Pop over to a Guest Post on the amazing Nomad Novelists Writers’ Group
http://nomadnovelist.wordpress.com/2012/10/25/why-we-need-more-sci-fi-in-ya/
…to read about why my teenage years were almost ruined by lack of Sci Fi in YA.
00Novel 4 – started on June 4th – is so far at the 1/3 mark – 20k words. I should have been at the 30k stage by now, and I have myself to blame for not doing as much. Bah humbug…
Anyway, the MC is developing nicely, and I’m pretty sure I’ve found the voice that suits However, at the stage of Chapter 7, some hard truths are coming to light. Somethings contained within the novel are weakening the MC and his journey.
With every novel there are aspects that must be accounted for; including:
And… I like to have subplots.
And sub-characters.
Except – in this novel – the Subs are ruining the flow. They need removing, or remodelling. I don’t have to redo many pages, but if I sort them out now, I can continue the remaining 2/3 with better sight of how things will pan out. Less subplots/sub-characters = less loopholes to close off… Unless you’re G.R.R. Martin, where you get to kill off major characters no longer required.
My changes will be:
Yes, I know… They’re not major changes… but they do impact immensely on the journey.
I forever preach Think Less – Write More, but if you find the novel going places that don’t sit well; no harm in reversing to sort it out.
+10I am on a semi-roll. Novel 3: Adam Khan and the Desolate Djinn was written in 33 days – ending at 62k. The last 21 days have seen the redraft take place, and although there are several parts that still need fleshing out, oomphing, and uberasticulating, it’s starting to feel as I intended. Also, the current word count is 58k.
I’m feeling good. BUT – (have you noticed how most of my posts have a ‘but’ in them) - I’m going to postpone the 2nd tweak of the novel until August 2012. A break is needed from this for two reasons:
a) Going from draft to draft in succession can make spotting the tiresome parts difficult. Going back to it in Aug will make it feel like a new novel and that is important.
b) Novel 4 … yes – a new one … is chomping me every free moment I have. I really want to start plotting and bringing together the characters for this. Once I get the first draft for this done, I’ll go back to Novel 3, and then return to this.
Yup. A little bit of juggling going on… but Novel 4… Codeword = “TN” has me excited. I foresee a 7 book series.
00Roll out the fanfare, for the Think Less… Write More approach has served me well.
I am one evening away from completing my third novel: “Adam Khan”, and my excitement levels are p-p-p-p-popping!
It’s been a mixed experience with this novel. There have been days of words flowing like a river, and then some where I tore shreds off my lips… BUT – like I keep saying, when you hit a blocky moment, just add bullet-points and move on to the next scene. From the date of restarting this novel (because the previous 30k was absolute rubbish), I will be hitting 63k.
And that’s within 33 days!
Yes, yes, yes, I know there are some that could do that within a week itself, but for me – it’s A-mA-zing!
I’m already looking forward to the redraft stage. And after that, 2 further novels that are floating in my head.
Could I have novel 4 and 5 written before the end of the year? Maybe… Let’s Roll!
00Target setting with a novel can be your friend as well as an enemy.
Previous posts will highlight how by Thinking-Less and Writing-More, I have come leaps and bounds to being capable of writing a 60k MS within 6 weeks. Believe me, back in the day when I was hitting 3 months to get anywhere near that level, current improvements are amazing.
What spurs me on is aiming for a 2k daily word target (or less if it’s a short chapter).
Now, by setting 2k, it can stifle productivity, because all we do is aim for the 2k, rather than going with the flow and letting the word count form of its own accord. For me – I do need a target.
It gets me going.
And I don’t just stop with 2k a day. I aim for 12k per week (a little leeway allowed rather than 2 x 7 days)… and if for ‘whatever’ reason I miss a day, or don’t hit the word count, then I have to pull in double time on the weekend to hit the 12k goal line.
Each session of writing starts with an A5 page that lists the key events planned for the chapter. Of course they can change as the story unfolds, but it’s a marker for me.
Then, as I write, every 10-15 mins, I take stock of the word count. In the past, I was averaging 400 words per hour. That is a terrible stat, and it was because I thought too much. Now, thinking less, I can easily hit 1000 words per hour. 2k per day suddenly became a doddle.
There’s nothing better than when you hit the point of having 500 words left to go… then 300… and soon 100.
So, if you can only put aside time to do 500 words a day, and you commit to it, then there’s a chance you can have a novel completed quicker than stop/starting whenever your mood allows.
Are you with me?
00Adam Khan and the Desolate Djinn
There is potential for this to grow into a series.
