What's On Your Mind About Your Writing?

[Nether]

Googled what I was considering naming two of my characters in ACP. One would share her name with a porn star and the other would share a name with a character on Grey's Anatomy. Will probably go with something else...

Kind of a reminder why I tend to avoid last names.

 

[Nether]

I'm writing in first-past now. This is a thing I'm doing. (In my manuscript, not this post, obviously.)

Why am I doing it? I don't know. I just started doing it and now it's a thing. There was a moment when I'd noticed it, was like, "Huh," and thought, "Well, it's been almost 300 words so clearly I'm in too deep."

idk. The first paragraph was past-tense for happening in the past, then I did the next past (still expository), then the next, and realized I was doing it with the dialogue.

I had briefly thought about that regardless, just since I was changing up my style anyway on ACP, but I guess now it's official. This is going to be interesting. Oh, and where I was thinking kinda upmarket YA horror, I probably won't be able to lean hard enough into the prose style to make it work as upmarket (and there's no real gimmick with this one).

 

[kitkatt33]

"I have to stop starting new projects." I say as I start a new story.

All jokes aside, I can't finish anything.

 

[writera]

I've been working on two novels this summer (a whodunit and another mystery that has supernatural elements) and I'd gotten both WIPs to the 60K mark and then hit a bit of a slump. One of them is still stuck at that mark, but I've made some progress with the other, getting it up to almost 75K now (though it seemed to take forever) so it's starting to feel like I might finish that one first and that it's coming to the end of the first draft finally, which I imagine will be somewhere between 80K and 90K (although it's possible it could go longer). It feels fairly filled-in but there's still some gaps and plot holes and, while I've decided on the identities of the murderers (it's a whodunit) for the most part, some of that is still up in the air. I've also decided to add two new characters - one very much a side character and a red herring and one that may be a side character but could also prove to be more significant to the MC. I'm not sure yet. I also need to fill in a lot more clues and fix it up in general.

I've written two novels - or usually a novel and a half - over the summer months before, but previously I'd written one, then (half of) the other. And last summer I only wrote half a novel. This time I tried to write two simultaneously, but I kept going from one to another for long stretches, and it was nice - though it's twice the work, it also feels like twice the accomplishment - but I guess I knew one would eventually overtake the other. Anyway, unless I hit another wall with this one, I think I'll continue with the whodunit and leave the other one resting for a while longer.

 

[tusenord]

"I have to stop starting new projects." I say as I start a new story.

All jokes aside, I can't finish anything.

Maybe try starting a few new endings, and then just merge them all?

 

[Nether]

"I have to stop starting new projects." I say as I start a new story.

All jokes aside, I can't finish anything.

Kinda preempted me joking about how it doesn't matter how many stories you start, it's about how many you finish.

Although starting and finishing too many can lead to problems trying to query/place them, so... issues on top of issues.

 

[tusenord]

I'm super second guessing the changes I considered doing because maybe a reader wouldn't care/need to know those details and I don't know how to decide. None of my 2 betas asked about those details, so maybe it's not important?

 

[gettingby]

I wrote today and yesterday. Is this a routine yet?

 

[Theology of Bagels]

After reading some crits of other people's work, I'm starting to second-guess my writing style in a rather imposter syndrome-esque way. The kicker is, I wasn't even necessarily interested in getting an agent or trying for traditional publishing. I usually just write for me, and I thought it might be fun one day to self-publish. Sure, trad publishing has always been a dream, but it's not one I'm really dedicated to pursuing right now. And yet, I find myself developing an odd insecurity about my narration choices, novel structure, etc. to the point that it's starting to suck the joy out of the creative process - and all because an agent I may never bother to query might not like it.

To knock myself out of this headspace, I've set aside my completed MS for a few days and have picked up a much more light-hearted WIP. Can't stress if you're too busy having fun, right?

 

[JudiH]

I'm super second guessing the changes I considered doing because maybe a reader wouldn't care/need to know those details and I don't know how to decide. None of my 2 betas asked about those details, so maybe it's not important?

I do the same thing. The internal editor is always nitpicky about details, and I always wonder if it's something a reader would even notice. If neither of your betas has mentioned them, I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[kitkatt33]

Maybe try starting a few new endings, and then just merge them all?

That's a cool idea

 

[kitkatt33]

Kinda preempted me joking about how it doesn't matter how many stories you start, it's about how many you finish.

Although starting and finishing too many can lead to problems trying to query/place them, so... issues on top of issues.

you could put that on a t shirt lol

 

[eutanzi]

I've always struggled with writing fiction in 3rd or 1st person, and wrote my stories in 2nd person present tense exclusively (the way my thoughts sound) until I found out most people find it hard to get into. Now I'm trying to learn how to write in 3rd but I always drift back into 2nd if I'm not careful. But then I wonder why the tense even matters when most of my writing is just for me.

