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Agony Aunt
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Today I mostly wrote ... the word count thread.
I've never really counted scenes, and my outlines don't generally survive contact with the enemy. I suppose my novels generally have around 40 - 50 chapters (give or take), and each chapter is generally 1 - 4 scenes (give or take). So 100 scenes maybe? (give or take) . . .
Tim wrote: "I've never really counted scenes, and my outlines don't generally survive contact with the enemy. I suppose my novels generally have around 40 - 50 chapters (give or take), and each chapter is gene..."The 60 scenes is an adaptation of the Larry Brooks Story Physics: Harnessing the Underlying Forces of Storytelling notion. I haven't had one outline yet that's survived uninjured, but it gives me a general idea of how far I've digressed from the original intention as I go along.
Usually there are several scenes and sub-scenes for each one in the outline, so it wouldn't surprise me if I end up with about the same number of scenes as you.
I just start at the beginning with an idea and let it evolve. Like life, really. Just done 554 words - stopping now as I've reached a natural break in the editing. Novella now at 29,238 words.
I never even think in terms of scenes. I just start at the beginning with a story, which can often evolve in the telling So I'll often have to come back to slide in something that foreshadows the new twist or turn :-)
Jim wrote: "I never even think in terms of scenes. I just start at the beginning with a story, which can often evolve in the telling So I'll often have to come back to slide in something that foreshadows the ..."
I used to do it that way, but I've found this way works better for me at the moment. Especially as I've got such a bad memory I keep forgetting to
Four hundred today. I'm shifting scenes that I wrote out of order. Taxes the old brain!
David wrote: "501 words today."Were you writing about Levis?
Only a couple of hundred so far today, but I've still got half an hour of this session left to go. The last couple of days have seen just over a thousand, including the stuff scribbled in my notebook (which I typed up yesterday).
Gingerlily - Mistress Lantern wrote: "David wrote: "501 words today."Were you writing about Levis?"
Yes. But the idea faded and eventually fell into holes.
Only 300-odd words today. I got distracted by aOoh, look - shiny.
Lexie wins! May/may not write today. I can if I want. I can if I don't want, if I want!
Now I'm confused. 1,500 and a bit today, enough for the quota. Still don't have a proper plot, just notes scribbled in the bank queue yesterday.
I did around 700ish words today.It is possible I could finish this first draft next week.
Rather than a scene control I use a beat sheet and rough outline to try and keep me on track.But the current project has stalled because of the volume of work before the tax deadline.
Only about 280 today and that'll be it till Tuesday, I think.
I've written a lot this week but it's all outline. I've also bought and started learning Scrivener which will serve my compilation style well, I think. I did have to buy a very expensive course to help me work Scrivener out though. Jeez ist not intuitive. The course has a 365 day money back guarantee. :-)So ... I think I now have a plot, suitable amounts of dramatic tension and a completely jumbled up mess of about 20k most of which I'll be re using but in a different way. Next time I'll do the outlining first! Except I did but had to experiment to find the problems and get to know the new characters ... And find a proper reason for the baddie to be compulsively pursuing the heroines.
cheers
MTM
Not a good day yesterday - started at 3.30 with cat being sick next to me, then return to exercise classes and misjudged length of time in sauna to unstiffen, resulting in complete dozy unproductiveness. About 1,000 - have to catch up today!
I was very productive on other things yesterday, just not writing.
I'm writing an enormous amount of fantasy.However, it's clients' tax returns.. o_o
Will wrote: "I'm writing an enormous amount of fantasy.However, it's clients' tax returns.. o_o"
I hope you get well paid for it!
But then he'll have to do his own tax return.2,600 today, bit of catch up for yesterday, and managed to get some actual paying work done, too, and even hoovered! It'll never last.
My Return was done long agohe says virtuously, in an unreliable tone of voice
Will wrote: "My Return was done long agohe says virtuously, in an unreliable tone of voice"
the cobbler's children go unshod ;-)
I'm one of those unhealthy people who quite enjoys filling in forms. My tax return went in last April. It's not good, I know.
Jim wrote: "Will wrote: "My Return was done long agohe says virtuously, in an unreliable tone of voice"
the cobbler's children go unshod ;-)"
That's a load of cobblers.
I used to deal with a load of old cobblers.Thatcher the Milk Snatcher put them out of business.
Still editing - did four chapters of a first draft to send round an email critiquing group on Tuesday and got back to the WIP and edited three chapters today. Well chuffed.
Will wrote: "I'm writing an enormous amount of fantasy..."The enormous amount of writing I'm doing is a fantasy!
I snapped out fifty words, the length I normally produce to post daily installments of my online book series. Meanwhile, I'm adding the finishing touches on a project to be released for February's Black History Month.
Nothing for me today or yesterday, but it's the weekend. Maybe tomorrow. :-)
After a while just editing I put in an extra chapter, 3,300 words yesterday and the day before. But I'd spent a fair bit of time getting the chapter right in my head before that
Only 649 words today, but it did end with a dead body so it wasn't all bad.
Done my 1,500 and reached the end of Ch.5 - only 20 more to go!
Nowt! Long weekend away. Hope to start again tomorrow.
Mwah hahahargh! I managed to lock my phone. Took me most of the day to work out how to unlock it, which I have now done, thank heavens! Sheesh!Tomorrow I WILL write something.
Cheers
MTM
Crept about another 500 words closer to the end.
Back in the saddle. 804 words today. Got some longish emails to tackle so I've stopped there. Conveniently, it's the end of a chapter.
Done my 1,500 and (mostly) the filing - I have a floor again where I can see the carpet!
850 words exactly today.It looks like I'm going to end up hitting my words per day target just as I run out of book.
1,500 done. Really, really must stop and plan.
804 again today. What are the chances I could do that deliberately? Now I've got to start again at the beginning and read through to make sure the chapters are in a sensible order!
I've written a lot of marketing shite and visited my parents. They lost another friend today so it was good I went as they were sad. It was a lovely lady whom I remember as a kid so I was sad too ... But I managed to cheer them up a bit before I went home. Might get some writing done tomorrow. Or at least do some more work on the plot. The hormones and stars are slowly aligning. Should be able to write soon.
Travelled down to London for meetings, meant I had two full days away from any sort of keyboard :-)So had time to ponder a tweak to the ending of a story.
Also came up with a new blog post which I really ought to write..
604 words.The baddie has decided that - on the whole - he'd rather not die just yet despite the best efforts of our hero. So it looks as though I won't finish this draft this week after all.
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I use a 60-scene outline and am on scene 54 though, so there is not much more of this one to go,
Consequently, I am getting annoyed by it, thingking about everything that needs changing in the next draft - if it ever gets that far.