In Love With A Killer
So last night, while laying in bed, after drinking coffee at 9 PM (what was I SMOKING? :pirate: ) I came up with the most fabulous blog post……..*sigh* then the cat started licking my hair and I fell asleep (this after listening to him wheeze in my ear for an hour).
I do remember it was about writing so I’m going to ramble a while and see if it comes back to me. I’m currently working on what will be my fifth Kensington manuscript…but like my *gulp* fifTEENTH manuscript (not all of them finished, one I rewrote, 2 twenty five page proposals, lots and lots of words). Even though I’m probalby less than fifty pages in, writing SCREWED has been an amazingly pleasant experience. I don’t think I’ve felt this relaxed writing in a book in…years.
Yes, years.
I’ll confess…I’m in love with my new WIP…yes I am. It’s not word-vomit but a slow steady thoughtful writing pace that’s enjoyable. I know I know…It’s that honeymoon phase…the one that lasts until about page 100 or so, then from 200-300 we fight and scrap and I pull my hair a lot and cry and whine to my poor friends and then from 300 to the end I’m like, “YES YES YES I’m SO DONE WITH YOU!!!!!” And then I do it all over again (though I’m really interested in seeing if this book’s different). Sometimes that first 100 pages pours out of me like the proverbial … orgasm … sometimes it’s like childbirth even at the beginning. I recognize my process so I don’t find this alarming at all.
Here’s how it goes…….write, around page 200 or so revisit the plot and make adjustments, scream and cry, write some more, print it out, edit, send it to the CP’s, edit again, send it off to my editor. I do edit some as I go but not a lot which means that before my editor sees it I only edit twice.
Why? Because a) I tend to write pretty clean copy and b) if I can’t fix it in two passes, it ain’t fixable. I figure after that second pass, its more a matter of shuffling words, than anything. Now I’m NOT saying I’m perfect or anything like that, but I’ve seen writers who worked on something for so long they edited their voice right out of it. I’ve never wanted to be one of those writers, so I figured out a technique that works for me.
I also plot linearly (is that even a word?)….boxes give me hives.
Inevitably when I edit, I add IN more than I take out because adding description and more importantly, introspection are my big weaknesses. Fifteen manuscripts or not, I rely heavily on my crit partners to keep me honest, and smack me upside the head. I’m human.
So what’s your technique? What’s your weakness, where do you catch yourself falling down on the job? What advice would you give a newbie writer?
Mine would be PRINT IT (edit on paper) and don’t fear rejection (because you’ll get lots of them).
Talk amongst yourselves.
January 15th, 2008 at 11:40 am
[…] So I’m over at NAS today talking the writing process and I sat down to count… I’m currently working on what will […]
January 15th, 2008 at 2:25 pm
Thanks for posting this. I always get a little paranoid when I hear people talk about their 3 or 4 rewrite… huh? I thought I was doing something wrong. I’m a pantser, or should I say, the plotting is in my head. I don’t write it down. I move from one chapter to the next. No skipping around for me as I’ve heard some people do when they’re stuck. Me? I’m just stuck until I wiggle my way out of it! :???: But I’m with you, after the second pass, it’s just rearranging words and a person can do that forever and never finish.
January 15th, 2008 at 2:48 pm
Nina…I have to plot but don’t consider myself a true plotter. I just can’t think that hard (but I can give you a thumbnail sketch of a story).
When I get stuck I look for a way out of the corner too. I DO NOT examine the GMC of the way…I just write it and know the GMC will be there. I’m feng shui like that
January 15th, 2008 at 3:09 pm
I tend to write fairly clean. Then I read it through, find the weak spots and grammar stuff, fix it up and then I submit it. I agree with the ‘if I can’t fix it in two passes, it ain’t fixable.’
And I have no idea what you just said here: I also plot linearly (is that even a word?)….boxes give me hives.
Plotting linearly opposed to box? What?! What are either of them.
I’m a pantser who does minimal plotting. I agree with the printing it out to edit, I should be, it just costs so much now! LOL. I’ve taken to editing online still, but changing the font and size. So it’s fresh on the eyes.
January 15th, 2008 at 3:15 pm
I also plot linearly (is that even a word?)….boxes give me hives.
Linear as in The Heroes Journey vs Storyboarding with squares and sticky notes (or even Deb Dixon’s GMC–don’t get me wrong it was a GREAT class. I learned tons but those boxes really freak me out).
Shell…invest in a nice HP laser printer. In the long run it’s worth it. (Also I saved old contest entries and would print out stuff to edit on those to save trees and stuff).
January 15th, 2008 at 5:02 pm
*Sigh* I may have to. I just bought this one for around $100 and that was a big investment for me. I figure if it prints it works. But I only print when I absolutely have to (queries, partials, fulls)it’s not even the paper that kills me (though I am trying to be more green, too!) it’s the ink cartridge. OUCH!
