TIME TO SELL SOME CLINIQUE —
*receives note*
Clinic? Not Clinique? Oh. Oh. Like, a, a… writer’s clinic. A story clinic, whatever.
Cool. I’m more of an Avon guy, anyway.
Here’s the drill, word-nerds and story-architects.
You’re writing something? Novel? Short story? Script? Etc? Let’s hear a status update. How’s it going? What problems are you having? Maybe we can all crowdsource some solutions or, at the very least, it’ll give me fodder for a future blog post. (Hey, nobody said I wasn’t at least a tiny bit lazy.) So, talk to me. What are you writing, how’s it going, and what problems are you having? Drop your answers in the comment section below. KAY THANKS BYE.
*takes off in a jetpack to battle psionic moon-bears*
H.T. Shaw says:
I’m in the middle of a short story but I keep rushing things. While i’m writing it I feel as if everything is just dragging, the plot, the characters, etc. but when I read back through it, it all feels rushed. I can’t seem to contain myself though, as i’m writing I feel like i’m taking forever to say nothing and go nowhere but in hindsight I realize i’m pushing through things too fast and revealing things that the reader should be working for. How can I fix this?!
February 26, 2014 — 10:12 AM
Maria Lopez Davis says:
I’m writing my first novel & I have it all fairly plotted out in my mind & am so excited to write but my issue is finding the time! I have this mental block that I can’t write unless I have 2 hr uninterrputed block of time. With 2 young children & a small biz to run extra time is hard to find. Would love to know if others manage to keep the mental flow of writing in really small increments of time! Or any other advice to fitting it in! I mean am I just a whiner???
February 26, 2014 — 10:22 AM
Kay Camden says:
What I need is time. I see I’m not alone. And that’s comforting but not so much helpful unless one of you wants to be on laundry and dinner duty at my house for the next 3 weeks.
Writing is a compulsion for me. Something that must be done regularly or the pressure builds up. If I don’t do it often enough, I get a little crazy.
So, finding time to write isn’t just about getting it done. It’s also about my mental health.
I’m about 100 pages away from finishing revisions on the second book in my series. It’s due to my editor in March. I post progress updates on my website to lessen the hate mail about the cliffhanger at the end of the first book (which was published in November). People see I’m working on it, the percentage of completion increasing steadily, and it calms them a bit. I like to think that anyway.
What I’ve had to do is take vacation days from my day job to get some real work done. Both kids at school, husband at work, house to myself. Mondays work best because I’ve had the weekend to clean and do laundry. It’s all I do all day except eat lunch. I can get 40 pages done in one day that way. Knock a big chunk of it out.
Once book two is published I think I can relax a little. Take my time with book three. Maybe.
February 26, 2014 — 10:20 AM
T. Jane Berry says:
I hear you on the time issue, Kay. I am paying my kids $1.00 per plate to make meals this week so I can get some writing time in. Eating a lot of crappy meals, but I did get a short story submitted and finished draft one of my novel!
February 26, 2014 — 10:25 AM
Kay Camden says:
That’s an awesome idea I might use in the future. My kids are 3 and 5 so…if I paid them $1 a plate now, they’d be serving mud garnished with Crunch Berries.
February 26, 2014 — 10:40 AM
empwriter says:
She’s 10, yes? Kids see all kinds of crazy, even normal ones. My advice would be to read some middle-grade stories with ghosts in them, to get more of a feel for it.
February 26, 2014 — 10:22 AM
Andreah says:
I’m on my first round of edits for my teen urban fantasy novel. I’m doing a lot better as I make time every morning for it. I don’t give the time to anything else like I used to. The slot of time is cemented to writing. And the new Chemex and Tonx coffee is helping immensely. Thank you for sharing.
So, the edits…I seem to be hitting a lot of snags for word choice. It’s like your post about the Thesaurus-don’t use it as a crutch and only for those moments when your brain is unable to recall the word you really want. It’s like when someone asks you who the actor of a certain movie is and you can’t “put your finger on it.” I’m also having a hard time with my main character’s last name. I have a place holder, but I can’t seem to come up with anything else I like. I don’t think name generators are very helpful. I also know my “world building” needs more development, but not sure how to pinpoint it. Mostly, I have been working on description. I have to really make myself sit down and write it. It doesn’t come to me as easily as dialogue or action.
Luckily, three of my trusted friends have agreed to critically read it without fear of hurting my feelings. My book deserves honest criticism more than my feelings deserve coddling. So, I am actually excited to receive their feedback.
Your posts have really helped me stay on my writing schedule. I wish I could have found your blog sooner! Thank you for all you do!
February 26, 2014 — 10:23 AM
terribleminds says:
Word choice is tricky — you want to make sure that the words are right and that they don’t feel forced. Sometimes it helps just to try to write more casually and less “novel-ish,” if that makes sense. You can always go back and tighten up some parts if you feel they’re too loosey-goosey.
February 26, 2014 — 10:46 AM
Denise Baer says:
Problems? Well it all started in grammar school… I wouldn’t do that to you.
I’m on the third draft of my women’s fiction / chick lit novel, Fogged Up Fairy Tale. I actually hit the middle blahs. The story is teetering on “Okay, we got it. Move it along,” and it’s making me think… really hard.
I’m about to revise my 24th chapter called “Yes, Master!” Hmm… Maybe I should reflect on my younger, flexible days. Just kidding.
I believe things may start falling in place. Thanks, Chuck. I feel better already. 🙂
February 26, 2014 — 10:31 AM
bethraymond says:
I’m writing a science fiction short story. I don’t normally write in this genre, and a project that I expected to only take a week or so has now dragged on for nearly a month. Part of it is motivation; it hasn’t been quite as fun to write this one so I’ve been procrastinating. Which, I realize, means I should probably set it aside and move on to something else . . . but I do want to finish what I started. That said, if I can’t finish the initial draft by the end of this weekend, I may move on.
February 26, 2014 — 10:32 AM
Maure says:
Can you find a different angle on it to make it more interesting? I usually find my apathy/’writer’s block’ stems from not having found the right way to come at the project, if you know what I mean.
February 26, 2014 — 6:45 PM
bethraymond says:
I do–and I think that’s a good suggestion.
February 27, 2014 — 1:24 AM
Curtis Edmonds (@Curtis_Edmonds) says:
I got two big projects out of the way earlier this year.
The first project was taking a book that my grandfather had written fifty years ago and getting it out in a Kindle version. I don’t think it will sell a lot of copies (mostly because it didn’t sell a lot of copies in the Sixties) but it was a fun thing to work on and I’m glad I did it.
The second project was my second novel, which I finished right around the first of the year, and I walked it through the first round of edits in January. I am ready to send it to my editor, but she’s backed up with other projects and I am pretty much on hold at this point.
So I really don’t have anything I have to do at the moment. I’ve been trying to keep busy in other ways. I have a book to promote. I have knocked off a couple of book reviews and am burrowing my way through my to-be-read pile (gotta say, THE MARTIAN is amazing, check it out). I wrote a humor piece that the New Yorker hasn’t gotten around to rejecting yet. I did a Konrath guest post. I have a love story set aboard a spaceship that I am trying to get into some kind of usable format. (I’m writing a comment on a writing blog! As we speak! That counts, doesn’t it?)
Here’s the problem. I honestly don’t think I can write another novel until I know how well the second one is going to be received. If it does well, I can write another one like it. If it flops, I know I need to go in another direction. (And there is the other issue of not having any idea what the next story is or should be.)
So, I’m waiting. Soon it will be spring. Soon my editor will take out her giant cudgel of editing and beat the second novel into submission. Soon I will once again taste the dark bile of rejection. Soon.
February 26, 2014 — 10:37 AM
mckkenzie says:
Thanks for asking, Doc. I’m a freelance writer and people pay me and ask me to return, so I know I can do the non-fiction writing thing. But I’m also writing an urban fantasy book, which you know is a whole different thing. I’m about 65,000 words into it, but I’ve slowed down a bit since this bearded author dude in Pennsyltucky unwittingly reminded me that I kind of like writing short stories and that my tenderhearted 20-something self was an idiot for letting one mean rejection stop her from submitting fiction. So, I’m also writing short stories again and have been submitting them (I have had two kind and professional rejections so far). The problem I’m having is finding people to read my stuff before I submit it.
