posted
Welcome to this week's Novel Support Group (NSG). Anyone can join. If you're new, tell us a bit about who you are and what project you are working on. Although we can report on any number of things, here is a list of suggestions (suggestions welcomed).
What were your goals last week and did you accomplish them?
Describe what you worked on.
Set goals for next week.
Did you learn something during this week?
Here is a list of things that you can do each week as we work on our novels (suggestions welcomed).
Writing on a novel
Characterization
World Building
Relevant research
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Last Week's Goals
I did very well with my writer's retreat goal last week. I ended up with over 11,000 words over that five day weekend. The vast majority of those words were over two days because I ran out of outlined scenes to write.
My goals for next week:
General Outline
World Build for a couple scenes
This week I will continue outlining and detailing the existing scenes. I need to work on getting the outline for the book for the sections I have not finished yet.
What did I learn this week?
The writer's retreat was mainly an experiment to determine how much I can write in an hour or day and what I will need in my outlines to produce better scenes. I learned a lot.
First, I learned that I can write 5,000 words a day. It is a vigorous pace, certainly, but I did that with time to spare (on the second day). The writing was first draft writing so that may make a difference. At the end of the first day I was quite fatigued but only because I tried to make up for the hours my wife and I went out to lunch so I could make the 5,000 words that day. I was just too tired by midnight and could only get 4,600 words before I needed sleep. The second day I found that the 5,000 words not bad at all.
Second, I averaged 700 words an hour writing this draft. This included the occasional pacing the room, breaks, eating, etc. So, I'm hoping that I can increase that pace in the future. To do that I think I will need more scene detail and more practice writing in "full time" mode.
Third, I learned what information I need to make these scenes better on the first draft. I did not have the world building details I needed to get out of the "white room syndrome." In addition, with the extra world building done ahead of time I think that I could get through the scenes faster because I had to world build on the spot and that slowed the process down for me.
Overall I am very pleased with the results. At the 5,000 words per day pace I can easily get a 100,000 world novel completed in a single month, even taking weekends off. This boosted my confidence because I was not sure whether I would have the discipline to write in a "full time" manner. Sure, that first day I stared blankly at the screen for fifteen minutes before I could write a single word. However, the second day it only took a minute or two before I put words to the page.
posted
Congrats on the successful weekend, William.
Last Week's Goals:
DREAMER'S ROSE: Finish up the new section at the beginning and start work on the revisions. Nope.
THE SHAMAN'S CURSE: Get the big scissors out and start cutting. Yes. I cut 7,000 words in the first pass.
THE IGNORED PROPHECY: Make the revisions from the chapter critiques I already have. Yes. I'm caught up with all the critiques except the one I got yesterday.
BLOOD WILL TELL: Work on the query and synopsis some more. Yes on the query. No on the synopsis.
SEVEN STARS: Let it rest. Keep making notes as things occur to me. Easy one.
OTHER: Update my blog and try to keep it updated at least once a week. When the critiques come back, try to polish up "The First Flame" (which really needs a new title) and start sending it out. Yes to the blog, but I haven't started the revisions to "The First Flame", yet.
Next Week's Goals:
DREAMER'S ROSE: Finish up the new section at the beginning and start work on the revisions. The same goal as last week, but I've got a new perspective on those first few chapters, so I have to rework some of what I already had.
THE SHAMAN'S CURSE: I cut 7,000 words, but left a few scenes I was undecided about. I also marked a little less than another 1,000 words for possible deletion. Let it rest a little before trying again. It's 101,000 words now (calculated). I'd like to get it to between 95,000 and 100,000.
THE IGNORED PROPHECY: I've got a chapter exchange going on this one. Make the revisions as the critiques come back.
BLOOD WILL TELL: Work on the synopsis some more. I think the query is as good as I can make it for now and there are some agents who don't ask for a synopsis, so I need to start sending out some queries--today.
SEVEN STARS: Let it rest. Keep making notes as things occur to me.
