[Aimee W. Posts: 459 Status: Offline MADNESS WWW]

Aimee, you went from 30K to 40K in just a couple of days???

Shore did, Matey!

Good job, everyone...even 5 minutes typing or half a thought count, they really do. Keeps the noggin twirling. 

[thunderingelephants Posts: 1,309 Status: Offline]

No room at the coffee shop today, so no writing either.  I managed to scribble a few notes, but that was it.
THEN, I came home, all ready to coat my truffles and discovered I had no chocolate.  It's just been one of those days.

[olmue Posts: 4,279 Status: Offline WWW]

Wow, awesome progress, people!

I figured I was stuck this afternoon, but I sat down to write, anyway, and suddenly I notice I've added over 1000 words! It's a little freaky--like the story is writing itself.

[Verla Kay Posts: 5,894 Status: Offline Invite Verla Kay to speak in your area WWW]

AWK! I HATE when that happens, Michelle. Sometimes the first creative words are absolutely irreplaceable... and you are right. You can never get them back exactly the way you had them the first time.

I'm sorry.... 

[thunderingelephants Posts: 1,309 Status: Offline]

Oh, Michelle.  How horrible.
I can't say that I can identify, cos I can't.  My problem is losing the paper, which I why I scan some of my longhand work in to the comp.

I remember way back in the 90's (when they had those horrible huge computers), my computer teacher used pull the switch on the main computer every half an hour during lesson to get us into the habit of saving our work.  It did teach us to save as we go, but it was still really annoying.
Best of luck with your next writing session.

[Liz Straw Posts: 1,084 Status: Offline That was a yummy book!]

I jumped from one WIP to another WIP - I was getting to wound up in the first one and needed something fresh to look at - I think I am at the stage where I need to print things out and read them aloud.  Time to go and buy some cheap paper and get out my marking pens. 

I am computer blind to my mistakes. 

[Tabitha Posts: 79 Status: Offline WWW]

Well, it took me all week, but I just finished chapter 3.    Better than nothing, though!

Sending out some  for everyone.  Hope you're all making good progress!!

Tabitha

[Michelle DP Posts: 253 Status: Offline WWW]

I know what you mean, liz. I can never find my mistakes on the computer. I have to edit a hard copy. Even with a hard copy, I have trouble with missing words. My darned brain autocorrects and supplies the right word.

I rewrote the first scene in chapter 3 today. Then, while I was out and about with the kids, I realized I wanted it to take a slightly different direction--so I'll probably be rewriting the first scene in chapter three tomorrow as well.

[madlibjen]

Breaking my usual I'm-too-tired-and-I-just-worked-13-hours-at-my-day-job rule, I revamped chapter one and am oh so proud of it. That counts, right?

[Verla Kay Posts: 5,894 Status: Offline Invite Verla Kay to speak in your area WWW]

Absolutely it counts, madlibjen.

[Laura_6 Posts: 87 Status: Offline Embrace your inner child & love yourself. WWW]

I hope there's room for me to squeeze into this packed WIP club.    I've been hanging out in Revisionland for about two months revising a novella. Finally finished!! (Until the next revision on the darn thing 'cause I'm still not happy...)

I have to write the climax and finale to my MG novel. I wrote 2k on Ch 19 today. Woohoo!! I have some crits to do tomorrow, but I'm determined to write a little every day. I've been working on the book since last January, but got so caught up in revising the first 18 chapters that I couldn't ever find time to finish it. THIS time I'm really going to do it!

Gosh, I yap a lot... 

[Verla Kay Posts: 5,894 Status: Offline Invite Verla Kay to speak in your area WWW]

Yap away, Laura_6. That's what this thread is for.

As for me, I laid in bed tonight for over an hour and couldn't sleep, so I got up and managed to write about 1/2 of a scene in my WWII POW - the novel version. This one new scene is somewhere between 500 and 600 words long and it totally sucks. Everything I try to write in YA "voice" sucks. But I wrote it. I'm trying to tell myself, "It's okay to write horrible stuff - trash - garbage. You can fix it later in revisions."

I don't believe what I'm telling myself, because I honestly don't think I have a YA voice at all - but that's what I keep trying to tell myself. Pffth!

[thunderingelephants Posts: 1,309 Status: Offline]

Exactly how much constutes "work"?  I wrote fifty words yesterday because I forgot my story (again!) and barely got it written when I returned home before I forgot what I had thought.
Anyway, today it will be placed in my bag and it's staying there until I leave.  I WON'T forget it this time.