What I’ve done: Tried a local writer’s group but got a very strong whiff of draaama from the people in it and want no part of that. I’m just finishing up a free trial of an online writer’s workshop, which seems promising and I’m probably going to cough up the dues to become an actual member. I’m signed up for an online writing class taught by an author that I like. I have a couple of family members who read my stuff, but they’re very busy so you know how that goes…
What I’m wondering: Is there something I’m not doing? What does everyone else do to find people to pre-read their stuff and give an honest, informed opinion as to what works and what doesn’t? How do people find good, helpful writer’s groups…and is this even a good idea? In short, how do I expand my network of people who can interact with me about writing fiction?
February 26, 2014 — 10:48 AM
Georgia Moody says:
I can’t seem to think of titles for love nor money. I’m currently working on two different pieces- an epic fantasy and a paranormal fantasy. Good characters, solid world-building, intriguing plot twists, fun sexy romps with demons, got all those- but I can’t seem to come up with titles that are attention-grabbers.
February 26, 2014 — 10:52 AM
Maure says:
Titles are HARD, man. Sometimes if you hit the NaNoWriMo forums or something you can find people who will suggest stuff, maybe that would help? I find it almost impossible to work on an idea unless I have a title that I like. Shallow, maybe, but it’s a morale boost for me to be able to put a name to what I’m working on.
February 26, 2014 — 11:19 AM
Georgia Moody says:
I hear you. I have one-word working titles (just so my husband will know which MS I am ranting about) but they aren’t even close to viable.
The NaNo forums are a double edged sword at the best of times. It has been my experience (both online and in my local NaNo group) that enthusiasm tends to greatly dwarf useful information…but I’ll give them another chance. The Internet occasionally rolls a 20 instead of flinging the dice under the sofa, into the aquarium, or into the nether void that lives behind the fridge.
February 26, 2014 — 11:29 AM
Maure says:
‘The Nether Void That Lives Behind The Fridge’ might be an interesting title for something, actually. XD
February 26, 2014 — 3:53 PM
Wulfie says:
Do you listen to any particular music while writing these? Or can you think of tunes to relate the pieces to? Lyrics to the music we tune into while writing can often kick off emotions and plot bunnies but also title ideas. Just a thought. 🙂
February 26, 2014 — 3:05 PM
Georgia Moody says:
You know what’s interesting? Each character and most scenes have a playlist, but the books themselves don’t. I shall remedy this forthwith.
February 26, 2014 — 9:42 PM
Rose Red says:
I wrote a novel for the first time in November for Nanowrimo. It was the third try starting, first time finishing. I really struggled with the end. Everything I came up with sounded contrived. I’d picture myself watching it in a film and seeing how dumb and predictable the ending was. Then I wiped out my hard drive and the other three copies I’d saved did not have the last 2k words. The big finish at the last of the month. I didn’t feel too sad, because I never really liked it. But that was in December and now I am on the cusp of March. I play around with the words in my editing session like cold scrambled eggs on a plate, pushing them around and when I’m done I still hate them.
I’ve read a lot about editing, but not so much about the wow finish. That is there I am at. I look forward to reading all the other comments and I enjoy this column though I have not replied to it in some time.
RR
February 26, 2014 — 10:59 AM
ladyyashka says:
I’m in the middle of massive rewrites. I wrote this novel last November, (it’s a vampire story set in 1926), so I knew it would take a lot of work to get it into any kind of readable shape.
I was happy with the changes I was making, and lots of crap was getting cut. Then I added one tiny change. Now I have to start over. I have been irritated with myself ever since because I didn’t figure this story point out sooner.
I just keep telling myself to suck it up, and get back to work. I know the changes will make for a better story.
It’s just that even though I’ve already started over, it still feels daunting. I know it’s my insecurities talking, and I know this won’t be the last time something like this happens.
I guess what I need is to know that I’m not alone in my irritation.
A firm, but gentle kick to the butt to get back to work wouldn’t hurt either. 🙂
February 26, 2014 — 11:06 AM
Maure says:
*firm and gentle kick in the butt*
I’m gonna be rewriting a novel soon that might need to be turned into a trilogy, and the storyline I’m going with is something that only came to play in the last fifth of the original draft. Plus, it’s time travel – even THINKING about the changes I’ll have to make and how carefully I’ll have to alter things makes me want to bang my head on the desk. But I think I’m gonna make it eventually, and you will too. Good luck. 🙂
February 26, 2014 — 11:22 AM
Tonia says:
Lol. I really did need that. Thank you. I’ve been so frustrated with it, that I’ve let it slow down my progress.
You have my sympathy. And please remember to use a cushion if you ever give into the urge to bang your head on your desk. 😉
Good luck.
February 26, 2014 — 12:53 PM
Katherine Hetzel says:
Dear Doc,
I’ve written two children’s novels and am working on my third. The first two are publishable, according to agents and other industry bods. But they lack ‘sparkle’ according to the same, so wouldn’t make big bucks. Readers of my novels want me to write more of the same…
What do I do when the work’s at a publishable standard but not economically viable for the business? Knowing that I write in a way that isn’t ‘the next big thing’, do I write in the way I can or keep trying to write in the way the business wants?
PS I’m publishing a book of short stories for kids soon, hoping to test the self-pub route for the novels.
February 26, 2014 — 11:17 AM
Bran Mydwynter (@mydwynter) says:
I’ve got a wild assortment of projects, and I’m splitting my time across all of them because that’s how my brain works. Besides appreciating the variety, it tends to solve problems in the background while I work on something else, so that when I come back to a project I often know more than I did before.
This works well, for me. I /can/ do only one project if necessary (as in, if there’s a deadline), but…I like working better this way, if I can. It seems to use the different parts of my brain better. I’m never troubled by writer’s block. And I have no trouble picking up where I’ve left off.
That means that for some projects I’m working on a zero draft, and for some I’m starting first edits, and some I’m tackling notes from beta readers, etc. It’s nice.
But.
So many people can only do one writing project at a time, and sometimes writing this way makes me feel even more like a dilettante than usual. I haven’t caught flak from anyone per se, but I can feel it in their eyes. Over the internet. Internet word-eyes. (It doesn’t help that so many writers talk about writing one book at a time in a way that makes it feel like it has more inherent worth than multitasking.)
I guess I’m crowd-sourcing how not to feel guilty about this nonsense.
February 26, 2014 — 11:30 AM
Adrienne says:
You are not alone, I assure you. I *can’t* focus on one project for a long period of time. My brain switches gears on a whim, and I have found that it is just easier for me to accept it. However, in my case, multiple projects + lack of time to make any progress = nothing getting done. No need to feel guilty! Write on!
February 26, 2014 — 6:24 PM
Anna Lewis says:
I queried an agent last March about my first book and didn’t hear from her, so I started working on the second (a related title set chronologically earlier in what’s turning out to be a series). Agent gets back to me last month and asks for the first 100 pages of the book I queried on. How do I go about introducing the idea of a series, and how much of a liability would a series be for a breakout writer? I’m thinking the series might be a total of four books. I’m completely unknown but the excerpts have been getting lots of good reviews at workshops. Thanks, Doc!
February 26, 2014 — 11:35 AM
catfleming says:
I’m writing a MG mystery. Don’t scoff, it’s not that easy. My biggest problem is a tendency to make my characters more sophisticated than they can plausibly be at that age. And word count. I’ve got 63,000, with no end in sight…
February 26, 2014 — 11:36 AM
Louise says:
Maybe your story doesn’t want to be a MG mystery. Does it have to be?
February 26, 2014 — 7:12 PM
catfleming says:
Well, I was seriously thinking of slapping a YA label on it and writing away to my heart’s content, but then I reread a couple of chapters and, yeah, it’s right on the cusp. Kids like to read up, so it’s got to be MG. I’m just going to have to be ruthless in editing.
February 26, 2014 — 11:47 PM
A Citizen of the World says:
Yeah, I’m also writing a YA book (with characters aged 10 – 14 at this point) and I do find myself re-reading what I’ve written and wondering: “Is this something that a 10-year-old could possibly conceive of and execute at his/her age or should I bump up her age?
What helps me a lot is that I tutor children at night to pay the bills and I have a couple of friends who have been teaching for at least 5 – 10 years each. I bounce bits of dialogue and scene concepts off them and they give me really honest feedback e.g. “No, I don’t think a 10-year-old could do that…” or “It would have to be a REALLY precocious 13-year-old who would say that.”
So maybe seek out friends who work a lot with the age group you’re writing for and bounce some scenes and dialogue off them?
