McAnally's (The Community Pub) > Author Craft
The I'm Writing Thread.... Celebrate your pages written etc
The Deposed King:
--- Quote from: Nickeris86 on February 16, 2012, 04:51:56 AM ---put a few more words down but then I hate them and rewrite them. Its getting really frustrating that i am spending a good long while on a part but my story is not getting any longer.
--- End quote ---
Remember traditional publishers say, if I can't get past the first page I reject it. Then if I can't get through the first chapter I reject it. For online e-books now a days the reader can read the first 10% for free. An average novel length is like 120k. So I guess obsessing over the first 12 thousands words isn't the end of the world.
But anything over 12k and I've got to advise you to give up the ghost and go with the crud you've just written. Most people shoot themselves in the foot. C.J. Cherryh says on her website that she's heard of authors who send their first draft off to the publisher as soon as she's written it. But that's not her experience (somewhere between 30-50 books and counting she's published), she has to go back and edit the total crap out of her manuscripts. Multiple times before she sends it in.
My advice write it bad and move on. You can come back and give it the puff later. IMO its easier to CREATE, than it is to FIX and CREATE at the same time. You try and do both and at least for me I run out of steam and wind down.
Ilona Andrews another author with somewhere around 10 books under her co-writing belt (ilona is the female half of the husband wife team that write the books under the pen name Ilona Andrews) and she says you have to give yourself permission to write total and utter crap here's the link http://www.ilona-andrews.com/writing-tricks/writing-crap#comments
Essentially she says first drafts just plain suck for 95% of the writers out there. To paraphrase her elegant way of putting it. You have to get down with the suckage and be okay with it. Then come back when you are finished and much like a plain hunk of wood that you wouldn't dream of putting in your house, you varnish the bejeebees out of it until its not this ugly hunk of wood. And people gush about all the grain and nice swirls you've managed to capture for their viewing pleasure. Off the wood analogy.
You've taken the first step by writing something. The next step in IMO is being okay with the plain hunk of yuck you've just written. When you've got a full length anything. be it short story, novella or novel. Then its time for the next step. Getting the critisism you need to turn snow white in her ugly coffin, into a princess with a beautiful gown. Then my young Jedi you too shall be ready for either, e-publishing (and much consumer discord in the force) or the many rejection letters yet to come until the Jedi Publishing Order is ready accept your application. :D
Whatever you do, don't give up on yourself and if what you're doing works and what I suggest doesn't, disregard everything I've said and go with your own flow. (I mean ultimately who am I? Just another guy) However if what you're doing doesn't work. Ol'Albert Einstein famously said. The definition of insanity is trying the exact same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.
Anyway have a blast, and remember,
Follow the Dream and don't let anyone get you down. Not even yourself.
The Deposed King
Nickeris86:
Thanks Mr. King always good to get one of those much needed friendly slaps in the face to get me going lol.
I have gotten over the hump with a rather simple solution. Why try and explain everything in one scene when I can spread it out. I am planing on this being at least a trilogy, unless the characters go union then I'm screwed lol.
I find it funny that I am at almost two thousand words and my main character hasn't yet left his bedchambers, though granted a good chunk was prologue.
The Deposed King:
--- Quote from: Nickeris86 on February 16, 2012, 08:25:47 AM ---Thanks Mr. King always good to get one of those much needed friendly slaps in the face to get me going lol.
I have gotten over the hump with a rather simple solution. Why try and explain everything in one scene when I can spread it out. I am planing on this being at least a trilogy, unless the characters go union then I'm screwed lol.
I find it funny that I am at almost two thousand words and my main character hasn't yet left his bedchambers, though granted a good chunk was prologue.
--- End quote ---
There are a few different ways to start a book that will grab the reader. You can try to ease them in and explain as you go. The other is you throw them off the deep (action from the first sentence) and and start the book with a bang that you try to keep up the whole way through.
I've tried a bunch of variations. As a writer I tend to bleed my back story, back ground and some of my outline into my prologue or first chapter. Its necessary to let me know who it is and where they're going. But the reader doesn't generally like that. Show don't tell.
So my advice is to, as much as possible, let things unfold naturally and if you keep getting stuck with the dreaded info-dumping, which you recognize as soon as you take a step back and reread it. My advice is either A: just keep writing and come back later to fix the opening. B: start with some action instead and introduce something as it becomes relevant to the situation.
Of course I haven't read anything you've written so always let your conscience be your guide and all that. But, uh, best of luck with your story.
The Deposed King
shades of grey:
Five thousand words written, got well into my stride and now my mum is coming to visit.
Aaaargh!
I hope I can hold onto this feeling, it's a good one.
Darkshore:
My writings been on hold recently...I've only had time to work on short stories for my blog, but even that has taken a backseat to work for now. Too much life going on :P.
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