Here I sit, four hours away from the start of NaNoWriMo, dawdling away the rest of my evening. Unfortunately, I will not be sharing in the midnight celebrations with other Wrimos around the world. Why, oh why, did November 1st have to fall on a Monday?
No matter. After work tomorrow, I plan on starting and finishing the prologue, and then diving into Chapter 1. I have bags and bags of sugar at my disposal. I have a sweet new Samsung netbook arriving this week. I have three-day weekends for the rest of the month. I have my ambient post-rock station ready to go.
1667 words per day? Cake. Let's do this.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
The Great Nothing
...nothing to do until November. Well, that's not true at all, but the anticipation has been steadily growing to write the draft. I'm going bonkers.
I never finished my outline. There's a solid three or four chapters I still need to bang out, possibly more. I purposefully left them unwritten until I had gone back through the outline again. I think I may leave them that way until I'm halfway through the first draft.
Ive been going back to the earlier chapter outlines and fleshing them out, bit by bit. An added scene here, some extended dialogue ideas there. Having finally seen what my characters will grow into by the end, I've had to go back and make sure that the seeds are planted early on. Its all about initial conflicts and making sure the characters slowly resolve them (and the successive conflicts) over the course of the book. Otherwise the reader will be bored and unsatisfied.
I'm pretty impressed with what I've come up with for the path my MC (that's "main character" for us Wrimos) has in front of him. Lots of great conflict, both on the inside and outside. The resolution of these conflicts wont be shared here (ie. positive or negative) but I'm happy with where he will be by the final page.
Man, is it November yet?
I never finished my outline. There's a solid three or four chapters I still need to bang out, possibly more. I purposefully left them unwritten until I had gone back through the outline again. I think I may leave them that way until I'm halfway through the first draft.
Ive been going back to the earlier chapter outlines and fleshing them out, bit by bit. An added scene here, some extended dialogue ideas there. Having finally seen what my characters will grow into by the end, I've had to go back and make sure that the seeds are planted early on. Its all about initial conflicts and making sure the characters slowly resolve them (and the successive conflicts) over the course of the book. Otherwise the reader will be bored and unsatisfied.
I'm pretty impressed with what I've come up with for the path my MC (that's "main character" for us Wrimos) has in front of him. Lots of great conflict, both on the inside and outside. The resolution of these conflicts wont be shared here (ie. positive or negative) but I'm happy with where he will be by the final page.
Man, is it November yet?
Saturday, October 2, 2010
NaNoWriMo - A Writing Contest for Everyone!
In thirty short days, this year's NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) begins. Participants have 30 days (the month of November) to write a 175-page, 50,000-word novel. As you might imagine, this isnt a contest for the faint of heart. But for those of us who find enjoyment in creating written art, there is no other rush that can satisfy.
If you're interested in joining me this year, you can sign up at www.nanowrimo.org. Its free to join, and theres no penalty for "losing." Actually, theres no prize for "winning," either, except the novel you'll have in your hands. And THAT, my friends, is the whole point.
This will be my second attempt at NaNoWriMo, but only my first with preparation and determination. My outline is almost done. The novel has been tentatively titled "On the First Day." I cant wait.
If you're interested in joining me this year, you can sign up at www.nanowrimo.org. Its free to join, and theres no penalty for "losing." Actually, theres no prize for "winning," either, except the novel you'll have in your hands. And THAT, my friends, is the whole point.
This will be my second attempt at NaNoWriMo, but only my first with preparation and determination. My outline is almost done. The novel has been tentatively titled "On the First Day." I cant wait.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Fear Through the Eyes of Madness
The past few weeks have been a bit rough. I havent stopped thinking about how the last few chapters will round out, but I havent been writing much down, either. Knowing that I'd finished the story in my mind kinda killed my motivation.
"What point is there in writing anything else down? Im just going to rewrite it all come November."
Well, thats the point. I need to write it down first to have something to rewrite. Admittedly, Im having trouble concentrating enough to get the logic down for the next chapter before the mindless action begins. However, I think I found a tool to help me out.
Its called Storybook, and it does a bunch of organizational things to help keep an outline in focus. You create scenes, which are linked to chapters. Scenes are also linked to characters and locations, which you can develop within the tool. Also, you can create "strands" or "plotlines." This way you can link scenes to a plotline, and when everything is loaded in the tool you'll be able to see if the plot needs some more detail or is too clustered. It shows how often characters are used, it plots out timelines, it does pretty much everything I need an outline to do so that I dont have to do it later.
My plan for now is to load everything into this new format, and then without finishing the last few chapters, I'm going to start editing the outline from the beginning. This will help reintroduce me to the characters and everything they go through that leads up to the end. Hopefully this will reignite in me the logic that I need to get down perfectly to finish everything off. I also expect the ending to change because of a rewrite, so it will be good to keep the ending loose for now.
The only bummer about this tool is that you cant track a word count. At this point I guess it doesnt really matter. Im over 15K and will likely hit 20K, which is almost half of the Nanowrimo goal. I dont think I'll have any problem generating 50K words. I just hope I can keep up with writing during November to get there.
