6/11/10
Change of plans
So, uh. Something has come up that I need to address as soon as possible, and I can only do it over the summer. Won't bore anyone with the details, but--expect me to a be a bit slack in the writing department while I try to get the other arts under control.
6/7/10
Aftermath
So. The surgery went well. Other than an IV and some stabbity-wounds (including one from a painful missed IV), I'm better than I have been in a long time.
Now, off to writing words...
Now, off to writing words...
6/5/10
Nifty Post (or lack thereof)
So, I never wrote said nifty posts (family visit'd). Instead, I have a status update. Sorta.
Just a heads-up on what I'm doing right now: over the next week or so, I intend to go through some of my older stuff and fix it up, maybe post some stuff that I haven't posted before. (None of the typical stuff, though.) I'm also writing a gift piece that I won't be putting up anywhere (unless the recipient chooses to do so).
With all that, and the ablation coming up Monday (almost tomorrow, at this time), I don't think I'll have much time in the next week with which to write more "Six." Go figure.
Oh, well. This will probably be the last post before I go in for the procedure. Results will probably be up... uh, whenever. lololol
Just a heads-up on what I'm doing right now: over the next week or so, I intend to go through some of my older stuff and fix it up, maybe post some stuff that I haven't posted before. (None of the typical stuff, though.) I'm also writing a gift piece that I won't be putting up anywhere (unless the recipient chooses to do so).
With all that, and the ablation coming up Monday (almost tomorrow, at this time), I don't think I'll have much time in the next week with which to write more "Six." Go figure.
Oh, well. This will probably be the last post before I go in for the procedure. Results will probably be up... uh, whenever. lololol
6/4/10
Six'd
I post'd the next chapter of "Six" over on FFN, for anyone who's interested.
Hopefully tomorrow I'll have time to write some nifty posts.
Hopefully tomorrow I'll have time to write some nifty posts.
6/3/10
Editing
So, right now I'm going through chapters of "Six" and of some other stuff I've written and trying to tidy them up for publication. I'm noticing that a lot of the stuff I thought I did well, I actually did horrible; and some of the stuff I was afraid would be bad is actually decent.
The point is: nothing is ever going to be as you think it is as you are writing it. No matter how good you are or how much experience you have, you're always going to be surprised when you go back and read through what you've written. Most of the time, the words on the page are not exactly what you'd intended to say, and you have to fix that as you go back through and read.
But that's not all editing is. Sometimes, the story, not the words, doesn't go in the right direction. Sometimes you realize that you're trying to intrude on it, force it to go where you want it to (I'm as guilty of that as anyone else). That's when editing gets hard, because you have to use your discretion to decide what needs changing.
I'm at a point in "Six" right now that I have some major plot decisions coming up, and I'm not really sure how to tackle them. Sure, I've tackled them roughly; but I can do better, and I know that the story, as it is, is not heading in a good direction. That means I'm going to be spending a good bit of time editing these next chapters to get it on track--that means getting rid of some of the stuff I'd originally felt was necessary and modifying some pretty important plot points to make the story stronger.
(Note: this is not butchering the story to make it read better to the fandom. This is undoing the butchering I've already done and returning the story to the state it should be. You have to learn the difference.)
With each scene I introduce in these next chapters, I focus on tension. The problem is that the story has enough tension as it is.
When you're writing, especially with drama and suspense, you need to ask yourself constantly, "What will make the readers want to turn the page?" (I think that's something that just about every writer has to be aware of in order to be a success.) But you also need to ask yourself, "Where is this story going?"
Right now, I have the suspense and drama building to a boiling point. What I don't have is a direction, and my task in editing for these next few days is to find it.
(For the record, I have to do things like this regularly. Nothing that I or anyone else writes will ever automatically turn to gold; writing is about work ethic as much as it is about talent.)
In music, everything one plays needs to lead somewhere, else it's just a bunch of noise. It can be good noise, but it won't be music. The same can be said with writing. Focus on fundamentals and readability all you want, but without a clear character arc (or something to follow), it is not a story.
rantrantrant
The point is: nothing is ever going to be as you think it is as you are writing it. No matter how good you are or how much experience you have, you're always going to be surprised when you go back and read through what you've written. Most of the time, the words on the page are not exactly what you'd intended to say, and you have to fix that as you go back through and read.