February 27, 2014 — 12:02 AM
Bob Pastorella says:
After working on my outline forever, reworking key scenes, breaking down the details, asking my characters questions, I’m ready to hit the keys with the story. It’s a Horror/Crime novel, an undead revenge story that asks what is the worse thing that can happen if you accidentally kill your hostage, especially if your hostage was in on the whole deal? Binge watching Sons of Anarchy convinced me that these losers should be members of a broken up motorcycle club, ripped apart by death and lengthy prison terms. The supernatural element is low key and ambiguous, with enough science and occult tidbits to make it swing either way. Wish me luck.
February 26, 2014 — 11:36 AM
curiouskermit says:
good luck! It sounds exciting.
February 26, 2014 — 12:15 PM
Wendy Christopher says:
I’m on Draft Two of my science fiction work-in-progress. It’s taking what seems like forever; in the time I took to write the whole of draft one I’ve only got halfway through draft two. In my precious two-hours-a-day timeslot, my wordcount has dropped from 400-500 a day to about 200-250.
Maybe this is normal; this is the first time I’ve even completed a draft one of a novel, so I don’t know. But I also suspect my progress has slowed because I’m suffering from yet another painful case of ‘What-If-This-Sucks’-itis.
I’ve suffered from it before – with every other previous novel I’ve (n)ever written. It’s why this current one IS the first to make it to draft two. But unless I can push past this blimmin’ malady, I’m NEVER going to finish ANY novel, EVER – and that’s worse than busting my ass to complete a novel that actually, truly DOES suck… isn’t it?
So…. guess what I’m asking for here is – anyone know of any tips on how to write on through the What-If-This-Sucks-itis? How do you know whether you suck so bad that it’s not even worth you trying – and if you discover you do, what then?
February 26, 2014 — 11:36 AM
mckkenzie says:
Hello fellow sufferer! I am all about the what-if-this-sucks-itis. My solution has been to try to find people who know about writing and have them read my stuff. People with the time and inclination have been few and far between in my experience (see the problem I posted in this section)…so I don’t know what to advise there. But just having at least a few people read and critique has been helpful for me to at least know I’m not producing pages and pages of shit. Also, it’s probably about ten times better than you think it is. We’re usually our own worst critics! Good luck!
February 26, 2014 — 11:48 AM
Kay Camden says:
Yes it’s totally normal. I might go so far to say if the second draft is as easy and quick as the first you’re doing it wrong. But i know every writer is different, so maybe I shouldn’t say that.
There’s no way it will continue to suck. If you keep working on it, it will get better. I’m pretty sure that’s a fact. 🙂
Maybe now’s a bad time for me to admit my fear: that my second book won’t be as good as my first. That even if I get my second book to a no-longer-sucking point, or even to a this-is-kind-of-awesome point, that in comparison it still won’t be as good as my first. That it *can* never be as good as my first.
But back to you. It’s always worth trying. Even if it’s crap. Because it can only get better. And it’s also something else–it’s another step forward in your writing life. Everything you write makes you a better writer. The more you write the better you get. Another fact. 🙂
February 26, 2014 — 12:24 PM
Wendy Christopher says:
Aaahh.. that ‘Difficult Second Album’ dilemma, Kay. I’ve yet to reach that milestone, but I can well understand how that could cause some 3am insomnia sessions…
There are a couple of writers’ sites I’ve joined where people critique each other, and I intend to start posting my current w-i-p to one of them once it’s at completed draft two stage. I once posted a draft one chapter of a previous novel I was working on to a similar site; I am NEVER doing THAT again, after the critique I got for that (I appreciate a thick skin is a requirement for the aspiring author, but I’m not sure I needed to hear “I seriously hope this is a first draft young lady, because if it isn’t I would seriously give up on ever being a writer if I were you.”) Lesson learned: I’m going to be putting out only draft two-pluses for review from now on. 🙂
Thanks for the wise words, Kay and mckkenzie. I shall continue to plough through this novel; I have to, I think, because my brain will get sad and refuse to be my friend anymore if I don’t finish it. I will channel the Power of Suck and strive to convert it to Awesome!
Or something…
February 27, 2014 — 4:20 AM
mikes75 says:
I’m mostly stuck on culling my characters down to a manageable level. In the first draft, I put someone new on stage in nearly every scene. Now I’m going through and merging characters into uber-antagonists. The hardest part is determining whether it’s better in a given scene to have a one-off encounter, or to have my protagonist keep conflicting against the same antagonists.
February 26, 2014 — 11:40 AM
Maure says:
Um… man, after reading everyone else’s comments I feel like I’m doing terribly little…
Anyway, I’ve just started on ‘Mr. Crank’s Monstrous Island’, a kind of steampunk Jurassic Park story that introduces the main character for one of my plotted series…es. (What’s the plural on that?) I’m also plotting my Camp NaNoWriMo project, a series of shorter strung-together stories about vengeful lady ghosts hanging out and trying to find their way in the world, ‘Mostly Dead Girls’. After that I have my time-travel, world-travel steampunk story to rewrite and split into multiple books, and after THAT… I’m not sure. I’ve got another story that could use a huge rewrite, and a bunch of new ideas clamoring for attention.
Oh, and I’m plotting a webcomic that I’ll be writing the dialogue and majority of the plot for. Met a really great artist through our mutual interest in queer fantasy and now we’re teaming up. 🙂 It’s scary, but awesome-scary.
Most of my problems are very personal – having to live with people who most definitely do not share my views on certain things who I need to hide my writing from, that kind of thing. :/
February 26, 2014 — 11:52 AM
curiouskermit says:
I already want to read “Mr Crank’s Monstrous Island”!! I love the idea of a steampunk Jurassic Park.
February 26, 2014 — 12:13 PM
Michael Patrick Hicks says:
Ditto! That line alone sold me on the work already. Love the idea.
February 26, 2014 — 12:15 PM
Maure says:
XD Thanks!
February 26, 2014 — 6:47 PM
Amy says:
I’m writing a novella length piece, and I’m stalled partially because I don’t know what it says about me. It’s a very dark piece, and I kind of hate it for being so dark, but that’s where the story goes.
I’m afraid of my own story, but I promised myself I would finish this one, because I have never finished a long form piece.
Any thoughts?
February 26, 2014 — 11:54 AM
mckkenzie says:
Scared, repulsed, emotional…I’m pretty sure that means you’re on the right track???
February 26, 2014 — 11:59 AM
mikes75 says:
Dark is hardly a bad thing, and a story’s reflective of a creative idea you’ve had, not you as a person. If writing something dark exposed you as a dangerous person to be feared, I think our gracious host would be spending more time defending against the S.W.A.T. team forming on his flank than writing more books.
February 26, 2014 — 12:13 PM
Michael Patrick Hicks says:
I get it, but it’s a hurdle to get over to keep on writing. We invest a lot of time in our stories, and it’s hard to not pour at least some of yourself into the characters. Self-reflection can be a great thing, but you needn’t fear it. I wouldn’t worry about it. I’d even go so far as to say this is natural, and had some of the same concerns with my very, very first (unpublished) novel way back when. Even now, I’m kind of warning some of my friends and coworkers who are reading my stuff for the first time that there’s lots of violence and some sex in it, and being kinda worried about how it reflects on me (which I recognize on some level is ridiculous, and on some level a cultural stigma in the whole America vs. sex issue). But the happiness that my work is out there and finding readers outweighs the worry. My advice: Sometimes stories take on a life of their own, and you just need to keep up with it and see where it goes. Finish the work! 🙂
February 26, 2014 — 12:27 PM
Tami Veldura says:
Amy, I really feel you on this.
I’m currently working on a novel that went from smoky to pitch black about three scenes in. I wanted to write something different with vampires. Hit back on the tone of monsters. Well, I found some.
We’re talking death, dismemberment, slavery, and a bunch of confused sexuality in the middle of everything. It’s really nasty.
I LOVE how easily the story is coming to me, but I’m really wary about what this says about me as a person. I’m really nice, non-confrontational, and this is NOT like me at all.
I’ve taken a month away from the story, working on more light-hearted stuff while I think about it and I’ve come to the following conclusion: Stepping away from the content of the work, this novel is the first thing that has emotionally moved me in a long time. It takes a stand and doesn’t apologize for being on that edge. And I’ve decided that if I don’t continue with this novel, I won’t know the depths of myself. If I don’t know my own depths, I can’t drag them up into my writing.
That might not be the right answer for everyone. People have seriously traumatized histories where poking a flashlight might do more harm than good. I don’t. My writing isn’t going to trigger a PTSD moment for me, so mentally speaking, I’m safe from the triggers this book might have for others.
At this point I haven’t even considered if anyone else will like the book- I can’t in the drafting phase. But I know it’s very easy for me to write, it’s coming from a place I haven’t tapped into before, and it’s stretching me as a writer. This can only be good for me.
ymmv.
