September Noveling

[fullofgrace]

You all are quiet! How are you doing?


I have a novel outline done. (hadn't planned on outlining, but it came to me so I wrote it down) Today I worked on factions, races, types of magic, classes, etc. I had a flurry of ideas so again, I had to sit and write them down.

Anyone write something today?

[Aufilia]

Yay for having an outline done! I found that so helpful when I wrote the current novel, even though I'd never really used one before.

I haven't written anything today. It's 9pm and DD is finally asleep, and I've got maybe an hour or an hour and a half to myself. I'd debating watching Monk on hulu.com, writing, or sewing. Or reading my hypnobabies book. So far I haven't even been ambitious enough to pick an activity....

I'm in the middle of revisions to chapter 23.

It's been an exhausting week so far. We have a houseguest whose a buddy of DH's and he's on my absolute last nerve. Since he's here DH has been either at work or with buddy 99% of the time so it's been just me and the kid like 14 hours a day. I feel like I've done nothing but clean up after people and grit my teeth for days. And for the next two days my FIL and stepMIL are ALSO in town, along with the youngest BIL who is moving here for school. I can tell already I'm going to get NOTHING done this weekend.

[Sagesgirl]

Oh, Aufilia, having all those people around would irritate the heck out of me!

I haven't had much time to work on my novel. I am enjoying Creative Writing class, but that's sucking up a lot of my time. The prof said we can't use anything we already have; we have to write new stuff. So I'm doing that, and it's actually wonderful. I'm cheating a little bit by using the MC from my novel, but it's a great way to get to know her.

We had our first little peer-review Friday and it went really well. I managed to pair up with an amazingly talented young woman who also writes fantasy fiction (albeit a different form than I do), and she was very enthusiastic and had really good suggestions. Also, since the story has a heavy military element to it and she has no military background, she's helping me stop and take a look outside of the jargon. It's instructive, but I have no clue how to explain to a total civilian what a "request chit" is!

With luck, I'll come out of this with a good critique group.

[Aufilia]

Sabra, it's awesome that you found another fantasy writer to pair up with in your class. I bet it'll be helpful to work with someone who has a good idea of the cliches and norms of the genre. I hope the class is still going well. What sort of lessons are being covered?


I'm in the middle of chapter 25 now, so at least I'm moving ahead. It's slow going, though. I hadn't done any revision at all in these last few chapters and they were kinda a muddle to being with...

[fullofgrace]

Ugh! I realize this is actually a GOOD thing, but I have too many ideas coming at once. I have more like two stories versus one going on. I need to sort them out so I can pick one as my main focus so I can I have a complete novel idea to work with versus several scenes.

Do I just keep jotting it all down fast and furiously and sort it all out later??

[MommyHawk]

excited to see everyone here! I hope we all get some great things done this month

I joined a critique group a few weeks ago and boy o boy...they don't mince words! Ultra constructive, but still...it stings when I first hear the critiques when I thought what I submitted was top notch!...

I'm realizing that this journey to write a book isn't over by a LOOOOONNGGG shot...I've written the book. Have gone through it once myself with a fine comb, and now am going through it with the group...and I'm seeing that what I thought was good is so off the mark of where it needs to be to even think about submitting it to agents/editors....and here I thought I could do it all in one years time!...

But I've thought of a way better ending, climax, and although it's far off, I can't wait to rewrite them. Making a good book even better takes a lot of hard work and dedication...because you already DID all the work once, now you have to do some of it over again!...and maybe do it over again a few more times...

I don't know if any of this is making sense. I have a 3yo crying/screaming since 5am and I just had to get on here and chit chat with someone

se la vi...guess I'll wait to see what the group thinks of this past submission before I go forward with any more edits...

I just thought it was good already...now I'm seeing all the holes...and there are so many of them!...good thing I have a passion for this writing thing...otherwise I'd give it all up!

[Aufilia]

Jess -- I guess I'd write them all down and see what I could make of them. I do tend to write down scenes/conversations/bits of description that come to me even if they're not for the chapter I'm working on now. I stuff them into a separate file to look at later. Everyone's process is different but when I first started working on this novel I had scattered scenes/bits, then I sat down with all my ideas and made an outline, and only after that did I really sit down and write it chronologically from chapter 1 through to the end.

MommyHawk -- I'm glad you're not getting weighed down under critique. It's funny, the stuff I think my crit group will pick out to comment on in my work is usually not the stuff THEY pick out. I know my stuff always turns out much better for the comments I get and I bet you'll be happy with whatever changes you have to make in the end.

Oh, and I'm totally and completely jealous that you thought up a new climax and ending!!! I have have had NO LUCK at all coming up with a new climax and ending for mine but what I have now doesn't quite WORK. I sat down and wrote a list of 6 things I think the ending needs to accomplish to wrap up the various plot threads and I just can't think of a better way to do it... it's driving me nuts.

On the other hand I did come up with a way to "fix" chapter 26... which requires totally re-writing it from scratch, of course... but I think it'll solve most of the issues that dragged down the original version.

[allgirls]

I'm a novelling nut this month! I had set it away..I was stuck...my characters were there but their story wasn't coming out right...then suddenly, the story came and I'm back at it! I'm liking my stuff.

I've taken to posting little excerpts on my blog every Tuesday if anyone is interested. Little quotes and tidbits.

I can't wait to work on it again!

