crap- figured out an ending to a story that's been with me for a couple years... frozen in beauty but unable to complete. and now it's done.
And I just need to finish the final story in the collection- get it edited and sort out its own issues.
[of course who knows if the beta reader will like it, but it doesn't matter, because it's so much more now. i have hope.]
maybe someday a cover and release for it...
oh, what a merry Christmas and happy holiday. and best present ever.
Monday, December 21, 2015
Saturday, November 28, 2015
Nov Goals
Oops, I forgot.. My favorite topic. GOALS
So put together a SOLID outline for Monday.
Start writing for Dec 1st. Goal to have completed story by the end of the month.
I'm aiming for 32 scenes, 48K words.
So put together a SOLID outline for Monday.
Start writing for Dec 1st. Goal to have completed story by the end of the month.
I'm aiming for 32 scenes, 48K words.
Plotsing along
ok... now to talk about why I'm here.
Plotting trouble. It's so hard to make a decision when both are great.
Do I go this way or would that way be better? My sister is new mom and does not have time or enough interest. I would love to find a writer buddy but how do you find someone you trust?
(I shared my idea once with someone online and whaddaya know... boy, that idea sounds a little familiar, why doesn't it. So yeah, you can't trust writers. They might not mean to steal your stuff. and it's what you do with the idea that matters but still. I like my idea. It's a cool idea. Yes, ideas are a dime a dozen, but it's my idea. I'd like to use it first, thank you very much.)
And so anyway... who can I talk to about my idea? Not here. Not with any specifics obviously.
But anyway, maybe I can start doing the thinking and just cancel out the specifics before I click 'publish'.
So okay, I've got two stories that I'm combining but it calls for me to pick some things over other things. I have to eliminate stuff that might be good but not as good as this other thing. And it has to hold together. I have a tendency to ignore plot holes that would drive me insane as a reader because the idea is just too cool to not keep.
Please just one story without enormous plot holes.
Most of the outline is done but I'm combining with a different story idea that will improve things.
But I need to figure out what to give up, what to pull in, how best to combine. How to get rid of plot holes that are there that I tend to somehow not see until sister points out and I always think, 'oh, i guess that was noticeable.' dang it, each time i think, I will not ignore plot holes but in practice I think, no one will ever notice that.
and then other times I'm like but what if she's just not reading close enough. like that was right there in the text. So do I have to spell it out, really? or is she just not a close enough reader? that's not realistic to think someone will read close enough. Ugh, it's a pet peeve when everything is spelled out. But apparently you lose most people if you don't spell it out.So that's why they do it.
Plotting trouble. It's so hard to make a decision when both are great.
Do I go this way or would that way be better? My sister is new mom and does not have time or enough interest. I would love to find a writer buddy but how do you find someone you trust?
(I shared my idea once with someone online and whaddaya know... boy, that idea sounds a little familiar, why doesn't it. So yeah, you can't trust writers. They might not mean to steal your stuff. and it's what you do with the idea that matters but still. I like my idea. It's a cool idea. Yes, ideas are a dime a dozen, but it's my idea. I'd like to use it first, thank you very much.)
And so anyway... who can I talk to about my idea? Not here. Not with any specifics obviously.
But anyway, maybe I can start doing the thinking and just cancel out the specifics before I click 'publish'.
So okay, I've got two stories that I'm combining but it calls for me to pick some things over other things. I have to eliminate stuff that might be good but not as good as this other thing. And it has to hold together. I have a tendency to ignore plot holes that would drive me insane as a reader because the idea is just too cool to not keep.
Please just one story without enormous plot holes.
Most of the outline is done but I'm combining with a different story idea that will improve things.
But I need to figure out what to give up, what to pull in, how best to combine. How to get rid of plot holes that are there that I tend to somehow not see until sister points out and I always think, 'oh, i guess that was noticeable.' dang it, each time i think, I will not ignore plot holes but in practice I think, no one will ever notice that.
and then other times I'm like but what if she's just not reading close enough. like that was right there in the text. So do I have to spell it out, really? or is she just not a close enough reader? that's not realistic to think someone will read close enough. Ugh, it's a pet peeve when everything is spelled out. But apparently you lose most people if you don't spell it out.So that's why they do it.
