Boarders Writing a Novel, Part 9

[Frank Fitzpatrick]

I'm 54 thousand words in now. Last 25k to go (roughly 100 pages). Feeling good. Feeling happy with everything so far and I have a pretty well rounded idea of where and how it will end. I've found that it feels like a book now that I've crossed the 200 page barrier. Lots of positives.

How is everyone else doing?

[Korr]

It's so frustrating! Maybe I should just go Greek style and have a real deus ex machina. I'm just worried that my ending is going to be too rushed or not at all realistic. After all, I have zero clue if one would actually be capable of stopping an intragalactic war with basically no resources. Also, a lot of the ending involves people putting pieces together to figure out what is going on, which is really hard to make interesting. It's a lot of people talking to each other at various locations. And now I think all the past 13 months of work on this draft are for naught because my plot was flawed from the beginning... :cry:

No manuscript is a waste. Almost any story can be salvaged through rewriting or editing. Or, if you're absolutely sure there's no hope for it, there are always good ideas in there somewhere which you can mine in the future. I say this from experience: I've got plans to redo a novel I wrote about ten years ago because there are characters and concepts in there that really do work, even if the larger thing was unpublishable.

'Course, I've got a few others to finish before I can get around to it . . .

Speaking of beta readers -- I just completed the trilogy I was working on for years, really opening up my schedule, and I'm seriously in need of some input on a couple of other novels I've got in progress. Would anyone mind taking a look for me?

[Rashtibram]

So I'm very late to this thread, but I've also been indulging in a little writing.

I'm planning a trilogy, with the basic layout that there's a prophecy in which men will destroy themselves, and certain people will pick up the ashes. The first two books will cover a bunch of wars which happen in a fantasy world and which will ultimately end in utter chaos, something like WWI with no end; then, in the third book, the POV characters start to work together to restore order to the world. I've got much more detailed outlines for how it should go, but that's the idea, pretty much. Just started writing recently, but I've gotten several chapters done in first draft form and I'm working out the finer details.

[Rashtibram]

oops, double post.

[AndrewBaelish]

Well. My book, turned into a script that was eventually shelved.

But, a friend and I are currently trying our hand at writing a couple of different scripts.

One is a superhero movie, another a zombie movie, a sci-fi movie, and a ghost story.

The zombie story is, surprisingly, my favorite. This one is completely mine. It starts off at the aftermath of a, smallscale, zombie atttack. This would be before the outbreak, just one of those weird "stories" the main character would hear on the news.

But 90% of the story is going to be me playing with the characters. My favorite way of creating characters is to show them acting as an archetype "The funny man" "the slut" "the weirdo" yada yada yada, and then putting them by themself, or just with people they trust, and seeing how they really act. It just adds a layer to them.

But anyway, the story, like I said starts at the after math, then flashes back to two days before, flashes forward, flashes back to two nights before, flashes forward, flashes back to one day before, then back forward, back to the night before, and forward one more time, then back to the evening of.

The attack could be swapped out for any other major event, but the characters stories and why they're all there at the same time is the important part.

[Snikt5]

I'm 54 thousand words in now. Last 25k to go (roughly 100 pages). Feeling good. Feeling happy with everything so far and I have a pretty well rounded idea of where and how it will end. I've found that it feels like a book now that I've crossed the 200 page barrier. Lots of positives.

How is everyone else doing?

Fantastic progress Frank. I am 80,000 words into my second book. I've just started writing again having taken a couple of weeks off to publish and promote the first novel. It feels good to be back in the saddle again doing the part I like rather than the part that makes me uncomfortable (self promoting).

[Jaime's Wench]

No manuscript is a waste. Almost any story can be salvaged through rewriting or editing. Or, if you're absolutely sure there's no hope for it, there are always good ideas in there somewhere which you can mine in the future. I say this from experience: I've got plans to redo a novel I wrote about ten years ago because there are characters and concepts in there that really do work, even if the larger thing was unpublishable.

I agree with this. Most of my manuscripts have been filed up, but I'll always remember one beta reader telling me that one of my novels will never be published but was a good stepping stone to something that would. I believe that every novel I write is better than my last.

Just had some really positive feedback for my opening chapters so I am happy. Also, with school breaking up, I can really knuckle down to work. I am determined to finish Book 2 this summer. Usually I start new projects, but this time I'm actually going to continue on with my current one. It goes to show my confidence in it.

[Starkess]

No manuscript is a waste. Almost any story can be salvaged through rewriting or editing. Or, if you're absolutely sure there's no hope for it, there are always good ideas in there somewhere which you can mine in the future. I say this from experience: I've got plans to redo a novel I wrote about ten years ago because there are characters and concepts in there that really do work, even if the larger thing was unpublishable.

I agree with this. Most of my manuscripts have been filed up, but I'll always remember one beta reader telling me that one of my novels will never be published but was a good stepping stone to something that would. I believe that every novel I write is better than my last.

