What's On Your Mind About Your Writing?

I spent two hours yesterday morning preparing a submission for my novel, and when I tried to post it to Submittable, something went wrong and I lost off of the work I had done! So after using some colorful language, I got back to it and in slightly less time managed to successfully post the submission via Submittable. I even got a confirmation email from the publisher. Now all I need to do is wait for the rejection.

I'm beginning to wonder if I NEED chapters.

They got inserted at a granddaughter's request, but though I love the child, I AM the writer, and I'm beginning to favor 4 or 5 parts over 40 or 50 chapters.

Mullmullmullmull...

TellMeAStory said:

I'm beginning to wonder if I NEED chapters.

They got inserted at a granddaughter's request, but though I love the child, I AM the writer, and I'm beginning to favor 4 or 5 parts over 40 or 50 chapters.

Mullmullmullmull...

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That is something to mull over. One surprising thing I found was that Terry Pratchett (one of my favorite authors) wrote several books without any chapters or parts at all. I read those books without even noticing. It was only later, after I'd finished the book and was checking for something else, that I even realized. I guess you're going to have to negotiate it with your granddaughter though.

My WIP has a stronger romantic element than I'm accustomed to. I'm a plotter, but this facet didn't show up until I was well into my 1st draft - this happens often, unexpected characters show up or the ones I created act outside of the plot. Damn their independence.

At the end of the story there will be a "which one will he choose" moment - and I'm wondering how I'll handle it. Oh well, my MC will let me know when I get there.

I'm reminded of a Vonnegut quote. He said that his control over his characters isn't via hardened steel rods, it's more like old stale rubber bands instead.

I have another beta reader, Yay!

I'm currently re-writing a short story, making it a little bit more involved and relatable. The main character needs a bit of work, and whilst I know how the story will end, I'm currently trying to figure out how to get there in the most satisfying way. It's daunting, but I think I'm going to enjoy the challenge. Once a first draft is completed, I may share it on the relevant thread on this forum to see what you guys think!

Ugh. I'm stuck in a story and it's on the stupidest thing. Where did the people take the creature after they captured it? Come on characters! Tell me what to do!!!!

I got all of my betareader's feedback, and...

And it's, overall, the most positive response I've ever had to a second draft! One reader wasn't a fan, but judging from the other three, I think that might be personal taste. Will followup to check. But they loved my prosaic style and aesthetics and the thing I was most concerned about, my use of SI and representation of mental health. And my favourite character (writing-wise) was theirs too!!!!

I'm so happy that I'm shaking hahaha. Today's a good day!

I just wrote a very beautiful scene about a my MC finally understanding the raging monster he turns into when too emotional. Now i feel weird, like something has been unlocked in me. <-- Maybe I should make my MC think that.

Elfriede said:

I got all of my betareader's feedback, and...

And it's, overall, the most positive response I've ever had to a second draft! One reader wasn't a fan, but judging from the other three, I think that might be personal taste. Will followup to check. But they loved my prosaic style and aesthetics and the thing I was most concerned about, my use of SI and representation of mental health. And my favourite character (writing-wise) was theirs too!!!!

I'm so happy that I'm shaking hahaha. Today's a good day!

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That's great. And that much love for a second draft? Impressive. My second drafts still tend to look terrible.

starrystorm said:

That's great. And that much love for a second draft? Impressive. My second drafts still tend to look terrible.

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Oh I still got notes about plot holes or this one character’s pronouns changing not once but twice in the novel... but! I’ve been working really hard on my prose and the aesthetic quality of it all. Studying people like Cormac McCarthy and Flannery O.Connor and Elfriede Jelinek, those sorts of people. So having them point out a lot of spots where they liked what I’d wrote was a really nice feeling!

Picked up one of my favorite movies at Goodwill. Hadn't seen it in years, and I had to make sure the DVD didn't skip, so I popped it in for a movie night.

I'd always known it was a deep, layered, well-told story, but the subtlety of foreshadowing, symbolism and parallels jumped out at me this time. I found myself watching it through writerly eyes. And I liked what I saw.