"What point is there in writing anything else down? Im just going to rewrite it all come November."
Well, thats the point. I need to write it down first to have something to rewrite. Admittedly, Im having trouble concentrating enough to get the logic down for the next chapter before the mindless action begins. However, I think I found a tool to help me out.
Its called Storybook, and it does a bunch of organizational things to help keep an outline in focus. You create scenes, which are linked to chapters. Scenes are also linked to characters and locations, which you can develop within the tool. Also, you can create "strands" or "plotlines." This way you can link scenes to a plotline, and when everything is loaded in the tool you'll be able to see if the plot needs some more detail or is too clustered. It shows how often characters are used, it plots out timelines, it does pretty much everything I need an outline to do so that I dont have to do it later.
My plan for now is to load everything into this new format, and then without finishing the last few chapters, I'm going to start editing the outline from the beginning. This will help reintroduce me to the characters and everything they go through that leads up to the end. Hopefully this will reignite in me the logic that I need to get down perfectly to finish everything off. I also expect the ending to change because of a rewrite, so it will be good to keep the ending loose for now.
The only bummer about this tool is that you cant track a word count. At this point I guess it doesnt really matter. Im over 15K and will likely hit 20K, which is almost half of the Nanowrimo goal. I dont think I'll have any problem generating 50K words. I just hope I can keep up with writing during November to get there.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
What Heaven Allows
Its rock 'n' roll time, now. Having gotten past the tough part, everything has suddenly opened up and I see a clear path to the end of the novel. This is a huge breakthrough. Theres still going to be a few complicated things to work out, but I know where I'm going straight through to the end. This is phenomenal. Its the first time I can really step back and see the whole thing for what it is. I cant wait to go back through the outline once its complete to touch it up in preparation for November. The excitement train is really starting to pick up speed!
Chapters Outlined: 13
Rough Word Count: 14,726
Chapters Outlined: 13
Rough Word Count: 14,726
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Eastern Glow
It was an incredibly difficult decision, but I ended up having to rewind and throw out two chapters. It only set me back a couple thousand words, being that they were only outlines, but Ive spent over two weeks in this particular area of the story and just now finally managed to get through it.
In the end, I know this was all a good thing, but it was pretty tough to do. I was confused, myself, what it was I was trying to say. There was a lot to say in these two chapters, and I had to find the right way to explain it to the reader while at the same time having it make sense for the characters. It was tough, but I think I managed to pull it off, and the story is much better for it.
The story of the crazy/ridiculous chapter from last week got scrapped entirely. A character briefly summarizes the events in a new scene I developed, but the event no longer includes the over-the-top stuff I'd written out in the scrapped chapter. I was going for quantity, not quality, and at this point everything hinges on quality. I can do quantity much later after this first book sets the ground rules. No point in going all out just yet, although the climax of this book will certainly be intense.
So yeah... new numbers below... :(
Chapters Outlined: 12
Rough Word Count: 13,144
In the end, I know this was all a good thing, but it was pretty tough to do. I was confused, myself, what it was I was trying to say. There was a lot to say in these two chapters, and I had to find the right way to explain it to the reader while at the same time having it make sense for the characters. It was tough, but I think I managed to pull it off, and the story is much better for it.
The story of the crazy/ridiculous chapter from last week got scrapped entirely. A character briefly summarizes the events in a new scene I developed, but the event no longer includes the over-the-top stuff I'd written out in the scrapped chapter. I was going for quantity, not quality, and at this point everything hinges on quality. I can do quantity much later after this first book sets the ground rules. No point in going all out just yet, although the climax of this book will certainly be intense.
So yeah... new numbers below... :(
Chapters Outlined: 12
Rough Word Count: 13,144
Saturday, August 14, 2010
February Sun
Finally hit a wall. Im about to go into heavy-dialogue territory, so in order to outline this right I really, really need to know what the hell it is I want the characters to talk about. Unfortunately, this is the point where I had to step back and design part of the society that wont really come into play until much later, but it was necessary in order for me to understand what the characters needed to say. Seven of nine... items... have now been fleshed out. Hopefully I can continue forward with this chapter now.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Thanks For Being Away
I just finished a chapter that, of all the ones Ive outlined so far, is easily the most ridiculous. Perhaps its because, until recently, everything in the story has been as "normal" as plot goes in this particular setting. But man, I cant help but feel I went a bit over the top with this.
I dont know, it could be a good thing. Im going to leave it in the outline and see how it presents itself in rough draft form. I cant help but feel, though, that Im going to have to cut it. Or, at any rate, give it a real good scrubbing. The chapter does serve a purpose, and I do need something that works similarly to what goes on here, but Im not sure if the idea I chose suits the realism Ive been shooting for. But then again, maybe it does? Maybe its so crazy that it just might work? At any rate, I was able to round off the chapter with some intentional symbolism that I think works very well with one of the themes/messages this story conveys.