I definitely agree with this sentiment, but after 3.5 finished novel manuscripts, I was really hoping this would be The One That Worked. Maybe it will be. I thought so in the beginning.

Made a minuscule amount of progress last night, but it was the first writing in a week so that was actually good. As long as I keep deciding that writing is more important than sleep, I'll be okay. (Most of my urge to writing strikes after 10 PM, but I get up at 5:30 AM for work!)

[Korr]

I agree with this. Most of my manuscripts have been filed up, but I'll always remember one beta reader telling me that one of my novels will never be published but was a good stepping stone to something that would. I believe that every novel I write is better than my last.

Just had some really positive feedback for my opening chapters so I am happy. Also, with school breaking up, I can really knuckle down to work. I am determined to finish Book 2 this summer. Usually I start new projects, but this time I'm actually going to continue on with my current one. It goes to show my confidence in it.

That's what it's all about. Keep going, keep learning. And finishing your manuscripts is oh so important. How else are you going to learn to write stories, as opposed to halves or bits of stories? Endings in particular are a right bitch and you should get in as much practice as you can.

I definitely agree with this sentiment, but after 3.5 finished novel manuscripts, I was really hoping this would be The One That Worked. Maybe it will be. I thought so in the beginning.

Made a minuscule amount of progress last night, but it was the first writing in a week so that was actually good. As long as I keep deciding that writing is more important than sleep, I'll be okay. (Most of my urge to writing strikes after 10 PM, but I get up at 5:30 AM for work!)

What made you stop thinking that this would be the one? Where is the point that you first lost or started losing confidence? Find it and change it until you believe again.

[Jaime's Wench]

I definitely agree with this sentiment, but after 3.5 finished novel manuscripts, I was really hoping this would be The One That Worked. Maybe it will be. I thought so in the beginning.

Made a minuscule amount of progress last night, but it was the first writing in a week so that was actually good. As long as I keep deciding that writing is more important than sleep, I'll be okay. (Most of my urge to writing strikes after 10 PM, but I get up at 5:30 AM for work!)

Every time I start a new novel I believe this will be The One That Works but I always find sooner or later that it isn't. I am still not convinced my current manuscript is The One. The ending is a problem and the fact it doesn't have one clear protagonist is a problem. But I will keep going with it because I'm determined to get to the 'being rejected by agents' stage before giving up on this one.

[Ebenstone]

I definitely agree with this sentiment, but after 3.5 finished novel manuscripts, I was really hoping this would be The One That Worked. Maybe it will be. I thought so in the beginning.

Made a minuscule amount of progress last night, but it was the first writing in a week so that was actually good. As long as I keep deciding that writing is more important than sleep, I'll be okay. (Most of my urge to writing strikes after 10 PM, but I get up at 5:30 AM for work!)

WINTER'S DISCORD took six and a half drafts before it was good enough for my present agent. Then it took another pass before we sent it to editors. The follow up is much rawer and will need a ton of work. WINTER is seriously the fourth novel I've written. The others are all complete rubbish. But remember this is all good practice. Like I tell my students, writing is a muscle and it needs development and practice. One of my betas read the novella I'm working on and commented how much better my writing has gotten since he saw the second or third draft of WINTER.

As for time, I sympathize. I write when I can. Sometimes it's 10 minutes, sometimes it's longer. I'm a night owl too, thankfully my wife and kids usually conk out for the night at around 9:30-10, usually I get ready for the next work day and write for a few hours. It is what it is.

[Gabriele]

How is everyone else doing?

Well, right now I'm trying to deal with a Meereenese Knot in A Land Unconquered and the need to rewrite some of Lucius' scenes in Never to Return (before I can continue writing more of his scenes) and I'm sorta stalled on both, and that's when the new plotbunnies get really obnoxious. Oh look, shiny new idea, play with me instead.

[Starkess]

Y'all are very inspiring, thank you. I shall forge ahead as ever. I've only got 7 scenes left to write for this guy. And then it's going away for at least a month before I edit. I've been having many new plot bunnies begging to be written, so I am looking forward to trying something new.

As for time, I sympathize. I write when I can. Sometimes it's 10 minutes, sometimes it's longer. I'm a night owl too, thankfully my wife and kids usually conk out for the night at around 9:30-10, usually I get ready for the next work day and write for a few hours. It is what it is.

I wish it was just a lack of time! I actually have plenty of time right now, it's just that I never want to write during the time that actually works for me. I think it has something to do with daylight. Somehow, writing to me equals nighttime. So I waste my whole day and then frantically try to write when I should be sleeping! Silly brain.

[Jaime's Wench]

Well, right now I'm trying to deal with a Meereenese Knot in A Land Unconquered and the need to rewrite some of Lucius' scenes in Never to Return (before I can continue writing more of his scenes) and I'm sorta stalled on both, and that's when the new plotbunnies get really obnoxious. Oh look, shiny new idea, play with me instead.

