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Agony Aunt
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Today I mostly wrote ... the word count thread.
message 3601:
by
M.T.
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May 02, 2021 10:22AM
Even Saturday's blog post took me until now. https://mtmcguire.co.uk/2021/05/01/fa...
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Jim wrote: "But a nice one :-)"Glad you enjoyed it. It was a bit rambly. 🤣🤣
I'm not back to blogging - have been fighting off an infection and the grogginess side-effect of the antibiotics - for weeks now, but today the brain seemed on, so I picked up where I left off, and got all the ducks in a row, and am marching them into the scene. 644 words came out of all that, and I hope to be able to finish the rest tomorrow!
It's a fun one, describing a glitzy Christmas party and wrap party for the filming of a movie - plus undertones. I'm enjoying being able to corral the brain cells for a while.
Alicia wrote: "I'm not back to blogging - have been fighting off an infection and the grogginess side-effect of the antibiotics - for weeks now, but today the brain seemed on, so I picked up where I left off, and..."Yay! Glad it's all come together.
Hope it holds. Thanks. Now I just need to get enough sleep, and finish this one up, because the next one is a doozie.
Editing. The gradual realisation that two 60k books are really just one 120k book!
I think that's what happens when you wait to do the final edit until you're finished. Significant things change.
They're the last two books in a five book arc. They're so intertwined I think they have to be one
Scary, if you're not used to long books - don't forget to charge more at some point if you put it out as one.For my part, I am glad to have finished the last scene - 1994 words - for a glittery party scene that is the calm before the major storm, the pivot before things change forever.
Now on to write THAT scene.
Yes, when I've got it done I'll look round and see what the cool kids charge for books of that size :-)
Jim, your output is amazing.Hope the ducks are behaving, Alicia.
Like your site M.T.
I was reading about Hilary Mantel last weekend and she takes ages to produce a book - great books, of course, but at least it's encouraging for the slower ones among us, we don't have to be like Jeffrey Archer.
A little over 2,000 words written in the last two 'writing days' and gone over with a fine tooth comb (the first of many 'going overs').
Anna wrote: "I was reading about Hilary Mantel last weekend and she takes ages to produce a book - great books, of course..."A little over 2,000 words written in the last two 'writing days'
Great job, Anna - and thanks for the reminder that some of us are NOT fast.
Keep it up - that's the only real requirement in this game.
Jim wrote: "They're the last two books in a five book arc. They're so intertwined I think they have to be one"Is that Tsarina books?
Alicia wrote: "Great job, Anna - and thanks for the reminder that some of us are NOT fast.Keep it up - that's the only real requirement in this game..."
Totally, I write because I can't not write. It would be very much easier for myself and everyone else if I could stop!
Anna wrote: "Jim, your output is amazing.
Hope the ducks are behaving, Alicia.
Like your site M.T.
I was reading about Hilary Mantel last weekend and she takes ages to produce a book - great books, of course..."
Thanks, that's a timely reminder to me too!
So suddenly, I'm alert. Wrote about 1.5k yesterday on two projects, the next Hamgeean Misfit and Space Dustmen.The latest audiobook is in production too so am gradually working through that a couple of chapters at a time as they come back. I cannot believe how good Gareth is. He also thinks very similarly to me, so if I give him just enough guidance for there to be parameters and let him get on with it he comes up with brilliant accents. He's done this one character called Goldy McSpim and although it's kind of, the accent I specified it's got Gareth's own personal twist on it which makes it so much funnier.
Right better go now. I've half an hour to do some more writing before I have to go hand my treasure in to the FLO (I found a silver Saxon thing).
M.T. said: Totally, I write because I can't not write. It would be very much easier for myself and everyone else if I could stop!Yep! That's the way it is. Well said.
Anna wrote: "M.T. said: Totally, I write because I can't not write. It would be very much easier for myself and everyone else if I could stop!Yep! That's the way it is. Well said."
Mwhahahrgh! Yeh, it's like some kind of anti-social crack habit!
M.T. wrote: "Jim wrote: "They're the last two books in a five book arc. They're so intertwined I think they have to be one"Is that Tsarina books?"
Yes, tweaking spelling and other grammar bits in one and two (back to English spelling)
Book three was written by the time Safkhet threw the towel in.
Book four was a quarter done, and so last summer I finished four and did also did five because four was getting big (for me) but frankly I don't think it works and four is just going to have to be 130K words
Anna wrote: "M.T. said: Totally, I write because I can't not write. It would be very much easier for myself and everyone else if I could stop!Yep! That's the way it is. Well said."
We'd lose a lot of damned good books that way :-(
Jim wrote: "They're the last two books in a five book arc. They're so intertwined I think they have to be one"...Your fans will be thrilled. It will ameliorate the pain of it being the last.