Im a little nervous that Im starting to lose sight of where I was going with the ending. I know how it ends, and I know which direction to go for the next few chapters, but theres a gap inbetween that Im drawing a blank on. Hopefully the next few chapters will shed light on where Im supposed to go from here.
Chapters Outlined: 12
Rough Word Count: 13,659
I dont know, it could be a good thing. Im going to leave it in the outline and see how it presents itself in rough draft form. I cant help but feel, though, that Im going to have to cut it. Or, at any rate, give it a real good scrubbing. The chapter does serve a purpose, and I do need something that works similarly to what goes on here, but Im not sure if the idea I chose suits the realism Ive been shooting for. But then again, maybe it does? Maybe its so crazy that it just might work? At any rate, I was able to round off the chapter with some intentional symbolism that I think works very well with one of the themes/messages this story conveys.
Im a little nervous that Im starting to lose sight of where I was going with the ending. I know how it ends, and I know which direction to go for the next few chapters, but theres a gap inbetween that Im drawing a blank on. Hopefully the next few chapters will shed light on where Im supposed to go from here.
Chapters Outlined: 12
Rough Word Count: 13,659
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Reciting the Airships
The past week has seen my outline finally cross into Act 2 territory. The plot has opened up and a bunch of different characters are now screaming at me for their turn in the limelight, and still others are showing up to the party hoping to get through the door.
The belly of the beast.
In a way its like Ive restarted, because the plot has shifted focus from the main character to a larger conflict. The difference is that at this point, the characters that have already been introduced are now moving around with three-dimensional personalities. Rather than being character-building, the chapters are now character-driven. Plot-driven, too, but the characters are starting to uncover themselves, driving the story forward in ways I hadnt thought of.
Before starting this outline, I was scared I wouldnt be able to write a 50k word novel. With all of the ideas that keep flooding onto my screen, Im beginning to think I may cross that finish line two times over.
The next couple weeks are going to be slightly tougher than recent ones. Im going to have to climb the Act 2 ladder until I reach the top and can slide back down to the start of Act 3 (the Final Act). But its going to be fun! Act 1 was the hardest. Act 3 should be the easiest, since its the last push to a complete outline. But Act 2, I think, is the most important. Its what keeps your interest past the initial "wow" factor of Act 1, and its what makes the outcome of Act 3 so impactful.
Chapters Outlined: 11, 12th one started
Rough Word Count: 12,697
The belly of the beast.
In a way its like Ive restarted, because the plot has shifted focus from the main character to a larger conflict. The difference is that at this point, the characters that have already been introduced are now moving around with three-dimensional personalities. Rather than being character-building, the chapters are now character-driven. Plot-driven, too, but the characters are starting to uncover themselves, driving the story forward in ways I hadnt thought of.
Before starting this outline, I was scared I wouldnt be able to write a 50k word novel. With all of the ideas that keep flooding onto my screen, Im beginning to think I may cross that finish line two times over.
The next couple weeks are going to be slightly tougher than recent ones. Im going to have to climb the Act 2 ladder until I reach the top and can slide back down to the start of Act 3 (the Final Act). But its going to be fun! Act 1 was the hardest. Act 3 should be the easiest, since its the last push to a complete outline. But Act 2, I think, is the most important. Its what keeps your interest past the initial "wow" factor of Act 1, and its what makes the outcome of Act 3 so impactful.
Chapters Outlined: 11, 12th one started
Rough Word Count: 12,697
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
What Fell Down From The Moon Last Night
Plot twists. One big one fell into my lap today, and then the mother of all plot twists hit me like a truck this evening. This changes everything. Everything Ive thought up so far has been set on its ear. At some point in a future novel, something will be revealed that will make everyone reread this first novel in a new light. And not just a generic "Ooooh, it was really just this the whole time." Various scenes will be seen differently. Oh man, I'm so excited!
In addition to the plot twists, some new character relationships have sprung up with potential to be the most epic relationships in the entire series. Oh maaaaaaaaaaaan! Blank and Blank are going to have the most badass relationship in the history of the universe.
The further I get into this outline, the more and more this has all been coming to life. In fact, I had my first dream about my story the other night, pretending I was one of the characters. It was an amazing experience. I hope there will be many more like it.
I need to try and not post as many of these "OH MY GOD THIS IS AWESOME" posts, but Im bubbling over with excitement tonight. I cant wait for November to get here.
In addition to the plot twists, some new character relationships have sprung up with potential to be the most epic relationships in the entire series. Oh maaaaaaaaaaaan! Blank and Blank are going to have the most badass relationship in the history of the universe.
The further I get into this outline, the more and more this has all been coming to life. In fact, I had my first dream about my story the other night, pretending I was one of the characters. It was an amazing experience. I hope there will be many more like it.
I need to try and not post as many of these "OH MY GOD THIS IS AWESOME" posts, but Im bubbling over with excitement tonight. I cant wait for November to get here.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
The Fleeting Beauty Of A Butterfly
Im now over 10K words. Thats 20% of a small novel. Wow.
