Where did the week go? This note is an attempt to prompt you into the habit of writing at least once during the week. The hope is that you will realize this note is coming up and you get to writing something, anything, just so you can say you wrote. This string ends up being a place to brag about your accomplishments, cry about your failures, and otherwise tell about what is going on in your life. What is writing, is up to opinion, but generally, if you write, you are writing. Since few of us can write it perfect every time, editing, by definition, is also writing.
As for my writing, I was not good. I did add 178 words, about a paragraph, to one of the vacation stories, but have not done anything else in writing. I will use that as my excuse to say I wrote.
I will finish the month tomorrow, and unless something goes wrong, I will end the month even to the days. I will accept that. One reason I did not write more on my stories this week, was I learned I would miss another day in my writing and got ahead there. We went to a birthday dinner and we were served our food at about my normal bed time. I spent the next day, when I would normally write, recovering.
I am preparing for my art show this next weekend. The worse thing one could do, is to start new projects. One is supposed to concentrate and getting existing pieces ready. This weekend, that was exactly what I was doing, starting new projects. OF course, I was preparing projects for display, but I made some new stuff too. I have far more than I can possibly display, but I won't know exactly what I will show until I get everything on the table at the show. Thursday before last, I had shown off one of my modified vases in the Wood Turning club I am a member of. That weekend, I modified it. I showed it to a friend of mine in the club, one of the masters, and he said this was one of the very best pieces I have ever done. I had problems getting out of the door of the place because my head was swelled up so much from the compliments. I have two I think are better, but this is different from what I have done before.
for the question of the day, I will shamefully admit that, even though it was almost nothing, YES, I DID WRITE.
posted
I did, but it was mostly revisions on Book One, rather than new writing on Book Three. I'm almost done with this round of revisions so, hopefully, I can get back to Book Three. That's what I'm supposed to be doing.
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I critiqued four short stories from a crit group this week. While not technically creative writing, one story was such a stinker that being diplomatic took as much creative writing skill as I could muster. The rest were pretty good though, which was nice, and the whole process, I'm sure, still helped to improve my writing.
I also managed to make a tiny bit of progress on planning my next novel project, having gotten a little stuck in a couple of places. Hopefully I can find some quiet time to sort it out.
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I have not done any new writing today since I do that in the evening after the kids go to bed. Hopefully I will do that tonight.
However, I have done some editing on the new Chapter One of my book with my new main character. It is coming along fairly well I think. Now that I have my opening hook I hope that I will be able to start into the bulk of this new chapter and progress forward up to the point where I left of previously with the former main character.
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I am still doing major revision on my novel (with tons more to go). I have done a bit on my short stories, but I have also taken some time away from the word processor and it has helped recharge my creative thinking a little bit.
[This message has been edited by Denem (edited March 30, 2009).]
posted
I'm contributing to the pattern; most of my writing last week was editing and rewriting.
After highlighting every line of a draft of "Psych Test"--using different colors for action, dialogue, and exposition--I started into another beginning-to-end revision. The pretty colors--or rather, the balance of them--gave me faith in the story again.
"Guardian of Love" is also undergoing another revision. I'm removing one characters' perspective (can you believe I used four characters' POVs in one short story?) and clarifying the identity of another character.
Odal's Story (my stupid working title) wasn't completely neglected, as I revised the outline. I'm starting to itch for the complete rewrite of the novel. I'm working full-time at the office this week, so I'll probably take my notebook and the new outline to the office for lunchtime.
At nighttime, I'm supposed to write my share of a business plan, which my husband and I agreed we'll finish before we close on our first house, on April 28.
Oh! Oh! I didn't want to forget: Last Friday I assisted a journalist in verifying facts for an article printed today in my local newspaper. The sad part is the journalist had spent maybe a week trying to reach my division director to get the information that took me a couple minutes to provide. I should've asked her what she wanted the first time she called me. It was good press, by the way. (I think. I haven't read the article yet.)
*Edited to put an apostrophe in its proper place.
[This message has been edited by aspirit (edited March 30, 2009).]
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Writing was more polish than original content. My novel feedback has arrived. I re-plotted the novel and the hard slog begins next week.
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posted
I got a little done, put a little polish on "Oreana" and got a little more on my "Twilight Meetings" re write.
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posted
Well, I decided I'd fiddled enough with my latest thing, printed it out, and prepared envelopes to send it on to market. Submission has waited on my getting to the post office counter and buying some Priority Mail stamps.
Which was just as well, 'cause after I printed it, I remembered I'd used a generic "John" and "Mary" as names of a character's parents. I've got to stick a couple of other names on the one page they come up on and print that one up and substitute it for the other.
Aside from that, nothing. I did come up with one odd and vivid scene, that I've spent some time chewing over, trying to justify it and come up with the characters who'd actually be in it, but everything's too nebulous to write down.
I like Aspirit's idea of highlighting every line in a story for action, dialog and exposition. What a neat idea. I may try that. I assume you are looking for balance in all the colors, or no?
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I look for balance appropriate for the story. I'm not an expert at this technique, so I can't say what I'm doing works. "Psych Test" is an action story, so I looked for pages that are entirely exposition. None, and that's good. Where's the dialogue; is there too much or is it clustered in one place? Nope, and that's also good.
Basically, I'm relying on a combination of my painting instinct and advice I've memorized from other writers to tell me if something doesn't feel right for its location. If it doesn't--for example, if I jump between small passages of exposition and action too many times--then I re-group information, smooth transitions, etc. I rewrite, re-highlight, then rewrite again if needed.
This is the first time I've tried this technique for an entire story. I do like it so far.
I finally got my hands back on "Unforeseen Circumstances" and have been editing like mad and I'm changing the ending completely! I added probably 450 words not including edits... It's coming along.
posted
Wrote a scene on Monday, then actually finished the draft of the story ("The Warlord's Spirit") on Tuesday. I'm plotting out the next story now, and will edit "The Warlord's Spirit" this weekend.
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