OTHER: Update my blog and try to keep it updated at least once a week. Try to polish up "The First Flame" (which really needs a new title) and start sending it out.
posted
Thanks, Meredith. It was so nice to be writing again. I now have the confidence that I might just be able to do this. Some day I may even convince an editor of that.
Now, I could never maintain as many projects as you do. I don't know how you do that because I could never keep track of everything. I don't multi-task well. One person's strength is another's weakness I suppose.
posted
Moving up the page count ladder again this week after my mishap earlier.
Current / Projected
177 / 250
I do have a question however... I don't really ever write anything "extra" for my stories. Sometimes I write something that I later cut (and put in a separate "notes" file) but I don't go out of my way to make notes or write back stories etc. Frankly, I just don't have the writing time. I wonder if that's hurting me or my stories in the long run.
I mean, I think about them plenty in the car or before bed, etc, but when I sit in front of the computer I write the plot thread line only.
What do you all think? And does everyone here actually write the superfluous stuff regarding their stories or is it OK to have it floating around the brain while the words come out on paper?
Axe
[This message has been edited by axeminister (edited March 27, 2010).]
quote:I don't really ever write anything "extra" for my stories.... I mean, I think about them plenty in the car or before bed, etc, but when I sit in front of the computer I write the plot thread line only.
This is one of the things that I have contemplated lately. Most of the outline I have developed on my current novel so far is strictly plot. I think the underlying concern is that every scene must move the plot along, which is true. So, sometimes we feel that we shouldn't write "extra" scenes just to obtain a word count. We all did this for our high school (and college / university) essays (at least I did ).
On the other hand, these "extra" scenes add a certain flavor to the story that can interest the reader as well. If you remove these entirely then you may end up eliminating the uniqueness of your story compared to other "boy meets girl" stories, for example.
The one thing to keep in mind is to not infodump on these scenes. It's one thing to flavor your story with background and interesting histories but they should not overpower the story.
In addition, these "extra" scenes should be related to the story being told. In the story I'm working on now I have a specific cultural trait that I need to address as it becomes relevant to the story. I find this cultural trait interesting but if not for the fact that it has a plot relationship then I could end up be the only reader interested in that cultural aspect.
Another aspect of these "extra" scenes is the ability to help pace your novel. After a huge action scene, these "extras" can be useful to help slow down the heart rate so to speak. These can be necessary to relax the reader before the next big chase.
quote:I don't really ever write anything "extra" for my stories. Sometimes I write something that I later cut (and put in a separate "notes" file) but I don't go out of my way to make notes or write back stories etc. Frankly, I just don't have the writing time.
The answer is: It depends.
For my first novel (and its eventual sequels) I have pages of background material. Some of that may some day find its way onto my blog.
For others, I may have a page or two of brief notes about the world or even just carry the world building in my head.
The danger of having too much information about your world is that you feel compelled to put it all in somehow. It's good that you know the background. The reader doesn't always need to.
But, then, I'm the opposite of William. I'm a pantser. I don't outline at all, just a few brief notes and maybe scraps of some important scenes. When I did outline, I either ignored it completely or revised it too much to make it useful.
quote:What do you all think? And does everyone here actually write the extemporaneous stuff regarding their stories or is it OK to have it floating around the brain while the words come out on paper?
Well, I sometimes write volumes of superfluous material for any given project--as my collaborator can readily attest. I think you may be mixing the meanings, because extemporaneous means "without preparation" or "prepared without notes or an outline", which would BE "...have it floating around the brain while the words come out on paper."
But in answer to your question: any way that works for you is okay. You may be a discovery writer, who derives the joy of writing from discovering the actions and characters during the writing of it. That's fine, I used to be, before I understood plotting and outlining. You also may be an outlining writer--which I'm growing more and more toward--where you lay the arc, plot/events, sub-plots and characters out ahead of time, and only tweak or expand along the way. You also may be a loose outline writer, which I've been for a long time. This last is a combination of discovery and outlining writers--these usually plot out the story (if only in the mind) and use a beginning outline to propel them into the middle of the story, and progress via discovery toward the predetermined end. If you haven't tried all of them, you never really know what works best for you. As was pounded into me by five bestselling authors: ANYTHING that GETS and KEEPS YOU WRITING is good.