I didn't forget it today: I gave it to John to put in his rucksack whilst we walked to town together and forgot to collect it off him.     If I had brought my laptop with me, that wouldn't have happened.  But Sunday is near....

[Aimee W. Posts: 459 Status: Offline MADNESS WWW]

There's always room for one more, Laura!

In a super cool moment of clarity, I just realized I've worked on a WIP every day since the middle of September. I managed to write 90% of one book and the first three chaps of another for NaNo...that feels pretty darn cool (Because it's a first). 

[Artemesia Posts: 4,527 Status: Offline WWW]

Verla, you'll find your voice!! You've done such an abrupt switch from rhyming PBs to YA, it may take some time for your creative juices to catch up..they're still going..huh? what? that doesn't rhyme!! 
 

I finished the storyboard for one of my other PBs, worked some more on the website, and now have nothing else to use as an excuse to procrastinate..I guess I'll have to get back to the dummy. I think my cg is going to throw eggs at me if I don't get out on submission by 2011!!

[Laura_6 Posts: 87 Status: Offline Embrace your inner child & love yourself. WWW]

Thanks for the welcome, Verla! No one discovers the voice of their character until about halfway through the novel. And then it's still a little weak. That's what revisions are for. By the time you've finished the second revision, you'll know the character as if (s)he's your best friend. You'll know what they'll do or say in any given circumstance.

Good luck, thundering!

Thanks, Aimee! Wow, you've been writing 2 straight months - that's great! 

Artemesia - Good like with the dummy, and best wishes avoiding flying eggs!

I wrote a concise outline for the last 5 chapters yesterday, but had a non-productive day today.  :'( Writing is like dieting and sometimes you just fall off the wagon. I'll try to hoist myself back on tomorrow. . .

[Verla Kay Posts: 5,894 Status: Offline Invite Verla Kay to speak in your area WWW]

Laura_6. Good advice, but it's extremely hard for me with this particular story. Writing a fictional story based on real characters and real events is not nearly as easy as writing total fiction would be - ESPECIALLY when my own parents are the main characters! There's something almost... obscene about trying to put myself into my deceased parents' minds when they were just barely in their twenties.

[thunderingelephants Posts: 1,309 Status: Offline]

Wow, Verla.  That sounds tough.  Still chugging away at my story.  It has changed so much that all I have left is the basic plot and five characters.  I brought in another supporting (and that's only in writing terms) character to move my story along. It has helped, but he is mean, nasty, rather incoherent and downright rude to the others.  As you can gather, I don't like him, but it works in the story to bring him in.  As horrible as he is, I look forward to tomorrow when we will spend quality time together like I always do on a Sunday with my characters.

Truffles on offer for all you hard workers.  I spent last night removing the shaped sweets from their casing.  "Gently tap on the bottom to remove the sweet" were written on the direction I downloaded.  I practically had to hammer them out.   Anyway, tuck in.

[Artemesia Posts: 4,527 Status: Offline WWW]

Laura_6. Good advice, but it's extremely hard for me with this particular story. Writing a fictional story based on real characters and real events is not nearly as easy as writing total fiction would be - ESPECIALLY when my own parents are the main characters! There's something almost... obscene about trying to put myself into my deceased parents' minds when they were just barely in their twenties.

Verla, if I didn't know better, I'd think this is what has you all anxious, not that you aren't a novel writer!! Is there a way you can try thinking of your characters as fictional people (for the purpose of getting the story down) and not loved ones that might allow you the freedom to write them without the fear that you aren't doing them justice? Change their names while you write the first draft or until you find their voices or something?

Artemesia - Good like with the dummy, and best wishes avoiding flying eggs!

Thanks, Laura!! Even if I get the dummy out, there's a good chance they'll throw something at me anyway, lol. They're a wild bunch of ladies!!

[kiperoo Posts: 97 Status: Offline Poetry Editor, YARN WWW]

Change their names while you write the first draft or until you find their voices or something?

Good idea, Artemesia! Or maybe you could give each of them some very un-them character traits to remind yourself that it's fiction (FICTION!). You might have some fun making them do something very out-of-character too, ha!

Boy, do I wish I could reach over for a share of truffles, thundering. Tap, tap (gently) right here!

I'm still chugging along myself like the rest of you. Good weekend vibes to everyone!

[RevellWriting]

Did a bit of editing today, but no writing.

It still counts, I tell you!

