Just a quick question to all three of you who occasionally read this thing. I’m closing in on the end of my first draft and there are definitely elements where I feel like I’m swimming in a whole bunch of concepts, many of which seem disparate. At one point in my mind they seemed coherent, especially conceptually. But now, I ain’t fer sure. I’ll probably let it go and revisit the whole thing during revisions, but I was just hoping for a little lifeline from anyone out there who has enjoyed a similar experience.
Things may straighten out if you back away, Jonathan. They tend for me, they just need to room to breathe.
If not, the great thing about word processors is that nothing is permanent1
I think it’s easy to get off track, especially if you’re not using a critique group of any kind (I’m not sure if you are or not, Jonathan). I know I slid off track conceptually with chapter 7, and my critique group brought me to heel real fast.
Sometimes I get caught up in, “Boy wouldn’t it just be great if [event] happened to [character]?”
Then off I go into a tanget and if I’m not careful, I waste a lot of time trying to pull together a concept that throws the entire story arc off track.
Kind of as a side thing here, author Lisa Mannetti is doing an interview for helluo librorum, and I’ve asked her some writing related questions. I got a peek at some of her answers today (the interview isn’t polished yet, but we’re hoping to published it soon) and it’s like a mini-writing workshop. We’re also going to open to questions any of you may have for Lisa, and I’m hoping you’ll stop by and ask her this one! I’d love to her answer.
If you don’t have a writing critique group either in-person or online, I can make a couple of suggestions if you like.
Teresa
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I’ve been forging ahead. My main goal at this point is to get the bones of the story down. Any inconsistencies will have to wait for the second draft. I told my wife that I don’t want to write a climax where the reader plows through it and goes, “That’s it? What the hell just happened.” I find those kinds of books wholly unsatisfying. But first, the bones.
Thanks to both of you for your encouragement!
When I get gummed up, I write a chapter synopsis. A few lines about each chapter and relate it to each major character. And I list all my major and side plot points the way I was taught in 9th grade- I draw a mountain on the page and then write all over it.
First draft is a sketch, anyway:)
PS-Interesting blurb about “Shadow of the Black City”. I personally like to see the main character’s name and get some idea of what they’re up against, but I like character-driven stories.
Thanks for the tip. I was thinking I’d power through and do something like what you describe before I head into revisions so I’d have a clear picture of what each chapter is about and if it is really necessary. I’m sure there’s plenty that can be weeded out at this point.
As for the blurb, I was looking at it within the last week thinking that I needed to get character specific. Right now it is rather generic. I appreciate the timely input 😉