Imran Writes

Time to Write

Posted by: Flickimp In: Blog 28 Feb 2012 2 comments Tags: beta, book, critique, disconnect, editing, flickimp, imran, imran siddiq, imranwrites, leicester, love, plan, plot, siddiq, time, timetable, twitter, weeks, write, writers

Everybody is different, or that’s how a certain song goes.

Which one? Don’t ask – I can’t remember.

From the moment that an idea pops into my head – it goes into a scribble book of possibilities. At various times, I visit that book and decide on which I will develop and write. Then kicks in my uber-constructive-timetable of Organisation!

You don’t and some recommend that you shouldn’t set deadlines, but I find they help me to focus.

So let me introduce my 19 Week Plan

Plot Development – 1 Week
Write 60k YA – 10 Weeks at 6k per Week.
Redraft – 5 Weeks at 50 pages per Week
External Edit – 2 Weeks
Beta/Crit/Assess – 1 Week 1 + 10 + 5 + Carry over the 2 + Another 1 = 19 Weeks

Of course it can go off the scale and take longer and shorter… but hey – you get my drift.

Do you have a rough plan of time?

And remember, if anyone says, “You have too much time to write” . . . Tell them to bugger off!

We write – because – WE LOVE IT!

And Disconnect Redraft is Done

Posted by: flickimp In: Blog 19 Feb 2012 0 comments Tags: agent, amazon, beta, betas, blog, book, car journey, change, critique, disconnect, facebook, flickimp, game, imran, imran siddiq, imranwrites, leicester, literary, manuscript, match, novel, POV, rocks, rude awakening, siddiq, taking shape, twitter, word group, write, writers, writes

Disconnect started life as a car journey thought in March 2011

It started taking shape in June 2011

It went AWOL for a bit, and had to have a rude awakening in October 2011 “Thanks to the Nomads” – Redraft kicked in.

In Jan 2012 – I started Redraft 3 – the game changer – the one where the POV had to be different. “Thanks to “@Sirra_girl”

In Feb 2012 – I started fine-tuning it.

Today – we are done. All that remains is word group ass-kicking, edit-licking and BETAs.

From a car journey in March 2011 – we have come full circle.

Oh and the ending that I altered today….. JUST ROCKS!

Disconnect the Edit or the Redraft?

Posted by: flickimp In: Blog 06 Feb 2012 3 comments Tags: 3rd person, author, beta, change, disconnect, edit, editing, flickimp, grammar checks, imran, imran siddiq, inner voice, leicester, manuscript, novel, plot holes, POV, repetitive words, revisions, siddiq, wastage, write, writes, writing

7 days ago – I returned to my second novel: Disconnect

7 days on – I have edited 35% . . . By my standards, that isn’t bad going.

Then - I paused to consider: Am I editing or am I applying another layer of revisions? You could argue that editing is another form of revising/redrafting, but is it?

You could argue that a truer form of editing is to find;

Repetitive words
Words ending in LY
Lack of inner voice
Plot holes
Incorrect POV creeping in
Word wastage

And yes, I’m looking for all of those, but what I’m not doing is:

Accurate proofreading
Full blown grammar checks.

Okay . . . I lie – I am doing s0me – but I’m no expert. So at some point, I will still need an editor.

And that brings me back to why I’ve progressed so well with 35% in 7 days.

It took 10 weeks to write Draft 1 of Disconnect
Draft 2 took 6 weeks – major overhauls (like Single 3rd Person Limited POV).
Current Edit/Redraft is a penultimate clean up.

I anticipate I’ll have this complete by the 3rd week of February, and after a round of Crits/BETA, I should only need to apply a polish up of thingymijjys, and then off for an edit.

I feel good right now.

How is your current version coming along?

A Processing Ritual

Posted by: flickimp In: Blog 16 Jan 2012 0 comments Tags: beta, denial, disconnect, edit, editing, flickimp, imran siddiq, manuscript, novel, POV, siddiq, targets, write

There is never a good way ways bad way… But is there a process that I consider when writing?

No – I’m not talkng about your plot, characters or the words you put down… No no no no no, I am referring to what you might have to go through after the words are penned.

Make no denial that this is my opinion, and all others can differ… and argue…

I try to write with an open mind without constant targets, though I will aim to stick to 1,000 words as a minimum a day. On that basis, I should be able to knock out a 60k novel within 8 weeks.

So..

8 Weeks to Write 60k Novel
4 Week break from that novel to either start another or do lots of reading.
8 Weeks of Redrafting
4 Week break (as above)
4 Weeks Self-Editing
4 Weeks of Critiques, BETA’s, receive Feedback
4 Weeks of Finalise, External Editing, Polish as best as I can.
Submit to Agents
Wait

Letting Go

Posted by: flickimp In: Blog 16 Dec 2011 5 comments Tags: beta, betas, book, cat story, cats, change, christmas tree, critique, disconnect, edit, editing, fantasy world, first draft, imran, imran siddiq, imranwrites, jingling bells, judgement, learning curve, leicester, manuscript, manuscript critique, march 11, novel, oct 11, own accord, POV, prophecy, review, siddiq, sigh of relief, strider, the last strider, time and money, whirlwind, write, writing

The Christmas Tree is up.