[Laura_6 Posts: 87 Status: Offline Embrace your inner child & love yourself. WWW]

Laura_6. Good advice, but it's extremely hard for me with this particular story. Writing a fictional story based on real characters and real events is not nearly as easy as writing total fiction would be - ESPECIALLY when my own parents are the main characters! There's something almost... obscene about trying to put myself into my deceased parents' minds when they were just barely in their twenties.

Verla-
Holy canolies, Batgirl! I had no idea that's what you are doing. That's really tough. I'm sure you have a hard time imagining your parents that young, being silly, making mistakes, having flaws, etc.  It's almost as if you're trying to write a biography and afraid you won't get it just right. You're loading yourself with guilt and unreasonable expectations. The key, I think, is "based on real characters". While you should use real events, you might want to take a step away and not use your parents. People who write things "based on actual events" often put in fictional characters or use the basis of several real people to make up one character.  I can see why you're having a hard time.  Best wishes. 

I have jumped back on the writing wagon and wrote 2600 words today (Chapter 20). So, on the one hand, YAY for me! On the other hand, I'm now at 53k of an MG novel that isn't supposed to go over 60k. I'm sweating bullets and restraining myself to just the basic plot points. I've already cut 20k out of Chapters 1-18. There's no fat left to cut - my novel is getting anorexic. 

-- Laura

[thunderingelephants Posts: 1,309 Status: Offline]

Did a bit of editing today, but no writing.

It still counts, I tell you!

  Big time, Revel.   It is all WORK not writing in progress.  That's what I say, anyway.
It's torrential here in Ireland and not the kind of day that could inspire you to hold a pen (or chug at a keyboard for all you high-techs), but I did try. Squeezed out only one hundred and fifty before I had to depart from the coffee shop and walk home.  I entered the flat wetter than a fish.  Furry fiend would come nowhere near me. Might just have to take solace from my fictional cats instead.  Bring on a drier day tomorrow.

The weekend is nearly over here in Ireland, so enjoy the rest of yours.

[Laura_6 Posts: 87 Status: Offline Embrace your inner child & love yourself. WWW]

Okay, I got over yesterday's snit and wrote 3400 today. My Monday's gonna be a pain with too many errands. I may not get much done.

  I'm starting to get intimidated by the complexity of my climax. I'm not sure I can weave everything together in a believable way. The outline helps, but I'm still feeling insecure.

Oh well, onward and upward, right?  :D

[Aimee W. Posts: 459 Status: Offline MADNESS WWW]

I'm starting to get intimidated by the complexity of my climax. I'm not sure I can weave everything together

That fear is pointless 

You won't know if you've done it 'till the thing is written. And then you can change it. Only forward!

[Raynbow]

There's something almost... obscene about trying to put myself into my deceased parents' minds when they were just barely in their twenties.

I may need to hide after posting this, but, Verla, how are you going to write this story if you don't put yourself in their heads? Writing YA is all about character and to write characters, you must be in their heads.

[Verla Kay Posts: 5,894 Status: Offline Invite Verla Kay to speak in your area WWW]

I know. I know, Raynbow. It's just unbelievably HARD to change this totally non-fiction story into FICTION. I've been working on it, thinking of it as non-fiction for SEVEN YEARS now. To suddenly change it to fiction is extremely (and I do mean EXTREMELY) difficult for me. I don't take well to changes. I'm too OLD to take well to changes.

 

[Tabitha Posts: 79 Status: Offline WWW]

Did a bit of editing today, but no writing.

It still counts, I tell you!

You bet it does! 

Verla, I feel your pain.  There is no way I'd be able to write any kind of story that required me to put myself in my parents' head.  It would make me feel...icky.  However, I'd be able to create characters that were very similar to my parents, if not almost exactly the same, and then I wouldn't feel so squeamish about being in their heads.  Perhaps that would help?

Okay, I'm sitting down to work now.  Planning to get lots done today!!   

Tabitha

[Raynbow]

You can do it, Verla. I read another post of yours where you'd said you're having a hard time with voice as well. My thought on this, and you may have already thought about this, their "voices" aren't going to be that of a modern teen, but of people growing up in another era. So a modern teen voice may not actually be what you need. I can only imagine how hard it is to put yourself in their heads, but it was also a time when they were young and in love, torn apart by war. It will be such a gripping story. You can do it.

[Laura_6 Posts: 87 Status: Offline Embrace your inner child & love yourself. WWW]

It's so nice to see such encouragement.  I think Raynbow makes good points. 

I did all my errands and managed to write 1800 words today, which completes 4 out of 7 final chapters. I also did a bit of revising, but didn't get any crits done. My groups will not be pleased.  I'm really tired...