February 26, 2014 — 1:29 PM
Wendy Christopher says:
Ooohh, know EXACTLY how you’re feeling there! With my current w-i-p I’ve still yet to decide who would be more mortified if they were to actually read it – my mother or my mother-in-law. They both prefer to think I’m a quiet, naive and non-sweary little ‘nice girl’ – lordy mama, are they in for a shock!
Don’t hate your work for being ‘dark’ – it doesn’t say anything about you other than you have a fantastic imagination. Stephen King is not a telekinetic, dog-killing vampire in real life. Chuck Wending is not a psychic-powered, cynical, hard-assed, heavy-drinking drifter-chick. In fact, many of the authors who write the darkest, most twisted stuff are actually the sweetest, loveliest people in real life; I suspect they are so BECAUSE of what they write. Everyone has dark stuff inside them; writers who put it into their work are releasing it in a way that’s safe for themselves, harms no-one else and even brings great enjoyment to others.
Just because you can THINK of such dark and creepy things doesn’t mean you’re capable of DOING any of them yourself. Otherwise I am going to immediately write a novel about being a drop-dead gorgeous, super-intelligent millionaire… 😉
February 27, 2014 — 4:45 AM
Michelle Hunt says:
So, I’m working on a story. I hesitate to call it a novel. It’s my first story and “novel” sounds too grandiose, too out of reach for what I’m doing. It’s my first. It’s just for me. I’m cool with the fact that it sucks. What I’m NOT cool with is that IT JUST WON’T END! I know how it’s supposed to end, I want it to end, but it seems to be taking too long to get there! AAAGGGHHH! I’m pretty sure I’m writing in too much detail (is it really important to know what my FMC and my MMC had for lunch? No probably not) but I can’t stop myself from giving a blow-by-blow description of every little thing.
How do I know what’s important to put in and what’s NOT important? Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobe, help me!
February 26, 2014 — 12:02 PM
Tami Veldura says:
Michelle, there’s a pretty easy test to see what details are important to your story and which aren’t. It’s not a perfect test as it tends to err on the side of Spartan if you follow it strictly, but maybe it’ll help you get closer to the mid-way point.
If you change this detail, does it change the plot?
For instance: since you mentioned lunch; your MMC is having a sandwich and chips. If that meal changes to a burger and fries does your plot change?
Unless you’re writing a novel about food, the answer is likely to be no. If the plot doesn’t change, you can reduce the entire lunch description down to ‘He bought a sandwich.’
You can apply this to anything. Whenever you find yourself wondering if you’ve gone too far with the details ask if changing this detail changes your plot. If the answer is no stop the description and move on.
Worry about cleaning it all up in subsequent drafts.
February 26, 2014 — 1:35 PM
Michelle says:
Tami —
You are a godsend! When I ready your reply, it was kind of a ‘duh!’ moment. Thanks for the help. I was looking for a criterion to use to help me figure out what to put in and what to leave out and your idea totally makes sense. In my mind, it was an either/or situation — either I gave no detail, in which the entire story would boil down to just plot points with no detail, or I gave ALL the details I could see in my mind, which was not only time-consuming but god-awful boring. (I see scenes in my mind, so I see that the FMC ordered a spinach burrito and the MMC ordered chicken enchiladas, so I would write down all the stuff I saw.) Using your advice, I can see that I can just reduce this to “When the waitress came, they both ordered Mexican.” UNLESS theres something specific about spinach burritos that is important to the plot. Thanks.
February 26, 2014 — 10:30 PM
Wendy Christopher says:
It’s often said that the first draft of a novel (and you are perfectly entitled to call yours that if you want to) is when the writer is telling herself the story. The drafts that follow are when the writer is deciding how much of that story the reader needs to know. so while you’re still in the first draft, you honestly don’t need to worry about it. Don’t hold back; tell yourself EVERYTHING. Heck, go completely Tolkien on yourself if it floats your boat. As the writer, you NEED to know ten times more about your story than the reader ever will, so it’s a necessary part of the process.
In the subsequent drafts, when you ‘know’ the entirety of the story you just told yourself, you can start to think about how much of it your reader needs to experience. it will become much clearer what you can junk. And of course Tami’s advice works at pretty much any stage of the process 🙂
Go nuts, have fun. It’s the first draft – play time!
February 27, 2014 — 5:15 AM
emilywenstrom says:
I am at the tail-end of the drafting/revisions stage of my first novel. Thanks to my critique group I think it’s actually going pretty well … my only real frustration right now is tempering that itch to get to the finish line and start querying and making sure that I take the time to really make my manuscript the best it can be (especially because I’m behind my self-imposed timeline). I write every day, but I also work full time so it’s taken me three years to get to where I am now, and I’m just so eager to get it out there and see if I get any bites!
February 26, 2014 — 12:03 PM
mckkenzie says:
So if you don’t mind my asking…where did you find a critique group? Is it made up of other writers?
February 26, 2014 — 5:26 PM
Wendy Christopher says:
There are online ones you can use, mckkenzie; many of them will let you post and get critiques of your work for free. It works on a kind of karma system – you earn karma points for critiquing the work of others, which you can then spend to get critiques of yours. All of the people on it are fellow writers (many already published) or avid readers, and there’s a zero-tolerance policy to flaming and trolling, so it’s highly unlikely you’ll get any ‘asshole reviews’ (and if by some slim chance you should, they’ll get jumped on pretty damn quick by other members.)
Here’s a couple of addresses for two well-established ones:
http://www.thenextbigwriter.com
http://www.scribophile.com
Hope that helps
February 27, 2014 — 5:30 AM
mckkenzie says:
Thanks so much, Wendy! I will check them out! I have tried the SFF Online Writer’s Workshop for the last month and am liking it so far…mixed bag of a few really valuable critiques with a couple of pretty useless ones. I’ll take just about any readers I can get at this point. The more eyes the better, right? 🙂
February 28, 2014 — 10:49 PM
curiouskermit says:
I have finished the first draft of my first novel, and I’m starting to edit it. My main character is not interesting enough; she needs more action. I’m struggling with the mechanics of this – how do I give her more screen time? Should I go into each scene she’s in and beef it up, or add whole new scenes and even chapters? The story as it is feels complete to me – if I add to her character, won’t it end up taking the story in new directions? I’m sort of stuck right now! thanks everybody. =)
February 26, 2014 — 12:11 PM
Miranda says:
Maybe go through, scene by scene, and make a list of all the decisions people in the scene make and all the major actions they take (it’s hard to say exactly what would qualify, since I’m not familiar with the story). I think that most of the time when a main character feels uninteresting it’s because s/he doesn’t ever drive the story, so if you can give some of those decisions/major actions to her instead it might at least get things moving. You may not need to add anything, just… redistribute.
February 26, 2014 — 9:05 PM
Wendy Christopher says:
Kind of an add-on to what Miranda said, but… Go through each scene she’s in, and ask yourself “Why does she do that? What’s going through her head to make do things that way instead of, say, doing the complete opposite thing? Is there any reason why she wouldn’t/couldn’t do something different instead? If not, what would happen if she DID handle it differently?”
You know your characters much better now, at the end of draft one, than you did at the start. That’s why they might be seeming a bit flat; you’ve discovered a lot more about their inner workings and seen much more of their potential that wasn’t visible to you while you were still writing that first draft. In many ways, they’re not the same people anymore – they’ve grown and developed. And as a result, they’re demanding more screen time and badgering you with “But what’s my motivation, Director-person?” 😉
It might well take the story in new directions, which will entail re-writes both great and small. If it does… well, it will be extra work, but it will also be worth it. Good luck!
February 27, 2014 — 5:54 AM
curiouskermit says:
this is excellent advice! thanks guys, I’m going to do this. I think you both nailed my problems right on the head. =)
February 27, 2014 — 1:08 PM
Tiffany N. York says:
I’m plotting my next novel. The hero is a cop. I’m worried this is too ambitious a profession for me in terms of being able to deliver authenticity. Obviously I’ve written about professions I knew nothing about, but a cop…there are certain things insiders, someone who’s lived the life would only know–the things one cannot garner from research alone.
