YA and Beyond discussion
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General Writing Discussion
Hermione is a brilliant point, Elora! I've been thinking about her a lot lately too. I'll do my best to keep that in mind.
Any of you use Scrivener? Or another writing software? Do you love it? Hate it??I currently use Word and I struggle with the lack of flexibility that program has....
I use Scrivener mostly for planning/outlining and I like it. Plus it's a one-time fee so even if you get a new computer you can still just redownload it. I use Google Docs (basically Word) for keeping the full MS in line and I like that it lets me add little notes for things I want to edit or add.
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Like Ashley I also use Google docs a lot nowadays, but that's partly because I work at lot more than I used to––and it's useful if I want to be able to take some notes when I'm on the go. It also makes it super easy to share documents with others and share notes/comments.
So yeah I guess it depends what you want out of a writing program? Also if you want to buy Scrivener, I'd maybe wait until you can get a discount code. I think the full price is $40, but they give NaNo winners a 50% off code, and that applies to Camp NaNo winners as well. And since Camp NaNo is happening during April you might want to check that out! Even if you don't participate, I know a lot of people give away their discount codes at the end of the month (either because they don't want them or because they already have Scrivener).
Ashley *Hufflepuff Kitten* wrote: "I use Scrivener mostly for planning/outlining and I like it. Plus it's a one-time fee so even if you get a new computer you can still just redownload it. I use Google Docs (basically Word) for keep..."Brigid *Flying Kick-a-pow!* wrote: "Yes, I have Scrivener and it's great! Although admittedly, I haven't used it in a while. But it's a really nice program and useful for keeping all your notes, research, drafts, etc. in one place. A..."
Thanks ladies! That's good to know that it's helpful and that I only have to buy it once.
And the Nano discount! Wow.
But I don't know if I can put down 50k words in a month!
I might just do it this year, though. :)
I need to kick up my writing a gear, but there's NO way I can add that many words to my current project.
I may start an idea that I've had brewing. It may give me a needed break from my current WIP.
I don't know!
....and I just realized that I have to set a goal in April (not 50k). I really need to learn to read more. ;)I'm totally in for April!!!
Anyone else?
The last time I tried Camp I failed miserably. I might be up for giving it another go with this rewrite/continuation though.
I think I'm going to do an hour goal. That way I can work on the project that desperately needs me giving time to it!
I created a cabin. Anyone want in?
I'm new to this whole thing--I didn't know we could do that. So fun!
What's your username? I'll add you.
Ashley *Hufflepuff Kitten* wrote: "What's your username? I'll add you."EloraMitchell
Elora wrote: "Ashley *Hufflepuff Kitten* wrote: "What's your username? I'll add you."EloraMitchell"
I've been considering writing under a different name (I'm not too happy with this one), but I haven't figured out what it'll be.
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Brigid *Flying Kick-a-pow!* wrote: "I'm still trying to decide whether to do Camp or not....although I know it's already four days in, lol. I am trying to finish a fanfic this month, so maybe I could do it to motivate myself. :P"You totally should! Both Ashley and I are working on rewrites, and I'm having a BLAST!!!!
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Brigid *Flying Kick-a-pow!* wrote: "Ahh that's great!! Yeah maybe I'll set up a goal/project on there later tonight. :)"You can join our cabin, Brigid!
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You can join our cabin, Brigid!"
OOH YES that'd be awesome!! Uhh how do I do that? :P
Send me your username (either post it here or DM me) and I'll add you ;)
Hey guys. Been a while. I took on more work recently so the majority of my free time has been naps, reading or Netflix haha. Tomorrow is the last of my 10+ work hour days though, so I'm gonna try to be on here more often. Specifically in this group, which feels kind of special to me.For now, I'm kind of here to cry haha. My latest book fell apart. Like, badly. Like, can't finish it without restarting badly. This isn't the first time, in fact this is kind of regular for me with each new stab getting closer to the end. My first attempt was an idea only, my next a prologue, followed by a 1000 words, 5000, 10,000 so on, so forth. Which I guess is good, since if the trend continues I'm bound to finally finish one haha. This one hurts because I was well over 65,000 words, nearing an end when I realized... crap.
BUT, I think there is a silver lining. Getting this close to the end, I think I know what I've been doing wrong this whole time. I've been more pantser than plotter, which isn't at all an auto-bad thing, but it's led to me doing something that, in my case, has been kind of fatal.
