WrtgLessons

While I've been puzzling out the plot-intricacies of my book, I've been thinking a lot about plots, and plotting theory, and all kinds of plot-related things.  Which brought me to thinking about plot-heavy books... and in the midst of all my thinking, I was able to put some concepts into words that weren't there before.

Let's start by defining "plot-heavy" or "wholly plot-driven" as: a book with only minimal characterization and scene setting. (Read more)

Read a book over the weekend that I wanted to throw against the wall, and made me tempted to not read the author again, even though I've very much liked many of her previous books.  (Book is a historical romance)

Heroine was raised by her gambler-rake of a father and carted all over hell and back while her father gambled to earn money.  Heroine believed her mother died when she was two, and heroine's only friend is a make-believe-sister.  Needless to say, with this upbringing, the heroine is convinced she's so ruined in society that she'll never marry.  The book basically begins when she learns of her father's death.

**long story ensues, then toward the very end**

Heroine finds out that father's very much alive, but the reason that he hasn't bothered to get in touch with her is because father has spent the last couple months with mother (who isn't dead either) and twin sister (who shares name of imaginary sister).  (Read more)

Once the realization of the previous post settled into my psyche, I began to have mental cows. 

Sure, most of the first 10 pages were backstory, but those pages were actually frontstory because they were what the character was actually thinking and feeling as the story began.  The experience and story of the first 10 pages were true to who the character was, they were true to her life, they were true to her past, they were true to her experience and to the unfoldment of her day.

You see, Sarah has been a real person to me since I began writing her story over three years ago.  She came to me as a whole person.  Yes, along the way I've discovered more about her, but the essence of who she is, her personality and her aliveness, hasn't changed a bit. (Read more)

 I typed in 3000 new words on my story today, but it feels like it was cheating because they were long-hand words, and not original words I typed at the computer. It is cheating to say I did 3000 words today when I wrote them yesterday and the day before?

But the cool thing is I'm officially over the 50k word mark. YAH!! It feels good to know I really can get past the first 10k words. And the plot took another little twist while I was typing words in, so it's fun even at that point I can still be surprised. (Read more)

 Why does the inspiration come at night, when all I want to do is sleep?

Last night, for over an hour after I'd intended to be asleep, I had visions of events 175 years ago dancing in my head. Finally, a reasonable, rational, logistically feasible course of events that ended up with three people dead, in such a manner that nobody's character was compromised, and set in motion events that lead to four romances. That's cool! I'd always hated my previous take on events, but hadn't been able to fix it. And I wrote it all down so I wouldn't forget it...

But why then? When all I wanted to do was sleep? Why not this morning, when I'm sitting in front of my computer waiting for inspiration? And now, after being awake so late last night... all I want to do is sleep!

Obviously that is one of the unwritten rules of writing: (Read more)

 Been sitting on my manuscript re-edit for the last several weeks, trying to decide whether I'm procrastinating or letting it jell, and every few days I come up with a new insight into the story that makes me glad that I didn't start the edit.

Today I had another one, that again made me glad that I didn't start. The good news is that this one isn't a 'duh!' one like the last several have been. This one is vital, and I thought of it the first time around, but I didn't portray it well.

What is my heroine angry about?

Ah... that question raises a lot of things that she's angry about, and not reacting appropriately to in the current version of the manuscript. The biggest though is: She's in major denial over most of her anger, so how do I show her anger while she remains in denial?

This should prove interesting. Much to think about. (Read more)

 Today I'm working on making new characterization sheets, which I meant to do yesterday... except that everything got side-tracked after walking by #2-son's and #4-son's bedrooms yesterday morning and totally losing it.

After a screaming fit at #2-son ("You'd better clean your bedroom or I'm going to and that won't be a pretty sight!!"), I stood over #4-son for the next 3 hours as he cleaned his room. Some parts of my help he didn't appreciate, like when I emptied his closet onto the floor. But after 4 kitchen-sized bags of trash, and 5 baskets full of dirty laundry, and things taken out that belonged other places... he has a floor! and everything has a place to go! Amazing! (Mom being snide). The cool thing, though, was when we got done and he stepped into his room to look around and he (11yo) said, "Mom! You worked a miracle!" Awwhhhh... <sniff> (Read more)

 You know... there's only so much 'feeling like a moron' that a smart person can take before I just want to end it all.

What now? you ask, being exceedingly kind and hiding the snide laughter that is threatening to burst forth, because Jackie is known for being a bit of a know-it-all.

Well, I say, you know my little problem I'm having editing this *&$@$ manuscript? Well, um, you see, I had lunch yesterday with a friend, and as usual, I was ranting about this edit. And, typical of this friend, he goes into fix-it mode and tries to pin me down as to what the problem might be. And guess what the first words out of my mouth were? I really can't get into my heroine's head because I really don't like her.

And the really stupid thing is now long it took me to realize the significance of what I said!!

If I don't like her... how can anybody else like her?!?!?!

Yes, now you can laugh. <grumble, grumble> (Read more)

 My critiquing of the contest entries ended up better than I thought, and I actually got seven of the twelve done. Yah!!! And the best news is that five of the seven actually ended up being surprisingly good, given their awful beginnings.  (Read more)

 I really hate having to relearn lessons over and over again. <sigh>

Okay, I divided the impossible project into do-able tasks... but I still can't get started! Why?!?!

Well, DUH!

If the tape I have running endlessly in my head is: "I hate editing. I can't do it. I hate editing". How blasted far do I think I'm going to get? <sigh, again>

Okay... relearn lesson #23: Create positive mental tapes and repeat constantly, until the task is done.

Yeah, yeah, I get it. <digging through the tape bin> Ah-hah! Here it is! A little dusty, since it hasn't been used since my last massive edit, but still usable.

"Editing is easy, mistakes are obvious, and changes flow freely." Repeat as necessary.