Crispy Update: Schooled
Posted: March 9, 2011 Filed under: Wednesday Check-in, Writers Write | Tags: Trusting Your Instincts, writers, writing Leave a comment »I’m working through five pages a day. Up until now, I’ve focused on the trees versus the forest. This is all about the forest.
How does the story fit together? Am I giving away too much in this scene? Not enough? If I were reading, I’d skip this part. Can I cut it?
That’s the idea.
Five pages don’t seem like much. I’ve had to quit thinking like that. So much of the last four years has been spent learning how to do this writing gig. The temptation is to want it fast. There’s nothing fast about it. Every fast thing ultimately has been reworked, but I can feel myself on the down slope. I’m trying not to run.
Wednesday Check-in
Posted: January 5, 2011 Filed under: Wednesday Check-in, Writers Write | Tags: writers, writing, Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook Leave a comment »Schooled
Finished Lessons 15, 16, and 17 of Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook. 117 out of 591 tasks completed. I’m working on Lesson 18: Heightening turning points within scenes. It’s huge–twenty scenes. I’ve finished four. I can see my book change with every revision.
Land of Enchantment
I began typing the longhand copy. Whenever I get down about revisions, I open the notebook and try to read my own handwriting. A little eyestrain and I’m ready to go back to the other book. I’ve typed 2,000 words of the 60,000 word manuscript. I worried that I underestimated the word count. Not a chance. Every page is longer than I gave myself credit for during NANOWRIMO.
During the break, I read a craft book. Self-Editing for Fiction Writers: How to edit yourself into print by Renni Browne and Dave King. I confess that this was recommended long ago. I was afraid I’d go crazy if I started thinking about editing in the middle of story drafts. Wrong. This book is a must read. It answers all my questions and dumps bad advice where it belongs–in the trash. Buy it and read it. The book is a keeper.
Wednesday Check-in On Thursday
Posted: October 28, 2010 Filed under: Goals, NANOWRIMO, Wednesday Check-in, Writers Write | Tags: Donald Maass Workshop, Trusting Your Instincts, writers, writing, Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook 2 Comments »
Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook: I finished Lesson 14: Making Complications Active. I could work on two more scenes, but laying awake last night, I figured the action was after-the-fact, and I would probably cut it later anyway. The scenes are outlined, so I’ll save the prep work and add them later if necessary.
I’m bogged down here, working at a snail’s pace. I know the things that need doing, but each task has become a marathon. At this stage the work is tedious, so I’m taking a break.
Sort of.
November is National Novel Writing Month. Notice the badge to the right? I’m participating in NANOWRIMO, I’ll be writing fifty thousand words in thirty days. For information about how you too can lose your senses and sign up, click on the icon.
The plan is to write a new story from scratch during the month of November. Outlines are acceptable, but early drafts are not. In the end, the author gets–are you ready for this?–bragging rights. I’m not waiting until December 1. You can follow my self congratulations and aggrandizement right here starting next Monday, November 1. I’ll be blogging everyday. Hopefully, some wisdom will seep into the drivel.
Just remember what Hemingway said, “The first draft of anything is shit.”
