While some people can make their way through rough drafts without having a map (worldbuilding and such in place) others can't even write their first sentence without knowing in great detail who their characters are...what their motivations are...the conflict and plot and so on. Some people don't start until they have built their world complete with cultures and languages and designs for clothes. But I would say most writers are somewhere in the middle. They don't write without having SOME idea of what comes next. They don't start unless they have SOME idea of the theme they wish to express.
I have been able to get through rough drafts without much planning and come away not too badly burned. Revision is a different monster. Lethal even if you make the wrong move. If you don't plan your attack before you actually make your move you can end up cutting what matters out of your novel.
If you don't have some idea of where you'd like to end up at the end of your revision...you aren't going to reach the end. Or you are going to end up with a tangled mess that doesn't make much sense. So I propose that you figure out what matters to you before you revise. If you didn't figure out your theme in your first draft...or it has changed since then...figure it out now. And write it down on paper. Use it as a guide to get you through these next months. You will need it to keep you on track. Figure out what conflict is essential to your theme. Ask as many questions as it takes to get what you need. This is important. Without knowing the heart of your book you will end up with something that doesn't quite sing...that gets rejections and you won't quite know why.
Author Holly Lise goes into depth about this and her entire writing process with her online course How to Revise Your Novel. I am not an affiliate. I do not get money from reffering you to her course. I just love her class. It has helped my writing in ways I cannot express. If you don't know how to get through a revision...how to do it right the FIRST time...then this is something you might want to look into.
Monday, April 4, 2011
Friday, April 1, 2011
Wow...*coughs* It's been a long time since my last post!
Okay...I honestly didn't mean to leave you all in the dark without any idea as to what is going on in my life. I guess when life throws punches at you it doesn't stop with just one. Which I guess would explain my absense quite a bit...wouldn't it? :p
Some good things have happened. I've made great progress on my WIP thanks to Holly Lisle's How To Revise Your Novel course. I know what is wrong with it and why. I even know how to fix what's wrong! It's just...getting to the end that is taking forever. Apparently when you write a novel in a month it can leave you with extensive revisions. Or at least that's how it is in my case *blushes* I had no idea I'd still be working on this book almost a year later. And yet here I am. Good thing about this though : I haven't just written one thing. I have another first draft finished. Which I told you guy's about as well. I have some awesome ideas for a new book too. All in all...I have lots of stuff on different levels of completion...its just I haven't reached the end of revision yet. I'm hoping to get there by July as that is when I start school...which brings up my next subject!
I'm going to be attending school for Massage Therapy and I'm really excited. I know there aren't a lot of spots open right now and it'll be hard work finding a job...but its what I wanna do. I'm not going to give up. I mean...I'm trying to be a published author. I think being an LMT is easy in comparison. Or maybe I'm pushing my luck with that one. We'll just have to wait and see. I just hope I can get good grades. I wasn't the type to get A's in high school. I did the minimum for everything unless it was a subject I was obsessed with like English.
There are other things going on as well...but if I get into them it'll be like turning this blog into my personal journal. I'd assume that equals boring!
Anyway that ends the updates on my life.
I'm thinking on a post in the future I should dig into my revision process and the lightbulbs I'm having. Maybe it'll help some people. Like one thing in particular: writing down my scenes on index cards has become a huge part of my process for first drafts AND revision. This is partly because of Holly Lisle...an author I admire. She also writes courses for aspiring writer's like myself. She has changed the way I look at revision forever. I always thought you just started from the first line on the first page...changing words and sentences as you went. Plot as you saw fit. But its much more than that. How can you write the book you want without first knowing your target? These are things I'd like to address in later posts.
Well I think its time to say goodbye again. Sorry for the rant and very random post. Just thought I'd give you all a bit of everything today. Write and rock on!
Some good things have happened. I've made great progress on my WIP thanks to Holly Lisle's How To Revise Your Novel course. I know what is wrong with it and why. I even know how to fix what's wrong! It's just...getting to the end that is taking forever. Apparently when you write a novel in a month it can leave you with extensive revisions. Or at least that's how it is in my case *blushes* I had no idea I'd still be working on this book almost a year later. And yet here I am. Good thing about this though : I haven't just written one thing. I have another first draft finished. Which I told you guy's about as well. I have some awesome ideas for a new book too. All in all...I have lots of stuff on different levels of completion...its just I haven't reached the end of revision yet. I'm hoping to get there by July as that is when I start school...which brings up my next subject!
I'm going to be attending school for Massage Therapy and I'm really excited. I know there aren't a lot of spots open right now and it'll be hard work finding a job...but its what I wanna do. I'm not going to give up. I mean...I'm trying to be a published author. I think being an LMT is easy in comparison. Or maybe I'm pushing my luck with that one. We'll just have to wait and see. I just hope I can get good grades. I wasn't the type to get A's in high school. I did the minimum for everything unless it was a subject I was obsessed with like English.
There are other things going on as well...but if I get into them it'll be like turning this blog into my personal journal. I'd assume that equals boring!
Anyway that ends the updates on my life.