[This message has been edited by InarticulateBabbler (edited March 27, 2010).]
quote:I think you may be mixing the meanings, because extemporaneous means
Aah yes, you are correct. I am like Forest Gump as a kid trying to run if I don't have MS Word's synonym function handy. Which I tried with this word and it came up with nothing so it was a total fail on my part. Well, I got the OUS right at the end...
Regarding my question, this brings up another problem, one I've had with my writing for a long time which is - getting my meaning across with words instead of thinking half of it and typing the other half. GI Joe can take a hike because knowing isn't half the battle in writing.
What I meant was: the writing of extra material for the mere sake of expanding on the story without any intention of using those words in the final draft.
Does anyone go to their notes document and start typing away and get a page or two of notes/background solely for their own edification?
posted
Lol. I think you missed the sentence before the one you quoted, which is:
quote:Well, I sometimes write volumes of superfluous material for any given project--as my collaborator can readily attest.
Superfluous means "an excess" or "surplus". So, yeah, I tend to write bit that I don't use in the prose. I do use it for detailing the book's milieu and character's history and sometimes motivations.
Do you keep a bible--a pad next to your computer to write new characters and events (or additional milieu-forming details) in?
posted
If you have more than a few characters in your story, it isn't a bad idea to keep a "bible" on them as InarticulateBabbler suggests, just so you can keep them straight, and so they will be individuals.
Working out things about your characters on paper also helps you to keep them consistent (eye color, hair color, little details that you might miss but will throw a reader right out of the story).
And if you want really strong, well-developed characters that your readers are more likely to care about, you need to write down more about them than just their outward appearance and any character traits.
So I got all my revising done and then some (woohoo!) on TGS, but that was about it. Oh well. Win some, lose some.
Goals for this week: 1) Finish C.I. story. Since it's due in... uh... 24 hours. 2) Finish WotF story. Since it's due in... uh... 96 hours. 3) Keep plodding away on the revisions for TGS because I'm sooo close to being done.
posted
Last Week's Goals * Write for the novel every day. * Complete the fire scene. * Reach 32,000 words and stay there for at least two days.
Last Week's Activities * Wrote for DeCo every day. (One goal accomplished!) * Worked on the fire scene, which involved more cutting and creating alternative outlines. I can't seem to make the scene work all the way through. * Researched army structure and uniforms.
Yesterday, the DeCo draft was at 34,000 words and had been over 32,000 words for a few days. (Two goals accomplished.)
This Week's Goals * Write for the novel every day. * Finish the fire scene. * Outline the novel by season so I'm no longer confused about what seasonal details to include in each scene.
Lesson Learned Hitting the F5 may refresh the screen, removing anything typed into a field. I actually learned this last night while typing the first version of this post.
quote:Does anyone go to their notes document and start typing away and get a page or two of notes/background solely for their own edification?
I do this to experiment with how characters will respond to situations, try out their voices, and record their histories and side-stories for later reference; to summarize a scene I'm not ready to write because of emotional blocks or a lack of time; and to figure out the world's social structure, characters' evolutionary traits, origins of fictional technology, etc.
posted
Last week check in: Building self-esteem by working hard! ( sounds like Pravda for the Happy workers) -Finish the first draft of the WoTF story and find a secret reader for it. -Complete draft 3 chapters 7-10 in San Francisco. -write something fun. Just that I have never done before. (see I hid the scary novel stuff between the fun writing where I would not notice it)
Score: Yay! Score! I finished not just chapters 7-10 but all the way up to chapter 16.5 (an extra one that squeaked in for the third draft) I managed to stab my self-doubt in its vampire heart. I have the WoTF story in rough draft form but not ready to send out so I win there too!
Next/this week: Finish third draft of SF. yep, that's it. I'm on a roll and I can do it! Woo Hoo!
And I too, write lots of extra stuff for my novel that is backstory or sidestory. Often a line or two will get in but often none of it does. For SF, a 100K novel, I've written about 30K of backstory so far and tossed over 60K in revisions (some of which I will likely use in other forms)
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