I have a Lucius too! I hope you figure out the knot. I have to do something similar before I can continue writing Book 2. Skim read bits yesterday and, ack, it didn't inspire me.

I wish it was just a lack of time! I actually have plenty of time right now, it's just that I never want to write during the time that actually works for me. I think it has something to do with daylight. Somehow, writing to me equals nighttime. So I waste my whole day and then frantically try to write when I should be sleeping! Silly brain.

You need to retrain your brain. I used to only be able to write first thing in a morning. I still write best then. But I don't have time in a morning these days, so I have to come back from work and do it. Herbal teas help, the music that inspires you too (Florence + the Machine for me) and also low-cardio exercise. I go swimming to work out the knots in my story. I planned out my Chapter One twice in the pool. After all this, there's also gritting your teeth and doing it. I force myself to just write anything sometimes, just so that I am not cowering away from what needs to be done.

[Gabriele]

I have a Lucius too! I hope you figure out the knot. I have to do something similar before I can continue writing Book 2. Skim read bits yesterday and, ack, it didn't inspire me.

Well, the knot for me isn't so much getting a lot of characters to Meereen, erm, Castra Vetera and Moguntiacum, but to make the time between the two wars - the battle of the Teutoburg Forest AD 9 and Germanicus' campaigns AD 14-16 -interesting. You can only have so many scenes of Horatius Veranius in German captivity without getting boring, but I need his plotline to balance with what's going on on the Roman side left of the Rhine with all the intrigues and stuff. And I need to connect Arminius' plotline during those years, his trying to hold grip on the allied tribes, in a realistic way with the other events.

In case of Lucius who had been captive of the Sassanids prior to the novel, I decided it would be more interesting to give him a bit of a Stockholm syndrome because of the impact it will have when his captor joins the Roman army as leader of the cataphracti auxiliaries (who did fight at the Harzhorn). That means I need to tone down the mishandlings somewhat because if there had been nothing but starvation and floggings for Lucius, he would not have developed a Stockholm syndrome. So I need to rewrite the flashbacks and the dialogue scene with Fulvius where Lucius tells about his escape from the Sassanid capital Ctesiphon, and add a layer of reluctant respect of the Sassanid culture and their horsemanship, and a personal relationship with his captor. But it's going to be a lot more fun. :devil:

[Jaime's Wench]

Gabriele, you sound like you know what you're doing. You know your history, which is key. The Stockholm Syndrome plot sounds intriguing. Make sure you show it in the present action as well as flashbacks to his imprisonment.

Tomorrow morning I might brave writing the dreaded cover letter. I have delayed it for long enough. Sought advice that I've now forgotten. Time to knuckle down to it.

[TheDanish]

JW, good luck with the cover letter! You can do it!

I recently did a total word count of my (rough) draft and it's at 164,000. I think I'm 2/3 through. I don't anticipate finishing at anything less than 200,000... and I'm not sure how I feel about that. I want to (perhaps, maybe, possibly?) seek publication in the near future, and I know lower word counts are generally desirable, but I don't know what I might cut. Sometimes I fear I have too many PoVs (seven) but they're all important to the story.

Oh well, I guess that's what editing is for. And I can't edit until I finish the draft. And I can't finish the draft until I stop procrastinating. Gotta do what JW suggested and buckle down.

[Gabriele]

Gabriele, you sound like you know what you're doing. You know your history, which is key. The Stockholm Syndrome plot sounds intriguing. Make sure you show it in the present action as well as flashbacks to his imprisonment.

I will. Being obliged to work with his captor as fellow officer would have been bad enough with only the memories of a time as slave, but with that bond between the two men, it will be a lot more intriguing. And his time in Ctesiphon has changed Lucius even without any fateful meetings. ;)

Good luck with the query letter. I'm not looking forward to those and trying to condense my intricate, multi-POV, multi-subplot plots into one page summaries.

[Ebenstone]

I will. Being obliged to work with his captor as fellow officer would have been bad enough with only the memories of a time as slave, but with that bond between the two men, it will be a lot more intriguing. And his time in Ctesiphon has changed Lucius even without any fateful meetings. ;)

Good luck with the query letter. I'm not looking forward to those and trying to condense my intricate, multi-POV, multi-subplot plots into one page summaries.

Focus on character, especially the "main character." If you were to do that of "A Game of Thrones" you would focus on Ned and Dany for the most part.

[Jaime's Wench]

I need to take my own advice now and get up early and do two solid hours before going to see the horse.

Focus on character, especially the "main character." If you were to do that of "A Game of Thrones" you would focus on Ned and Dany for the most part.

This is what I am going to do, since it follows multiple POVs. Evelyn's story has always been the driving point for me. Yes, there's huge significance in the stories of those other characters, but if it wasn't for her, there would be no beginning or end to it.