Tuesday writing update
After a day off from writing to spend some time with my wife before she set off on a business trip, I have been back at the keyboard tonight and, although it wasn't as easy going as it has been, writing definitely happened.
It didn't get off to the best of starts. I re-read the end of the previous scene to know where to pick things up from and didn't like it. So I broke the first rule of first drafts. I rewrote it. In fact I rewrote it five times. And if I'm honest I am not totally happy with that sixth version. However I did finally accept that I had it as good as I was going to get it for now and moved on. I can always give it another think when I come to do the first revision.
Hmm, thinking about it this isn't really the first draft, or at least not yet. This is my second attempt at this novel and I'm still in the rewrite phase. The first attempt, last year, just didn't happen. I had it in my head that because the MC is a teenager then it was a young adult novel. Having re-read what I had written a year ago and the notes in the notebook about the story the one obvious thing was it wasn't a young adult story; or at least not as overtly young adult as I was aiming for.
In truth there's not going to be much in it that would disqualify it from ya status but I needed to not deliberately constrain myself during the writing phase. Editing could always smooth out any non-ya edges if I want to move it back in that direction but for now I need to just tell the story.
Anyway with the re-writing too many times of that scene behind me I moved on to the next scene - a funeral rite in the religion that's central to the novel. This was one of the longest scenes I've ever written eventually finishing on 1,501 words. Normally I like scenes to be between 450 and 700 words so it keeps the pace of the story going and gives any readers some easy break points. (I like easy break points when reading,)
But with the religion as key as it is to the story I had to go into detail. I need to use some of these bits later so wanted to introduce them early. Going to give it a couple of days then re-read it. I'm hoping it won't be too information heavy but we will see. I might have to ease up a little.
Away from the current WiP one fun piece of writing news. The bookmarks for the Stairs Lead Down have arrived at the publisher. She tweeted a picture of the newly opened box containing a thousand bookmarks so I thought I'd share it here.
I'm looking forward to having a few of these so I can hand them out to people. I must remember to hold onto a few. I want souvenirs of my writing myself. I have heard one or two tales form authors who have inadvertently run out of their promo stuff and regretted it. I'm going to keep a plastic crate to hold my secret stash (not that secret if I'm announcing it I know). I'm going to put everything related to my writing in it. And once in there it does NOT ever leave, apart from when I need a boost.
But with a thousand of the bookmarks one thing I do know is anyone who is going to Huddersfield Haunting a week on Sunday is likely to leave with at least one of them. If you are going come up and say hi. You won't be able to miss me - I'm over two metres tall and have white hair.
It didn't get off to the best of starts. I re-read the end of the previous scene to know where to pick things up from and didn't like it. So I broke the first rule of first drafts. I rewrote it. In fact I rewrote it five times. And if I'm honest I am not totally happy with that sixth version. However I did finally accept that I had it as good as I was going to get it for now and moved on. I can always give it another think when I come to do the first revision.
Hmm, thinking about it this isn't really the first draft, or at least not yet. This is my second attempt at this novel and I'm still in the rewrite phase. The first attempt, last year, just didn't happen. I had it in my head that because the MC is a teenager then it was a young adult novel. Having re-read what I had written a year ago and the notes in the notebook about the story the one obvious thing was it wasn't a young adult story; or at least not as overtly young adult as I was aiming for.
In truth there's not going to be much in it that would disqualify it from ya status but I needed to not deliberately constrain myself during the writing phase. Editing could always smooth out any non-ya edges if I want to move it back in that direction but for now I need to just tell the story.
Anyway with the re-writing too many times of that scene behind me I moved on to the next scene - a funeral rite in the religion that's central to the novel. This was one of the longest scenes I've ever written eventually finishing on 1,501 words. Normally I like scenes to be between 450 and 700 words so it keeps the pace of the story going and gives any readers some easy break points. (I like easy break points when reading,)
But with the religion as key as it is to the story I had to go into detail. I need to use some of these bits later so wanted to introduce them early. Going to give it a couple of days then re-read it. I'm hoping it won't be too information heavy but we will see. I might have to ease up a little.
Away from the current WiP one fun piece of writing news. The bookmarks for the Stairs Lead Down have arrived at the publisher. She tweeted a picture of the newly opened box containing a thousand bookmarks so I thought I'd share it here.
I'm looking forward to having a few of these so I can hand them out to people. I must remember to hold onto a few. I want souvenirs of my writing myself. I have heard one or two tales form authors who have inadvertently run out of their promo stuff and regretted it. I'm going to keep a plastic crate to hold my secret stash (not that secret if I'm announcing it I know). I'm going to put everything related to my writing in it. And once in there it does NOT ever leave, apart from when I need a boost.
But with a thousand of the bookmarks one thing I do know is anyone who is going to Huddersfield Haunting a week on Sunday is likely to leave with at least one of them. If you are going come up and say hi. You won't be able to miss me - I'm over two metres tall and have white hair.
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