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Tag Archives: craft
Apr
22
Please Hush
My characters are Chatty Kathies of the worst sort. I had a few hours of free time last night, sans family. Thought I’d take advantage of that and try to get in some solid writing time, that *wasn’t* at midnight. I’ll admit that I’ve been feeling a little ambivalent about this third book. Partially because of the way the last few weeks have gone and partially because of some stuff happening behind the scenes. But I also know that when it seems like I’m actively avoiding working on the ms, it’s probably because I’m heading down the wrong path. This is one of those panster type things, I guess. And I don’t really like to go back and edit a first draft as I’m writing it. If I recognize a small issue, I’m more likely just to leave a note in the margin detailing what the fix should be and then I…
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Dec
15
Mental Stuttering
I sent the draft for the sequel to Brush of Darkness to my new editor today. It’s amazing what a relief it is to finally know that it is DONE. Of course, I also sorta want to throw up. How’s that for shit? As happy as I am on the one hand, there’s still that pitter-patter of doubt that continues to run in my mind. What if she hates it? What if it sucks? What if she wants me to rewrite 80% of the thing? What if, what if, what if. And “done” is an operative word here. The story is finished, but it’s not quite there yet as far as polishing goes. I’ve spent the last few weeks trying to tweak the story in places so that it makes sense – the one caveat to being a panster is that I occasionally stutter-start into part of a plot that…
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Nov
15
The End…It Comes Soon.
Or soon enough, anyway. I had set a sort of internal deadline to get the draft of the book done this weekend. And I waltzed right past it in a swirl of two children’s birthday parties, two sets of play dates and some much needed bathroom cleaning. However, I’m dreadfully close. I know this because of how hard it has suddenly become. (And how eager I suddenly seem to be to clean my bathroom. Like having a pretty toilet will somehow make the writing better. Yes, there are some days I want to slap my inner muse silly at her procrastination techniques.) Maybe it’s a mental thing or something having to do with letting go. But there it is. Part of is the scene I’ve been struggling with. Usually when I have to work this hard at a particular bit it either means I’m trying to force something – i.e. the characters…
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Oct
3
Frontloading the Words
I’m not even sure if frontloading is a real word, at least in the sense that I’m using it. I’ve noticed over the last few weeks that often times I’ll stop writing before I’ve run out of words. ** Which might sound a little strange, until I realized I’m doing it so I’ve got an easy start the next day. If I’ve already got something to work with, it makes the rest of it that much easier. Or that’s the theory, anyway. Sometimes I just put down that bit of a scene and then twiddle my thumbs for a while as I figure out where to go next. Panster issues, for certain. I’ve mentioned before I do my best brainstorming in the shower. On some days (if I’m home alone), and I’m stuck, it’s not uncommon for me to take three or more, although one is usually more than enough.…
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Sep
20
Comparisons
The problem with writing the draft of a sequel when you’re also going over the first pass pages of the first book, is that the draft starts looking crappier as you go. Or at least, that’s what I’m finding, anyway. And yes, the rational part of my brain continues to insist that the original draft for BoD wasn’t that great either, but memories have a way of being a bit hazy, especially when the brain is confronted by the finished product. And it’s probably not fair to compare the polished and edited piece of something that’s close to going to print with the sometimes rambly and random sentences that are attempting to make up a solid second story – one that seems to be changing as I go. But, deadlines are deadlines. I’ve managed to write about 40k in the last few weeks, and I’ve got about 30k left to…
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