Kim’s writing tip for the day

I’m not doing NaNoWriMo this year since I’m halfway into the rough draft of book two, but I am in rough draft, and for those of you working to get down their thoughts as well, I want you to know I’m still learning even now.

This morning, for example, I walked into my office, puttered around for a while trying to get going on the next chapter. I knew what I had to write, but it felt like a transitional chapter. I don’t like transitional. I want my chapters to do double duty. It needed to be pivotal since we don’t get to see this character very  much.  I knew it–which was why nothing was getting put on paper.

So I stopped, and actually looked at it, realizing that, oh! this chapter was boring, which was why I was having so much trouble writing it. It wasn’t Tom. Tom is a great character. It wasn’t the plot, which is actually moving forward. But it was still boring. Then I asked myself, what makes Tom like everyone else? Answer? His boss wants to fire him. And that fast, the chapter went from boring to intriguing ’cause Tom is a bad boy and he’s not going to let that happen.

And now the words flow.

So if you are stuck, it might be because you need something new, something that everyone can relate to. Get your character reacting to more than one thing. She still has to save the world, but what if she has to plan her friend’s wedding, make a late payment, or get her car fixed as well?

Ahhh, my day is now going to be fun, not sucky. Go Tom!