After a brief hiatus, I went back to work tonight on the outline. I was able to further develop Elena's character, introducing her in a new chapter that takes place early on in the book. Short and sweet, but I now have a better idea of which direction to take with her. I learned something about her tonight that shocked me, but at the same time it made perfect sense and gels really well with what I'd already thought up for her. Its a great little twist that I think will melt some hearts. And faces.
Chapters Outlined: 10 (Includes Prologue)
Rough Word Count: 10,194
After a brief hiatus, I went back to work tonight on the outline. I was able to further develop Elena's character, introducing her in a new chapter that takes place early on in the book. Short and sweet, but I now have a better idea of which direction to take with her. I learned something about her tonight that shocked me, but at the same time it made perfect sense and gels really well with what I'd already thought up for her. Its a great little twist that I think will melt some hearts. And faces.
Chapters Outlined: 10 (Includes Prologue)
Rough Word Count: 10,194
Sunday, July 18, 2010
The Evil That Never Arrived
It amazes me how easily this can sometimes come together. What gets me even more is that it falls into place with perfect symbolism, even when I had no intention of writing it that way. Either I'm just lucky, or I've got destiny on my side.
I finally managed to bang out the outline of the first major plot twist, but had problems with the chapter as whole. Id been frustrated with the middle part, and this frustration caused me to dawdle around with the outline for a week before finally deciding to move on. I was trying to force some story to lengthen the chapter, but ultimately decided that I should let it be the length it needed to be, even if that meant short-changing a newly introduced character. I'm going to have to figure out somewhere else to grow her background. Either that, or on my second pass of the outline I hope to bring a fresh look and think up some stuff to put in the chapter to lengthen it naturally and solidify her as a character and not an archetype.
Speaking of archetypes, I realized that even though this is "the beginning" of the series, Im still going to have to think up some details of certain characters' pasts to make them a bit more three-dimensional. History. Why they are the way they are. Even if its just a few sentences, I need to provide something extra for readers to go on. The main characters wont be a problem because theyll be fleshed out over the course of the first novel, but the secondary characters are going to need some special loving until book two rolls around.
Anyway, now the book starts to get fun. The next chapter contains the first real action sequence, and from here on out it will be a wild roller coaster ride. Looking forward to it.
Chapters Outlined: 8 (Includes Prologue)
Rough Word Count: 8504
I finally managed to bang out the outline of the first major plot twist, but had problems with the chapter as whole. Id been frustrated with the middle part, and this frustration caused me to dawdle around with the outline for a week before finally deciding to move on. I was trying to force some story to lengthen the chapter, but ultimately decided that I should let it be the length it needed to be, even if that meant short-changing a newly introduced character. I'm going to have to figure out somewhere else to grow her background. Either that, or on my second pass of the outline I hope to bring a fresh look and think up some stuff to put in the chapter to lengthen it naturally and solidify her as a character and not an archetype.
Speaking of archetypes, I realized that even though this is "the beginning" of the series, Im still going to have to think up some details of certain characters' pasts to make them a bit more three-dimensional. History. Why they are the way they are. Even if its just a few sentences, I need to provide something extra for readers to go on. The main characters wont be a problem because theyll be fleshed out over the course of the first novel, but the secondary characters are going to need some special loving until book two rolls around.
Anyway, now the book starts to get fun. The next chapter contains the first real action sequence, and from here on out it will be a wild roller coaster ride. Looking forward to it.
Chapters Outlined: 8 (Includes Prologue)
Rough Word Count: 8504
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Quick thoughts
I didnt get much time to write tonight. Maybe fifteen minutes at most. But wow, I finally put to paper something that I have been curious about for such a long time. Its a topic I think many people will find interesting. I wish I could be more specific.
A few minutes ago this paragraph went into some slight detail, but after further thought I decided best not to go there. I'll hold all of my cards, even the small ones, until the novel is ready for publication.
I cannot wait. The ideas I have inside are just screaming to get out. I hope no one has already had them. As long as wizards and vampires continue to flood the story market I should be fine :)
A few minutes ago this paragraph went into some slight detail, but after further thought I decided best not to go there. I'll hold all of my cards, even the small ones, until the novel is ready for publication.
I cannot wait. The ideas I have inside are just screaming to get out. I hope no one has already had them. As long as wizards and vampires continue to flood the story market I should be fine :)
Saturday, July 10, 2010
An Afternoon Ahead
As I sit here outlining the chapter that ends in the first big plot twist, one that will surely make everyone go "WTF?!", possibly even to the point of quitting the book out of its insane randomness, my mind started wandering to things it shouldnt be. Things such as word count.
Ive never written a novel before, so I have no idea how long this will turn out to be. The goal for Nanowrimo is 50,000 words. I'd prefer at least 65,000 words. Average novel length I think gets up around 80,000 or more depending on the genre.
