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Agony Aunt
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Today I mostly wrote ... the word count thread.
Well a few computer related problems are hampering us - commiserations Stuart! The scroll wheel on my ergonomic mouse went wrong today and of course it is long out of production and there isn't anything else equivalent made now. I had a couple of spare handsets as it is usually the base station part that goes wrong but neither will sync to the base station. Meanwhile, the file I was trying to format yesterday to put on the Kindle Keyboard for another read through turned out to have all kinds of weird things going on including random deletion of paragraphs so I had to junk it and start again today. Never had a problem with this process before which I have done loads of times before, so it's a mystery why this was happening. Today's one seems OK thankfully.
Pam wrote: "Well a few computer related problems are hampering us - commiserations Stuart! The scroll wheel on my ergonomic mouse went wrong today and of course it is long out of production and there isn't any..."I took my mouse apart the other day with help from a Youtube video, and removed a piece of a felt-like blob (along with a lot of dust), and all of a sudden the wheel spun freely. If you haven't cleaned yours in a while, maybe?
Oh blimey Stuart! I’ve done stuff like that too. The losing the 30k. Congratulations on the reworking being better but even so …I’ve done f all this week except write a blog post … if anyone’s interested it’s here: https://mtmcguire.co.uk/2022/02/07/de...
Managed 1300 on Friday and 663 on Saturday. Nothing today but I wrote a blog! Woot. https://mtmcguire.co.uk/2022/02/13/0f... if you’re interested.
Finally! Finished 37.5 (2198 words), Epigraphs for Chapter 37 (105) and found a title for it (Flying too close to the sun - as a metaphor for disaster), and sent Chapter 37 out to my beta reader.Seems longer than two weeks since I started it, but it's over, and I'm on to the next tomorrow morning if I don't get it started tonight.
Not quite 170K total, and three shortish chapters to go, so about as long as the first one.
I don't know where all this stuff comes from - I pare it down to the bare minimum.
My beta reader will tell me diplomatically if something strikes her as unnecessary, or worse, as needing expanding.
Onward and upward!
I'm going through my first draft, Alicia, and, like you, I am trying to pare it down and finding that I end up with more words than I started with. Very odd!
It's simple if you write as I do: first I gather all the trappings for a scene - setting, what happens, why it has to happen - then get it into a rough whole, which for me is a series of beats, a starting and ending line, and a scene turning point that is the reason for this particular scene belonging in the book.And then, taking as long as I need to 'become/channel the pov character,' I trudge along, capturing everything that is said or thought as I live through the scene AS the character.
But I'm in a hurry to get the dialogue down and the scene to have accomplished its goals.
So the next step is going back and removing any confusion I have caused a reader because I didn't supply enough detail for that dialogue and thoughts to make sense.
Which is where the extra words come. It matters to the reader whether the dialogue about breakfast is set in the breakfast nook, in the formal dining room served by wait staff, in bed, or in prison - and, while I knew where we were, I didn't flesh it out enough for the reader. I know all that stuff - but I have to go make sure it's out of my mind and onto the page in sufficient quantity for a reader to create their own version of my story.
At some point I have to make everything much tighter - characters speak as people speak, and they ramble, and use a lot of words to say something but it can be said much shorter without losing the core. And a lot of words can come out.
Each writer has some version of this, and some capacity to make first drafts close to this. Me, I write short (and am only up to about 170K for this book), but I'm getting better. :)
Then I have to pare the rambling like crazy.
Have done some writing this week! Woot! But won't get another shot at it until Monday now! Curses!
Working through another read through on the Kindle Keyboard, making notes and gradually getting those changes done. Wish I didn't keep finding stuff to fix!
It's always something! Just be glad you're seeing them in time to fix them - better that than having a reader point them out, I think.
Alicia wrote: "It's always something! Just be glad you're seeing them in time to fix them - better that than having a reader point them out, I think."Yes though it takes me so long to get something to publication - very frustrating. I'm sure you understand that!
Pam wrote: "Alicia wrote: "It's always something! Just be glad you're seeing them in time to fix them - better that than having a reader point them out, I think."Yes though it takes me so long to get somethi..."
No doubt at all. Getting everything just right for that last upload is unbelievably tricky.
Finished another scene - now it needs to go through the flaws-pointer-outer which counts how many times I repeat words and phrases, or use cliches (Autocrit has a large cliche database), or do something else I don't want readers to know I do in the early versions.Then done, and only 9 more until the end of the book.
Getting one done now is a tenth of the remaining work!
Half term so no writing, except for a brief bit of editing on the journey.Well done everyone hopefully I'll be able to have another go next week when everything goes back to normal.
Stuart wrote: "Yep! Laptop crashed. Didn't save it on the cloud and IT lads couldn't retrieve the files. It's already better than it was last time, so it will all work out it in the end, I'm sure."Aargh! Now that's a good reminder to back up my files! Something on the 'to do' list which rarely makes it to the top. I've had so many drafts, redrafts and complete rewrites of current one (eliminating a boy and a dog in the process - sorry guys) that I do really need to back up the latest version. Tho sometimes when the bits of plot are resolved, I could rewrite - maybe it would even be an improvement! not that I want to try... Hope all is resolved now Stuart
Karen wrote: "Now that's a good reminder to back up my files!..."Hope you find something that is automatic. Mine on the Mac is Time Machine, and it makes a backup copy, set to an external drive, every hour PLUS has a manual mode - I use that when I've just written a big chunk and I'm scared to lose it.