The jingling bells are … jingling … and I have made a decision of my own accord that will shock some, and bring a sigh of relief to others.

I’ll give a bullet-pointed timeline of the past-to-the-present before I jump straight into the decision I have made.

May 2007 – In Borneo, I decided to write a novel
June 07 – I opted for a novel re: Cats/Prophecy/Fantasy World = The Last Strider

The next 2.5 years became the longest stop-starts of my life. I kept rehashing and rejigging.

Jan 10 - Made commitment to focus my writing of: The Last Strider
Sept 10 - I completed 148k of the first draft
Oct 10 – Edit No.1 (£600) feedback was good – but didn’t pick up on lots of errors
Jan 11 – Redraft No.1 – 138k
March 11 – Manuscript Critique (£450) - again they liked the novel – but changes needed
March 11 – During this time, I realised that a new author writing a cat story with 138k was WRONG!
April 11 - Major Redraft No.2 – Transform TLS into YA novel = 74k
May 11 – Edit No.2 (£250)
May 11 – I started a new YA Scifi Novel: Disconnect
July 11 – Complete Disconnect = 65k
Aug 11 – Redraft No.3 of The Last Strider = 64k
Oct 11 – Edit No.3 (£120) of The Last Strider
Oct 11 – Submit TLS for Independent BETAs – some changes – but overall great
Nov 11 - Begin Redraft No.2 of Disconnect
Dec 11 – Stop to think about how much more redrafting and changes I can make to TLS.

And that leads to my decision. Call it newbie mistakes, errors of judgement or just rushing in without thinking, but I have spent a lot of time [and money] on changing/improving The Last Strider. Don’t get me wrong, it has been a whirlwind of a learning curve that has made me a better. Notice how I am not having any edits done of Disconnect until I know the final-final-final MS is ready…

But how much more can I spend on a project that I adore and that I never wanted to let go of?

Until now… Disconnect in its new form is shaping up nicely, and I have to call it a day on TLS. Maybe in the future (like in 3 months time, or whenever) I will go back and revamp it to give it a new lease of life… but for now, I will leave it as my first MS.

If I don’t let go, I could end up in a spiral of always going back to it, juggling time with Disconnect, and stopping myself from writing other novels.

To all those that read/BETA’d The Last Strider - thank you. You’ve all helped me, and maybe – one day – it will be out there for others.

For now… I am moving on.

Redrafting Disconnect Again…!

Posted by: flickimp In: Blog 30 Nov 2011 0 comments Tags: ace, beta, book, change, chapter, disconnect, edit, flickimp, good, imran, imran siddiq, imranwrites, leicester, no doubt, novel, perfect, POV, redraft, siddiq, single, strider, the last strider, third, third person, transition, zillion times

Every once in a while – I am known for giving you that awesome update of how I am progressing.

With the latest version of The Last Strider still in BETA – though I am gaining lots of great feedback on the pros and the cons – I am now in full-redrafting-mode with Disconnect.

And so far … Uugo-Buugo – it is going well.
Fine … There is still editing to be done… But in improving the novel the plot is a zillion times more believable.

As I have stated before – the transition to a single POV throughout the novel in third person is working ace. I am approx 23% of the redraft and only on Chapter 6 after 9 days of writing. But at this point – well today – 38 minutes ago – I truly appreciated the voice of my MC and how to capture everything about him.

No doubt I will go back to the previous chapters later to ensure the voice is present there too.

So for now – I am feeling good.

Don’t be afraid to redraft even when you think it is perfect. You will surprise yourself

How Critiques Have Helped Me

Posted by: flickimp In: Blog 09 Sep 2011 10 comments Tags: @, ashley, beta, blogspot, critique, disconnect, edit, editing, eye colour, feelings, girl, HELP, imran, imran siddiq, imranwrites, internal dialogue, leicester, lion, manuscript, novel, painting, personal time, POV, prepositions, review, run on sentences, short space, siddiq, sirra, snippet, su, suah, the last strider, twitter, www youtube

In an earlier post I gave my utmost promotion for using BETA and Critique readers. << Offers explanation of why the difference is and why they should be considered. Firstly, a huge thank you to two generous ladies that gave their personal time to look over my work and to offer their advice.

Suah @Sirra_Girl http://sirragirl.blogspot.com/
Ashley @AEWrites http://aeoutloud.blogspot.com/

Do visit them. Su also offers Editing Services.

So here is a snippet of where I was going wrong;

Not fragmenting sentences whereby I fell into the trap of run-on sentences.
Diluting the impact of ‘impact’ sentences.Keep them short.
Overusing commas. Great Video –> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPHyfCq8Lyc
Not explaining the character well. Eye colour. Clothing. They were too vague.
Painting an image of the setting as I wrote, rather than give you the room as the character saw it.
Lack of internal dialogue, thoughts, feelings. Important when you lack of dialogue.
Forgetting the basis of prepositions. They backed away. Backed away from what? The person, the wall, or the lion?

In a short space of time, I took all of this on board and made a commitment to improve.

