Karen GoatKeeper's Blog, page 37
April 30, 2014
And the Winner Is...
I love to write. I would write no matter what. But it is fun for my writing to get noticed now and then.
Perhaps that is one reason NaNo is so popular. Someone posted about how her family and friends just shrugged when she wrote 50,000 words in a month. On NaNo she gets praise for finishing.
Writing is a lot of work. There are times when the words flow like water. There are many more when each must be pulled out of cold molasses and glued to the page.
Research, plotting, outlines take time and effort. Organizing thoughts around the story takes time. Creating well rounded characters is a challenge.
CampNaNo is ending. I set and made a goal of 25,000 words. It is a good feeling to validate that word count.
No, the novel isn't done. No, validating on NaNo isn't a real goal like seeing a book published. It isn't really so important in and of itself.
But setting and achieving a goal leaves a good feeling. That makes all that work seem worth it. That makes all the work yet to do on the novel seem doable.
Perhaps that is one reason NaNo is so popular. Someone posted about how her family and friends just shrugged when she wrote 50,000 words in a month. On NaNo she gets praise for finishing.
Writing is a lot of work. There are times when the words flow like water. There are many more when each must be pulled out of cold molasses and glued to the page.
Research, plotting, outlines take time and effort. Organizing thoughts around the story takes time. Creating well rounded characters is a challenge.
CampNaNo is ending. I set and made a goal of 25,000 words. It is a good feeling to validate that word count.
No, the novel isn't done. No, validating on NaNo isn't a real goal like seeing a book published. It isn't really so important in and of itself.
But setting and achieving a goal leaves a good feeling. That makes all that work seem worth it. That makes all the work yet to do on the novel seem doable.
April 22, 2014
Making Progress
Rough drafts are just what the name implies: rough. That's a good thing with this third book in the Hazel Whitmore series.
First Problem: Hazel gets her chicks. So? This must feed into the story line somewhere. Where?
Second Problem: Hazel learns to shoot. So? I may have an inkling where this feeds into the story. Maybe.
Third Problem: I keep getting the impression my timing is screwy. Maybe I should get that calendar out, at least for the rewrite.
Fourth Problem: The other two books in the series ran around 50,000 words. This one is much shorter. Maybe fixing all the problems will fix this one too. I hope.
Plot holes abound.
The plot does continue to unfold. My main antagonist turns out to not be the antagonist, only the red herring. So now I have to be sure the real antagonist doesn't become a deus ex machina.
Problems abound. But this is the rough draft. Rough drafts are written to be fixed, smoothed and polished.
It's nice when they aren't quite so rough.
First Problem: Hazel gets her chicks. So? This must feed into the story line somewhere. Where?
Second Problem: Hazel learns to shoot. So? I may have an inkling where this feeds into the story. Maybe.
Third Problem: I keep getting the impression my timing is screwy. Maybe I should get that calendar out, at least for the rewrite.
Fourth Problem: The other two books in the series ran around 50,000 words. This one is much shorter. Maybe fixing all the problems will fix this one too. I hope.
Plot holes abound.
The plot does continue to unfold. My main antagonist turns out to not be the antagonist, only the red herring. So now I have to be sure the real antagonist doesn't become a deus ex machina.
Problems abound. But this is the rough draft. Rough drafts are written to be fixed, smoothed and polished.
It's nice when they aren't quite so rough.
April 16, 2014
The Importance of Character
I have a plot line. I have characters. I have everything I need to start a rough draft of the third book in my Hazel Whitmore series. So why has it taken me two weeks to write 7600 words?
Because I really didn't know my antagonist. I only knew what she was going to do. The why and how were left to work themselves out. Except they didn't.
Back to square one. Giving a name to a character, giving actions to a character, describing a character do not drive a plot or make it believable. So, after mulling it over, Linda Whitmore now has a reason to begin the action, a rationale for the action, a trigger to begin the action and the opportunity.
Now I start the draft over - almost - again. This time it should be full of story and plot, not word adding nothings.
Because I really didn't know my antagonist. I only knew what she was going to do. The why and how were left to work themselves out. Except they didn't.