At the moment, though, Im not too worried about novel length. Rather, I was thinking more about the length of my outline. Again, having never written a novel, I have no idea if I can mathematically calculate an average length for my novel based on my outline. An amateur's guess is "double" the words, but it will likely be higher than that (I like to play it conservative). I just want to have an outline that is long enough to be transformed into a full novel.
So... the only thing I have to go by is my full outline for book five. I'd written it up in college, and from what I'd remembered of it, it was massive. Sitting here working on book one, I decided against better judgement to go back to the other outline to see how many words it was.
To my shock and amazement, the full outline was a paltry 10.5K words. Im less than 4K away from that mark and I still dont feel I've reached Act 2 yet. Im still in the beginning of the story. Granted, after the next couple chapters I'll be in the middle. But I just cant believe that the outline I'm working on now is going to trounce the other one a few times over.
Im not sure what that says about these outlines. Either Im getting way too detailed with my current one, or the other outline was garbage. Personally I'd like to think the other outline was very amateurish. That story needed a lot of molding, and thats why I ultimately jumped back in time four books to help flesh out the characters and story behind it all.
It will be years before I ever get back to book five, so for now I'm going to keep it out of my head. But I certainly am very excited to get in there and spruce it back up.
And that was what I was trying to articulate to myself by writing this. My excitement for rewriting the book five outline doesnt have to go unquenched. Once I finish the outline for book one, its going to get a rewrite. And then the book itself will get its first draft in November. There is nothing but exciting times ahead, and it starts with this afternoon.
Stop worrying about word count. Start worrying about what Elena/Aidan are going to do after their meeting gets cancelled. Then worry even more about their conversation after the plot twist occurs.
Ive never written a novel before, so I have no idea how long this will turn out to be. The goal for Nanowrimo is 50,000 words. I'd prefer at least 65,000 words. Average novel length I think gets up around 80,000 or more depending on the genre.
At the moment, though, Im not too worried about novel length. Rather, I was thinking more about the length of my outline. Again, having never written a novel, I have no idea if I can mathematically calculate an average length for my novel based on my outline. An amateur's guess is "double" the words, but it will likely be higher than that (I like to play it conservative). I just want to have an outline that is long enough to be transformed into a full novel.
So... the only thing I have to go by is my full outline for book five. I'd written it up in college, and from what I'd remembered of it, it was massive. Sitting here working on book one, I decided against better judgement to go back to the other outline to see how many words it was.
To my shock and amazement, the full outline was a paltry 10.5K words. Im less than 4K away from that mark and I still dont feel I've reached Act 2 yet. Im still in the beginning of the story. Granted, after the next couple chapters I'll be in the middle. But I just cant believe that the outline I'm working on now is going to trounce the other one a few times over.
Im not sure what that says about these outlines. Either Im getting way too detailed with my current one, or the other outline was garbage. Personally I'd like to think the other outline was very amateurish. That story needed a lot of molding, and thats why I ultimately jumped back in time four books to help flesh out the characters and story behind it all.
It will be years before I ever get back to book five, so for now I'm going to keep it out of my head. But I certainly am very excited to get in there and spruce it back up.
And that was what I was trying to articulate to myself by writing this. My excitement for rewriting the book five outline doesnt have to go unquenched. Once I finish the outline for book one, its going to get a rewrite. And then the book itself will get its first draft in November. There is nothing but exciting times ahead, and it starts with this afternoon.
Stop worrying about word count. Start worrying about what Elena/Aidan are going to do after their meeting gets cancelled. Then worry even more about their conversation after the plot twist occurs.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Clouds Cover the Stars
Finally got through a side chapter I'd been thinking about for the past few days. Id been running headlong through the main plot thread and decided to do a one-off chapter to introduce some characters coming later down the line. What I didnt expect was how hard that was going to be.
I think the main reason I had a problem with it was because its based on an idea I had less than a week ago. I didnt have very many details thought up, so I was kinda making it up as I went. The initial end product was not very satisfying at all.
I left it for a couple days, then came back and made it better, but it still wasnt what I wanted. I finally took a step back and realized I was spreading a small conflict across too many characters. I ended up axing one of the characters, deciding he served no purpose and lessened the impact of another character. It helped a lot. Im glad to see deleting things doesnt necessarily mean having to start over, and that it can actually make things better.
I was also able to make the conflict more sensible and not confined to a small area. I expanded it a bit, and now I feel the chapter is do-able. It'll probably be short, but thats how exposition should be. At least, thats how I'd prefer it, as long as it gets the point across and gives the reader enough time to get a feel for the characters.
Tomorrow I'm jumping back over into the main plot. Things are about to start heating up here. The first really big twist comes in the next chapter, so I'm certainly looking forward to outlining how I want it to unfold. Writing it in a draft will be another reward, but alas, I have to wait until November :(
I think the main reason I had a problem with it was because its based on an idea I had less than a week ago. I didnt have very many details thought up, so I was kinda making it up as I went. The initial end product was not very satisfying at all.