February 26, 2014 — 12:14 PM
Michael Patrick Hicks says:
I get it, but it’s a hurdle to get over to keep on writing. We invest a lot of time in our stories, and it’s hard to not pour at least some of yourself into the characters. Self-reflection can be a great thing, but you needn’t fear it. I wouldn’t worry about it. I’d even go so far as to say this is natural, and had some of the same concerns with my very, very first (unpublished) novel way back when. Even now, I’m kind of warning some of my friends and coworkers who are reading my stuff for the first time that there’s lots of violence and some sex in it, and being kinda worried about how it reflects on me (which I recognize on some level is ridiculous, and on some level a cultural stigma in the whole America vs. sex issue). But the happiness that my work is out there and finding readers outweighs the worry. My advice: Sometimes stories take on a life of their own, and you just need to keep up with it and see where it goes. Finish the work! 🙂
February 26, 2014 — 12:22 PM
Michael Patrick Hicks says:
Sorry for the duplicate post…this was supposed to go up above for Amy but between browser problems and user error…well, that didn’t work out too well.
February 26, 2014 — 12:28 PM
David says:
I’m stalled on the second draft of my novel. I finished the first draft two months after NaNoWriMo last year, but there are so many plot holes, and things in the backstory that I need to know and don’t, that it overwhelmed me. I’ve been filling it in ever since, but it’s sloooooow.
February 26, 2014 — 12:24 PM
Norma Parfitt says:
I really, badly need some solid advice from you. I’m now on my 6th or maybe 7th unfinished novel.
It like all the others, is going nowhere. My hero has conflicts internal and external, piles of troubles to overcome, enemies and friends travel alongside for some of his struggles during a 10-15 year long odyssey………. all a novel could want really.
But I have absolutely no F******G idea how to end this thing.
I seem to be incapable of writing THE END. Maybe I get too attached to my heroes/heroines and don’t want to say goodbye, maybe it’s coz I don’t believe in ‘happy ever after’ or maybe I’m just shit at this writing game.
Tell me please if there is any way I can deal with this lamentable failing
February 26, 2014 — 12:25 PM
Wulfie says:
I’m awful, I know but….kill someone important. You don’t have to stick to it, naturally. You are goddess of this world. But killing someone important is such a surprise that it opens a lot of other doors and then maybe you’ll figure out where to move onto from there. I apologize to whatever character I just randomly murdered for no other reason than to kick your story forward. lol
February 26, 2014 — 3:16 PM
Norma Parfitt says:
If I kill someone then my hero has to deal with it and the story goes on…….
Of course I can kill the hero but I dunno if readers would go for that kind of abrupt ending.
I mean even in ‘Gladiator’ when Maximus dies he’s happy and gets re-united with his dead family.
I know you’re s’posed to have the end figured out when you outline, but I’m character driven rather than plot driven.
Mebbe I should just write and then when I hit 100,000 words I just stop mid…………………………….
February 27, 2014 — 3:06 AM
catfleming says:
Chuck, why don’t you do a writing retreat/workshop thingy? I’d pay money to learn in person from your narrative awesomeness, and I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one…
February 26, 2014 — 12:57 PM
terribleminds says:
I have actually noodled this idea. I just need time! And, er, some kind of planning clue.
February 26, 2014 — 1:01 PM
Courtney Cantrell says:
Ooooh, that would be crazy awesome fun!!! I’ll bring the sex wombat avocado slicer.
February 26, 2014 — 4:56 PM
mckkenzie says:
Speaking as a potential client of this kind of thing…I’d say do it online. I looked longingly at Mary Robinette Kowal’s workshops that were held in Tennessee or someplace equally far from me but could never swing the money or the time away. When I saw her online workshops, the whole thing became possible.
February 26, 2014 — 5:43 PM
Michelle says:
I could see the value of either option. An in-person class/workshop would provide all kinds of benefits in terms of building community, etc., and for asking/allowing people to get away from their daily grinds and focus, but online would be great too for people with limited time or resources or both.
Chuck, either way you offered it, I’d be interested. But I also get why you might not want to do it. Offering writing retreats/workshop thingys actually takes you away from YOUR writing, no?
February 26, 2014 — 10:36 PM
Pat says:
I, too, would absolutely attend…and actually pay money for it. Your kid needs snacks, no?
February 27, 2014 — 7:09 PM
Kendall Furlong says:
I’m in the middle of a short story, but my problem has applied to just about everything I’ve written: I write glacially. Most of my pieces turn out pretty well, but it takes me forever to write them. Forever. I cannot seem to write a coherent sentence the first time. It takes multiple attempts to get to the point where I feel I can release it to the world. The ‘great American novel’ for me? No way. A lifetime isn’t long enough at my pace.
February 26, 2014 — 1:03 PM
Jason says:
I’m having trouble loosening up when I write. I worry too much about every word. In addition, I use too many cliches and I know that I can change it all later, but it still bothers me. Any tips on how I can loosen up in my writing, especially in first draft?
February 26, 2014 — 1:03 PM
Tami Veldura says:
This might sound silly, but give yourself permission to suck. Call your first draft the junk draft, the brainstorm draft, the zero draft, or don’t even call it a draft at all. You’re brain-dumping all the thoughts into one file for organization later.
I use two things in my rough drafts to keep myself moving forward. When something occurs to me mid-story that I need to change throughout the draft I give it it’s own paragraph and make a note in brackets.
[[This is a note about something I need to change]]
I also heavily invest in the use of scene breaks as a visual indicator to move on.
–//–
My scene breaks will go in as soon as I’ve decided my writing session is done. If the scene is not done I throw in a bracketed note before the break indicating the scene is unfinished and, if I have any idea, what direction I expect it to go. Additionally, if I have a clue about the next scene I’ll jot in another note after the break so that the next time I come back to the project I have a kickstart on where I was going.
–//–
When it comes to specific word choice and the craft of writing you need to remember two things. First: you can’t edit what you haven’t written, so writing it all out and getting to the end will give you the right perspective to go back to the start and really focus on those word/sentence details.
Second, you’ll get better at catching your word and sentence forms at the drafting stage the more you write. You’ll recognize an awkward sentence or adverb the moment you write it, but that, like most hard skills, comes slowly with much practice.
–//–
And finally, if you haven’t already, use the bracketed notes to remind you where you are but don’t look back at the bits of the story you’ve already written. You’ll only see mistakes. This technique really works well if you’re writing on this same project every day (or close to it). If you stay out of the story too long you’ll loose the flow.
February 26, 2014 — 1:47 PM
Jason says:
Thanks Tami. That’s very helpful!
February 26, 2014 — 2:16 PM
Tami Veldura says:
You’re welcome. Good luck!
February 26, 2014 — 3:40 PM
Laura Anderson says:
Editing, man. I’ve got a novel done and it’s just been sitting because hey, it needs to be at least 20,000 words longer and still be interesting and good. I keep thinking I need to re-outline, go back and fill things in. I always under-write things anyway. I’m way too concise.
February 26, 2014 — 1:08 PM
J Kenton Pierce says:
My second novella’s on hold while I wait to hear back from my editing monkey and my cover artist has a broken wing, so I’m chewing through the 3rd pass on the novel.(Shorts I feed to the rejec…er, slush pits, novellas I self-publish, the novel I intend to go agent fishing with.)
I’ve got a couple practices some folks might find useful. For edits, I can’t “read that shit out loud.” I lose my voice. So I dump it from scrivener into dropbox, .rtf format. I then open it on my droid phone, using Ivona text-to-speech and listen on an earpiece as a nice Welsh girl reads my work to me. The ear catches the things that the eye auto-corrects, and it’s much, much easier to realize when part of a story drones, needs tightened up, or is just cludgical and repetitive when you’re listening to it.
The second practice is more for fixing wobbly scenery or flat characters. I’m doing everything in the first person, and every story is set in the same ‘verse, although I’ve a couple thousand years of future history to fit things in to. If something just isn’t working, the conflict or scene feels forced, the secondary characters feel like tropes… I make myself step back and so a short (or novella, often as not) from another PoV. I only allow the narratives to brush together briefly, it’s not just the same story and conflict viewed from another camera… this fleshes out the secondary characters nicely, helps me get a lock on their voices, personalities, motivations, etc. Often as not, the process spins up additional characters and details that I didn’t even realize the main work needed. This method also works nicely for when I need to lock down an incident or event for worldbuilding or backstory purposes. (Oh noes! I haz extra story! What shall I do?) And for me, it’s a great way to write around writer’s block.
February 26, 2014 — 1:09 PM
Katharine Eliska Kimbriel says:
J, that is brilliant if you have a smart phone. I am a big believer in reading a section aloud, because the ear does catch many things the eyes have gotten used to, and jump over. When desperate I go into the bathroom and rad aloud–the acoustics help a lot.
