I took some general writing advice from many different sources and let my novel ideas ferment for a week. Now I've gone back to see if I've got a fine wine or a bitter barrel of grape squeezins. So far, I'm still pyched about how I've got the story playing out. Each scene card I read still plays out in my head like a multi-million dollar production (ahem, Hollywood, get in on this now). The characters are still fresh in my mind so they've stood the test of time. I still like them or hate them and I still like the possibilities I've set up for future books. All looks good to go.
I've got four days before the official start of NaNoWriMo and it appears I'll have a nice little start before it begins to count.
Tuesday, October 28, 2014
Tuesday, October 21, 2014
Standing on the Edge
Here I am. I'm out of excuses to not start writing my next book. I've settled of the title, Crystal Heart. It goes well with the titles of the next two books, Crystal Mind and Crystal Soul. The first book deals with how Talia learns of her powers and how she is different from others like her. She has to learn that in order to fully use her unique power and save countless loives, she has to learn to literally let others in and not worry she will be hurt or let them down. The next book will have her learning more control and from where her true power comes from. The last has her becoming something else and sacrificing in order to save the world. See, they work, although I was hesitant to make the books sound too much alike. But if the first takes off, then it will make the others easier to locate for fans.
I did have to go back and change some of the story once I was done plotting. I realized I wanted the story to have a stronger romantic substory but I did not get Talia and Hayes together until past the middle of the story. That's taking too long. So I made Hayes' current girlfriend his recent ex who still thinks they are together and Hayes just wants a bit of breathing room. Now I can have Hayes hook up with Talia earlier and I can still have the girlfriend as an enemy since she sees Talia as a new tramp stealing her man.
So, it looks like tomorrow I can start chapter one, page one, word one. I should be at full power by the time NaNoWriMo arrives. Stay tuned.
I did have to go back and change some of the story once I was done plotting. I realized I wanted the story to have a stronger romantic substory but I did not get Talia and Hayes together until past the middle of the story. That's taking too long. So I made Hayes' current girlfriend his recent ex who still thinks they are together and Hayes just wants a bit of breathing room. Now I can have Hayes hook up with Talia earlier and I can still have the girlfriend as an enemy since she sees Talia as a new tramp stealing her man.
So, it looks like tomorrow I can start chapter one, page one, word one. I should be at full power by the time NaNoWriMo arrives. Stay tuned.
Sunday, October 12, 2014
Pee Now, Because I'm Not Stopping
The route is set and and bags are packed. All that's left is to double check the turn-offs and make sure I'm not going down any blind alleys.
I know it is an area of contention for writers. To plot a story or wing it. I can understand the appeal for winging it, but I just write to damn slow. If I have to stop to consider every next move, I'll get lost or bored. It's taken me longer than I wanted to finish my plot. A nagging toothache has not helped the past few days, but if I want this to be my career, I need to put those annoyances aside or deal with them quickly. Time is money and deadlines will not wait for a better day. The tooth is still bugging me but hopefully that will all be dealt with soon and be one less excuse. For now I have my plot to go over and smooth out the details that no longer make sense now that I know where I need to go. I already see that to make some of the final scenes more coherent, I need to set them up better and divulge more information earlier. I think I can do that in the scenes I have but I may have to add a scene. That's what I love about using scene cards. I have them color-coded for who is also in the scene (my main character is in all of them) so I can see who is being used too much or not enough. I can also move things around a lot easier.
One thing that is still stressing me is usually one of the first things I come up with and that's a title. I have a few prospects for a title but nothing has really clicked. I like having a title. It helps me focus on the feel I want for the story. The Banshee's Heart would be a much different story than Brenda the Bawdy Banshee. Hopefully it will come to me before NaNoWriMo starts. I would hate to start and not know what to call it.
I know it is an area of contention for writers. To plot a story or wing it. I can understand the appeal for winging it, but I just write to damn slow. If I have to stop to consider every next move, I'll get lost or bored. It's taken me longer than I wanted to finish my plot. A nagging toothache has not helped the past few days, but if I want this to be my career, I need to put those annoyances aside or deal with them quickly. Time is money and deadlines will not wait for a better day. The tooth is still bugging me but hopefully that will all be dealt with soon and be one less excuse. For now I have my plot to go over and smooth out the details that no longer make sense now that I know where I need to go. I already see that to make some of the final scenes more coherent, I need to set them up better and divulge more information earlier. I think I can do that in the scenes I have but I may have to add a scene. That's what I love about using scene cards. I have them color-coded for who is also in the scene (my main character is in all of them) so I can see who is being used too much or not enough. I can also move things around a lot easier.
One thing that is still stressing me is usually one of the first things I come up with and that's a title. I have a few prospects for a title but nothing has really clicked. I like having a title. It helps me focus on the feel I want for the story. The Banshee's Heart would be a much different story than Brenda the Bawdy Banshee. Hopefully it will come to me before NaNoWriMo starts. I would hate to start and not know what to call it.