At the moment I am at the 55% complete mark. Quite chuffed with that after 3 weeks. The rewrite has been an awesome one of change, and I’m digging where it’s going.
00When writing the first draft of your novel – do not be tempted by the soul-sucking phenomenon known as “Perfection”.
Perfection = the glory that comes after each session where you know that the words are awesome, and every nitty gritty letter is perfectly placed. Everything about it is sound. The grammar. The punctuation. The rules of writing have been made true. My God – you have written a masterpiece that doesn’t need any editing whatsoever.
[Record scratches to a spine-chilling halt]
No – “Perfection” comes with time.
During your first draft, the writing must be just writing. Spill out your initial thoughts. Roll out the things that make sense at the time. Don’t get bogged down with realising that your character’s hair colour changed or that names/places have been erased or created on whim. Most of all don’t sit there re-reading a sentence or a whole page trying to catch every little tpyo (ß intentional).
When you stop to think – so does your mojo.
And that will stifle your writing.
It’s not a race – but if you can get to the end with a complete novel, you can sit back and smile. Write quick and fast and you will complete while the idea is fresh and appealing. Take too long and you run the risk of the passion drying faster than superglue.
Now – you can re-draft. Here, you can rethink and tidy up. And it doesn’t matter if you spend longer, because the initial idea is ahead of you. After that will come the self-editing and then the important external edit/critique.
Think Less – Write More.
My first novel of 70k took 6 months to write. I “thinked” too much.
My second novel of 60k took 10 weeks to write. I “thinked” less.
My third movel of 60k is on course for a 6 week finish. I don’t “think” anymore.
I JUST WRITE!
00I test the IPAD 3 – or the New IPAD’s Voice Dictation capability with a quick 20 second burst of text from Scott Westerfeld’s Uglies.
See how it went!
Note: You do have to speak clearly…
+10Something you will hear a lot of when submitting to editors or other writers to review, and something I often fall foul of. When describing a moment in a scene where the person of interest (the one whose POV is the focus of the chapter) is doing or feeling something, it is easy to fall into the trap of just saying;
Imran was frightened. He ran out of the room.
Some will say ‘well, that’s put simply and I get it.’ But do you really get it? Can you empathise with the character. In two seconds we have gone from Imran being frightened to leaving the room. How frightened was he to make that snap decision to leave?
We get to the point, fantastic, but we haven’t drawn the reader into our world.
In a movie scene (unless there is a narrator), we have to go by the actions on screen. And sometimes the music which heightens the emotions conveyed. We are not told that Imran is frightened, but we can see it on his face or his subtle mannerisms.
Tell Version: Imran was frightened. He ran out of the room.
Show Version: Imran’s breathing was less controlled. The room appeared smaller than it was, almost caving in around him. He stumbled back to give the wall the lightest touch with his trembling fingers. He gulped at the cobweb that dangled from the ceiling, there was no spider or not one that he could see but that did not lessen the goose bumps down his arms. He could not take this any more, he didn’t have to be in this room. The door was still open so he darted for it. Everything wobbled and if not for the frame he would have fallen onto the creaking floorboards. He gasped for breath and slammed his back onto the corridor wall; he looked back into the room and dropped to his knees, clutching his head.
My version can no doubt be bettered by others, but I hope it opens up the original sentence into a cauldron of emotions.
By stating his breathing, his fear of spiders, his moment of almost fainting and the pitiful state he conveys by clutching his head, we will understand the word ‘frightened’ a little more. In fact, the word ‘frightened’ is not present anymore.
Of course, Imran clutching his head could mean a number of things;
Sometimes, it is good to let the reader come into your world and make their own mind up.
And if ever Imran needs to return to that room once again, the reader will have a sense of ‘ooh’ over what may unfold…
A worthy mentioned link to Show-Not-Tell is:
http://www.foremostpress.com/authors/articles/show_not_tell.html
It takes practice to do and I know a lot about that.
+180Do we need Prologues?
Well… Yes and No.
Sometimes they can be nothing but a waste of a words.
Video-Blog to give you my opinion . . . or you can just read it below;
[Note to myself... I must try to sit still and stop bouncing on the seat]
OUTTAKE – One of Many – but the only one I’ll share…
VLOG – To Prologue or Not to Prologue
Please do visit Sirra’s amazing blog about writing tips. Her post on Prologues is recommended: http://sirragirl.blogspot.com/2011/06/where-to-start-novel.html
Why you DO NOT NEED a Prologue
Do you have view on prologues?
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