Obsessive Rep Point Checkers Club (Volume VI)

I outline if I think it's going to be a long story (a long story for me is anything over 20K). But my outlines are pretty basic because I like to leave wiggle room in case new ideas come to me while writing.

For instance - with the sort of historical I'm still hoping to write, my outline is basically:

X invited to go visit uncle in NO
Travel down Missouri and Mississippi to NO
Meet Uncle and family, find they're about to go to their summer house on Last Island - travel there
Meet Y at function at the hotel
HURRICANE
Somehow survive - get found by rescuers
Return to NO - only survivor of uncle's family is youngest daughter
X's parents come down to NO
X, YD, and Y all return to res with parents and they all live happily ever after

Then I have my sheets about characters, research on places, and in this story's case, all my research on the Last Island Hurricane that destroyed the island completely.

Lotta wiggle room there. BUT, when I get back to writing it, at least I know what I'd planned.

I basically use an outline just to get down the major points I want to hit in the story.

Going to be another hot day here today, but the good news is, my sore throat is 99% gone and I'm feeling much better. With any luck, I'll hit the halfway mark with my sisyfus story today. If I can do that, I'll be on track to finish the first draft by the end of the month.

I have a feeling many writers skip over that dreaded middle to write the ending first? I'm a pretty linear writer, but that's the only way I write out of order. And I don't know how to deal with outlines. Did any of you hate them, and then finally got it? Then perhaps there is hope for me.

Hey, Jay! Good morning. So glad you're feeling better.

Yeah, your outline is basically like mine. It's basically a list of things I want to include, in the general order of how I'd like to include them.

I don't usually write the ending first. I usually write a tentative beginning, the middles scenes in the order they come to me or I feel inspired to write them, and then the end. I do much better with deadlines. Without them, I edit and revise endlessly. It's just never good enough.

Hey, Lil! How are things with you? I'm glad I'm feeling better too.

I can't write the ending first. If I did that, the story would be over, and no point in writing the rest.

I used to be a complete pantser, JeanGenie. And my crit partner is an outliner. Over time, I've become sort of a hybrid of the two. I still wing it for short stuff, and my outlines, as you can see, are pretty sparse. I think you just need to go with what works for you.

Hey. Things are fine. I've been working on my Sissyfus story. I'm putting along slowly. Like...a few hundred words a day, if that. I'm not sure why it's not flowing better, since I have a clear idea of where I'm going with it.

I'm thinking about taking a nap before dinner. A nap sounds really good right now.

Lillian_Blaire said:

I do much better with deadlines. Without them, I edit and revise endlessly. It's just never good enough.

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I hate revising and editing. I get annoyed and bored if I have to go through a story repeatedly. That's sort of why I abandoned my UF. After two rounds of edits, it was still a bloody mess. Someone else probably would have gone through four or five edits to get it to something that was readable, but I have too many ideas I want to write to spend that much time on ONE story.

Sometimes, the words just trickle out, even if we know where the story is going. The important thing is that you are at least getting some words down.

Mmm, a nap sounds so good. I know, I just got up, but some nong was outside talking really loudly at 6:30 this morning. Asshat. I guess they figured if they were up, everyone should be.

I hate that. My neighbor lets her kids outside really early to play in the back yard. I don't think she realizes that they are loud and easily heard from my bedroom. They wake me up often and it frustrates me. The houses aren't that close together, but those kids are REALLY loud.

Didn't someone say that a book is never finished, only abandoned and (hopefully) published? That seems about right.

Yeah, that does seem about right. I have a manuscript right now that is, in my opinion, about as good as it's going to get. I mean, if I were, somehow, going to be published, I'm sure the editor would make suggestions or something, but really, as far as what I can do, it's done*.




*this is subject to change at any moment

She probably realizes they are loud, which is why she's telling them to go outside in the morning X-D

Lillian_Blaire said:

I hate that. My neighbor lets her kids outside really early to play in the back yard. I don't think she realizes that they are loud and easily heard from my bedroom. They wake me up often and it frustrates me. The houses aren't that close together, but those kids are REALLY loud.

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Ugh. I'd prefer she tells them to be quiet. Why are parents afraid to tell their kids they need to quiet down?

- - - Updated - - -

I told my kids they had to be quiet and now, guess what? THEY ARE QUIET.

Funny how that works.

I don't know how many times my book has been finished, until I've realized it totally sucks. But on the bright side, it sucks less and less!

Yeah, my kids kind of understand basic language as well. Funny, that.

Kids are bloody noisy, no two ways about it. I have, on occasion, wished for a storm to send the little buggers inside. *g*

I guess I'm weird then, because I do have stories that I consider finished - and yes, I have gone back and read them on several occasions. Still happy with them and would be quite happy for them to be published as is - if I didn't have to do any of the folderol that goes with getting published.

There are parents these days who really shouldn't be parents. They do nothing to control their unruly ferals and I want to go and slap the parents because they're not doing the kids any favours by letting them run amuck.

What folderol are you referring to?

Promotions, setting up social media... crap like that.

Also, if I wanted to be published by an American company, I'd have to fork over the cash to get a US tax number - or lose at least half of any royalties to withholding tax.

I don't have the energy for all that stuff (or the cash). So I just write stories I want to read, and share them with a few people. Still a writer, just not getting paid for it.

You're a good writer, Jay and I've thoroughly enjoyed your work that I've had the pleasure of reading. But I don't blame you for not wanting to jump through the hoops.

Hm...I don't live in the US. How much would I have to fork over? And how much promotion (and what kind) do the publishers/agents expect from a new author?

Thanks, Lil! I enjoy writing, and I have lots of stories to tell. I just don't have the energy for all that other stuff.

JeanGenie said:

Hm...I don't live in the US. How much would I have to fork over? And how much promotion (and what kind) do the publishers/agents expect from a new author?

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It depends. I don't know if Norway has a tax treaty with the US (as Australia does), so it might be different for you. It would have cost me $250 to get my paperwork notarized to get a US tax number. I think every publisher/agent is different in what they expect the writer to do - but from things I've read there'd be guest blog posts, you'd have to have some sort of social media set up, and do giveaways and stuff like that.

It doesn't sound like much, but when you have health issues, it's a LOT of time and effort. I'd rather save my energy for stuff I enjoy doing.

I get that. If I were to choose, I’d prefer to be the reclusive writer, but they seem to be a thing of the past. If we wait long enough, perhaps they get back in fashion.

Oh, yeah, if I could be the reclusive, anti-social writer, I'm in there! *g*

Just checked the tax treaty between US and Norway. When it comes to royalties made in the US, we don’t pay taxes to US, but to Norway. I’m not really sure what that means, but sounds ok to me?