February 26, 2014 — 1:53 PM
J Kenton Pierce says:
I think that Ivona has PC versions as well, but I’m not certain. (I started using my phone to review because I can do it at work when I should be listening to that vital information being imparted during staff meetings…) Anybody know of some other low cost or freeware Text-to-Speech software that doesn’t sound robotic?
February 26, 2014 — 4:06 PM
curleyqueue says:
Hmmmm. I am liking the idea of shorts for secondary characters, especially as they might help move past those stagnant times that tend to turn into non-writing times. Also, the read-aloud thing sounds awesome.
February 26, 2014 — 4:54 PM
J Kenton Pierce says:
They’re also handy when you’ve got a story idea that just doesn’t fit the WiP, but will peck holes in your skull if you don’t let it out. I’ve got a storyverse with a timeline that lets me go anywhere from near future, to space opera, military sci-fi, post-apocalyptic to re-emerging civilization, so I can tickle any jones I get so long as I remain in sci-fi. Lets me work on those pesky brain-weevil stories while still feeding the main project.
February 27, 2014 — 8:02 PM
Hannah says:
I used to write strictly fantasy and a few years ago was FORCED AGAINST MY WILL…ahem…switched to more “literary” fiction for school and found I enjoyed it. However, I’m having trouble situating my stories in real-life locations.
Example: I have an idea for a novel/trilogy about a convoluted family with lots of secrets and strong social and political ties. The protagonist is a young woman who got the hell away from her family and moved in with her maternal grandfather at a young age and inherited the lion’s share of his estate when he died. She has stayed out of the spotlight and most people don’t even realize she’s part of this political dynasty.
It’s set in London and I have over 50 pages written and the characters are very clear in my mind. However, my most recent experience in London (anywhere in GB) was over a decade ago and there’s no REAL chance of me visiting in the near future. I’ve thought about changing the location but it will mean changing even my characters names.
I’ve been told to just write and flesh out the details (setting, weather, place) later, but I find that counter intuitive.
Any thoughts?
February 26, 2014 — 1:15 PM
Tami Veldura says:
Since you can’t visit the place, you’ll have to get your location saturation somehow else. The next best thing I can think of would be movies and music followed by reading heavily.
Find a pile of movies made in the Uk, about the Uk, set in the Uk in the time frame of your book. Big budget, low budget, indie stuff, sundance stuff, anything that mentions London in it. Hopefully you like the movies, but the point of watching them is for research. Take notes as you watch. Describe cars, people, buildings, food choices, brands. What aspects of London/UK do the films focus on?
Go to flickr and search for London. You’ll have to purge through the tourist stuff, but dig around for street photographers on the ground putting their work out right now. What are they taking pictures of?
Steep yourself in London stories, sights, and sounds. Take more notes than you know what to do with. Even if you never reference them, the act of writing them out will internalize a lot of the culture which will come back out in your writing.
February 26, 2014 — 1:56 PM
Hannah says:
This is really helpful–thank you! Several people suggested moving it to someplace I “know” but it will change the whole piece.
I do enjoy British films and I have been trying to read British literature, but I certainly haven’t been taking any sorts of notes.
Thank you, Tami! Not only are these great suggestions, but thank you for not telling me I can’t do it without going to London.
February 26, 2014 — 2:14 PM
Wendy Christopher says:
Google Earth is your friend in this case 🙂
Of course nothing is ever going to be as effective as seeing the real place, in person – but Google Earth comes a decent second place. It allows you to zoom right down into Street View of almost anywhere in the world, which is like taking a virtual tour of the place (you can use the arrow keys to move along the roads and look left and right at what you pass.) There are limits to how much you can see (you can only get views from the roads, for example – no sneaking into someone’s back garden for a look at their garden gnome collection, sadly) and occasionally the pictures can go a bit glitchy but on the whole it works very well. How well? Put it this way; my current w-i-p is set in New York, where I’ve never been, but ever since I ‘toured’ parts of it with Google Earth, if I see those parts in movies or on tv I not only recognise them but get massive deja vu, as if I’m looking at somewhere I’ve actually been…
You can download Google Earth as an add-on at their site.
Hope that helps
February 27, 2014 — 6:09 AM
Hannah says:
Thanks again, Wendy! I have used Google Earth with the street view in the past just to get my bearings on somewhere I can’t be at the moment, but I hadn’t thought of using it that extensively.
February 27, 2014 — 11:15 AM
Tami Veldura says:
Oooh, good idea, Wendy!
February 27, 2014 — 4:19 PM
joebrewing says:
I kind of have two writing projects going on. I’m turning my last novel, The Final Requiem, into a screenplay. I’ve made good progress on it, but I’m taking a break from it. I don’t really like the app I’ve been using for formatting and it got a little too frustrating.
I’m also in the planning stages of a novel. It’s about a guy who was almost hit by an out of control car when he was young, but has developed the belief that he was hit by the car, slipped into a coma, and has lived his entire life since then in his subconscious. I’m really focusing a lot on character development for this one. I know how I want to begin it. I know how I want to end it. I have a few conflict points planned here and there, but I’m really struggling with finding the best way to drive the story from point to point.
Realistically both projects have kind of been put on the back burner while I work on other things going on in my life. I just don’t have the time to dedicate to them that I think they deserve. Hopefully I’ll have more time to focus on at least starting to put down some words for the novel soon.
February 26, 2014 — 1:16 PM
Drew says:
I have been struggling with finding and keeping my voice. I have always fancied myself a Fantasy writer, but recently all of my attempts have been garbage. To confuse the situation more, I had a dream that just absolutely had to write out, and the voice of that story is so much more engaging – my writer friends have loved the potential within it. The story is not Fantasy really…maybe Magical Realism, but that doesn’t really fit it either.
My problem has just been finding that voice when it is time to write – it seems to have vanished in the fog of the dream.
February 26, 2014 — 1:30 PM
Tami Veldura says:
Sounds like you’re associating your head voice with a certain genre of story. Go with the new voice/story for a while without worrying about the genre label. It may be something different by the time you’re done, anyway.
If you’re really antsy to try something new, try bringing this new voice into a traditional fantasy setting. Weird can be good.
February 26, 2014 — 3:45 PM
deborahbrasket says:
I’ve finished an 85,000 word novel and going through the second round of edits. In the meantime, I’m working on a synopsis and finding it difficult to do in one page. My problem is that I have three main characters, each chapter is written from a different perspective, but they each have their own stories, plot-lines, conflicts, etc, within the overreaching story, plot, conflict that affects all of them. So it’s difficult to summarize, and I need more space to get it all in. Two pages should do it, although most agents/contests, etc, want you to squeeze it into one page. Any advice???
February 26, 2014 — 1:43 PM
Tami Veldura says:
Reducing this far is very hard. You’ve spent so much time working on the novel that cutting out half the content for the sake of the synopsis is painful. Focus on the single driving motivation for each of your characters. All other plots are secondary. You can add references to these other plots from your earlier synopsis drafts once you’re under that 1 page limit.
February 26, 2014 — 3:50 PM
tambo says:
I have two novels out in the world. One is on various editors’ desks, another is with my agent awaiting acceptance or another round of revisions. They are both out of my hands, at least for the moment.
Another novel (same-genre-different-concept followup to the novel currently with editors), however, is stalled in the opening – mid Chapter 2, to be precise – and I’m not sure why. I’ve restarted it four times now, but the problem, or at least the perpetual lock-up, seems to circle around the villain and his interactions with the police. I’ve been stuck in this same narrative spot almost 6 months now and it’s becoming discouraging.
The concept is sound, my outline kicks ass, and it’s gonna be a fantastic, high-tension book. It’s just this one freaking part. ARRGH!!
Thank you for the opportunity to vent a little.
{{hugs}} and happy writing.
February 26, 2014 — 1:45 PM
Tami Veldura says:
Are you clear about your antag’s motivation? Try writing scenes from his point of view. Interview his mother.
February 26, 2014 — 3:52 PM
Miranda says:
Are any of the characters in this scene familiar with one another? Maybe insert some relationships in there, to give a bit of extra context – maybe the villain knows one of the officers, or perhaps the villain’s minion (or lawyer, or brother, or demonic parakeet, whatever) is representing the villain in these interactions.
February 26, 2014 — 9:20 PM
Kyra Dune says:
I was trying to write a YA literary fiction short story to submit to a magazine, even though this is well outside of what I usually write, only I can’t seem to get the story up to the two thousand mark. Plus, I have five fantasy novels in the works, so maybe I’ve just got too much going on to spare any spark for a short story. I’ve never been very good at writing short anyway, everything ends up wanting to be three or four novels even when I didn’t mean for them to be.
