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June Noveling

post #1 of 47
6/5/09 at 11:13pm
Thread Starter 
Ok, May came and went...way too fast!...anyone out there still working on their novel? I need to start working on my novel FIRST and then surf the web/blog...it's just so addicting! But I need to finish editing at least this 3rd round of edits by mid-July (and paint a few canvases...yikes!) so I am starting this thread as my way of kicking my OWN butt into gear!

7 chapters edited...only 20 more to go!....I'm worried...

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post #2 of 47
6/6/09 at 4:54am
Hello again,

I'm still working on it... kind of. I've been in a bit of a lull for the last two days, though. I got to the end of the first major section of the novel and I felt like I needed to get an overview of the rest of it before I moved on. I'm tempted to do a lot of research, too, but I know I need to keep that urge under control. It's important to get the historical context right, but I don't want it to be all research and no writing.

I'm not dividing this draft into chapters, but I'm at about 35,000 words of a projected 80-100k. I'm also aiming to finish this draft in mid-July: I've drafted 1/2-1/3 of the remainder but it all needs extensive re-working and I'll be writing the final chapters from scratch (although I have them outlined).
post #3 of 47
6/6/09 at 1:53pm
going for it but a long way to go. ideas scattered wildly through timeline and scrap paper need to be typed and consolodated. never done this before but the character's story keeps flooding my mind.

homesteading new momma : : green mountains : aspiring novelist and children's book author
post #4 of 47
6/6/09 at 4:03pm
May I join in your group? I'm only at 16,552 of my rough draft, but got very little accomplished this last 3 weeks. It would be nice to read of and share the ups and downs of writing with others.
post #5 of 47
6/6/09 at 6:18pm
I don't think I've done much of anything since the last time I posted on the May thread. I did get my vampire club written in. It's a '70s-themed Riverwalk club called Stayin' Alive. I amuse myself way too much sometimes.
post #6 of 47
6/9/09 at 2:07am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by aikigypsy View Post
Hello again,

I'm still working on it... kind of. I've been in a bit of a lull for the last two days, though. I got to the end of the first major section of the novel and I felt like I needed to get an overview of the rest of it before I moved on. I'm tempted to do a lot of research, too, but I know I need to keep that urge under control. It's important to get the historical context right, but I don't want it to be all research and no writing.

I'm not dividing this draft into chapters, but I'm at about 35,000 words of a projected 80-100k. I'm also aiming to finish this draft in mid-July: I've drafted 1/2-1/3 of the remainder but it all needs extensive re-working and I'll be writing the final chapters from scratch (although I have them outlined).
wow! a very auspicious goal! Are you going to divide it into chapters at a later date? or are you going to separate your scenes differently?
post #7 of 47
6/9/09 at 2:09am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by vermontmomma View Post
going for it but a long way to go. ideas scattered wildly through timeline and scrap paper need to be typed and consolodated. never done this before but the character's story keeps flooding my mind.
yep...when the characters start to take control, they usually demand you tell their story...or they'll haunt you forever!
post #8 of 47
6/9/09 at 2:12am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by KissyStarfish View Post
May I join in your group? I'm only at 16,552 of my rough draft, but got very little accomplished this last 3 weeks. It would be nice to read of and share the ups and downs of writing with others.
welcome! hope there are some ups this month! I think I might just reached one of my own...will share soon
post #9 of 47
6/9/09 at 2:14am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sagesgirl View Post
I amuse myself way too much sometimes.
me too, me too...
post #10 of 47
6/9/09 at 4:33am
Quote:
Originally Posted by MommyHawk View Post
wow! a very auspicious goal! Are you going to divide it into chapters at a later date? or are you going to separate your scenes differently?
I do have scene breaks marked in to the manuscript, and there are several distinct longer sections, in terms of plot. In my fantasy novels, I worked with chapters roughly 3 scenes or 5,000 words long, which would take me about a week to write. My sense is that chapters in romance novels are often shorter than that, and that length doesn't work for me in the writing process, so I figure I'll wait until the book is nearly ready to go and get advice on where to put in the chapter breaks, in the cases where it isn't totally obvious.

Glad to find that people are still here working on their novels. It can be a really slow slog through the middle, can't it?
post #11 of 47
6/9/09 at 12:13pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by aikigypsy View Post
I do have scene breaks marked in to the manuscript, and there are several distinct longer sections, in terms of plot. In my fantasy novels, I worked with chapters roughly 3 scenes or 5,000 words long, which would take me about a week to write. My sense is that chapters in romance novels are often shorter than that, and that length doesn't work for me in the writing process, so I figure I'll wait until the book is nearly ready to go and get advice on where to put in the chapter breaks, in the cases where it isn't totally obvious.

Glad to find that people are still here working on their novels. It can be a really slow slog through the middle, can't it?
I forgot you were writing a romance. That's very long for that genre (not that it isn't done, it's just fairly unusual). From my reading of romances, it seems that the ones with short chapters are the ones that overall are pretty short.

