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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
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Heh. I get more done for lack of enough sleep.
Another newspaper article published, Frankenstein and a Finger in the Sky. I'm almost caught up with my scene by scene chart. And I've figured out what my next two chapters will be.
The seed idea for my next novel (coming out next month) came to me in a dream. It was just an image of an older woman's face lit by orange firelight. She's no one I've ever met, so I've no idea why she showed up in my dream.
So sleep - and pay attention to your dreams.
Will I EVER really get stuck into book 2? I've been picking away at the edges for 2 years. I have the plot mostly worked out. What I don't have is a detailed outline, down to scene level. I used to be able to pants my way to 300k, but after I pulled that to pieces and reconstructed it with the aid of plans and charts and timelines to keep all the plot threads aligned, now I can't seem to get a word down without knowing exactly what I'm doing. Ugh.
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Trying to delete everything I said twice.
"He blew on the hot liquid in his cup and took a small sip, inhaling the coffee smell."
As my editor son would say, 'you don't need to say "in his cup", we already know that. And sips are small'.
"He blew on the hot liquid and took a sip, inhaling the coffee smell."
So much better. Amazing what little changes can do.
"He blew on the hot liquid in his cup and took a small sip, inhaling the coffee smell."
As my editor son would say, 'you don't need to say "in his cup", we already know that. And sips are small'.
"He blew on the hot liquid and took a sip, inhaling the coffee smell."
So much better. Amazing what little changes can do.
Doesn't it feel good to chop all that stuff out? Isn't it also annoying that we write like that on the first draft. @.@
Ugh, I wish I could cut out my excess words when I'm typing the first time around.
Yes! Yes, so do I. I write horrible stuff. Then I do some edits, go away, read it again, can't believe I wrote that shit. But by the time I'm done with several edits, I think I actually can write. I don't know why it takes the same process over and over. I have no doubt by the third or forth edit I actually have something good.
I do believe if you can recognize your not so skilled stuff, you can recognize when you do write something good.
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It baffles me that this is actually the professional process. Imagine if surgeons were like that.
Last month was the best I've ever had in sales, and that's just from POD units sold. I still don't have distribution numbers yet, and I'm cautiously optimistic.
Also, I'm thinking of editing and releasing an English language version of a Russian language novel that was published almost 90 years ago and was never released in North America. The author died not long after its release, so it's in the public domain. But I'm not sure if I'm going to do it.
Also, I'm thinking of editing and releasing an English language version of a Russian language novel that was published almost 90 years ago and was never released in North America. The author died not long after its release, so it's in the public domain. But I'm not sure if I'm going to do it.
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I have a scene like this in my historical.All artists love free food.
Worked on my scene chart and wrote a sum total of two sentences. Would have written more but, after not sleeping for two days, my usual session was blown out by a need to sleep.
Was buying beer yesterday and realized YA Fantasy is like the IPA of fiction. It's all anyone seems to want nowadays, though I can't quite understand why.
Getting back on track with my writing after a crazy April. Literally squealed and wiggled in my bus seat when imagining/writing in my head the first flirting scene between my gals. (Good thing the bus was empty >.>)
I'm genuinely curious. I'm not trying to troll you or judge you, or tell you how to go about it, I'm just really curious about how you're planning this.
Haha, maybe we can trade. I'm always looking to tighten up ways I write males.
No worries, Blinkk! I just know I'm limited, to an extent, as a male in writing female characters. So, in my efforts, I'm trying to read a lot of writing by female writers to try and understand women better. I'm not trying to be sexist or anything, but I feel that I should at least make a considerable effort. Doesn't hurt to try! If I fuck it all up, I'll let you know! Ahahahaha!
Ugh, beginnings are annoying.
I'm starting to have doubts about the MC watching the news near the beginning of the story. It doesn't explicitly explain the backstory—there's other stuff in the first chapter the reader is meant to piece together to figure out what the heroine's deal is and what her primary conflict in the story is—but I'm worried it'll be too info-dump-y, either on its own or coupled with the rest of the heroine's reflections, or just plain boring.
...ugh, beginnings are annoying.
I'm starting to have doubts about the MC watching the news near the beginning of the story. It doesn't explicitly explain the backstory—there's other stuff in the first chapter the reader is meant to piece together to figure out what the heroine's deal is and what her primary conflict in the story is—but I'm worried it'll be too info-dump-y, either on its own or coupled with the rest of the heroine's reflections, or just plain boring.
...ugh, beginnings are annoying.
Yup. They're even more annoying when it's a sequel. How much of a recap does the reader need in order to get familiarised with the plot and characters again? How does one do that quickly without sounding infodumpy? Currently, my opening two scenes are 'catchup' scenes with the two main characters, filling the reader in on what's happened to them in the two days since the end of book 1. But.... nothing especially exciting happens in them (one is locked up awaiting death, and the other is dear death from a wound, so neither of them is really in a position to do a lot).
I'm thinking of whacking on an action packed opening (or prologue) to start the main plot with a bang, but... I just don't know how to begin.
Ugh, beginnings are annoying...
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I learned how to write male characters by reading male-oriented novels--MacDonald's Travis McGee, Parker's Spencer, etc. You might learn a lot by reading the female oriented books.
I'm a bit too depressed to write right now. Who am I kidding? I'm full out depressed. Why am I full out depressed? I am full out depressed because the person, my sister, whom I live with doesn't think I'm a REAL writer. She told her daughter that I shouldn't be writing about stuff that can't be changed. So I am pissed. I'll get over it.
Shit!
I personally think that her comment about "you shouldn't be writing stuff that can't be changed" is a foolish statement to make. You're a writer, Cindy! Sorry to hear about this. : (
Hang in there!
That really sucks.
If it helps, my best counter-argument to that is in my sig: "Write the change you want to see in the world."
I'm sorry to hear that, Cindyt
It really sucks when people close to us don't believe in us or worse, try to tell us that we shouldn't be writing/painting/opening a restaurant/running a business/[enter something totally worth doing] because [enter the world's most ridiculous reasons for not doing it]. It's really frustrating sometimes.
Here's the thing: You write about things that matter to you. You're a writer. That's all there is to it.
You're going after what you want, and that's something that makes people uncomfortable because most people are too afraid to even find out what they really want, let alone actually go after it. Here's me telling you: You are a REAL writer because you have the courage to write.
If your sister thinks you "shouldn't" be writing about things that "can't be changed", that's just her limiting beliefs and personal opinions. Words - written words - are the most powerful way to change things, and I don't say it lightly. I completely agree with edutton's signature.
Don't let anyone tell you what to do or what you're capable of doing. People usually don't even know what they are capable of in their own lives, and they're too ignorant to make such judgements about others. Only you define what you will do in your life.
I hope you feel better soon and are able to return to doing what you love - REAL writing
