Aaralyn’s Song is transforming–and in a good way. The POV shift chapters are developing nicely, marinating, as it were. While I haven’t read things over yet, the experiment has been fun, so far.
Our writing challenge this week on Ali Luke‘s Writers’ Huddle involved a ten-minute writing session. I usually do free writing in short spurts. For this challenge I decided to take a scene and switch it to a different POV character just to see how the scene would unfold through their eyes. It’s a fun experiment and think I’ll give it a whirl on a regular basis. Even if I don’t use the words in my WIP, it sheds new light on my cast of characters. Good stuff.
This weekend, it’s a day downtown with The Sisterhood for music, pedis, and a Japanese dinner. Awesometastic.
I’ve noticed that when I take a relaxing weekend to unwind, the following week yields creative output.
Here’s to a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious sort of weekend. 🙂
It’s all a matter of perspective. At least it is when it comes to my scenes this week for Aaralyn’s Song. I’m experimenting with 1st person, past tense for my protagonist and 3rd person, past tense for the other POV chapters. Taking this route leads to the necessary adjustment of my outline because I want to make sure the right person’s POV is depicted for that particular scene. It’s been an interesting challenge. I wonder if I should write the antagonist in 3rd person, present tense. Maybe even switch up my protag’s POV to 1st person, present tense, too. Obviously, I need to take into account the flow of the story and see if this method works. That’s the cool thing about the drafting stage. Anything is possible.
Last week, I was eager for the weekend, to take time off from writing. That’s not to say I’m not eager for this weekend.
I. Am. So. Very. Ready. For. The. Weekend.
It’s been that kind of week.
But with all this new interest sparking the synapses in my cranium, I’m excited to keep writing. I did promise myself at least a day off per week, but at least this time around, if I want to write this weekend it’s because I’m ready to push forward rather than playing catch up from the week’s craziness.
Day Two in my Revised Revamp for Aaralyn’s Song. Interesting how a couple hundred thousand words later and it’s like the entire experience is brand new. A great motivator, psychologically speaking. You know, when everything’s all shiny and new. It’s like the Honeymoon period of novel writing. I should relish this time in the writing process before the Honeymoon period of excitement wanes around Act Two (a.k.a. The Sagging Middle), but I think we’ve all experienced this as some point.
Possibly because I just wrote two posts in the last two days I don’t have more of an update. This might be my shortest post yet. I’m just thrilled that the Series Renovations, as it were, are going well. Yes, it’s been two days, so far, but I’m going to maintain a lighter perspective.
Traveling today and possibly offline during the weekend. I’ll kick it old school and write when I can with those archaic recording implements (i.e. notebook and pen). But since I don’t have the major WriMo pressures looming over my head (thanks to AugNoWriMo‘s flexible word count and my updated specific writing goals), I just might take both Saturday AND Sunday off. Odds are, this will make me all itchy, as I haven’t done that since February.
So, yay for the brand spankin’ newness of it all. I’ll take all the good vibes I can get as the writing journey rolls on.
I’m thrilled at the breakthrough in my outline revision. Took some MAJOR brainstorming but I’ve breathed new life into my Fractured Tales Series. It’s a departure from my original concept, but that’s all part of the process and I’m stoked! I played around with half a dozen scenarios and put new twists to a story that already had twists built in. Fun times.
Hopping around the interwebs, I’m happy for fellow writers who’ve completed their drafts, revisions, and even got book deals. There’s a buzz of excitement in the writing community and it fuels every writing session I have.
Yesterday, I registered for Candace Havens’ The Book in a Month Club workshop that includes a Fast Draft process where I dismiss my internal editor and churn out twenty pages or 5,000 words a day. Hopefully, I can use the weekend to my advantage. I’ll use this method not only for my current WIP but for potential anthology submissions. Smaller word counts mean an even speedier way to a completed draft. I will need to outline, of course, to ensure I have the proper foundation before I let loose.
Now that I’ve got my compass sorted out with this WIP, I can’t wait to immerse myself in some major writing sessions. Tomorrow, I’ll be writing in the waiting room at the dentist’s office. Anywhere and everywhere, the words are gonna fly.
It’s interesting how much can happen in a fortnight to change the direction of a project, as well as my renewed energy to tackle this head on. No one said it would be easy, but highs and lows, the ride’s been fun because I learn new things everyday about the craft of writing, my WIP, and myself as a writer.
Recall, if you will, my earlier posts, my desire to chronicle the progress and pitfalls of my writing journey. In the week since my last FORAGE, I’ve found myself making a little progress, but for the majority, I thought I’d joined Westley in the
Now, now. You’re probably thinking that my Fractured Tales Series has gone the way of the Dodo, but that’s not true, at all. In fact, I’ve blissfully used the term “drawing board adjacent”. I just needed to take a breather from all the words I was writing and actually look at the meaning behind them.
I get that we’re supposed to reach certain word counts and while that’s admirable, it’s also necessary stay on track. This is where my cookie crumbled. In my flexibility to adapt, I took way too many aspects and the story grew to a complexity that rivals those terrifying algebra test questions that never seem to end.
It took one of the more advanced workshops for me to wrap my brain around the tiny smudge that was daring to become a major plot abyss. I got caught up in all the bells and whistles of what my novel could be that I failed to listen to that bell’s first toll.
To help clear my head, I continued reading books from my TBR list to help inspire me or at least dig around in my brain to find the initial spark that ignited my passion for this WIP in the first place. I was brought back to STARGIRL and its follow-up LOVE, STARGIRL by Jerry Spinelli. I’ve always loved MG and YA books. My WIP is of the YA persuasion although it’s set in a fantasy world. Spinelli draws us into an ordinary world and weaves in ordinary people who do ordinary things and yet, find themselves in sometimes extraordinary circumstances. I will say that Stargirl herself is an extraordinary ordinary character. Not fantasy but I saw the connection of how it could help me see my WIP in a different light. I could see the spark in the distance. It called out to me like an old friend asking how I’d been.
After we got the ‘Long time, no see’ small talk out of the way, I realized that I needn’t overwhelm myself in the drafting process. At the heart of any story, from the most plain to the most complicated, there lies a simplicity that resonates with the reader and it helps them get from Point A to Point B as they turn the page. I’m not saying that simplicity is the same thing as an easy process. No, I’ll have to dig deeper, all the way to the root of my overgrown plot line tree. If I don’t overwhelm myself, I won’t overwhelm the reader. It’s a win-win.
So, what have I learned from all this? What does X equal?
X = the beginning
X = the heart of the story
X = the reason why I wanted to write this story and share it with the world
X = reassessing my strategy
X = not giving up.
I continue the words. I continue the climb. The story’s not over yet. Literally. And now that I’ve gotten over the doldrums–my self-doubt and second guessing have since left the building–I can reconnect with my goals and get back on the path of creating something wonderful. It’s not so much a pitfall as it is a pitstop. If I were in the Indy 500, I’d need to make sure that everything was in good working order throughout the entire race. I think this week, as busy as it was outside of writing, has helped me reevaluate the importance of seeing the bigger picture and not being afraid to change course along the way. The path might have some unexpected twists and turns, but the destination remains the same for this writing journey.
Textploits of the Writerly Persuasion 