I've been going into stories with the general plot, the hero and a few vague ideas about some support characters... but NO EFFING CLUE on the villain! I'm sure some people can do it, but I clearly cannot. Were I to have written Harry Potter, I would have got to the Quidditch scene and been like "Crap, this kid needs to take someone down" haha.
So, I've decided to try something. I'm taking a break from drafting to do at least some semi-outlining for a couple of ideas. Just a few very, very brief bios for my main character, villain, and some key characters along the way, followed by a plot outline with those characters in mind.
I started one today and figured out a hero/villain relationship for a superhero story that's been kicking around in my head, and just that has made the story so much more clear in my head. It's given me backstory, which I had literally zero of before, given me character motivations and some social dynamics I would have never thought of just plotting as I write.
So, yeah. Bittersweet. But I'm not giving up. I will finish a dang novel at some point haha.
Missed the group <3
Great points, Tommy. I'm actually in the process of rewriting a story idea I had and worked on for NaNoWriMo several years ago, and I realized the other day that I didn't actually have a *villain* in the piece. Once I discovered that, it led to a bit of plot refurbishment (I'm terrible with plots anyway) but at this point I feel much better about it than I did when I hit a roadblock with it a few years ago.Motivations and backstory are excellent to have too! It's always a struggle for me to work out how much of the backstory I can fit into the actual story without slowing things down or giving anything away too early. Sounds like you've got some really good development going on!
Glad your rewrites are going well :)Yeah, I think development is going well. I've written some shorter pieces and have published to them to anthologies and gotten positive feedback, but for some reason the novel eludes me. I do feel like each attempt has been a learning experience, hence why I get closer each try.
Hopefully I've found the final missing piece this time haha.
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I'm at the halfway point in my revision/rewrite of the MS I started NaNo Camp with, and I've added 2K words so far from what I originally had -- it's not much, but it has me much more excited about carrying forward with the story.
Thanks! I'm doing my best to only add things rather than get rid of, and it seems to be working out :)
Ashley *Hufflepuff Kitten* wrote: "Thanks! I'm doing my best to only add things rather than get rid of, and it seems to be working out :)"Highest of fives.
I hate names. Titles. Tags. Anything that has to do with giving a thing its own descriptive word or phrase. I hate it. HATE it.If I have a kid they'll simply be known as "the kid" for the first several years.
Hahaha. I'm absolutely horrible at coming up with titles but I love character names.
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If you could see my outline right now haha. It's as much a map for my story as it is a reminder that people have names and aren't just known as "Villain" or "Psychic Lady" haha.
I have place holder names going on in my WIP right now, and it really makes me want to write a humorous novel.The {super bad villain} picked up his {insert epic weapon name here} and stabbed the hero in the shoulder....
Elora wrote: "I have place holder names going on in my WIP right now, and it really makes me want to write a humorous novel.The {super bad villain} picked up his {insert epic weapon name here} and stabbed the ..."
Sounds like it should be a choose-your-own-ending book :D
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Currently, an Irish history & mythology-based fantasy... I want to do something in the vein of The Lies of Locke Lamora setting-wise because I love how Camorr is so clearly based on Venice. Irish because that's my heritage and everything about it has a vibrancy and a simultaneous mysterious quality. I originally wanted to start actually writing it (been developing characters/setting/plot/etc since March) before November rolled around so I could beg off doing NaNoWriMo this year but part of me now wants to procrastinate until November specifically in order to participate in NaNo. My brain is a mixed-up place.
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All I've been writing lately is fanfiction lol ... I keep taking on these extremely long fanfic projects and then neglecting all my original stuff, whoops.
But maybe I'll try to go back to original work for NaNo? I'm just not sure what I should work on. I've had this idea in the back of my head for a while that's like about a bunch of magical girls fighting like, 60s B-movie monsters haha. It just doesn't really have a plot yet. :P
Ohhhh the magical girls thing sounds like a lot of fun, Brigid! The Irish historical sounds awesome too :) I'm still trying to work out a plot for mine... so far it's a druid who is basically the healer for a small village takes a kid as an apprentice and the kid doesn't know the druid can actually do magic and communicate with the fae and banshees and whatever other supernatural beings I decide to toss in... and going from there.