And I like to think that I have come a long way in doing so.

Listen people… you don’t have to change your way of writing. But… if someone says, “Hang on, I see a problem.” I advise you to take notice.

Are Beta/Critiques Worth Having?

Posted by: flickimp In: Blog 27 Aug 2011 15 comments Tags: beta, critique, edit, imran, imran siddiq, imranwrites, plot, twitter

Let me tell you my schedule before I explain why I believe in Beta readers and Critiques are massively important.

I write a novel
I edit it
I have it beta read/critiqued
Usually redraft
Maybe external edited/sent to a literal consultancy
Redraft
Final Beta
Submit to agent

Phew… that’s a lot to do… but that’s my preference.

Now, before you submit for a Beta or a critique… You’ll be thinking that your novel is brilliant and written really well. WRONG. Just because you think is is great, doesn’t mean that it actually is. Okay, sorry, for some it will be great… but a very tiny % of the writing world will get it right the first time.

The Beta/Crits will bring sensibility to your writing.

They can help with your grammar, characters, plot, dialogue and issues of continuity. It is also not uncommon for this service to be free. The improvements they can bring to your work will be appreciated. The groundwork or 90% of it is already provided by the initial manuscript, and the support they can bring is to help you uncover the 10% groundwork that you never realised was missing. Having someone look over and say “that does’t make sense, doesn’t flow or is pointless”… is so bloody important.

Comments I receive from my Beta/Crits do not change the overall feel of the novel. But they do make me look at it from a fresh pair of eyes. In the past, I have overlooked basic issues because I knew my characters, plot inside out. A new reader won’t, and the Beta/Crtis will point this out for you.

Let’s be honest here. Some Beta/Crits can be harsh and will drive a dagger into your novel. But I would rather they do that than have an agent or a reader slam-dunk my novel into the hellacious-bin-of-sin.

Yes, you heard me… the hellacious-bin-of-sin.

There are many websites and forums that you can join to find a beta, but I have turned to the magic portal known as Twitter. There are lots of people willing to help. Each page of a Beta/Crit that I get back, fills me with momentum to take notice and to improve.

Do not believe that you are awesome in your writing, if someone is waving a flag and telling you they found a problem. They are only trying to help. Accept it. You will be grateful.

I know I am.

End of the Edit

Posted by: flickimp In: Blog 16 Aug 2011 2 comments Tags: author, beta, blog, check, disconnect, edit, editing, flickimp, heather, HELP, imran, imranwrites, leicester, manuscript, plot, POV, siddiq, spell, write, writers, writers workshop, writes, writing

3 Days later than planned, I completed my first edit of Disconnect… and with that the second draft.

Some minor plot changes have been made but overall the arcs of the two protagonists are unaltered. I know that no matter how hard I edit, there will be grammatical errors galore, but I am confident in my external editor picking those up for me. And I will learn from that.

To round off some stats;

Pre-Edit 70,656
Edit at 50% Stage 58,861 – Alarm bell moment
4 New Chapters added
End Edit 60,719
End after Spell-Check 60,530 — How did that happen???

I have a tight window to get the MS to my editor, but will have a quick Beta-Read done to give me some pointers in terms of flow, plot, character development.

A huge thank you to Heather @StateofEgo for offering her service

I will post her comments, and how I plan to change or adapt.

Edit done.. but there is still more to to.

Live long and prosper.

A 10 Year Old’s View

Posted by: flickimp In: Blog 22 May 2011 0 comments Tags: 10, author, beta, child, critique, dislike, forum, imran, imranwrites, independent, like, novel, old, reader, review, siddiq, son, view, wordcloud, workshop, writers, year

I am all for BETA reading of a novel, whether it be a dedicated forum or an independent service offered by skilled professionals. Getting it for a free is usually the selling point…

Offering your novel to a friend or family member can lead to some false replies and some hurtful truth, thus I recommend that you skip the F+F route unless you can cope with:

Them telling you that your work is a masterpiece and the best thing since the Big Bang because they do not want to offend you.
Them telling you it’s brilliant because they do not have a critical eye and may create a false belief.
Them telling you it’s rubbish and from that moment you cease to talk to them because your work is your child.
Them slating you because they want to tell the work from their viewpoint which is not how you intended.

These can all lead to touchy-feely-maliciously-intently-hurtful incidents that is easier to handle with an independent view.

So where will I gain my independent viewpoint?

I already use the Writers Workshop Word-Cloud… an UBER site of amazing people who love writing who are very, very honest about critiquing work. I seriously recommend that you become a member (its free !)

But I am going further; after learning that a colleague at work has a talented, creative and a deeply passionate 10 year old son who ‘loves’ to read, I have offered the first few chapters for them to comment on. I am hoping for a real honest view of

Were they hooked?
Were they mystified?
Did the characters feel 2D or 3D?
Did the worlds flow or did it grate and leave them confused?

And of course anything else they decide to share with me.

Is it risky?

Yes, but writing isn’t risk free, and if I can improve or know that I got a 10 year old, who by the way I have and will never meet, to give me their honest opinion, I will be one happy author.

Have you ever tried this?