Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Useful tips along the epic journey

I am very excited today! Not that something super amazing has happened necessarily but I am getting closer and closer to my end goal. The Manny is almost complete! I am rounding out the final chapters of the GROWING PEAK OF EXCITEMENT through my Chapter Outlines. Things are finally coming together, and now I realize there are some pointers I picked up along the way that I feel are worth sharing.

1) Having an editor to help you along the way, I would recommend a really good friend that can point out “good critiques.” Something that the reader will appreciate as a fix, and not something that doesn’t add to the story what so ever.

2) Don’t be afraid to write total CRAP. I thought at first that I needed to write a chapter, perfect it, edit it, rewrite it, reedit it… but that took SOOOO DAMN LONG!!! Then I thought, how about I just throw up words all over the page in a sense of the story. That didn’t work either…BUT I then realized there is a healthy medium. I write a chapter to get out the idea, I go back and read it to recap the ideas that just went rapid fire through my brain and fix any LARGE problems that I see during the first read through. Then, I MOVE ON!! The big edit can come when the ideas are in place, especially if you have a super awesome cool editor that can comma hunt for you. BECAUSE I LOVE USING TOO MANY COMMAS!!!!!

3) Take a break. I want to say that the idea for this novel hit me about four years ago, but the actual writing connected with me about a year ago. Since then I have taken two somewhat large breaks from writing. One was about a month, the other was about three weeks. I don’t really think about these breaks as NOT WORKING I more like to think of them as brain storming time. I just don’t write as much. I take the time to truly think about my story, and if I still like the direction it’s going. Then one day I get a wild crazy idea for a scene and I am on the go again completely invigorated to write like crazy.

4) Don’t discard ANY forms of critique. Some might be totally dumb in your mind, or change the plot too much for you to want to use that idea. But the truth is that every time you receive a critique there might actually be a form of use out of it. My editor told me two little things about four months ago about what I needed to do to make the story a little more intense from the start. Plot line details….those two little things at first didn’t seem right, BUT after reading through the Manny again I realized she was right. I rewrote pretty much most of the first half of the Manny. All critiques have a valid point….but there is a difference between a critique and an ass just passing judgment. The difference: A) You should rewrite this scene, it doesn’t add to the characters development and it’s a little unorganized in thought for the reader B) you should rewrite this scene because it sucks. “Why?” Just because it does, it sucks. A) is valid and thought provoking, B) is a waste of your time

5) HAVE FUN!!! I can’t tell you how exciting and fun it is to write a story that people are excited about. Every time I feel like I am doing this for no reason and that nothing will ever come from it, I find someone who is interested in the story and I read them the Prologue. Only three people have read it so far, but every time I do that I feel like I remember the reason I started this journey. For me it’s hard work, but the excitement and energy I get from those around me keep me going.

So I am excited to share more with you soon. My deadline is quickly approaching so I apologize if I disappear now and then to “work” it’s only because I don’t want to disappoint. I will get this Manny done, and I hope when the time comes, you will see it published. Also, thank you all for your support and even for reading these blogs, you will be the first to know of any news!!! Be back soon…on to more writing adventures!!!!

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