Wishing you a stellar holiday
and a New Year that's out of this world.
Spacefreighters Lounge
~~ * ~~
This greeting will stay up until after the holidays, so check for new posts below.
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Sweating the Small Stuff
I realize the title of this post normally has a Don't in front of it, but when final revisions are being done, it really is time to sweat the small stuff.
Novels (mine, at least) don't get written from beginning to end. They get written in layers. Each layer adds more complexity to characters, themes, plot or setting. Sometimes whole new ideas jump out in later drafts and the information to support those ideas has to be woven in throughout the story.
It's inevitable that, upon doing revisions on page 499, I realize: "Oik! I need to change something on page 5 to support, introduce and/or foreshadow this." Since it's counterproductive to leave the scene I'm slaving over and hit the Go To button to backtrack, I make a "Go To List" of things I need to fix/add/enhance earlier in the book.
My Go To List might include:
1. Ideas or details to be worked into the WIP
2. Scenes that need to be incorporated
3. Elements that need to be added, enhanced or brought forward in more detail
and after doing all of the above, there's a final step:
4. Do at least two complete read-throughs for continuity, orderly plot progression and character development. (Did I find problems? Start another Go To list.)
I often use keywords to prod my memory. Here's an example of a current Go To List from P2PC:
Cradle
Epic
Uniforms
Ship-to-ship protocol
Gull
Munchkins
Cambriar blossoms
(A couple of my critters probably "get" at least two of those seemingly random references.)
OK, it's back to sweating the small stuff for me. I hope you all had a fantastic holiday and your muse is recharged and ready for duty.
Novels (mine, at least) don't get written from beginning to end. They get written in layers. Each layer adds more complexity to characters, themes, plot or setting. Sometimes whole new ideas jump out in later drafts and the information to support those ideas has to be woven in throughout the story.
It's inevitable that, upon doing revisions on page 499, I realize: "Oik! I need to change something on page 5 to support, introduce and/or foreshadow this." Since it's counterproductive to leave the scene I'm slaving over and hit the Go To button to backtrack, I make a "Go To List" of things I need to fix/add/enhance earlier in the book.
My Go To List might include:
1. Ideas or details to be worked into the WIP
2. Scenes that need to be incorporated
3. Elements that need to be added, enhanced or brought forward in more detail
and after doing all of the above, there's a final step:
4. Do at least two complete read-throughs for continuity, orderly plot progression and character development. (Did I find problems? Start another Go To list.)
I often use keywords to prod my memory. Here's an example of a current Go To List from P2PC:
Cradle
Epic
Uniforms
Ship-to-ship protocol
Gull
Munchkins
Cambriar blossoms
(A couple of my critters probably "get" at least two of those seemingly random references.)
OK, it's back to sweating the small stuff for me. I hope you all had a fantastic holiday and your muse is recharged and ready for duty.
Saturday, December 15, 2007
P2PC Backstory: Variations on a Theme
In developing the characters for P2PC, I realized that the three principle characters all have something in common; they are refugees from their pasts--each in a very different way. Each suffers from grief and confusion over a life-altering event. They have all endured personal torment. They all have inner demons to defeat. One of the characters even seems to have benefitted, until the reader is clued in how their life was impacted. (Yes, I'm intentionally being non-gender specific here.)
P2PC has three protagonists--one male and two females--though two of the protags become enemies. In a twist, the lives of the two who are at odds end up having close parallels. It takes a violent confrontation to reveal the common ground.
The characters all deal with their loss differently--by escaping from it, by swearing to avenge it, and by living in denial. Eventually, they all have to face it.
Backstory is always one of elements I enjoy discovering, whether I'm writing the tale or reading it. The novel begins at a place and a point in time, but what came before defines how the characters will act, feel, and respond to other characters and their environment. It's the buried treasure chest waiting to be uncovered. But what's inside? Is it bright and shiny or dark and twisty? (Dark and twisty is so much more fun.)
When I sit down with a story idea and begin working, I don't know every nuance of the characters or their pasts. These elements come to light as the story evolves.
I think that's why writing is such an addiction for some (*raises hand*), because it's constant discovery and you never know what surprises and revelations await you. Writing a story is, as Forest Gump said: "...like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're going to get."
P2PC has three protagonists--one male and two females--though two of the protags become enemies. In a twist, the lives of the two who are at odds end up having close parallels. It takes a violent confrontation to reveal the common ground.
The characters all deal with their loss differently--by escaping from it, by swearing to avenge it, and by living in denial. Eventually, they all have to face it.
Backstory is always one of elements I enjoy discovering, whether I'm writing the tale or reading it. The novel begins at a place and a point in time, but what came before defines how the characters will act, feel, and respond to other characters and their environment. It's the buried treasure chest waiting to be uncovered. But what's inside? Is it bright and shiny or dark and twisty? (Dark and twisty is so much more fun.)
