Celebrating Independent Authors
I have finally finished my planning for Betwixt and am now entering my favorite part of this journey – writing the first draft!
It is so fun to get absorbed in the story. I find myself thinking about it throughout the day, writing constant notes as I go – ways to improve a scene, or a line of dialogue that will set something up for a future scene.
That’s what I want to talk about today. The set-up. Continue reading “Following the Cookie Crumbs”
I never realized it before, but I am suddenly becoming ultra aware of how I function as a writer. Because I wrote my trilogy over such a long time (3 years), it feels like an age since I’ve started a manuscript from scratch. I am learning a lot about myself this time around. It’s made me wonder what other people are like.
How do you function as a writer?
Me? I’m a planner. I plan my little tooshie off until I know the story inside out. It’s start in my head – a spark of an idea – and mulls around in there for a few months. I jot down notes as I go along and the story twists and turns until I keep coming back to the same scenes over and over… these are obviously the ones that work.
I then move into planning mode. I tend to start by revising a good “how to write well” kind of book to get my head in the game, then I get stuck in. I plan every scene, I write chunks of dialogue, I character profile, I research the area. I really take my time here. I find it works best for me.
Then I get to my favourite part… the first draft! Whoop! Bring it on. I jump into this new world and swim around in there for weeks. I love it. I love seeing a story go from bullet point life into paragraphs of emotion, tension, angst, action… I could go on forever here.
Now – this is the part that I have suddenly noticed about myself. I always just thought I wrote the first draft like everybody else, but I don’t. I edit as I go. I am a layer writer.
I write my first chapter or two, depending on how the writing juices are flowing and my time constraints. When I’m away from my computer I mull it over in my head… thinking about what I’ve written, how I’ve made my character’s behave, questioning if it’s true to who they are and how it will effect the rest of the story. I jot down notes, new ideas that will make the story better.
In my next writing session, I start by going back and adding a second layer to those first few chapters, then I move onto the next scene. Next time I write, I do the same thing, add another layer – tweak, refine, adjust – then move on. Continue reading “What Kind of Writer Are You?”
This week’s Tuesday Tutorial is written by our own Melissa Pearl. Thank you, Melissa!
For those of you who haven’t spent much time on Goodreads, it is an amazing site. I love it. There are some fantastic features that benefit both authors and readers.
From a reading point of view, adding books to my “TO READ” list, totally rocks. It’s such an easy way to keep track of all those books I want to read.
Another feature that is really beneficial to both the reader and writer is LISTOPIA. You can find this by looking at the top of any page (if you’re logged in). You will see EXPLORE with a drop down menu. Listopia is first on the list.
This then takes you to a page where you can search for specific lists or see which ones are recommended based on your personal preferences (the types of books you’ve rated highly). Here is a direct link to the most popular lists.
Most people glance at the Top 10 – 20. This no doubt sparks reading ideas and multiple books are added to people’s “TO READ” lists.
This is where Listopia is completely brilliant for authors. Getting on one of these lists is simple. You can either Create Your Own List or you can find a list that suits your book and ask someone to add your book to it. Continue reading “Tutorial – Using Goodreads Listopia to Your Advantage”
I am in the throes of planning my next novel and having so much fun with it. I love the planning stage. Who am I kidding? I love every stage!! But there is something very cool about starting with a blank slate and filling in all the spaces.
I have been working on character profiling this week and as I delve deeper into who these characters really are, my story is getting shaped and formed into something much stronger than my original idea. Scenes are being added and changed as I discover what these characters are like beneath the surface.
Robert McKee, author of STORY: Substance, Structure, Style and the Principles of Screenwriting says the best characters are the ones who are contradictory in nature. I agree. It is so much more interesting writing about a person who comes across as a golden boy, but when push comes to shove, turns out to be a total weakling… or a woman who is all prickles and snark, but in reality is just a scared little kid, afraid to face the failings of her past. Continue reading “Characters – Who Are They Really? Melissa Pearl”