McAnally's (The Community Pub) > Author Craft
When writing, you know you are in trouble when...
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--- Quote from: Enjorous on September 06, 2011, 05:36:17 PM ---...when a side project becomes more interesting to you then the main project it was supposed to supplement, despite having next to no conflict.
--- End quote ---
Eh, my latest project, whatever it is, is usually the most fun, no matter how much has gone into it or what the last project was... Is that a bad sign?
cenwolfgirl:
you know when your intruble when you start in one tense (the first person)
and end up in a compleatly diffrent one about halth way though (therd person)
or am i the only one who has that problem?
meg_evonne:
--- Quote from: cenwolfgirl on December 21, 2011, 04:40:57 PM ---you know when your intruble when you start in one tense (the first person)
and end up in a compleatly diffrent one about halth way though (therd person)
or am i the only one who has that problem?
--- End quote ---
Thankfully, it never happens these days, but yes it is a common problem. Perhaps it's more a matter that your mind hasn't decided which POV (and also verb tense) choice to use. In that case, it isn't a problem, they are a wonderful subconscious suggestion that you should consider carefully. Still, it is frustrating as H***, isn't it? I took a class with an editor at Philomel who made that comment to me one time. Once she made it? Things just clicked. My subconscious was more on the money than I was!
belial.1980:
You could be in trouble when you're not really sure who the main antagonist is. (So many to choose from). Another bad sign: you've spent the better part of two months brainstorming an outline, only to discover that it's just not going to work after writing 15 pages of actual prose. >:(
On a high note, as I write this post, I find myself subconsciously answering a lot of the lingering questions in my mind. So, the story's not a complete wash. I just need to weed through the peripherals and find its center.
--- Quote from: cenwolfgirl on December 21, 2011, 04:40:57 PM ---you know when your intruble when you start in one tense (the first person)
and end up in a compleatly diffrent one about halth way though (therd person)
or am i the only one who has that problem?
--- End quote ---
I tend to write in the present tense when I'm scrawling down the first version of a scene. I often do this for a half page or so to jump start the scene and try to feel out if it's really worth pursuing.
As far as first vs. third person goes...You might try presenting some first person voice narration as journal entries (or blogs, case files, etc.) in a story that's told from the 3rd person POV. I'd recommend being judicious with it, but I've seen it done before in published novels. It can add an interesting dynamic to a story as the first person is usually more intimate.
cenwolfgirl:
Thanks for all yo help with my tens problem
its hopuly will stop me from changing tenses halth way though :)!
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