Jim wrote: "good one"Thanks me duck. I was on the borderline of getting artsy and 'wanky' talking about the audiobooks but I think I managed to keep the right side of the line. Mwahahahrgh.
The most critical scene in the trilogy just finished - and came in at exactly 1000 words. Must be an omen.I'll take it. It has to sit overnight before serious editing, but I wasn't sure I could do this one and make it believable, so it's a good start.
After every editing and polishing trick on my extensive list - and the continued shock that I duplicate so many words when writing, and then don't even notice I've used the same word two lines previously - I'm back to exactly 1000 words - and the scene is locked.Phew.
An awful lot of words to come, but this one is the very bottom of the pit. The ALL IS LOST moment. The WHIFF OF DEATH.
I have a big grin on my face. Meany.
That's good Alicia. Been doing reviews for my crit group, now back to doing a Kindle Keyboard read through and have some changes to apply shortly.
Happy read, Pam - thanks.Struggling a bit with the one after, but it is yielding to my unyielding process.
Next scene - the reaction to the lowest point - 1852 words written, edited, finished, polished.Chapter 33 epigraphs finished.
Chapter 33 title is 'Bloodchild' (Octavia Butler's award winning story fits the chapter in a non-obvious way, so I went with that).
And 33 is done, and I've headed right to 34 (of 40 - book 2 started at 21).
I'm slow, and not at all steady, but progress keeps happening eventually.
Nice going Alicia and Pam. I've managed a couple of thousands words on the new space book this week but have been mostly profile the latest in audio. Gareth has some wonders as usual.
Well done, everyone. I managed 3,000+ words last week and this morning I thought I'd beat that in one day. Silly me. # 1 interruption took almost an hour, then much loved son rang for a long update and I always need a tea break afterwards to digest all he says and does. Then the electrician came to fix something which miraculously had fixed itself (for the moment) and finally I settle to continue with the couple of hundred words I wrote in between. Managed just over a thousand and I've got at least half an hour left before chores take me over.
Seem to have manage 912 words yesterday in a daze - most of them may wind up in the final scene.You think, when you've written the two hardest scenes in the book, the Universe would cut you some slack.
Nope!
Finally. Next one DONE. 2091 words, so non-trivial.I didn't think it would be so hard, but they always are - and then they happen.
Keep calm and carry on - a phrase pertinent to writers?
Just completed the final draft of the first tale in my book The Truth About Trees. I think it's already the most I've ever revised any of my novels to date. Always amazed at what starts out as nothing somehow becomes something!
nice going everyone. I've been proofing the audiobook all week and going to all the appointments I missed in lockdown; dentist, eye test, smear test, etc. Now it's half term so no writing this week either. On the upside the audiobook is uploaded everywhere and on its way to publication! Woot!
Exciting times MT! Good going!I'm midway through the FINAL final draft of The Truth About Trees! Just no end to these things once you start tinkering with them!
Good man, Jim. I wouldn't class my attempts as editing - more akin to fumbling around!
Stuart wrote: "Exciting times MT! Good going!I'm midway through the FINAL final draft of The Truth About Trees! Just no end to these things once you start tinkering with them!"
I grin and bear it: every scene gets polished immediately after being written - so I never have to go back and face a solid wall of editing everything. There are some advantages to my mad methods.
When I'm done, I'm done (except for formatting, which should never be done as you go - the finished product needs to be 'of a piece').
Stuart wrote: "Good man, Jim. I wouldn't class my attempts as editing - more akin to fumbling around!"Ah well I'm reworking some old wargames rules people want me to republish as well!
Today I wrote nothing. Part of the reason is because I'm trying to sort out my new website. When the stress levels went through the roof a little while ago, I resorted to an expert. He says that the links I use are worrying. I'm hoping someone will be able to help!
I use what I call the 'international' links, i.e. whichever country someone is in, hitting the link takes them to that country's Amazon site. Those of you who frequented the Kindle User's Forum might remember that we could use a link free of charge (it ended in .it My expert was worried that someone in Italy (and another reroute) was making money out of this. Not from me, they're not.
However, I wouldn't want this to have an impact on Amazon's touchy algorithms and send me to the bottom of the class. So I am wondering what you use on websites with links to Amazon.
The first 182 words of 34.2 are precariously holding on to their position as a start - ending with:He pitched his voice low, growled out, “Where’s me breakfast, woman?”
You had to be there.
Websites are always a time suck. Nice going though everyone.
And this week's writing hours produced about 100 words. Plus rehashes, so maybe 500 altogether. It's those interruptions again. Ah well. I trust you've all done better. Isn't it nice to know there's always another week waiting? And all clear in the diary. So far.By the way, some of my interruptions are wonderful, so this is not a moan just an explanation or maybe my usual excuses...!
The only thing you have to apologize for is quitting - and somehow I don't see that happening.
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