Back to square one. Giving a name to a character, giving actions to a character, describing a character do not drive a plot or make it believable. So, after mulling it over, Linda Whitmore now has a reason to begin the action, a rationale for the action, a trigger to begin the action and the opportunity.
Now I start the draft over - almost - again. This time it should be full of story and plot, not word adding nothings.
April 9, 2014
Sequel Awkwardness
Life is complicated. I'm still working on Dora's Story trying to get the rewrite done soon.
But CampNaNo began. So I started the third book in the Hazel Whitmore series.
Hazel moved between the first book Broken Promises and second book Old Promises. That made descriptions of her new home, school, town, people an easy part of the book.
Hazel did not move between the second and third book. The house, school, town and people are much the same as in book two.
Unlike many quest type series where the series is one long saga broken into smaller pieces, the Hazel Series has only these aforementioned things in common. There is a series story arc boiled down in the phrase 'city girl moves to the country.' But each book has its own storyline.
That means working those pesky descriptions into this book without sounding like an idiot. I'm trying. I think I see a major rewrite for adding descriptions artfully in the future.
But CampNaNo began. So I started the third book in the Hazel Whitmore series.
Hazel moved between the first book Broken Promises and second book Old Promises. That made descriptions of her new home, school, town, people an easy part of the book.
Hazel did not move between the second and third book. The house, school, town and people are much the same as in book two.
Unlike many quest type series where the series is one long saga broken into smaller pieces, the Hazel Series has only these aforementioned things in common. There is a series story arc boiled down in the phrase 'city girl moves to the country.' But each book has its own storyline.
That means working those pesky descriptions into this book without sounding like an idiot. I'm trying. I think I see a major rewrite for adding descriptions artfully in the future.
April 1, 2014
Partial Success!
I started typing and reading on the Dora's Story Part 6 ending. Just a couple of chapters to go, I thought.
The next day I went back at it. Just a couple of chapters to go, I thought.
Several days later I finally found the end. It was eight chapters later.
So the second rewrite is now done. Success.
Now I get to start over again on the third, and I hope, final rewrite.
My plans to release the book in June are still tantalizing. I should start doing some advance publicity. What if the release date, like the couple of chapters to go, proves elusive?
Ambivalence prevails.
The next day I went back at it. Just a couple of chapters to go, I thought.
Several days later I finally found the end. It was eight chapters later.
So the second rewrite is now done. Success.
Now I get to start over again on the third, and I hope, final rewrite.
My plans to release the book in June are still tantalizing. I should start doing some advance publicity. What if the release date, like the couple of chapters to go, proves elusive?
Ambivalence prevails.
March 19, 2014
Complications
I roared into Dora's Story Part 6 into a stone wall. I forgot to do some fact finding. Oops.
June will be my fortieth anniversary of starting with goats. People ask me for goat advice. That is one way to recognize how ignorant one is of even something done for years.
Another way of running smack dab into your own ignorance is to write a book. So I sent off a couple of emails. There is one more to send. So far the answers are good.
In the meantime I am busy devising goat pencil puzzles and doing research on cyber bullying for the next in my Hazel Whitmore series. According to the local juvenile officer, my plot premise rings true.
Speaking of that one, I decided I needed something else to do and signed up for Camp NaNo for 25,000 words. Deadlines help get those first drafts done.
June will be my fortieth anniversary of starting with goats. People ask me for goat advice. That is one way to recognize how ignorant one is of even something done for years.
Another way of running smack dab into your own ignorance is to write a book. So I sent off a couple of emails. There is one more to send. So far the answers are good.
In the meantime I am busy devising goat pencil puzzles and doing research on cyber bullying for the next in my Hazel Whitmore series. According to the local juvenile officer, my plot premise rings true.
Speaking of that one, I decided I needed something else to do and signed up for Camp NaNo for 25,000 words. Deadlines help get those first drafts done.
March 12, 2014
Busy Season
Much as I love writing, spring is so hard to spend in the house at the computer. My growing group of kids added seven over the weekend. The raised bed is growing well. Potatoes go in soon. The first mourning cloak butterflies are flying. The corn speedwell is blooming. The hills are calling.