I'm thinking on a post in the future I should dig into my revision process and the lightbulbs I'm having. Maybe it'll help some people. Like one thing in particular: writing down my scenes on index cards has become a huge part of my process for first drafts AND revision. This is partly because of Holly Lisle...an author I admire. She also writes courses for aspiring writer's like myself. She has changed the way I look at revision forever. I always thought you just started from the first line on the first page...changing words and sentences as you went. Plot as you saw fit. But its much more than that. How can you write the book you want without first knowing your target? These are things I'd like to address in later posts.
Well I think its time to say goodbye again. Sorry for the rant and very random post. Just thought I'd give you all a bit of everything today. Write and rock on!
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
New Year's Resolutions...and jeez...I haven't updated in awhile!
It's that time of the year again. You know, when we inspire each other to do things and then kinda go about our merry way, forgetting we made the resolutions to begin with? Actually, for me, not this time. This year I have resolutions I am really serious about sticking to. I don't care how many hours of work I have to put in. The weird thing is, I am pretty good at sticking to my goals, its just when it comes to the New Year...some reason I choke and I throw all my hard work out the window, even if I really want what I aspired to do that year.
So, fess up guys:p Who else makes resolutions and then kinda...just...gets bored or scared or busy? Tell me I'm not the only one? Well, I challange you to do something a bit different this year. Make your resolution something really special, maybe a dream you have. Obviously it should be something you know you can accomplish in a year, or at least get started on it. Whether its saving up for a house, losing some weight, doing something crazy and dangerous just for the heck of it...but make it something you know you really want, something you are passionate about. Take your time with this. Then, write them out, on here if you must. Put them up where you can see them every day. If you really want what you have written down...I know you will make at least a little progress.
And now, for some resolutions of my own:
1.) Finish the revisions to my projects and send at least one manuscript out this year. I will never get used to rejection, plus I will never have the chance to succeed, if I don't put myself out there. Make it the best I can then let it go...
2.) Participate in JulNoWriMo or NaNoWriMo, or both if I can manage. A real writer writes, so I need to make sure I keep creating new stories I care about.
3.) Spend time with those I love, doing the things I love.
4.) Go to school if my finances allow (This isn't as important as the others...but it would be helpful.)
5.) Lose the rest of my baby weight. (It's only 8 pounds, but 8 pounds I don't want to see anymore!)
These are my most important ones I wish to stick to. These aren't my only ones, but everything else will take time and I'm not so sure how long it will take to make a change. My eating habits for example. One day I'm eating healthily, the next I'm fine with eating half a gallon of icecream while sitting down to watch The Biggest Loser! I want to set a good example for my baby. At some point I really need to get on this.
Writing Update: I have two finished first drafts...but I haven't gotten through revision yet. I'm gonna tell you all right now...writing the first draft was a piece of cake compared to this! Especially going through How To Revise Your Novel. I'm seeing all the mistakes I've made and its overwhelming me. Sometimes it makes me feel like I'll never be published. Other times I have lots of hope where my writing is concerned. But I have to admit I am not really on the ball with my editing. And I need to be.
When I can actually come back with some progress I'll tell you more about the editing thing. Otherwise when I post it'll be more personal. Like, sometime this week I'd like to tell you about a new hobby of mine.
So, fess up guys:p Who else makes resolutions and then kinda...just...gets bored or scared or busy? Tell me I'm not the only one? Well, I challange you to do something a bit different this year. Make your resolution something really special, maybe a dream you have. Obviously it should be something you know you can accomplish in a year, or at least get started on it. Whether its saving up for a house, losing some weight, doing something crazy and dangerous just for the heck of it...but make it something you know you really want, something you are passionate about. Take your time with this. Then, write them out, on here if you must. Put them up where you can see them every day. If you really want what you have written down...I know you will make at least a little progress.
And now, for some resolutions of my own:
1.) Finish the revisions to my projects and send at least one manuscript out this year. I will never get used to rejection, plus I will never have the chance to succeed, if I don't put myself out there. Make it the best I can then let it go...
2.) Participate in JulNoWriMo or NaNoWriMo, or both if I can manage. A real writer writes, so I need to make sure I keep creating new stories I care about.
3.) Spend time with those I love, doing the things I love.
4.) Go to school if my finances allow (This isn't as important as the others...but it would be helpful.)
5.) Lose the rest of my baby weight. (It's only 8 pounds, but 8 pounds I don't want to see anymore!)
These are my most important ones I wish to stick to. These aren't my only ones, but everything else will take time and I'm not so sure how long it will take to make a change. My eating habits for example. One day I'm eating healthily, the next I'm fine with eating half a gallon of icecream while sitting down to watch The Biggest Loser! I want to set a good example for my baby. At some point I really need to get on this.
Writing Update: I have two finished first drafts...but I haven't gotten through revision yet. I'm gonna tell you all right now...writing the first draft was a piece of cake compared to this! Especially going through How To Revise Your Novel. I'm seeing all the mistakes I've made and its overwhelming me. Sometimes it makes me feel like I'll never be published. Other times I have lots of hope where my writing is concerned. But I have to admit I am not really on the ball with my editing. And I need to be.
When I can actually come back with some progress I'll tell you more about the editing thing. Otherwise when I post it'll be more personal. Like, sometime this week I'd like to tell you about a new hobby of mine.
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