 

[Unimportant]

I've always struggled with writing fiction in 3rd or 1st person, and wrote my stories in 2nd person present tense exclusively (the way my thoughts sound) until I found out most people find it hard to get into. Now I'm trying to learn how to write in 3rd but I always drift back into 2nd if I'm not careful. But then I wonder why the tense even matters when most of my writing is just for me.

There are some stories where second person works extremely well -- horror and erotica come to mind. Present tense/past tense, ditto -- it really depends on the story.

But if you are writing for yourself as the reader, heck, yes, write what pleases you!

 

[Nether]

Few thoughts, few thoughts, just a few... well, more than.

First, I'm still alternating between wanting to finish Melissa Albert's The Bad Ones and wanting to throw the book at a wall. Interesting story, but just really hard to get through. Likewise, I keep alternating between thinking it might work as a comp for Nobody and that there's no way it'll work as a comp. But, more importantly, given the structure, it has made me wonder about whether Nobody (or should I go with No Body?) might have issues as well. Granted, my manuscript's premise is different, which leads to a different kind of pacing (since teens go missing throughout), but I can't help but think about scenes that could feel flat because this maybe-comp has a lot of pretty flat scenes that exist mostly to tease a new clue (or digress wildly).

Granted, Nobody is also like 89k words and it should probably be closer to 80k if I'm going to query it, so that's another whole thing I've got to handle (Manse is also 89k, but I'm calling that an urban fantasy.)

Second, fantastic rabbit holes and where to find them. I started to look into the Triangle House Agency -- whose site is an immediate turnoff and whose agents didn't seem to have much experience (the founder didn't list previous agencies (and the agency only goes back to 2017), and the other agents either don't list previous agency work or don't quantify their time)) -- and, since I was struggling to find their titles, etc, almost dismissed them out of hand... but then I found their titles at the bottom of a page and, more importantly, their IG where they listed some deals and found some books not listed on the other page which sold better, along with the fact one of those books (Nightbitch) was adapted into a movie starring Amy Adams. So, basically, I went from not thinking much of them to thinking MOVIE! Granted, I'm not sure anybody at the agency reps MG, so... yeah, rabbit holes. (But at least one person explicitly reps YA, albeit they're closed atm.)

And ACP is off to a pretty piss-poor start. But, you know, any words are better than no words. And I knew it was going to be more of an issue since I'm trying to write differently and I don't have the voice just yet. Anyway, it's bound to be a bumpy ride.

I've always struggled with writing fiction in 3rd or 1st person, and wrote my stories in 2nd person present tense exclusively (the way my thoughts sound) until I found out most people find it hard to get into. Now I'm trying to learn how to write in 3rd but I always drift back into 2nd if I'm not careful. But then I wonder why the tense even matters when most of my writing is just for me.

Or you could lean into 2nd and write CYOA-styled books. Given that everything from the 80s and 90s winds up popular again eventually, there could be potential.

 

[JudiH]

There are some stories where second person works extremely well -- horror and erotica come to mind. Present tense/past tense, ditto -- it really depends on the story.

But if you are writing for yourself as the reader, heck, yes, write what pleases you!

I agree, if it's just for you, you can write it any way you please!

If you're trying to learn to write in 1st or 3rd and find you've slipped back to 2nd, that's easy--just rewrite it in 1st or 3rd. I tend to slide into present tense for some reason. I go ahead and do it, and change it to past tense when I'm rewriting or editing.

You know, like playing an instrument? You could keep playing the same tune and arrangement forever. You know how, it's easy, it feels good to hit all the notes, maybe throw in an embellishment. You can do it without thinking. But it might teach you something new if you tried Mozart. Or the blues.

Or an exercise or dance analogy--you're building a new muscle, learning a new step. You'll slip back into what's easy, but you'll only build the muscle or learn the step by doing it, over and over.

And if you decide it just isn't for you, you can go back to 2nd person. It's for you. No prob.

 

[Brigid Barry]

Almost done with my second round of revisions before I sent it out to get other eyes on it. I had a weird issue that the secondary characters were doing things that didn't really make sense and I didn't understand what was going on and how it was connected. Then I realized that I had an invisible sub plot where A was trying to help B by putting C in front of the MC, not knowing that C was a double agent for D, but C was also betraying D.

How much of this do I need to explain at the end? Or can I just leave it alone and let the reader connect the dots?

 

[Valpur]

Today I broke the half-a-novel threshold, and then some. I've completed ch. 6/10, and it's all coming together.
This is good!

Tomorrow I'll have to write about a siege.
This is bad.
Bye, gotta go down yet another rabbit hole -- how many people were needed to move a 15th century siege engine? And what about the physics? Oh, but was *that* castle (a real one, which I'll have to tour on Google Streetview) damaged during the battle?

 

[eutanzi]

There are some stories where second person works extremely well -- horror and erotica come to mind. Present tense/past tense, ditto -- it really depends on the story.

But if you are writing for yourself as the reader, heck, yes, write what pleases you!

Ooh, might lean into horror (got a few short story ideas that could work). And I won't stop practicing 3rd, but you're right—if I'm my only audience, why fight what comes naturally?