I left it for a couple days, then came back and made it better, but it still wasnt what I wanted. I finally took a step back and realized I was spreading a small conflict across too many characters. I ended up axing one of the characters, deciding he served no purpose and lessened the impact of another character. It helped a lot. Im glad to see deleting things doesnt necessarily mean having to start over, and that it can actually make things better.
I was also able to make the conflict more sensible and not confined to a small area. I expanded it a bit, and now I feel the chapter is do-able. It'll probably be short, but thats how exposition should be. At least, thats how I'd prefer it, as long as it gets the point across and gives the reader enough time to get a feel for the characters.
Tomorrow I'm jumping back over into the main plot. Things are about to start heating up here. The first really big twist comes in the next chapter, so I'm certainly looking forward to outlining how I want it to unfold. Writing it in a draft will be another reward, but alas, I have to wait until November :(
Saturday, July 3, 2010
At That Time of the Night...
The first big challenge of an upstart novel writer is finding the time to write and sliding it into the daily routine. Without it being routine, writing remains a chore. Its something "extra" to your day that often will end up being cut, thus the "writer" ends up quitting before they really begin.
This is something Ive had problems with in the past, but now Im starting to accept it as part of my day. I have a feeling Im going to become very antisocial over the next few months, because I know if I interrupt this routine too much I might lose it again.
My writing time seems to pop up around 9:00 PM and lasts until I go to bed. On nights before work this poses somewhat of a problem, as I only have about an hour to make progress. However, I think that for now this works to my advantage. I can work in small spurts, allowing me to reflect on the direction Im going and anticipate what will come next. In other words, I wont run out of story to write because I'll never have caught up to the story in my mind. Not until the epilogue rolls around, anyway.
***
I finished up Chapter 5 tonight and Im going to start Chapter 6 when Im done writing this post. Something that surprised me about Chapter 5 was that when I got to a certain point, I became very frustrated. Id just written about a scene that didnt sit well with me, and it was the first time I had encountered such a disappointment so far in the outline. The characters were acting in a way that, to me, didnt make sense, and yet for some reason I wrote them that way.
And then I had an epiphany. I was looking at this character (we'll call him B) through the eyes of the main character. And, as it turned out, the main character got pissed at character B for acting in a way that did not make sense to him. But it did make sense for character B to act that way. The main character had been betrayed.
In short, I felt the feelings of my main character and saw character B's actions as out of character. I became frustrated with myself that I'd just messed up, when really I hit the nail on the head. If even I, the author, got pissed at character B, then I know the readers will, too. And that makes me feel happy, because thats how I want them to feel.
I think Ive officially been bit by the story bug. All hope is lost for me.
Chapters Outlined: 6 (Includes Prologue)
Rough Word Count: 5104
This is something Ive had problems with in the past, but now Im starting to accept it as part of my day. I have a feeling Im going to become very antisocial over the next few months, because I know if I interrupt this routine too much I might lose it again.
My writing time seems to pop up around 9:00 PM and lasts until I go to bed. On nights before work this poses somewhat of a problem, as I only have about an hour to make progress. However, I think that for now this works to my advantage. I can work in small spurts, allowing me to reflect on the direction Im going and anticipate what will come next. In other words, I wont run out of story to write because I'll never have caught up to the story in my mind. Not until the epilogue rolls around, anyway.
***
I finished up Chapter 5 tonight and Im going to start Chapter 6 when Im done writing this post. Something that surprised me about Chapter 5 was that when I got to a certain point, I became very frustrated. Id just written about a scene that didnt sit well with me, and it was the first time I had encountered such a disappointment so far in the outline. The characters were acting in a way that, to me, didnt make sense, and yet for some reason I wrote them that way.
And then I had an epiphany. I was looking at this character (we'll call him B) through the eyes of the main character. And, as it turned out, the main character got pissed at character B for acting in a way that did not make sense to him. But it did make sense for character B to act that way. The main character had been betrayed.
In short, I felt the feelings of my main character and saw character B's actions as out of character. I became frustrated with myself that I'd just messed up, when really I hit the nail on the head. If even I, the author, got pissed at character B, then I know the readers will, too. And that makes me feel happy, because thats how I want them to feel.
I think Ive officially been bit by the story bug. All hope is lost for me.
Chapters Outlined: 6 (Includes Prologue)
Rough Word Count: 5104
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Mythology from Mythology
I got a little sidetracked again tonight, but in a very productive way.
First off, I finally got a name for another character that I'd had on the list for a while. The name suits him very well, and Ive developed his personality/character a bit from it. I havent had any physical interactions with him yet, its all been through dialogue of other characters, but his piece of the puzzle is slowly starting to come togther.
Where I got sidetracked, though, was in thinking about how real world mythology affects the mythology of my story. I ended up Wikipedia-ing some Irish folklore and Judeo-Christian mythology, and this research helped me spruce up details for later down the road. It helped to loosen the "constraints" of the world as I have it currently designed.