I'm writing without chapters as well, at this point. I figure I'll put in the chapter breaks wherever it seems appropriate in my revision process. I'll have a better feel for the rhythm of my novel by then.
post #12 of 47
6/9/09 at 11:24pm
What do you call a novel that is based in truth and somewhat autobiographical but with some creative license and the names and location is changed to protect the innocent?

I've started a new novel and it's based on an episode in my own life. I've written the first chapter.

So..subbing I guess..lol
post #13 of 47
6/9/09 at 11:30pm
It's called a roman á clef if you want people to know it's based on real life. If you don't, it's not called anything. I think what you're talking about is acutally pretty common.
post #14 of 47
6/10/09 at 1:57pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sagesgirl View Post
It's called a roman á clef if you want people to know it's based on real life. If you don't, it's not called anything. I think what you're talking about is acutally pretty common.
Yes! That's it! I won't be telling anybody but I wanted to know what it was for myself...couldnt' remember the term!

I'm at 5000 words. I'm finding it very cathartic and rewarding. I love how the truth looks on paper. Well on screen .lol.
post #15 of 47
6/10/09 at 2:03pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by MommyHawk View Post
Ok, May came and went...way too fast!...anyone out there still working on their novel? I need to start working on my novel FIRST and then surf the web/blog...it's just so addicting! But I need to finish editing at least this 3rd round of edits by mid-July (and paint a few canvases...yikes!) so I am starting this thread as my way of kicking my OWN butt into gear!

7 chapters edited...only 20 more to go!....I'm worried...
I've really got to focus too!

I've got 4 different books in the works...sigh...I'm so easily distracted.
post #16 of 47
6/10/09 at 9:43pm
Writing... period... is consuming me so much so that I become irritated when any of my other responsibilities take away from that time. I feel like such a bad mama right now because I'm so agitated.

Blogging is taking most of my writing time as I want to continue doing it as I find it rewarding. But, I want to finish a novel. I haven't written anything on my novels in almost 3 weeks. I think I'm going to leave the one I have been working on to settle awhile and come back to it later. I am going to begin the novel that I just completed a research trip for, loosely based on the life of my great great grandmother. I've been having fun blogging about the trip, and it is really making me excited about getting started.

How do you all prioritize your writing? Especially those of you to whom it is your career or you some day hope for it to be. What does you day to day look like and how do you reconcile writing with all of your other responsibilities?
post #17 of 47
6/10/09 at 10:03pm
I feel exactly the same way. Writing is ALL I want to do now. I too get irritated by real life however without real life I'd have nothing to write because often inspiration comes to me.

So...let's focus shall we. What about a challenge. One blog post per day per blog and one hour of novelling. I can do this. Can you? I am sticking to this novel. This new one. I know the story because it's mine and I'm just going to let the truth come through. Then I'll go back and make it nicer, layer some description and change all the names and locations etc to turn it into fiction again. I'm hoping to finish this one and have it ready for publication by the end of the year.

I mean ready to submit for publication. and I will have my editor friend read it one chapter at a time starting in the fall when my littlest goes to school and I can become a full-time every other day writer:

I've really got to finish something.
post #18 of 47
6/10/09 at 11:37pm
That sounds so cool. You've just prompted me to make a Wordless Wednesday post. I think I'll put it in both my blogs.

I make no promises about the hour of writing today, though. I'm insanely sleepy for some reason. I do need to buckle down and get that damned vampire scene written. John's got some important information for the two MCs, and I need to get it in!
post #19 of 47
6/11/09 at 5:06am
Hmm. Priorities and challenges?

I like the idea of doing an hour of fiction writing a day. I've been trying to do something like that: My goal was 1,000 words of fiction per day, written or edited/re-written, and a couple of blog posts a week.

I was doing fine until a couple of weeks ago when I started to get caught up in my novel and was focusing all my writing energy (and some other energy) on that. I nearly stopped blogging and then I burt out a bit and/or got stuck. I had a bad headache for a few days then all of us got a cold. I don't write when I'm sick unless I'm driving towards a very important short-term goal -- I feel that I really need to be healthy in order to do my best work, and maintain my creativity in the long term.

So I think I need to get back on track with some smaller goals, now that the worst of this stupid sick is hopefully past.
post #20 of 47
6/11/09 at 7:58am
exerpt. Little bit of help with this bit.


This is almost what I want to say but I'm finding thesecond line a bit soft and ineffective.

"His energy penetrated the very walls of the rooms he occupied until you imagined you could see the vibrations of the molecules of the structure. You felt him in the room. You heard his voice and you paid attention. I guess the word to describe him is presence. Perhaps charisma. Both words seem woefully inadequate. He did not inspire indifference. Most people either loved him or hated him. I loved him."

easier to compare side by side

His energy penetrated the very walls of the rooms he occupied until you could nearly see the vibrations of the molecules of the structure. You heard his voice and you paid attention. He had a presence, perhaps a charisma, though both terms seemed woefully inadequate. People either loved him or hated him. I loved him.

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