February 26, 2014 — 1:49 PM
Katharine Eliska Kimbriel says:
Do folks remember that great science tee shirt where two scientists are talking about a theorem written on a blackboard, and between one section and a second, the words are written: “A miracle happens.” One scientist says to the other, “I think you want to be a little more explicit here.”
That’s where I am. I think I am 30 pages from the end of my third Alfreda book, I know the last two scenes, and I have this transition…
I hate these parts. I think I will write into my draft “junk happens here” and keep my momentum going.
Sigh. And sympathies to all!
February 26, 2014 — 1:50 PM
Alyn says:
I’ve been working on a novel for what feels like a century. I’ve scrapped it and restarted it at least 2 dozen times. I seem to excel at short stories but have issues with anything longer than 5,000 words… I just don’t seem to be able to use up more words than that to get my point across, and when I’ve tried, it just comes off as filler. I’ve also tried the “write several short stories and string them all together” approach suggested by an author friend… that resulted in a horrible word frankenstein. No.
So, guy who writes stuff, what do you sugges?
February 26, 2014 — 1:52 PM
Wendy Christopher says:
Are you writing this novel because you have a novel-length story to tell – or simply because you’ve decided you want to write a novel?
It may be that your forte IS short stories; what you do best and where you shine. If all you need to tell the story you’re currently trying to tell is 5,000 words or less, then maybe it IS a short story – in which case, padding it out with tons of extra words won’t magically turn it into a novel. If it doesn’t ‘need’ to be a novel I suggest you don’t try and force it to be one. 🙂
Your author friend’s suggestion was on the right track – but what’s needed to make that approach work – and avoid the ‘Frankenstein’ feel – is a shared ‘theme’ that all the separate stories have in common. It can be a genre, (Urban fantasy, for example) a subject, (Unrequited Love) an event (a war or large-scale natural disaster) or even a location (from one particular street, a city, a country or maybe even a solar system.)
However, if you’re really sure that what you’re trying to write needs to be a novel to tell the whole story, you could try an approach used by other writers, which is to tell each chapter from a different character’s point of view. You could have maybe a small number of characters – about four or five – all sharing out the chapters between them; or you could have a completely new character for each chapter. They don’t all have to be connected to each other, or know each other (they don’t even have to MEET each other at any point) and they don’t have to be in the same place or even exist in the same time period to make it work. Writing it that way might help to make it feel more like you’re writing a series of short stories that just happen to connect together to tell a longer, more complex one as a whole. Which might be a good way to ease yourself gently into the longer wordcounts of novel-writing… but won’t, unfortunately, make your story a novel if it’s not really ‘big’ enough to be one. As I said, that’s the big question you really need to ask yourself here.
I take my hat off to you, being able to write short stories. It’s not something all writers can do well – I know I struggle to be so economical with words. A whole story – in just 1,000 words? 1,000 words is an email for me! 😉
February 28, 2014 — 4:09 PM
The Improbable Girl (@literary_lottie) says:
I’m reworking my aborted NaNoWriMo, which I got about 25,000 words into before realizing that a main character who spends the first half of the book in a coma is not a very dynamic main character. It’s a YA thriller with a weird fiction bent. Or…a YA weird fiction with thriller elements. Right now I’m trying to figure out how overt I want the supernatural elements to be – if it’s just for atmosphere, or if it’s actually going to be incorporated into the plot.
I’m having serious structure issues, mostly having to do with managing my large cast and the number of plot threads I have to somehow weave into a cohesive whole. My main issue is making sure my teenage MC gets plenty of face time while at the same time cluing the readers into what the other characters are doing that my MC isn’t aware of but which are important for the reader to know.
Of course, what *I* think is important for the reader to know may be very different (read: more) than what the reader *actually* needs to know.
So I guess maybe my main issue is that I want to tell the reader about every single character’s actions in exquisite detail, and don’t want to settle for merely obliquely hinting at secondary characters’ actions through my MC’s point of view? Probably. I have a real problem with giving my audience potential information overload. It’s like I don’t trust them enough to leave things up to reader interpretation or something. Maybe we could all do some writerly trust falls or something.
My other issues lie with creating believable yet still appropriately menacing antagonists. I tend to have multiple antagonists in my story – one who represents the emotional stakes of the story, and one (or more) who represents the universal stakes. I find antagonists who put the emotional well-being and/or immediate safety of the protagonist(s) at risk to be very easy to create, but antagonists who represent a threat to the larger world I’ve always had difficulty with. In other words: small-scale villains yea, large-scale villains nay. And in the sort of things I write, it *need* large-scale villains.
February 26, 2014 — 2:26 PM
Ebony the Weirdo says:
It seems to me you want to incorporate a huge amount of dramatic irony into your story, which is good, but you really shouldn’t go overboard with information. You may not trust the readers to find out things on their own, but then what fun is a book that doesn’t keep you guessing? Going into exquisite detail isn’t the best thing either- too much detail may be boring for some readers. You may have to hint at some things, then reveal them later. You may not like it, but I’m not sure how you can pull off revealing everything to the reader while the main character is not aware of what’s happening. What you can do is have the actual story in the main character’s POV, but have small parts in between chapters that show what’s happening behind the scenes; not enough for them to know everything, but slowly feeding them the information until the ending, where it is completely revealed to both the MC and the reader. Hope this does something.
February 26, 2014 — 5:26 PM
Ebony the Weirdo says:
I’m finally attempting to edit a 61,040 word horror/supernatural novel(my NaNo novel). For the past few days I’ve been going through the first daft, deleting some scenes, looking for which ones need improvement, and, most important of all in my opinion, looking at which characters need more work. I’m trying to adjust the story line so that it revolves around the character’s decisions, not the other way around. The main protagonist is more or less ready to be thrown back into the story-world(took me a week to figure her out) but a few of the other characters need to be torn apart and recreated so I can understand what is underneath the mess of flesh, bones, and weird hairstyles. But what I need help with is finding the motive of the antagonist. I know his goal and how he is doing things, but there is not much of a motive for some of his actions. Some I have taken out altogether, but some of his actions are crucial to the story as well as development of the main protagonist (she needs a reason to hate him, right?). I’ve been trying to test your “questioning the character” method, but it’s not working with him. Any ideas for what I can do before I end up shooting him until he stops coming back from the dead?
February 26, 2014 — 2:40 PM
Suzie says:
What actions is he taking?
Some random thoughts – if he’s killing people, maybe it’s a ‘life for a life’ type deal, and he has to kill people to preserve his own existence.
Maybe he’s decided that since death is meaningless he can do whatever he wants, after all, the last great repercussion has been taken away.
Maybe he wants to die… for real, and is trying to goad someone into finding a way.
February 26, 2014 — 3:39 PM
Ebony the Weirdo says:
Alright, to clear this up, he doesn’t actually come back from the dead, that was my way of saying that I was extremely frustrated and that I attempt to get it out of my mind but it does not go away, similar to someone who constantly comes back from the dead. Though thank you for those ideas, there is a character in another story of mine who does come back from the dead. Anyways, this character runs an organization that on the surface is a scientific group that works to research the paranormal(by research I mean experiment on in painful ways) yet on the inside, they are using the experiments to raise an army and they sacrifice the rejects, or failed experiments, to a demon lord whom they wish to resurrect(long story short-apocalypse). Anyways, the main protagonist has the power to banish the demon and end the war between that organization and a rebellion against them. It’s very complicated, if you are interesting in helping me out just contact me at this address: demonchainfromhell13@gmail.com
February 26, 2014 — 4:23 PM
geekomancer says:
Last two stories I started sort of fizzled out. The first because I realized I didn’t know what I wanted out of the story anymore, and the second, well, the second was last year’s NaNo. I got about 25k words in after switching to it from the first. I was a bit burned out after NaNo, and I’ve been reluctant to go back to it since, and I’m not entirely sure why. I’m thinking of drawing boarding both of them and working out some knots during Camp NaNo in June.
February 26, 2014 — 2:45 PM
Patrick O'Duffy says:
Still working on the core draft (like a first draft, but with constant editing/revising as I go) of my YA fantasy/superhero novel ‘Raven’s Blood’.
I have two problems:
1 – The book keeps getting longer and needing more room to breathe, so I haven’t finished it yet.
2 – I have a terrible work ethic and am lucky to focus long enough to do 2000 words a week on it.
No-one can help me with this, I think, unless you can come over and physically force me to sit at the desk and type.
…email me for my address details. I’ll make you coffee.