:

[MommyHawk]

Originally Posted by allgirls

I'm a novelling nut this month! I had set it away..I was stuck...my characters were there but their story wasn't coming out right...then suddenly, the story came and I'm back at it! I'm liking my stuff.

I've taken to posting little excerpts on my blog every Tuesday if anyone is interested. Little quotes and tidbits.

I can't wait to work on it again!

:

Very excited that you are back at it!! :

I'd love to put tidbits on my blog too...what does everyone think about doing this? Do agents/editors/publishers care? I think it's totally fun and interesting to read eachother's stuff. I just question the 'safety' of it, kwim? ...

[MommyHawk]

as for my climax and ending I've changed...I'm making a sequel book (her sister's story) from that and have really screwed things up between the sisters in this book for the climax...how it ends?...I think what I've got now is so much more interesting than things slowly dying off into bliss...who needs that! I wanted more of a punch at the end...I'm excited that it finally came to me...only took 5 years!!!

[allgirls]

Originally Posted by MommyHawk

Very excited that you are back at it!! :

I'd love to put tidbits on my blog too...what does everyone think about doing this? Do agents/editors/publishers care? I think it's totally fun and interesting to read eachother's stuff. I just question the 'safety' of it, kwim? ...

I put teeny tiny things on there. And I change them half the time anyway...it's mostly a teaser...or a bit of description...

but I'm not one to worry about the sensitivities of a non-existant publisher anyway...lol. I really just don't care

This was my first tidbit from what used to be Chapter one...and this piece isn't in that chapter anymore.

"There are two kinds of secrets. The first kind plagues on its keeper, like so many unrepentant termites biting and chewing at the base of an ancient oak until, under the furious storm of time, the mighty tree is felled by the weakness eaten into its roots".

[Aufilia]

allgirls -- That's awesome, go you! I'll have to pop over to your blog.

Mommyhawk -- I don't see a problem with excerpts. I've seen some of the pros on my LiveJournal friends list post excerpts occasionally. I don't think it's much different from posting an excerpt here.

5 YEARS to think of a new ending? Oh, you're crushing my hopes...


I wrote 1200 new words into chapter 26, then went and rescued part of the old chapter 26, and the whole of "new" chapter 26 is now like 4300 words. Yikes. That's big compared to most of my other chapters but I can't find a good place to break it. I have another new scene to write but apparently it's going into chapter 27...

[allgirls]

I took all of my chapters that are the present and moved them to the end. I was doing a back and forth from now 'til then 'til now and then I changed my mind. So now I have to work on a new first chapter.

and I have to remember what it was like in 1989.

but it's coming along....26 chapters and a very solid outline.

One thing I'm learning...be flexible and willing to completely overhaul anything at any point because if it ain't working it just aint and it's easier just to go with your gut sometimes.

[Aufilia]

I don't know if anybody follows the blog "Pimp My Novel" (I haven't in the past... I just ran across it today!) but it had a neat series of posts about trends in publishing, sales, and advance payments for novels, broken down my genre. I thought I'd share in case anybody was interested.

posts about romance, historical, SF, mystery/thriller, children's and fantasy genres

Women's fiction post

Literary fiction post

[allgirls]

thanks for the links!

I posted a tidbit over at my blog(see link in siggy)

Feedback appreciated here or there!

Allgirls

[allgirls]

Great day! I figured out the one bit of the plot that I didn't like and figured out how to reveal a secret that needed to come out but not in an obvious way...:

[allgirls]

How are all the novels coming!

Great on this end..I looked this morning and realised I have 36, 775...words:

That's 15000 words this week! But it's a false number as some chapters are being plucked completely out later when I get to them, to be replaced completely by new stuff that's percolating in my mind.

I daydream at night and write in the day and it's really coming along. I'm in an exciting period and It's great to have such a large amount of time to focus on it!

I am looking forward to rewrites..is that strange?

Updates? How are you all doing?

[fullofgrace]

Eh. LOL

I'm glad I've written all all of my ideas down! They may shape up into one story, afterall.

[Aufilia]

I'm working on adding a new scene into chapter 27. It's going sloooowly. I have to write a conversation, and I HATE writing conversations. I only wrote about 200 words yesterday, but at least I got the conversation started....

After this I'm going to have to face the dread ending revisions, yikes.

The whole thing is sitting at 86k at the moment and it's looking like I'll hit 90k when I'm done.

[allgirls]

Originally Posted by Aufilia

I'm working on adding a new scene into chapter 27. It's going sloooowly. I have to write a conversation, and I HATE writing conversations. I only wrote about 200 words yesterday, but at least I got the conversation started....

After this I'm going to have to face the dread ending revisions, yikes.

The whole thing is sitting at 86k at the moment and it's looking like I'll hit 90k when I'm done.

I write conversations out kinda like plays first...withoug quotes or he said then she said stuff

Just like this:

call me

ok

promise?

promise. You know I will.

yeah but it's important

Even if it weren't I'd call if you asked

blabbity blah blah...

then I dialogue it, try it on, see if it makes sense and then I add the

"call me" she pleaded, her eyes desperate.

"ok" he said immediately.

"promise"? she didn't think he understood the urgency.

"promise. You know I will" he reassured her with a quick hug.

"yeah but it's important" she hated herself for nagging him.

"Even if it weren't I'd call if you asked" and he meant it.

And she knew he meant it. He always kept his word.


Ok that's how I do dialogue because...that's the only way I can get through it. I too hate it. I'm a describer not a dialoguer!