Please set something up BEFORE you get bitten - my backups have saved my bacon several times.
'Nother scene finished - a wee bit long, as it was 2240 and I edited it down to 2043, but it's a character's last scene in the book, and I gave it its head.Got the crucial bits done, listened to the characters talk and then cleaned it up (they keep using the same words over and over!).
Now on to the good part!
I'm only a little scared - I've been building to this for decades (literally).
Thanks, Pam. I'd hate to think I couldn't finish 8 scenes after writing over 170K finished words. I'd haunt myself!It's just that the whole premise has focused on this part - the ending of a major section - and it has to be letter-perfect whether my brain cooperates or not!
I'm stubborn - it'll get there - it just takes more time sometimes.
Another scene finished! 2238 after pruning and editing - covered a lot of ground. Three days isn't bad. Onward and upward!
Yay. Top going Alicia. Everything feels a bit meh partly because of world events but mainly because none of my entries got anywhere in the Wishing Shelf Awards. I wasn't honestly expecting to but you know how it is, you always hope. I thought Gareth's efforts might get somewhere but sadly not. Then again, I noticed there's a points section for music on the audiobooks score sheet, and something else mine don't have so that could have been it. Mwhahahahrgh! No music in mine at all.
On the up side. Got the day off on Wednesday so have been editing my book. There is lots of Mum work I have to do. Information to collect etc so I'm gradually chipping away at that but the editing has throw up some solutions to a few insurmountable problems with the plot so I feel as if I'm getting somewhere with it again, which is nice. :-)
I’ve done some editing today already (smug mode) and even managed a little yesterday. Also know where the plot hast to go next and why I got stuck. Need to tweak a scene I’ve done and then it should be all set to move forward again. Woot.
Keep it up, Mary - that's all you have to do. Editing is eventually over.The big prize is that you have Gareth, and audiobooks. You are so far ahead of MOST authors.
38.2 is finished, and the grand finale initiated. 1789 words after editing - hard sometimes to know how to keep things colloquial in dialogue without going as long and boringly repetitious as real speech but still giving the appearance of it. Always a balance.One more scene, and another chapter is finished. It is finally getting a little easier - from the reorganization I spent a month doing.
It didn't hurt that part is set in New York City, and I've been exactly where the character had to go. Looking it all up goes faster that way.
Awesome Alicia and thanks. I did some more editing and pushed on a bit further on Saturday, today I did a blog post … It’s a bit ranty and incoherent but I wrote it to make me feel better really. https://mtmcguire.wordpress.com/2022/...
Randy? That's a new direction for you...
Rosemary (grooving with the Picts) wrote: "Randy? That's a new direction for you..."🤣🤣 yeh I've checked that to ranty, now, which was the word I was teaching for!
Reaching! Reaching for! Fucking stupid phone!
M.T. wrote: "Yay. Top going Alicia. Everything feels a bit meh partly because of world events but mainly because none of my entries got anywhere in the Wishing Shelf Awards. I wasn't honestly expecting to but..."
Yes took me a couple of days to get over the disappointment of my book having no joy in that award ... had been hoping I might score 26 points out of 35. Ho hum.
Pam wrote: "Yes took me a couple of days to get over the disappointment of my book having no joy in that award ... had been hoping I might score 26 points out of 35. Ho hum..."Yeh. The paperback I could hack, it's hot competition and my books aren't really quite YA - although I still found myself thinking, 'How shit must it be if it can't get 26?'
That said, last time a book I entered didn't get through, the cut off point for finalists was 32 points and my books both got an honourable mention for scoring 31. So I think that sometimes, if all the books score highly they just take the top eleven or whatever it is and put those through. They'll probably say in the feedback. I hope they will.
Pam wrote: "M.T. wrote: "Yay. Top going Alicia. Everything feels a bit meh partly because of world events but mainly because none of my entries got anywhere in the Wishing Shelf Awards. I wasn't honestly exp..."
Purgatory was a finalist a few years back, but when I saw what a long list of finalists they had in my category, I stopped being excited, and I was very unimpressed by their review.
I got the impression their judges included a large number of elementary schoolteachers, and I never expected to have that group in my 'target demographic.'
Alicia wrote: "Pam wrote: "M.T. wrote: "Yay. Top going Alicia. Everything feels a bit meh partly because of world events but mainly because none of my entries got anywhere in the Wishing Shelf Awards. I wasn't ..."
Oh that's not good. Part of the reason I entered was to have the book read by two adult readers groups, in London and Stockholm. I think they are sending out the non-finalist feedback in order of the categories starting with the youngest children's so it'll be a while before we see ours I think.