January 15th, 2008 at 5:03 pm
I went to Deb’s workshop and that’s really where I figured out GMC. Though I think most writers do that naturally. Or if they’re good they do. LOL.
January 15th, 2008 at 5:03 pm
I think I paid about 200 for my laser like 2 or 3 years ago. The ink is expensive (about 65.00 a cartridge) but you get a LOT of pages for your buck.
January 15th, 2008 at 6:32 pm
I’m not a huge plotter, I’m more of a combo. And I definitely don’t do tons of rewrites. I write fairly clean, do a couple of read throughs after I’m finished but seriously, a 3rd or 4th rewrite? I would’ve trashed the thing long ago!! LOL
I don’t think I like the thought of my cat wheezing in my ear. Just sayin’.
January 15th, 2008 at 8:16 pm
Contrary to popular belief, I have complete the first run through of a book (it’s a piece of crap, well, maybe only half a piece of crap which is why I’m re-writing it), so I do have a process. I write the story straight through and don’t sweat the small stuff. If I can’t think of a word, I mark it and keep going. If I find I’m using the same word over and over, I highlight and keep going. I know what the H/H look like, so I don’t bother with that the first time through either. The second time is where I add description, details. Then I turn it over to Bebo the literature major for a grammar check.
January 15th, 2008 at 8:24 pm
the cat started licking my hair
What, did he think it was dry and need moisturising? Or does he like your shampoo?
Have a lovely day! :-)
January 15th, 2008 at 9:51 pm
I’ve noticed I tend to edit as I write. I know you’re not supposed to, but I just can’t help myself. I think I’m with Amie. I can tell you the plot, but I don’t have it written down somewhere for the world to know. The only thing I have written down are my characters - on a dry erase board. If not, I forget stupid things…like how I spelled their name! Or, whatever.
January 15th, 2008 at 11:06 pm
If I can’t think of a word, I mark it and keep going.
Bailey I do the same thing!!!!! I even do it for sex scenes.
January 15th, 2008 at 11:07 pm
Tez..I have NO IDEA! But it was very sweet. Every night he sleeps at my feet too. I think it’s actually a sign of affection for them to groom you (I use to have a cat that combed my hair but it was RARE).
January 15th, 2008 at 11:09 pm
Lynn I make a lot of notes–I find I do some of my best writing by hand rather than on the computer though. And I think editing as you go is fine IF you know when to stop–every writer’s process is different.
January 15th, 2008 at 11:42 pm
Aidan eats my hair - weird cat
January 16th, 2008 at 12:22 am
Okay, confession time.
I’m a pantser, I write long hand a lot of the time and edit when typing it in.
I tend to write out of order, kind of like sticking a DVD in and jumping from scene to scene, completely out of order.
I have been know to edit out my voice, sigh.
I’m also rejection phobic. That’s why I have soooo many complete stories that will never get out there. I’m improving and since finding some more like minded people I’ve found something in my middle. I’ve got guts! I’m putting my stuff out there, even if it’s only to a CP at the moment but by the end of Feb (hopefully sooner) I’ll have my first piece to send out. Woohoo….
As a newbie it’s so hard to know what to take on board and what not to. I’ve had some advice I took that completely screwed one MS. Grrrr…
Thanks for bringing this up, it helps to know you’re not alone and that everyone is different.
January 16th, 2008 at 8:56 am
Shelli, with your printer try printing out in draft mode (an option for the printer and the word processer). It will be lighter but save on ink. We bought a laser printer a few years ago and the ink cartridge lasts forever. Well, worth the investment.
As for me, I’m a plotter. I sit down with my idea and play with it to death like a new toy. Then I sit and write straight through. (Note this is only my second completed MS which isn’t really completed.) I usually run out of plot and am reaching the climax at 50K, talk about premature . . . anyway, I’m going back through and replotting via (think I’ll have to duck here) storyboard
. I’ve written 52K words and need to add subplot and more details so I figured what the heck.
My cat used to sleep under the covers between my knees. Cats are weird.
January 16th, 2008 at 2:42 pm
Rachel C I have a friend who not only writes out of order, but can work on more than one wip at a time–as in open multiple files LOL and she’s uber productive.
Also Gena Showalter and Tess Gerritsen write their first drafts by hand (At least Gena did back when she came and spoke to my RWA Chapter). There’s definitely something to be said for it and I often try it when I get stuck.
I’ve had some advice I took that completely screwed one MS. Grrrr…
We’ve ALL probably done this–the best advice I can give you, truly is from SEP …Protect the Work. Congrats on getting your stuff out there.
January 16th, 2008 at 2:43 pm
Amanda it’s so funny…I have another friend who does real technical work (Rachelle Chase) and she’s a heavy plotter too. I wonder if there’s something about folks who use more analytical parts of their brain that they have to plot.
For me, too much plotting takes away the freshness
January 19th, 2008 at 7:45 am
Oh God!
I have the multiple thing happening.
(No body mention attention span.)
I also read the same way, I never have less than three books going at once. Oh God! I’m sick aren’t I????