The part that matters
Back to my semi public, very private little blog. I love it here. :)
I am constantly doubting which thing I should be working on. I should commit to a project, publish and then work on the next thing. etc. That's how you become a professional author. Get it to good enough, move on. There's time for all of it if I would just get moving with my writing goals.
But this constant doubt and second guessing and avoiding because I know it will be work and I won't be able to do it well enough. It's no fun being that kind of writer.
So I came up with a solution.
I put all my ideas in a baggie. I picked one at random. This is the one I publish next.
The rest of the ideas are in the baggie. I will get to them.
The thing that I struggle with as well is whether I need a new pen name for each type of story. I've heard all the opinions and I can't make up my mind. So I'll leave it to my family to help me decide whether I should put this one under this pen name or that and just not worry about it.
the nice thing is I have a great copy editor... assuming I can get a spot in her busy schedule. I am so inconsistent with finishing things that I can't expect her to ever keep an opening for me. Just have to hope for the best. I have worked with her and I really liked what she found. So my family/1st readers are my content editors and initial copy editors and she'll be my final editor. So that's great.
Cover designer- I have a great one picked out. Several others- more expensive if things take off. And even my sister although not sure if she'll want to or not. She said before she would but I don't want to hold her to that. But these are wonderful things to have taken care of.
I have my author website setup and empty... eventually I'll get some nice artwork and stuff but not important now. But at least the name is reserved. Any additional names will just get a free blog site unless something takes off and then I'll look at owning the site. It just seems silly to pay if I only make a few bucks a month. Really no one goes to the site unless they really like the work or you give some free stuff for the mailing list. None of this is important to me until I start getting some product out there. :)
I have my story picked from the Idea Bag.
Now the part that matters.
Actually showing up...
Don't care if I get much done while I'm there but it would be so nice to consistently show up instead of saying "ok I'll write... tomorrow."
I have no TV now. I quickly replaced that with rewatching movies. But I think I'm pretty sick of movies at this point. SOOO... Today's the day.
I am constantly doubting which thing I should be working on. I should commit to a project, publish and then work on the next thing. etc. That's how you become a professional author. Get it to good enough, move on. There's time for all of it if I would just get moving with my writing goals.
But this constant doubt and second guessing and avoiding because I know it will be work and I won't be able to do it well enough. It's no fun being that kind of writer.
So I came up with a solution.
I put all my ideas in a baggie. I picked one at random. This is the one I publish next.
The rest of the ideas are in the baggie. I will get to them.
The thing that I struggle with as well is whether I need a new pen name for each type of story. I've heard all the opinions and I can't make up my mind. So I'll leave it to my family to help me decide whether I should put this one under this pen name or that and just not worry about it.
the nice thing is I have a great copy editor... assuming I can get a spot in her busy schedule. I am so inconsistent with finishing things that I can't expect her to ever keep an opening for me. Just have to hope for the best. I have worked with her and I really liked what she found. So my family/1st readers are my content editors and initial copy editors and she'll be my final editor. So that's great.
Cover designer- I have a great one picked out. Several others- more expensive if things take off. And even my sister although not sure if she'll want to or not. She said before she would but I don't want to hold her to that. But these are wonderful things to have taken care of.
I have my author website setup and empty... eventually I'll get some nice artwork and stuff but not important now. But at least the name is reserved. Any additional names will just get a free blog site unless something takes off and then I'll look at owning the site. It just seems silly to pay if I only make a few bucks a month. Really no one goes to the site unless they really like the work or you give some free stuff for the mailing list. None of this is important to me until I start getting some product out there. :)
I have my story picked from the Idea Bag.
Now the part that matters.
Actually showing up...
Don't care if I get much done while I'm there but it would be so nice to consistently show up instead of saying "ok I'll write... tomorrow."
I have no TV now. I quickly replaced that with rewatching movies. But I think I'm pretty sick of movies at this point. SOOO... Today's the day.
Tuesday, August 25, 2015
Sunday, August 23, 2015
Division makes a greater whole
Came to a fun decision in which the novel is so long that the ending is a rushed mess. Easy solution as I was reading... the end of part one... 48K words. Novel 1 or serial 1... whatever they're calling it these day.
The middle around 48K words also has a nice break and a partial hook... Novel 2 or serial 2
The ending which is so rushed and makes me sad... 16K. Now it's got tons of breathing room to be fleshed out into a true 3rd book.