Now it's my turn . . .

Paul Lamb said:

I spent two hours yesterday morning preparing a submission for my novel, and when I tried to post it to Submittable, something went wrong and I lost off of the work I had done! So after using some colorful language, I got back to it and in slightly less time managed to successfully post the submission via Submittable. I even got a confirmation email from the publisher. Now all I need to do is wait for the rejection.

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Interesting. I didn't know you could submit novels with Submittable, thought that was just for short stories.

Ugh. This editing. I think I'm having two problems with the process.

One: I just finished working on beta edits for my nearly perfect novel and now this story, only on its second draft, feels like garbage in comparison.
Two: I didn't do a read-through of the story before editing. So now I'm changing things only to find five pages later I really needed the thing I changed and it's so frustrating!

I think I'm going to stop the editing process and read through it, taking detailed notes because clearly I don't remember this story as well as I did months ago.

Time, I don't have enough time!!!

Accidentally added ten pages to the story I was trying to streamline.

I can so relate to that.

I hate hate HATE rewriting the final page

Why can't I just magically spawn out the perfect balance of loose ends and a tied up plot and have no need to edit it?

Elfriede said:

I hate hate HATE rewriting the final page

Why can't I just magically spawn out the perfect balance of loose ends and a tied up plot and have no need to edit it?

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My biggest problem with endings (I write linked short story collections) is that I have to keep them from sounding cheesy or repetitive. I feel your pain though.

Yeah, in a short story collection writing endings seems like an even bigger issue. I've only ever written novel-length stories so I get to this painful stage once every 3-ish months. It's still too much!

Also. I've been cutting words for about an hour. And you know what?

I went to check a little bit back in the story. But it all seemed a bit bloated. So I checked the document...

And I've been editing the second draft for an hour. I'm on my third (with new edits!). Most of the things I've changed I've already cut literally this week and I didn't even notice oh my god. I want to cry. Today is just not my day!

Elfriede said:

Yeah, in a short story collection writing endings seems like an even bigger issue. I've only ever written novel-length stories so I get to this painful stage once every 3-ish months. It's still too much!

Also. I've been cutting words for about an hour. And you know what?

I went to check a little bit back in the story. But it all seemed a bit bloated. So I checked the document...

And I've been editing the second draft for an hour. I'm on my third (with new edits!). Most of the things I've changed I've already cut literally this week and I didn't even notice oh my god. I want to cry. Today is just not my day!

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Ha! I've done that before. I've been working on the book for so long sometimes I can't remember up from down. I just try to take a short break at that point. Watch a twenty minute episode or read a little. Take the dog for a walk. I find that helps to clear the head and keep from making the silly mistakes.

On my mind is that it's been snowing for the last 16 hours and is not predicted to stop for another 9 hours. I've got a long driveway, and I'm not looking forward to running the snow blower to clear it tomorrow. For now though, it's a good day to do some writing.

Starting in on the first draft of chapter 16 of my novel that will have 29 chapters - so I'm more than halfway though.

Currently my MC is arguing with his partner and another woman is vying for his attention. Street gangs that have been in isolation have been pushed into close proximity and war is about to break out. An omnipotent power has taken control of the star ship they are all living on and is forcing them to travel to a distant ice-world, and the mode of travel will threaten everyone's sanity.

I can't seem to stick to a single story idea and when one becomes to complex I shift over to another story idea. Is my brain just afraid to comit to a single story or is there some other underlying cause for my constant story shifting?

MaeZe said:

Time, I don't have enough time!!!

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I feel your pain. Just when I was starting to get into a groove again after a months-long hiatus, life finds new ways to steal my time and enhance my fear of not being productive.

Rojack79 said:

I can't seem to stick to a single story idea and when one becomes to complex I shift over to another story idea. Is my brain just afraid to comit to a single story or is there some other underlying cause for my constant story shifting?

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Your brain is trying to keep you lazy and throwing new ideas at you is a lot less work than having to struggle to finish a story. You have to be in control of your brain. Don't allow it to derail you.