself? What's a writer supposed to do when they've written everything they wanted to write? I've never considered it. I cannot see beyond that. HALP!
I thought you were drafting that one. Are you already in revisions?
Well, I'd finish the current book, finish the Gothic, write down as much as you can for your shiny nugget ideas so it doesn't escape you in the meantime (sometimes doing that sparks other ideas and I can draft more), and then, if nothing else presents itself, maybe take a nice break to do some serious reading?
ETA: or do something totally outside of writing/reading so you don't burn out....
DanielaTorre said:I tried figuring out why I tend to stall once I'm at the end and realized it's because I simply don't want to let go of my characters.
I do have ideas for follow-ups for these books. Maybe I'll tackled those when I'm completely out of ideas. I do have a chapter book in mind. Never written one before. Maybe that'll follow the chapter book.
Hey everyone, long time...
Sadly, still have depression, but I feel like I'm finally clawing my way back (only been a year, lol). Last few months have been hectic ones of constant stress and upheaval, as my previous landlords decided to retire and sold all their properties to move to Cornwall. Fortunately, I managed to get a room under sheltered accommodation with the council; basically, it's like a hostel for vulnerable young adults, only with focused key workers and help programs to aid in our recovery. I feel I'm finally settled in, and should be able to start writing properly for the first time in almost a year - just in time for NaNo!
As part of my therapist's recommendation, I managed to get special permission from management here to put a small computer desk in my room - nothing fancy, just enough to sit comfortably in a relaxed environment, rather than being hunched up on my bed, laptop propped (and burning) against my legs. Already, I can feel the stress slipping away, and all I've written is this post!
Anyways, just to let you know I'm going to strive to be more active on here, and with my creative writing, but it won't be easy. Hopefully I can get help to see me through the tough times if they come up...?
Dave
Hiya Laurie,
Yeah, I'm planning to tackle NaNo, with a brand new novel based on my two steampunk short stories from ages ago (they can still be found on SYW) called "Oliver Cantrop and the Insatiable Rust" - not sure whether I'll be aiming for the 50k goal after having been away from writing for so long, but I'll do my best!
Dave
I need some support. I'm having one of those "Someone stole my book idea!" (but not really) breakdowns.
I saw this book mentioned a while back and I was cautiously optimistic that it wasn't exactly like my book, but now that the cover copy is out... well, it's still not exactly like mine plot-wise or even setting-wise, but all the cool elements that I thought were pretty original in mine are also in this one. And it really is something that I haven't seen a lot of in MG, so I had this mad delusion that I was going to be the first one to tread the ground... now, no matter how different my plot is, there's no way my book won't be taken as a copy cat. I mean, forget the Harry Potter comparisons....
So I'm sad. I'm also pretty angry with myself. Because if I hadn't been dithering around and had written this book even a year ago (and I've been sitting on it for five), I wouldn't have this problem.
I guess the positive side is that it's getting good buzz, so my questioning whether the topic would or wouldn't fly has at least been answered.
Oh wow, Hez. That sucks so much. I think everyone here can commiserate. Have you actually picked the book up? Maybe it's just the elements or tropes that's similar. So long as the plot and setting is different, there shouldn't be a problem. Magic, wands, spells, etc., don't belong to just one person. I suggest you pick this book up, read it, and make your decision then. You might just find that it's not as similar as you think.
Also, don't beat yourself up. Your book will be finished when it's finished. Life gets in the way and there's nothing wrong with that. What's more, you can use this similar book that's out as a catapult to finish. It would definitely rile me up.
That's interesting. The comparison between that and your book wouldn't have even crossed my mind. I guess it just goes to show how paranoid we can be about it all. Maybe no one will even make the connection if mine ever does get published. *crosses fingers*I remember seeing the FANTASTIC BEASTS trailer last month and thinking, oh crap. Magic, magicians, roaring twenties in America... my stupid book's on sub! Ugh. Not another HP comparison. But then I was like, nah. Way different. Mine's set in the present with 20s elements in the hidden town.
Thanks for the kind words, Dani.
It's not actually out until later this year. I was just reading the copy on Amazon. It really is just the elements that are similar, but they're pretty serious elements: child necromancers. I'm positive my characters, plot, themes, etc. are totally different... it was just that one thing that I didn't want to be following someone else on. Now if someone points out a whole swath of books with child necromancers, then I'll feel better... or worse. But then, at least the ship would really have sailed well before this and I could stop brooding.
I will. Best to be the first one riding the coattails of a possible trend rather than the fifteenth, right? At least I now have a fair comp book, which I was having trouble finding before. Lol.
That's interesting. The comparison between that and your book wouldn't have even crossed my mind. I guess it just goes to show how paranoid we can be about it all. Maybe no one will even make the connection if mine ever does get published. *crosses fingers*
It's not actually out until later this year. I was just reading the copy on Amazon. It really is just the elements that are similar, but they're pretty serious elements: child necromancers. I'm positive my characters, plot, themes, etc. are totally different... it was just that one thing that I didn't want to be following someone else on. Now if someone points out a whole swath of books with child necromancers, then I'll feel better... or worse. But then, at least the ship would really have sailed well before this and I could stop brooding.