That being said, I didnt get much new story down, so my outline is pretty similar to where it was last night. However, I have some more background to build off of, which I think is more important at this stage. Hopefully tomorrow I'll be able to finish off this chapter and start on the next one, although Im not sure where its going to start. I think its going to be a long one, so I know what the weekend has in store for me.
First off, I finally got a name for another character that I'd had on the list for a while. The name suits him very well, and Ive developed his personality/character a bit from it. I havent had any physical interactions with him yet, its all been through dialogue of other characters, but his piece of the puzzle is slowly starting to come togther.
Where I got sidetracked, though, was in thinking about how real world mythology affects the mythology of my story. I ended up Wikipedia-ing some Irish folklore and Judeo-Christian mythology, and this research helped me spruce up details for later down the road. It helped to loosen the "constraints" of the world as I have it currently designed.
That being said, I didnt get much new story down, so my outline is pretty similar to where it was last night. However, I have some more background to build off of, which I think is more important at this stage. Hopefully tomorrow I'll be able to finish off this chapter and start on the next one, although Im not sure where its going to start. I think its going to be a long one, so I know what the weekend has in store for me.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
No time is wasted time
...unless you spend almost an hour trying to force a name on a character by looking up word meanings in different languages on the Internet. This is a trap Im going to have to be careful to avoid in the future. A perfectly good name came to me before I even sat down, so I am looking back on the time spent not advancing the outline with sad eyes.
If I ever get the "No, thats not good enough" vibe, I need to remind myself that this is just an outline. I can change the name later.
If I ever get the "No, thats not good enough" vibe, I need to remind myself that this is just an outline. I can change the name later.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Of the Airship Academy
Tonight I wrapped up the largest chapter outline I've done so far. It turned into something far bigger in scope and much more interesting than I had initially intended. The big ticket item for me was to introduce Terria, but it turns out she only had a very small part. In fact, her role in this first book may be minimal. I know of at least one more scene where she will appear, but other than that she may not be around.
This is one of the surprises Ive discovered that comes with breaking down your ideas on paper. The story just seems to write itself, at times disregarding your original intentions. I had planned on introducing Terria as somewhat of a heartless bitch with a large role, but this first story doesnt have much use for her so she gets cameo appearances. Id love to see more of her but if its not what the story needs, then I'll save her for later.
Instead, Sam came into the picture and with a bigger role than I had conceived for him at first. Im not sure how many more times we'll see him in this novel, but so far hes had a major influence on the main character in a way I didnt expect.
Oh, and also, the idea I had for the airship was just really flipping cool. I cant wait to describe that beast in all of its glory.
Outline Progression
Chapters Completed: 5
Rough Word Count: 3586
This is one of the surprises Ive discovered that comes with breaking down your ideas on paper. The story just seems to write itself, at times disregarding your original intentions. I had planned on introducing Terria as somewhat of a heartless bitch with a large role, but this first story doesnt have much use for her so she gets cameo appearances. Id love to see more of her but if its not what the story needs, then I'll save her for later.
Instead, Sam came into the picture and with a bigger role than I had conceived for him at first. Im not sure how many more times we'll see him in this novel, but so far hes had a major influence on the main character in a way I didnt expect.
Oh, and also, the idea I had for the airship was just really flipping cool. I cant wait to describe that beast in all of its glory.
Outline Progression
Chapters Completed: 5
Rough Word Count: 3586
Sunday, June 27, 2010
The Writing Writer
This post has nothing to do with Coheed and Cambria.
OK, so I'm changing the purpose of this blog. Originally it was meant to be a journal where I could write about abstract ideas that I was incorporating into my novel. Yeah, this is another one of those blogs.
In the past I've started up some sort of blog or note systems to communicate my progress to whoever was listening. But in the end I defeated myself before I even began by posting schedules and other riffraff that had no business being out in the open, let alone being put to paper at all.
Ive thrown out the schedules, thrown out all sorts of restrictions and boundaries. Im not sure if I will even continue writing in this blog, as its just another distraction from what I should be doing. That is, to say, writing.
Thats why Im changing the purpose of this blog. Rather than a form of communication to the outside world, Im going to use this as a personal journal of my journey to get this job done. Everything I write in here will be to support myself and my writing. Im leaving this public for now, for anyone to read, but at some point I may change that.
This story is all I have left of my "dreams." Its been floating around in my head for, I dunno, ten years? It has become this huge, epic beast and it is very, very intimidating. It could either be world-changing or it won't get published at all. I feel I've finally found a solid starting point, so hopefully there won't be anymore "hey I've written four chapters!" and then starting over from scratch on a new story.
For the past few weeks Ive been writing a chapter-by-chapter overview to get things started. When I was writing the "original" novel in college, I spent my time between classes writing an overview that turned into a 40 page achievement. The only problem is that that novel is the fifth one in the series, so I wont be looking at it again for quite a while.
