Noveling in May. - Page 2

[Sagesgirl]

OK, I finally have that story ready for y'all to read!

La Llorona

Few things here:

• Although this is NOT the first draft, I don't consider it a final draft either.
• Be aware that the story will act like you know some things. I know you don't, but it's supposed to read like a vignette from the MC's life. So ask about anything you need clarification on.
• This is in the same world, with the same characters, as the excerpt I posted earlier. It takes place much later, though, and kinda gives away a plot point.
• I'm sure I've made mistakes in issues like police work or healthcare. Or Spanish. If anything glaring jumps out at you, please let me know, but there's a good chance I bent it to fit the story.
• If you don't like guns, zombies, and cursing, you should probably avoid the story.

Anyway, feedback is appreciated. And if you can come up with a better idea for a title, please let me know. I hate titling things with a passion, and this is all I could think of.

For the record, that church is real. I had three kids with me when I saw it, so I didn't get close enough to really nose around it, but I do have a picture. If you're curious, let me know & I'll put it up on Photobucket and post a link to it.

Also, duh, if that link looks really funky let me know. I typed the story up in Open Office, saved it as an HTML file, and uploaded the file to Angelfire directly. I think it's pretty readable, but if not let me know & I'll see what I can do to fix it.

Thanks, ladies!

[eastkygal]

Okay, more food for thought on our length discussion. I am re-reading Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye. 216 pages including the Afterword. It has multiple POVs and main characters. And multiple minor characters with names. Lots you can do in so few pages and it still work. It won a Nobel Prize and was Toni Morrison's first novel.

[Sagesgirl]

Yeah, there are some very good short novels out there. But I will say I think you have to be at the absolute top of your game to write a very good short novel. There's a lot less room to correct missteps, kwim? It's why I write very few short stories.

Today I have been researching black magic. I feel kinda guilty doing it, but I'm only using it for my book. I also looked up a spell to bind a demon into a crystal. Isn't the internet a wonderful thing?

[MommyHawk]

I can't believe it - I LOST 2 chapters! I had to rewrite them, thankfully it's still all up there in my mind, but darn it! WTH? Anyway, I'm on to editing chapter 5 this weekend...WHY is editing so darn slow!!!!!!!! boring...I want to write the sequel instead!

but editing I must do...any recommendations on how to "do" it? books out there? what do you do to edit your work? do you go chapter by chapter? or what?

[Oriole]

MommyHawk: Oh my! How did you lose two chapters?!
Note to self: Must back up work....

eastkygal: I have two projects going, and I find it very helpful. When I'm stuck on one, I can work on another, and I still feel like I'm making progress, while giving myself a break.


And I did some work on researching word counts - I looked up word counts on the books that are in the same "bracket" that mine is, as well as recommendations on various blogs for literary agents.

Since my fantasy seems to be coming out to be YA fantasy, I'm aiming for 60K, and about 1/2 way there.

34.5K lined up to 100 pages today, and I'm celebrating. I can't believe I stuck with a story for 100 pages! : I really hope to hit 40K by the end of this long weekend.

[Sagesgirl]

Congrats on hitting 100 pages! I finally buckled down and put some work into my novel today, but had to stop for the kids to come back from Dad's (I'll get some more in on it later on once they're in bed). I'm on pg. 94. No idea how many words that is, since I'm writing by hand & have a lot of things scratched out. But it feels good to be getting back in the groove.

[JennyClaire]

I should be on top of the world right now. I finished my 1st rough draft ever. It needs oodles of revision, probably at least one entire rewrite, but the basic story is down on paper. Three months of writing... WOW.

I wish I could focus on my accomplishment instead of:

* feeling guilty because my husband had a horrendous time with the kids today

* being depressed at the sentimentality of my over-the-top love story - I know I can make it work with rewrites, and boost the length (currently 50K?) with all the details I failed to notice because my eyes were fixed on the characters, but there is a feeling of let-down. Is this normal?

* thinking about putting it on the computer, ugh...

* continuing to hide my passion from everyone is so tiring (DH thinks I'm getting out for "time to myself"), but I know they'll want to read my junk if they know, I can't have that --- my people are the most critical I know.

And yet, I'm still in love with the story, and looking forward to starting my revisions, so go figure.

MommyHawk, I just checked a book out of the library called The Writer's Handbook for Editing and Revision, by Rick Wilber. I haven't spend any time with it yet, but I'll let you know soon!

[JennyClaire]

The Writer's Handbook for Editing and Revision, by Rick Wilber was NOT at all helpful - the information was geared toward the freelance magazine/newspaper writer, NOT the novel writer.

Anyone else have suggestions for the revision process? Read through first? Read out loud? Type onto computer (from notebook) while fixing obvious mistakes? Is it best to fix the grammatical or structural/plot errors first? Stand on my head while eating a cracker?

[Oriole]

I'm not in the editing stage yet, but I think my plan will be taking one chapter at a time and making it perfect, by giving it 2-3 rewrites, and only then moving on to the next one.
I'm not sure how it will work out, as I have no finished first draft.

But congrats to you!

[aikigypsy]

Hello!

Hi folks,

This is my first time on the novelling threads here. I'm about 23,000 words into the re-write of my NaNoWriMo novel which is a Regency romance. It's going OK, but I'm feeling a bit isolated. I used to be (still am) part of a nice online writers' group oriented towards fantasy, but it's been very quiet over there lately and I'm not writing fantasy these days! I just feel like I need a bit more community support.

I've had an interesting journey in the past couple of months getting back into writing more seriously. My husband lost his job in March (a good thing, as far as I'm concerned, because it was an unreasonably dangerous workplace) and I've slowly been working on him to take over a share of housework and childcare so I can get out of the house to write for an hour or two a day.

Anyhow, in response to JennyClaire's question, there are two books I would recommend reading in between drafts: Writing the Breakout Novel by Donald Maass (which deals mostly with plot issues) and Elements of Style by Strunk and White. Neither of these is about editing exactly, but they're both good. I've heard that Self-Editing for Fiction Writers is good, but I've never used it myself (I think I have a copy in a box somewhere. I have a lot of books in boxes on the other side of the ocean).

Also, I think it's totally normal to feel a bit of let-down at the end of a first draft. You've been immersed in this project for months and now you're at a point where you have to figure out what to do next, both with the project and with your writing life.

OK, I'm going to get to work for the day before the baby wakes up. No more procrastinating!

[Sagesgirl]

I grew up reading Regencies. I miss the old days when relatively chaste comedies of errors were the norm. They're still the best kind of historicals, IMO (and really, the only romances I can stand to read these days). Those thngs did wonderful things for my vocabulary & knowledge of English history.

[Sagesgirl]

Okay. Second post in a row to say: I made it to 100 pages! ::

Along the way, I discovered that my main character has not one but two tattoos, and an eyebrow piercing. And the hero has this tattooed on his stomach.

Ain't it wonderful when they surprise you?

[JennyClaire]

Sabra, congratulations on your achievement.

aikigypsy, thanks for the books ideas, which are surely better than the ones I checked out of the library! I do have Strunk and White's, and another called Spunk & Bite, which is downright silly with a few useful tips thrown in.

I love re-writing!!!!!!!!!

How do you find readers? Local writing groups? Internet writing groups?

How's everyone else doing?