I'm not going to speculate - I did that back then - but let's just say having PC named 2021 Best Contemporary novel by Indies Today (you know how we SPAs don't limit things to strictly the previous calendar year) restored my faith in the external system.The IT review was beautiful and perfect, and the award on top of it completely unexpected, so I'm content for now. You get a little shaky sometimes.
Another chapter finished: 8819 words, for an interesting total: 177,777.No fudging the data. Amused me. Message from the universe? Like your car odometer rolling over somehow?
Two chapters, 6 scenes, to go - so Netherworld will be a bit longer than Purgatory (167K).
I keep looking for stuff to cut, and hope my beta reader will bless what she likes, and diplomatically point out any excesses.
My beta reader blessed the last chapter she processed (36) - and added 38 to her queue. She gave 38 the 'first quick read' and didn't tell me I've gone off the rails!If it were not for her, I'd wonder if I still had it. My brain is so erratic, and my writing process so weird, that sometimes I wonder if I can keep this up.
Which makes me hyper-alert to each finished scene and chapter. I go over them time and again, listen - in sections and to the whole, run through so many iterations of Autocrit making sure readers won't mention I've used the same words too often, and still worry until my lovely Rachel gets back to me.
Other eyes on the work - priceless!
Yep, it's definitely a good thing to have people read your stuff. I saved about £300 on the editing costs for Too Good To Be True by having ten people read it though. They all found typos, but very few of them found the same ones. On the productivity front. I have done a bit of writing this week but things keep happening and I've had to stop to go over the last short I wrote to make sure it's as decent as possible before I send it to Gareth to record.
You are so blessed to have ten people beta read for you!
Alicia wrote: "You are so blessed to have ten people beta read for you!"Yeh, I am very lucky. They don’t always all do it but I can usually get five or six of them to go over it and it makes a huge difference. :-)
Helloooo! Hope everyone is dandy. Did some writing yesterday and hope to do some more today. Just about to start.
Hope you're dandy, too.Got a few bits of fiction out of the way - epigraphs and chapter titles for the last two chapters.
Still recovering from the second booster, but it is getting better - small price to pay, but not fun while I was in it.
Now the race to the end - and I won't have to do the titles and epigraphs after I finish the chapters, as I usually do.
All my organization is coming to a head, and this makes it worth the time it took.
Excellent! Nice going Alicia. I did a couple of bits yesterday but I'm a bit fogged at the moment. It's the Mum mortgage thing. If there's a big financial thing happening it always drags everything else down because there's no brainpower left for anything else.
M.T. wrote: "Excellent! Nice going Alicia. I did a couple of bits yesterday but I'm a bit fogged at the moment. It's the Mum mortgage thing. If there's a big financial thing happening it always drags everything..."I know what you mean - the finances must be done, and they supersede everything else in priority. Hope you get yours finished soon - ours needs attention, and some of my rare good time.
Alicia wrote: "M.T. wrote: "Excellent! Nice going Alicia. I did a couple of bits yesterday but I'm a bit fogged at the moment. It's the Mum mortgage thing. If there's a big financial thing happening it always dra..."Yeh, it's annoying isn't it? We were expecting the firm McOther works for to float so we were going to get a sizeable bonus that would have meant we could fund the mortgage ourselves. Plus be confident that even if we both accrue care fees McMini will still inherit something.
Unfortunately with the market as it is the firm has decided not to float - thanks for that Vlad you knob. McOther will be retired before they do. On the upside, it makes the mortgage decision simpler.
Wrote a blog post yesterday. Quite an eventful morning. https://mtmcguire.wordpress.com/2022/...
Vlad the Impaler has much to answer for. This is when I always wish I had super powers. A nice lightning bolt going off nearby as a warning...
Alicia wrote: "Vlad the Impaler has much to answer for. This is when I always wish I had super powers. A nice lightning bolt going off nearby as a warning..."Yeh, he's definitely behaving like a nutter.
1568 words, one more scene. Five to go. I had two weeks of brain fog thick as pea soup, moved some meds around, and it worked better the last two days. Can't write with the fog - I'm like a zombie.This isn't polished yet - but that part usually takes time and effort, not that much in the creativity department, so it should be done today. I got precisely from where I was to where I wanted to be, so the brain might have been doing something subconscious while raging against the dying of the light.
Anyone else get stuck when near the end of a book?
Alicia wrote: "1568 words, one more scene. Five to go. I had two weeks of brain fog thick as pea soup, moved some meds around, and it worked better the last two days. Can't write with the fog - I'm like a zombie...."The place I usually get stuck at the middle. And true to form, I have been very very stuck. I knew I'd gone off in the wrong direction and the only way to sort that out is to go back to the place where I went the wrong way. But there were several candidates and I wrote quite a lot before I worked out where is gone wrong. I worked it out and hopefully I have now travelled 850 words in the right direction today. Fingers crossed!
M.T. wrote: "I worked it out and hopefully I have now travelled 850 words in the right direction today...."The perils of pantsing - but also the pleasure of just letting yourself go in the new direction. At least all the writing is practice letting words come out freely.
Fingers crossed with you.
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