Ive been having a lot of fun with the new "first" novel. I started pulling ideas together around April (I think) and it has evolved quite a bit since then. Ive surprised myself with some of the ideas Ive come up with. There were a couple instances where I was laughing and flailing my arms wildly in the air as I danced around the living room. Well, not really, but you get the idea. Some awesome heart-wrenching, plot-driving twists that make total sense and are just, well, awesome!
Im having a bit of trouble keeping focused at the moment because Im about to jump into a couple exposition-driven chapters, and a lot of the fun/actiony stuff doesnt come until later. But Im still finding new and cool things to write about that are building up the characters.
Hell, these first three books (aiming for a trilogy, then two more trilogies after) are going to blow away everything I thought up for the original novels. Its a very traditional supernatural fantasy/scifi, as far as plot goes, but holy magoly is it epic.
So I guess I should get back to work on the overview now. From time to time I'll probably come on here and post my personal thoughts on characters or chapters or plot lines. Im going to do my best to keep things spoiler-free, but if it gets to the point where I HAVE to talk about something to help me progress, I may privatize this blog. I'll also post my progress so I can look back and see how long it really took to do all of this. I'll need that reassurance for if/when I start working on novel #2.
"...And the only sign of life is the ticking of the pen
Introducing characters to memory like old friends..."
OK, so I'm changing the purpose of this blog. Originally it was meant to be a journal where I could write about abstract ideas that I was incorporating into my novel. Yeah, this is another one of those blogs.
In the past I've started up some sort of blog or note systems to communicate my progress to whoever was listening. But in the end I defeated myself before I even began by posting schedules and other riffraff that had no business being out in the open, let alone being put to paper at all.
Ive thrown out the schedules, thrown out all sorts of restrictions and boundaries. Im not sure if I will even continue writing in this blog, as its just another distraction from what I should be doing. That is, to say, writing.
Thats why Im changing the purpose of this blog. Rather than a form of communication to the outside world, Im going to use this as a personal journal of my journey to get this job done. Everything I write in here will be to support myself and my writing. Im leaving this public for now, for anyone to read, but at some point I may change that.
This story is all I have left of my "dreams." Its been floating around in my head for, I dunno, ten years? It has become this huge, epic beast and it is very, very intimidating. It could either be world-changing or it won't get published at all. I feel I've finally found a solid starting point, so hopefully there won't be anymore "hey I've written four chapters!" and then starting over from scratch on a new story.
For the past few weeks Ive been writing a chapter-by-chapter overview to get things started. When I was writing the "original" novel in college, I spent my time between classes writing an overview that turned into a 40 page achievement. The only problem is that that novel is the fifth one in the series, so I wont be looking at it again for quite a while.
Ive been having a lot of fun with the new "first" novel. I started pulling ideas together around April (I think) and it has evolved quite a bit since then. Ive surprised myself with some of the ideas Ive come up with. There were a couple instances where I was laughing and flailing my arms wildly in the air as I danced around the living room. Well, not really, but you get the idea. Some awesome heart-wrenching, plot-driving twists that make total sense and are just, well, awesome!
Im having a bit of trouble keeping focused at the moment because Im about to jump into a couple exposition-driven chapters, and a lot of the fun/actiony stuff doesnt come until later. But Im still finding new and cool things to write about that are building up the characters.
Hell, these first three books (aiming for a trilogy, then two more trilogies after) are going to blow away everything I thought up for the original novels. Its a very traditional supernatural fantasy/scifi, as far as plot goes, but holy magoly is it epic.
So I guess I should get back to work on the overview now. From time to time I'll probably come on here and post my personal thoughts on characters or chapters or plot lines. Im going to do my best to keep things spoiler-free, but if it gets to the point where I HAVE to talk about something to help me progress, I may privatize this blog. I'll also post my progress so I can look back and see how long it really took to do all of this. I'll need that reassurance for if/when I start working on novel #2.
"...And the only sign of life is the ticking of the pen
Introducing characters to memory like old friends..."
Monday, June 14, 2010
True Identity
One's true identity is often withheld from society. We all have friends who know who we really are, yet to strangers we keep ourselves masked. What is this fear that drives us to live in shadow? If we can feel comfortable around friends, why not around strangers? Around people who dont matter to us, who have no influence on our lives, and who likely dont care what we are like? People who will look at us for 15 seconds and then never look at us again? The human mind is a strange thing, indeed.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
The Long and Winding Road
If there is something I have learned, its that to build something special you cant hand out pieces of it before its complete. If you do, it will never be complete, because you'll never get those pieces back. Instead, you have to be clever. You have to hand out pieces in code - a code that no one will understand. A code no one will break. A code no one will even realize is code to begin with, and thus these coded pieces are never out of your reach. They can always be pulled back and put into your masterpiece, and no one will know that it was right under their noses the whole time. And if your masterpiece is masterful enough, you will be able to decode the pieces in such a way that those who had held the code will remember them in their coded state, and they will be awe-stricken. Consider the CWS blog my code to you.
Saturday, June 12, 2010
What Hath Been Wrought
At long last, the Crimson Wing Society has begun to awaken from its slumber...
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