February 26, 2014 — 2:47 PM
Alexa O says:
I think I’ve completely lost steam right at what should be the climactic conclusion of my novel. I’m too aware of all the things I want to change when I revise, so I feel like writing the end is pointless because there’s a chance it’ll end up getting changed drastically anyway. Which sucks because I really wanted that completed first draft, but plowing through this the way I have may have gotten me into this mess in the first place. So I’m gonna try taking a break, work on some short fiction and try to get my mojo back.
February 26, 2014 — 2:48 PM
Tami Veldura says:
Start at the front of your story and open a new document (or get a notebook or something.) Start reading. Take notes as you run into things that you want to change, bullet list as you go. The key here is to not touch your draft in any way, just make notes. Short and sweet if you can keep them that way is best.
Do this all the way through the story. When you get to your current spot put some kind of scene break or [[bracket note]] about how everything following this point is post note-taking.
Continue where you are as if all those notes you’ve made are already in place and your novel is looking exactly how you envision it. Now finish your book.
It’ll be wonky and nonsequiter at the end there, but you can fix that with the next draft. You even have all your edit notes ready to go.
February 26, 2014 — 3:56 PM
Laura says:
I just started revising the first draft of my novel. The biggest issue I’m having right now is figuring out how to get the science right — it’s speculative fiction, so I want the science in there to be at least *somewhat* accurate. But I, sadly, am no scientist, and I’m a little flummoxed as to where to start digging with this research.
February 26, 2014 — 2:56 PM
Suzie says:
Make friends with a scientist. Okay, easier said than done. I have a close friend who is a cell biologist and another who is a doctor and they have saved me SO much time when it comes to research questions (and reading over sections and letting me know how accurate my science is).
I guess join the academic forums where these people hang out, and get involved there?
February 26, 2014 — 3:30 PM
Laura says:
I hadn’t thought about forums — that seems a good place to start!
I do have a close friend who’s a rocket scientist… he’s proved useful for other projects 😉
February 27, 2014 — 12:51 AM
Janet Walden-West says:
Check the relevant Department listing for your local college or University. There are usually staff e-mails on the websites. God knows we all like to hear ourselves talk 🙂
February 26, 2014 — 3:50 PM
Laura says:
Aaah — that is a great suggestion! Thank you, Janet.
February 27, 2014 — 12:50 AM
Janet Walden-West says:
On the off chance they are swamped, ask the professor about their TA or their current crop of grad students as a backup source. They know almost as much as their advisor and are thrilled anyone is willing to listen to them.
February 27, 2014 — 10:15 AM
Suzie says:
I’m working on a sci-fi/horror. It’s about werewolves. On a spaceship.
I have my two main characters, I have their backstory, I have some pretty epic terrifying survival scenes. What I don’t have is an ending.
Soooo…. Main character 1. She’s angry. Like really really angry, all the time, and her one wish is to get out of the space navy and set up on her own planet with no other people around.
Main character 2… fled his overly religious family and joined the space navy. Has kind of pushed away all of his old beliefs, but it’s left a hole. He’s searching for meaning, and he’s also really lonely.
Twist!Wereolves on the spaceship. There’s a bunch of stuff where the crew fall to pieces and blame each other and the Captain is really distant and unhelpful. Also blood and gore etc.
I feel like the ending needs to somehow be part of the main characters character development (main character 1 learns to trust other people and realises you can’t do everything on your own, main character 2… learns to take control of his life, and not pass responsibility to other people all the time). But I have no idea how to do that in a fun, exciting, horrible way.
February 26, 2014 — 3:26 PM
Ebony the Weirdo says:
Here’s an idea: you said you wanted it to be a part of their development as characters? First off, how exactly are the werewolves causing problems? If they’re killing off crew members, have those two characters be the ones to live. Here’s a plot twist, have them kill off the werewolves, but be forced to work together, then they become werewolves and they can go start their own planet like main character number 1 wanted. Except the other guy is there with her. Does not have to include romance or anything. Just an idea, but like I tend to say, tear apart the character to find what’s underneath, then see how they would attempt to fix everything, and go from there. Hope this helps. Oh, and to make it fun, well blood and gore is extremely fun, so there you have it. Make some things explode if you want. Sci-fi equals explosions in my head for some reason….
February 26, 2014 — 4:54 PM
Tami Veldura says:
Currently: Working on two different flash fiction collections. One erotic with vampires, the other paranormal-type things. Both need about 5k more words on them each before they’ll be ready for my critique group.
After them I’m going to start working on a novel. I have two partially drafted, erotic rockstar or dark erotic with vampires. I’m leaning toward vampires, but it’s almost twice as long as rockstar story, so I’m not totally convinced. On the other hand, vampires already has a cover ready. 😛 It’ll become more clear in another few weeks when the anthologies are complete.
Meanwhile, I’m having trouble with another aspect of this whole small-business thing. I’d like to branch into freelance editing (http://dragonfireediting.blogspot.com/p/editing-services.html), I have the degree, but I don’t have any experience with small (nevermind large) presses. So… the by-line list is limited.
I’m wondering if there are any editors out there with some advice on how to get started? Know any presses looking for entry-level editing work? Best practices? How do I get in this door?
February 26, 2014 — 4:11 PM
Sara Crow says:
Okay, so I have a workable draft that I’d like to give to a bunch of readers. With the size of my book, I want to get it printed and bound as a draft (no ISBN or any of that fancy crap). Most estimates I’m getting for printers are in the $10-14 range per book. Does anyone have a place they work with that will do a very small run (50 or fewer) of 500+ page books for a price that is not patently insane?
February 26, 2014 — 4:28 PM
Wulfie says:
My stories tend to have many strong characters. Because of the abundant characters, the story ends up losing the Main point. This happened with my NaNo this year, which made me stop writing and go back to the drawing board with plotting, story structure, character arcs and the like. I’m working on those things. But I’m beginning to wonder if I’m actually writing several stories/novels rather than one. I have no idea how to break the novels down into a series since the various interactions are vital to main plot. (like in The Stand, for example. Lots of individual stories but all important to the main story.) How do I figure out if these stories are better as part of a series? Or, if they’re one story, how do I accent the main plot among the characters in a way that links them more closely together?
February 26, 2014 — 4:56 PM
Ebony the Weirdo says:
I’m working on a series myself, and i had a similar problem. Here’s how I solved it:
You said you have many strong characters. See which ones have the strongest connection to the first problem in the series. I say the first problem because I have a feeling there are multiple problems in a novel. Anyways, the first problem should be the one that cause the characters to go from “regular life” to “life that’s really screwed”. The ones that are the most connected to that one are the ones you work with first. Next,try to separate your Main Plot into small plots (or sub plots that contribute to that Main Plot). Again, try to see which parts connect mostly to that first problem. Then work your way from their. The sub-plots can either become part of the novel as that, sub plots, until merging with the actual main plot for one ending, one that mainly solves the problem/problems of the novel. OR you can leave some of them unsolved (somewhat) and continue on with them playing a bigger part in the next book in the series.
If you can make sense of this, I respect you. If it make so sense whatsoever, you’re not the first to be victim to my madness.
See if this helps.
February 26, 2014 — 5:07 PM
Wulfie says:
Nice! Thank you, Ebony.
February 26, 2014 — 5:10 PM
Ebony the Weirdo says:
Welcome. Once you figure all that out, it’s easier to figure out what goes where.
February 26, 2014 — 5:12 PM
Katharine Eliska Kimbriel says:
That’s a wonderful approach to series work, Ebony. Thank you for the suggestion–It confirms something with another project I’m starting. A good extension of that is the path attributed to David Mamet:
1. Who wants what from whom?
2. What happens if s/he doesn’t get it?
3. Why now?
February 26, 2014 — 5:14 PM
Ebony the Weirdo says:
Welcome. And in a way, I suppose it is, especially the Why now? problem. Time is a very frustrating thing, yet it is everything, even in stories.
February 26, 2014 — 5:18 PM
Katharine Eliska Kimbriel says:
It’s critical to remember that a novel is a slice of time. When we try to be coherent and plan a couple of books, it’s easy to forget that we don’t have to write them simultaneously. Give people a place to focus. I thought I had more maneuvering room with the current work–turns out it takes place in a week. Argh!
February 26, 2014 — 5:21 PM
Ebony the Weirdo says:
Hah. I had a similar problem. What I did is I added parts that happened between the actual scenes in the book (time skips, I guess). Then again, that’s a bit easier for me, because my characters were in captivity for a while. Sounds frustrating, though.
February 26, 2014 — 5:28 PM