But the computer calls too. I'm making such good progress on Dora's Story. Plans are underway to start the third book in the Hazel Whitmore series.
I sometimes wish there were more time or more of me to go around. But, in spring, i don't think either of these would help.
But the computer calls too. I'm making such good progress on Dora's Story. Plans are underway to start the third book in the Hazel Whitmore series.
I sometimes wish there were more time or more of me to go around. But, in spring, i don't think either of these would help.
March 5, 2014
Distractions
I've both heard and read how, if an author keeps using a word over and over or a grammatical device again and again, this will be a big distraction for a reader. It seems this true for a writer too.
I'm presently working on Dora's Story, Part 5. I'm close to the end of the part and thought I would finish it last night. That was before the distraction hit.
There are two ways to spell Susanna - with and without a final h. To this point in the Part I had used the version without the h. Suddenly the h appeared.
Within a few paragraphs I was no longer really going over the words just scanning for every use of Susanna to erase that final h. Yes, I could use find and replace. Every time I use that the program refuses to give up once it is done and closed.
I think I found and erased all those unwanted h's. Tonight maybe I can correct the time problem. Somehow the girls can't visit for a week and a weekend both. It's amazing how many little glitches appear in a rough draft.
I'm presently working on Dora's Story, Part 5. I'm close to the end of the part and thought I would finish it last night. That was before the distraction hit.
There are two ways to spell Susanna - with and without a final h. To this point in the Part I had used the version without the h. Suddenly the h appeared.
Within a few paragraphs I was no longer really going over the words just scanning for every use of Susanna to erase that final h. Yes, I could use find and replace. Every time I use that the program refuses to give up once it is done and closed.
I think I found and erased all those unwanted h's. Tonight maybe I can correct the time problem. Somehow the girls can't visit for a week and a weekend both. It's amazing how many little glitches appear in a rough draft.
February 26, 2014
Emotional Writing
Dora's Story Part 2 draft is finally done. In finishing it I found myself in tears. This makes me wonder if other authors cry when at very emotional places as they write?
I find I am very much a part of what I am writing. It is as though I am the character so, when disaster or emotional stress befalls the character, it is happening to me.
In Broken Promises this made it very difficult to write part of the book as it was so very personal. In Dora's Story it wasn't as personal and I know there is a happy ending later on but it still took a half hour for me to come down emotionally afterwards.
Still, it is nice to have the draft done. I know I will need to come back to it later on but for now I've gone on through Part 3 and am working on Part 4.
I find I am very much a part of what I am writing. It is as though I am the character so, when disaster or emotional stress befalls the character, it is happening to me.
In Broken Promises this made it very difficult to write part of the book as it was so very personal. In Dora's Story it wasn't as personal and I know there is a happy ending later on but it still took a half hour for me to come down emotionally afterwards.
Still, it is nice to have the draft done. I know I will need to come back to it later on but for now I've gone on through Part 3 and am working on Part 4.
February 18, 2014
Kid Delays
Dora's Story draft is progressing quickly now. Or at least it was. Yesterday was a day off to play midwife to two of my Nubian does.
My Nubians don't really need my help except on very rare occasion. But I don't want that occasion to come up and not be there. Besides, new kids are exciting.
So the entire day was spent going back and forth to the barn checking. Any kids yet?
Flame had a single buckling around eleven in the morning. Joy promptly decided she wanted the kid and told Flame to go away. The poor kid didn't know what to do.
Putting a pen up for Flame and her kid solved the thievery.
Since Joy couldn't steal a kid, she decided to have her own. She now has her own little buckling and ignores Flame's.
Back to the end of Part 2 tonight.
My Nubians don't really need my help except on very rare occasion. But I don't want that occasion to come up and not be there. Besides, new kids are exciting.
So the entire day was spent going back and forth to the barn checking. Any kids yet?
Flame had a single buckling around eleven in the morning. Joy promptly decided she wanted the kid and told Flame to go away. The poor kid didn't know what to do.
Putting a pen up for Flame and her kid solved the thievery.
Since Joy couldn't steal a kid, she decided to have her own. She now has her own little buckling and ignores Flame's.
Back to the end of Part 2 tonight.