But that's not all editing is. Sometimes, the story, not the words, doesn't go in the right direction. Sometimes you realize that you're trying to intrude on it, force it to go where you want it to (I'm as guilty of that as anyone else). That's when editing gets hard, because you have to use your discretion to decide what needs changing.
I'm at a point in "Six" right now that I have some major plot decisions coming up, and I'm not really sure how to tackle them. Sure, I've tackled them roughly; but I can do better, and I know that the story, as it is, is not heading in a good direction. That means I'm going to be spending a good bit of time editing these next chapters to get it on track--that means getting rid of some of the stuff I'd originally felt was necessary and modifying some pretty important plot points to make the story stronger.
(Note: this is not butchering the story to make it read better to the fandom. This is undoing the butchering I've already done and returning the story to the state it should be. You have to learn the difference.)
With each scene I introduce in these next chapters, I focus on tension. The problem is that the story has enough tension as it is.
When you're writing, especially with drama and suspense, you need to ask yourself constantly, "What will make the readers want to turn the page?" (I think that's something that just about every writer has to be aware of in order to be a success.) But you also need to ask yourself, "Where is this story going?"
Right now, I have the suspense and drama building to a boiling point. What I don't have is a direction, and my task in editing for these next few days is to find it.
(For the record, I have to do things like this regularly. Nothing that I or anyone else writes will ever automatically turn to gold; writing is about work ethic as much as it is about talent.)
In music, everything one plays needs to lead somewhere, else it's just a bunch of noise. It can be good noise, but it won't be music. The same can be said with writing. Focus on fundamentals and readability all you want, but without a clear character arc (or something to follow), it is not a story.
rantrantrant
5/31/10
Whoa, a month with only two posts
...but really, it has been a busyish month for me, despite school wrapping up and everything.
So, since I have a lot of stuff to say, I'll just lollist:
1.) The next chapter of "Six" will be up either tomorrow or Friday, depending on some lifey stuff that I'll find out about tomorrow.
2.) Robindf1 and I have a little surprise we might be unveiling soon. Well, more accurately, I have a surprise that was Robin's idea. Dunno when we'll be unveiling it, but it won't be too long from now, I don't think
3.) I am having quasi–heart surgery the monday after next. It's not anything too major--just a catheter ablation, and it has a 96.5% success rate--but it's not exactly comforting. Wish me luck!
4.) I'm going to attend a residential school of the arts next year for music. So, uh, I may be retiring from fanfiction later this year. Or after "Six" is done with, at least, and maybe The Ambassador. We'll see.
5.) You should all go stalk nordguard.blogspot.com. Gogo Blotch girls!
So, since I have a lot of stuff to say, I'll just lollist:
1.) The next chapter of "Six" will be up either tomorrow or Friday, depending on some lifey stuff that I'll find out about tomorrow.
2.) Robindf1 and I have a little surprise we might be unveiling soon. Well, more accurately, I have a surprise that was Robin's idea. Dunno when we'll be unveiling it, but it won't be too long from now, I don't think
3.) I am having quasi–heart surgery the monday after next. It's not anything too major--just a catheter ablation, and it has a 96.5% success rate--but it's not exactly comforting. Wish me luck!
4.) I'm going to attend a residential school of the arts next year for music. So, uh, I may be retiring from fanfiction later this year. Or after "Six" is done with, at least, and maybe The Ambassador. We'll see.
5.) You should all go stalk nordguard.blogspot.com. Gogo Blotch girls!
5/12/10
Back with an update
Sorry I had to disappear off the face of the planet for a while, but eh, like some lulzy post from chaos Leader, (sh)it happens.
Most of said stuff is done with now, and I have loads of free time that I have no clue how to manage. So, hopefully that'll mean moarwriting.
I posted the next chapter of "Six"--it has a few typically not-my-style elements in it, and nothing really happens, but eh, it's a necessary evil. (Or so I think.)
As always, drop me a line to let me know what you think. Hoping these updates will be coming a bit more frequently, but eh, it's been a month or so since I've set fingers to keys in OOo, so we'll see how that works out.
Most of said stuff is done with now, and I have loads of free time that I have no clue how to manage. So, hopefully that'll mean moarwriting.
I posted the next chapter of "Six"--it has a few typically not-my-style elements in it, and nothing really happens, but eh, it's a necessary evil. (Or so I think.)
As always, drop me a line to let me know what you think. Hoping these updates will be coming a bit more frequently, but eh, it's been a month or so since I've set fingers to keys in OOo, so we'll see how that works out.
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