Tuesday, October 7, 2014
The Story Temptress Arrives
Oh, there she is, traipsing past me like she knows I have no control. So tempting...
But, no! I look back at my story sitting faithfully in front of me and I come back to my senses. I've been a story tramp before, juggling more than one, sometimes even with a hot little screenplay on the side. I realize now, however, if I want to get my career in writing off the ground, I need to focus on what I'm doing. I need to finish what I start and get that publication ball rolling.
Don't get me wrong. I got her new number before I let her go. I opened a file and wrote down that fresh idea for later consideration. Most likely I'll look at it later and wonder what the Hell I ever saw in it. But you never know. That is one of the great things about when you get in a creative vibe. Not only do you get ideas for what you are doing, but you may also get off the wall ideas for other projects. The best thing to do is catalog them and continue on. I've been led down the wrong alley before only to find a dead end. Then when I've tried to get back into the groove with the one I just jilted, the magic is gone and I'm back on the street.
Not this time. My plot has almost come to fruition and after some tweaking I'll be ready to start writing. Too late for cold feet now. This is when the real fun begins.
But, no! I look back at my story sitting faithfully in front of me and I come back to my senses. I've been a story tramp before, juggling more than one, sometimes even with a hot little screenplay on the side. I realize now, however, if I want to get my career in writing off the ground, I need to focus on what I'm doing. I need to finish what I start and get that publication ball rolling.
Don't get me wrong. I got her new number before I let her go. I opened a file and wrote down that fresh idea for later consideration. Most likely I'll look at it later and wonder what the Hell I ever saw in it. But you never know. That is one of the great things about when you get in a creative vibe. Not only do you get ideas for what you are doing, but you may also get off the wall ideas for other projects. The best thing to do is catalog them and continue on. I've been led down the wrong alley before only to find a dead end. Then when I've tried to get back into the groove with the one I just jilted, the magic is gone and I'm back on the street.
Not this time. My plot has almost come to fruition and after some tweaking I'll be ready to start writing. Too late for cold feet now. This is when the real fun begins.
Monday, October 6, 2014
Inspiration is a Ninja
Good Monday, Readers. Yes, you heard me right, 'Good Monday'. And why is this Monday good when most are like catching your knuckle on a cheese grater? Because inspiration struck today while I was working on the plot for my next novel.
At first, I thought it struck like lightning. But the more I pondered it the more it seemed it struck quietly and from out of nowhere. It struck like a ninja. However it happened, I was grateful because it allowed me to surge ahead, nearly bringing me to to last few climactic scenes of the story. And that's what's great about writing, those unexpected moments. Most people see writing as plodding and sedentary, you sit hunched over a keyboard or notebook and just jot down what you're thinking. Just plain slow. And it is mostly like that.
But so is baseball, and people spend ridiculous amounts of time and money on that. Then, like in baseball, there's that one pitch that suddenly breaks the game wide open. Everyone is cheering or screaming, the players are hopping with their fingers clinging to the fence, the announcers rise to their feet, for some reason. Everything is alive. That happens in writing if you're doing it right. You've got your scenes plotted on cards. You know what your characters look like and how they're going to react. Then there's that one line that comes out of nowhere. Why did she say that? That's not what I planned. Oh, but it's good. Then he'll say... then she'll say back... Holy shit, this just got good.
That's why inspiration is a ninja. It comes out of nowhere, disrupts your well laid plans, and makes you look at the world differently, in a way you never did before. That's when writing is freakin' awesome.
At first, I thought it struck like lightning. But the more I pondered it the more it seemed it struck quietly and from out of nowhere. It struck like a ninja. However it happened, I was grateful because it allowed me to surge ahead, nearly bringing me to to last few climactic scenes of the story. And that's what's great about writing, those unexpected moments. Most people see writing as plodding and sedentary, you sit hunched over a keyboard or notebook and just jot down what you're thinking. Just plain slow. And it is mostly like that.
But so is baseball, and people spend ridiculous amounts of time and money on that. Then, like in baseball, there's that one pitch that suddenly breaks the game wide open. Everyone is cheering or screaming, the players are hopping with their fingers clinging to the fence, the announcers rise to their feet, for some reason. Everything is alive. That happens in writing if you're doing it right. You've got your scenes plotted on cards. You know what your characters look like and how they're going to react. Then there's that one line that comes out of nowhere. Why did she say that? That's not what I planned. Oh, but it's good. Then he'll say... then she'll say back... Holy shit, this just got good.
That's why inspiration is a ninja. It comes out of nowhere, disrupts your well laid plans, and makes you look at the world differently, in a way you never did before. That's when writing is freakin' awesome.
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