Or you could lean into 2nd and write CYOA-styled books. Given that everything from the 80s and 90s winds up popular again eventually, there could be potential.

Fun angle! I hadn't considered CYOA (not my childhood, had to Google), but that could be a really good fit.

Almost done with my second round of revisions before I sent it out to get other eyes on it. I had a weird issue that the secondary characters were doing things that didn't really make sense and I didn't understand what was going on and how it was connected. Then I realized that I had an invisible sub plot where A was trying to help B by putting C in front of the MC, not knowing that C was a double agent for D, but C was also betraying D.

How much of this do I need to explain at the end? Or can I just leave it alone and let the reader connect the dots?

Even trusting a reader's comprehension skills, seems like a lot to juggle—you've got A, B, C, D, and the MC, plus multiple double-crosses. Instead of waiting until the end to "explain," could the subplot be shown unfolding (unraveling, maybe) alongside the central plot? Or, like you said, maybe leaving it in the background and letting the reader piece things together would be best—probably depends on how visible/surface level the subplot was to begin with.

 

[Woollybear]

I'm procrastinating again. But a couple nights ago I started compiling the statistics from these notes I'm taking from the agent panels, which span 2020 - 2023. So far I've seen various agents analyze about 500 first pages, and I have about 100 more to go.

Overall, about 20% of first pages pass (a higher percentage than I had thought, while watching them). In most individual genres, too, that's the statistic. It's not that 20% of first pages are loved, but rather 20% are not panned by the end of the page. Closer to 3% are loved.

Anyway, although the 20% is a general trend, in a few genres the numbers skew one way or the other. Over half the horror pages (12/23) have survived. Half the MG fantasy (4/8).

Half the MG fantasy, but none, not one of the 14 YA fantasy first pages over the past four years survived the panel. That was very striking, and in line with the chatter you hear about that market cooling.

(Adult Sci Fi = 15% and adult historical 30%)

The coffee is slowly kicking in.

 

[engmajor2005]

I started a new novel last night. There's a fantasy story that I've tried writing for several years. I've started it from scratch twice. I came to the realization last night that it may work better as a novel, where the story can take its time to stretch out and really develop naturally. So I struck while the iron was hot.

I'm also revising and expanding on my first novel, which was traditionally published and on the market for a grand total of six months. The publisher pulled all of their novels from publication, citing financial issues. I'm working on finding it a new home. I know I'll have to pitch it as a reprint, but it sold less than twenty copies, wasn't really promoted by the publisher, was only available on Amazon, and--as I said earlier--was only on the market for six months. In other words, I'm hoping an agent or publisher will see the untapped potential in it.

 

[tusenord]

Whoa, I've edited more than half the ms, which is nice editing-wise, but worries me a bit plot-wise because the beginning might be a bit heavy/slow. BUT, I will just be happy that I've got this far, and call it a night, because the next scenes need to be rewritten and possibly removed/replaced completely and that's a daunting task...

 

[CometRider]

I can't decide how much worldbuilding I should do before I start writing (scifi). I've known myself to get bogged in worldbuilding in the past, but I feel almost like I'm overcorrecting this time, shying away from it. I am not without ideas and some loose notes about it, but I have trouble doing things halfway, and so keep backing off from dedicating time to actually lay some stuff down concretely.

Looking for suggestions on the matter has been a mixed bag, too. Most seem geared towards a very all-in approach.

 

[Brigid Barry]

I'm also revising and expanding on my first novel, which was traditionally published and on the market for a grand total of six months. The publisher pulled all of their novels from publication, citing financial issues. I'm working on finding it a new home. I know I'll have to pitch it as a reprint, but it sold less than twenty copies, wasn't really promoted by the publisher, was only available on Amazon, and--as I said earlier--was only on the market for six months. In other words, I'm hoping an agent or publisher will see the untapped potential in iit.

(All of this is presuming you got your rights back) Agents probably not but there are small presses that do reprints - Rowan Prose Publishing is the one I know for sure but there are a handful out there. You can also self publish it. I hope you find a home for it!


I did a couple of tweaks to my fantasy novel, just two lines to add some depth and close a loop, but then I spent three hours doing comics for Unhinged Pit, which was way too fun and probably not a great use of my time. But it was FUN.

 

[JudiH]

I can't decide how much worldbuilding I should do before I start writing (scifi). I've known myself to get bogged in worldbuilding in the past, but I feel almost like I'm overcorrecting this time, shying away from it. I am not without ideas and some loose notes about it, but I have trouble doing things halfway, and so keep backing off from dedicating time to actually lay some stuff down concretely.

Looking for suggestions on the matter has been a mixed bag, too. Most seem geared towards a very all-in approach.

Start writing. You probably don't need as much worldbuilding as you think. If something comes up, think about it then.

As an example, the magic system in my fantasy WIP changes a little bit every time I write a scene where someone uses it. I started with one firm idea about it--which has held up--and have been figuring out the rest as I go.

You can't foresee everything you're going to want or need, so write first, and world-build as you need to.