Had a goal of 70,000 words to write in February, and I missed by a lot. Yesterday was day 630 of writing every day in a row, and it is currently week 91. Finished no new projects this month, and no publications out. But I've got a few ideas for this blog. The word count break-down is below.
Friday Morning Pages: Introduction to Practice
So now, I’m switching focus from “NaNo-friendly” material, to stuff I really want to discuss. As an ML, there were certain topics I just never brought up unless somebody lassoed me into talking about them: politics, religion, rewriting, and practice. I’d occasionally mention practice in passing, depending on who was across the table from me, but never got into it.
Friday Morning Pages: Finishing
A common attitude among beginning writers is this: I’m not ready to write this story, because I don’t want to waste words. I was no exception to this line of thinking. As if words were a limited commodity…
Friday Morning Pages: Endings
Approaching the end of a novel can be quite exciting, especially coming out of the bog that is the middle. You’re checking off scenes from your outline, if you did one. Those of us who don’t outline, can now see ways the book might end. (I’m typically 2-4 chapters from the climax when I can see my ending.)
Friday Morning Pages: The One-Third Point
No matter how experienced you are at writing, every novel suffers the one-third point problem. That is, you write one-third or so of the novel, and then all the energy and momentum disappears. You get stuck. You don’t know what to write next. This is normal.
January Review
Overall, January 2017 was a decent month for me. Not extraordinary, but I'm improving as a writer and becoming more productive. Took me about a week to realize it was a new year and put aside all the weirdness of 2016. Once I regained focus, I mostly worked on finishing projects left over from last year.
Tuesday Fiction: A Vacant Elemental Beauty
The job was supposed to be a simple smash and grab heist. In and back out with loot in hand. But the loot contains a being who can sway Lady Luck. And Brin Callahan isn't the only one in town with an interest in this strange blue teapot. As lucky as she is, Brin and her team are on the run again. The beauty of a wish, as she discovers, is a thief can't have it all.
Friday Morning Pages: Write Scenes
One sentence at a time. Or one page at a time. However you divide up your novel, it should be in small enough chunks to be easily chewed. I tend to focus on the level of scenes. Fifteen minutes here, 250 words there, by the end of the day if I’ve put in enough writing time, I can get a scene.
Tuesday Fiction: On Rabbits, Holes, & Shivs
In Albion's Trial - an MMO game where players plug their brains directly into the server - members of the Rabid Squirrels Guild work together as friends to find the best loot, defeat the toughest monsters, and brave the darkest dungeons. Ormusen and Kalati hunt the Dire White Rabbit. The pesky, rare monster can run... but what is down the bunny hole? Adventure, absurd encounters, and sexual innuendo abound as the two friends dive head first into trouble!
Friday Morning Pages: Depth
Again, this was originally written with the National Novel Writing Month audience in mind, but the technique is important. In fact, I'd argue depth is the most important trick every fiction writer must learn. Learn how to add depth, and your fiction will become more vibrant and colorful.