When I sit down with a story idea and begin working, I don't know every nuance of the characters or their pasts. These elements come to light as the story evolves.
I think that's why writing is such an addiction for some (*raises hand*), because it's constant discovery and you never know what surprises and revelations await you. Writing a story is, as Forest Gump said: "...like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're going to get."
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Champagne All Around. I Did it!!!
*corkpop* Yes! I am BACK! Internet problems RESOLVED late this afternoon. *deep breath* Ahhhhhh! Feels great to be able to move around cyberspace again, no longer frozen in time.
Lots to fill you in on! :D
P2PC is DONE!!!! Wooo hooooo! I finished at 3:21 pm this afternoon. Dark & Twisty ending ensues. After deciding to throw word count to the wind and write as many dang words as the ending needed, I'm up to about 110,700 words. Not too horrible, and I'm sure I'll loose some with trims, but I'm expecting the final product around 105,000 - 106,000 or so. *sticks out tongue at the 95,000 word rule* Neener, neener.
I very happy with it. Drea stays more true to herself during the whole Ryn-pulls-the-wool-over-Sair's-eyes episode. She becomes divided between her cold professional pilot self who sees the value in the high-risk mission and her warmer feminine side who loves Sair and is terrified of losing him.
I think Ryn comes across as--well, still a pompous jerk at times--but a by-the-regulations senior officer who for the first time realizes he has something very important to lose--Zjel. And she ranks at least as high in priority as his carrying out his father's vision, but he has a hard time showing or expressing that in clear terms. He's divided. (Yep, runs in the family. hehe) Does he get the girl in the end? Well, you'll have to read the novel. LOL Sair affixes a term to their relationship that popped into my my head when I was writing a scene and I love it! It's a running theme through the various events, now.
The new ending. I wasn't happy with the last one. In fact, I haven't been happy with the last three. What I did, at last, is crammed most of the important elements of Book 2 into one chapter. *turns on trash compacter* Yup, the story wraps and I think that's what my instincts were telling me needed to happen. I can still write other books in this universe. There's Jagger's story, the kids, and cousin, Daava [Jaeo's estranged daughter] who never came out of the woodwork on this one, and many others. Oh yes, and D'nar Rand...the evil personna who haunted the Toasted Scimitar Halloween chat, and kept sprinkling salt on all the guests.
Well, back to work tomorrow but I am a happy camper tonight. I reached my goal of completing my novel before my leave was over. Nothing but tweaks, tightening and tidying ahead. Oh yes, and writing the synopsis and query letter. *Does Bugs Bunny contortions* ACK!
*skips off to her bed, whistling I Can See Clearly Now*
Lots to fill you in on! :D
P2PC is DONE!!!! Wooo hooooo! I finished at 3:21 pm this afternoon. Dark & Twisty ending ensues. After deciding to throw word count to the wind and write as many dang words as the ending needed, I'm up to about 110,700 words. Not too horrible, and I'm sure I'll loose some with trims, but I'm expecting the final product around 105,000 - 106,000 or so. *sticks out tongue at the 95,000 word rule* Neener, neener.
I very happy with it. Drea stays more true to herself during the whole Ryn-pulls-the-wool-over-Sair's-eyes episode. She becomes divided between her cold professional pilot self who sees the value in the high-risk mission and her warmer feminine side who loves Sair and is terrified of losing him.
I think Ryn comes across as--well, still a pompous jerk at times--but a by-the-regulations senior officer who for the first time realizes he has something very important to lose--Zjel. And she ranks at least as high in priority as his carrying out his father's vision, but he has a hard time showing or expressing that in clear terms. He's divided. (Yep, runs in the family. hehe) Does he get the girl in the end? Well, you'll have to read the novel. LOL Sair affixes a term to their relationship that popped into my my head when I was writing a scene and I love it! It's a running theme through the various events, now.
The new ending. I wasn't happy with the last one. In fact, I haven't been happy with the last three. What I did, at last, is crammed most of the important elements of Book 2 into one chapter. *turns on trash compacter* Yup, the story wraps and I think that's what my instincts were telling me needed to happen. I can still write other books in this universe. There's Jagger's story, the kids, and cousin, Daava [Jaeo's estranged daughter] who never came out of the woodwork on this one, and many others. Oh yes, and D'nar Rand...the evil personna who haunted the Toasted Scimitar Halloween chat, and kept sprinkling salt on all the guests.
Well, back to work tomorrow but I am a happy camper tonight. I reached my goal of completing my novel before my leave was over. Nothing but tweaks, tightening and tidying ahead. Oh yes, and writing the synopsis and query letter. *Does Bugs Bunny contortions* ACK!
*skips off to her bed, whistling I Can See Clearly Now*
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