I'm honestly lost at the moment. Crazy slump. But, working to just finish this monster hunter story and get to editing and rewriting. I saw Jonathon Maberry mention in a AMA type thing(maybe here on Goodreads?) that most instances of writer's block comes from novice writers trying too hard to make their first drafts look like finished drafts. I think there's a strong chance I fall in that category.I think the problems for me is, first, I've had a degree of success with short/flash fiction and short comics. And when I've put these types of stories out, it has been really quickly written things only edited as far as spelling. Those things have been kind of like sprinting, whereas a novel is more of a marathon. Success in a 100 yard dash doesn't necessarily equal a marathon finisher.
Secondly, I think I do try to make my first draft a final draft is pretty accurate and I think I know why. There are few writing tips that are virtually universal. One of those tips is "Read, read, read!" Soak up the successful projects that authors you respect have made happen. Learn from them. The thing is though, what are we reading? Final drafts! So the mixture of my lack of experience editing vs. writing, plus only soaking in final drafts makes my story not coming out as such effing infuriating haha.
Not to make excuses though. I'm simply putting these issues into words so I can better attack them. I did fall off for a while and have tried to make up the difference all at once. But I realize that isn't doable and setting and missing unrealistic goals just breeds more doubt. So, I set an insanely low limit, 150 words a day. I can force that even on the worst of days. been doing that for about a week and am back on something resembling a normal routine.
I'm not letting myself start anything else until I finish this one though. Even if all I get our of the whole project is a learning experience. *shrug*. We'll see. For now all I'm worried about is making this one story something I can love on a personal level. Then we'll see from there.
^Reading that back it comes off as whiny and at parts barely coherent haha. I blame my annoyingy busy schedule, 50-60 hour work weeks, tons of walking in the rays of the hellbeast we know as the sun, and just a dash of wanting to vent to like-minded writer folk haha. Jeesh back with the whining incoherence.On a positive note, your guys' projects sound awesome. And on a personal positive, setting smaller goals has me writing way, way more than I had been on my hiatus from the site.
So, yay. :)
I'm the furthest I've ever been into a first draft(65,750 words on the dot). I'm a bit lost at the moment, but happily lost if that makes sense.Its one of those blocks that would have made me stop just a few months back, but this time I know I'm going to figure it out and finish the dang thing. I'm actually currently mapping out the ending and plan on chipping away at it as work allows and maybe trying to actually finish it within the next 2-3 weekends.Then I get to read over it, realize it sucks and try to fix it in editing haha,
So, life(especially work) got unexpectedly hectic once more. It hasn't stopped me from writing but has definitely slowed me a bit. From now until about the 5th-ish of November I only have one day off, so it's been rough.That said, I am further into this first draft than any before it by far. Past the 72k word mark and am determined to finish it up by this upcoming weekend. I'm going so far as denying myself certain things unless my writing goals are met. I've grounded myself from video games. Life is hard.
Anyway, I'm finishing this beast up, then I'm really considering doing a NaNo project in the space between finishing the first draft and editing it.
Any of you doing NaNo this year?
Guys. Guys... I did it. I FINALLY finished the first draft of my Monster Hunter book. It took me WAY longer than planned and I was met by more hurdles than I could possibly have foreseen.This weekend though, I had only one day off of work and I decided, no excuses, no nothing, I am finishing this draft today. So, I started writing, stopping only to eat, and churned out just under 3500 words. I don't know that I can hit that monster number with any regularity, but I felt like if I didn't finish this draft before New Years, I'd convince myself I couldn't do it.
And now I know I can :)
It might be awful. Worst case scenario, i have to scrap the entire thing. But even if that's the case, I hit a milestone and proved to myself I could do something that I wasn't sure I could do when I woke up this morning.
Pride is a feeling I rarely experience. But man, am I feeling it at the moment :)
PS sorry if this is a mess. My brain is currently mush. Now to wake up in 6 hours for work. Guh.
YA and Beyond
Books mentioned in this topic
The Lies of Locke Lamora (other topics)Daughter of Smoke & Bone (other topics)
Daughter of Smoke & Bone (other topics)
I'm thinking of describing people on how they dress or the expression on their face, or how they act, rather than on what they look like.
I think the thing that hits me the most is the character of Hermione. All we know about her is her big teeth and bushy hair. She could be any height, color, complexion, build, shape, etc, yet we KNOW her based on her actions and how she carries herself.
I think that's going to be my goal in writing.