And I plan to keep right on going through the series until the full story is told. And then finalize how I want to release it and how many books to make it.
But still I've got two novels finished. That's quite the accomplishment for someone who never finishes anything.
And now I've got breathing room and I can spread my wings. Just have fun with it.
Because the thing isn't going to sell but it will make a great series for people that like my other works to try it out. Because it's not that it's bad, it's just odd and I don't think it has a readership.
But now it's all good. I'll have lots of stuff to advertise in future book's back matter once I get another series written that is a little less niche.
But first to do book 2 and 3 justice... :)
The middle around 48K words also has a nice break and a partial hook... Novel 2 or serial 2
The ending which is so rushed and makes me sad... 16K. Now it's got tons of breathing room to be fleshed out into a true 3rd book.
And I plan to keep right on going through the series until the full story is told. And then finalize how I want to release it and how many books to make it.
But still I've got two novels finished. That's quite the accomplishment for someone who never finishes anything.
And now I've got breathing room and I can spread my wings. Just have fun with it.
Because the thing isn't going to sell but it will make a great series for people that like my other works to try it out. Because it's not that it's bad, it's just odd and I don't think it has a readership.
But now it's all good. I'll have lots of stuff to advertise in future book's back matter once I get another series written that is a little less niche.
But first to do book 2 and 3 justice... :)
Saturday, August 15, 2015
Decisions
So looking at my long neglected novel- well crap that's awesome 112,184words... 128 scenes... 30 chapters
Just sitting there an my hard drive. I'm pathetic!
First decision:
I'm going to keep her as a little girl. 6 or 7 years old.
but figure out how to end it earlier so that in the next book she can be older
Need to figure out limits of the magic systems.
So need to figure out the story arc of 1st book and give it true beginning, middle, end and satisfying conclusion.
Just sitting there an my hard drive. I'm pathetic!
First decision:
I'm going to keep her as a little girl. 6 or 7 years old.
but figure out how to end it earlier so that in the next book she can be older
Need to figure out limits of the magic systems.
So need to figure out the story arc of 1st book and give it true beginning, middle, end and satisfying conclusion.
New goals
I need this today. Somewhere to post where no one will ever see it.
First up I'm going to treat myself to coffee shop coffee.
Second up I'm going to get downstairs to work on revising the 4th novella and get it published already. CANCEL Taking too long.
Trouble is, it requires a complete rewrite. But I already purchased the cover and it's so cute. I can't not use it POSTPONE FOR A FEW YEARS
I wish I'd never gone that route with those stories. DONE
I wish I could turn my back on those and write real stuff. DONE
But I keep plotting out new stories and never finishing everything.
I mean with real stories, you can get word of mouth and reviews and readers
But which story to write first. Does it need to be a series? DONE
I mean I've never finished anything so just to publish one novel would be a victory. A huge victory. and I only have so much time to write in my life
So cancel the series. Cancel the 4th novella-blah-rewrite. DONE
Just start writing everything as standalone.
If I come up with a series idea all the better. But for right now, just finish something.
So August goal- get the original novel revised as a stand-alone to publish.
And from now on, get stuff finished.
No more wasting time with stuff my heart isn't into.
First up I'm going to treat myself to coffee shop coffee.
Second up I'm going to get downstairs to work on revising the 4th novella and get it published already. CANCEL Taking too long.
Trouble is, it requires a complete rewrite. But I already purchased the cover and it's so cute. I can't not use it POSTPONE FOR A FEW YEARS
I wish I'd never gone that route with those stories. DONE
I wish I could turn my back on those and write real stuff. DONE
But I keep plotting out new stories and never finishing everything.
I mean with real stories, you can get word of mouth and reviews and readers
But which story to write first. Does it need to be a series? DONE
I mean I've never finished anything so just to publish one novel would be a victory. A huge victory. and I only have so much time to write in my life
So cancel the series. Cancel the 4th novella-blah-rewrite. DONE
Just start writing everything as standalone.
If I come up with a series idea all the better. But for right now, just finish something.
So August goal- get the original novel revised as a stand-alone to publish.
And from now on, get stuff finished.
No more wasting time with stuff my heart isn't into.
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