The big nasty
Feb. 1st, 2006 10:50 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
pjthompsonQuote of the day:
"We are standing in the storm of our own being."
—Michael Ventura
Writing report of the day: I'm writing and not reporting much because that generally works out better for me.
I've been smushing together chapters and rearranging so much that I was in jeopardy of posting a chapter to the workshop that hadn't been vetted by my local betas yet.
I rarely make major changes to a chapter after they've read it unless they've had big problems with it, but it makes me feel better to know somebody has laid eyes on it before it goes from fevered brain to semi-public release. My lovely locals have saved me some big embarrassment in the past and I love my lovely locals.
I had planned to finish the whole thing up and give them one big chunk—and they'd agreed to that. But I begged their indulgence and gave them six chapters Monday without the big finish. I keep thinking I'm about five or six chapters from finishing this thing completely—but I've thought similar thoughts before and fooled myself. So I'm still not making any predictions.
I've been trying a new writing strategy, too, to see if I can boost my production. I generally produce 500-750 words on a lunch hour, with the occasional 1000 word of 1200 word day. That's five days a week, and I generally allow myself to turn to other writing projects on the weekend. But for the past couple of weeks, I've tried for 750 a day. If I don't meet that goal, then I've got to make up the pages on the weekend. So far, I'm two pages in arrears for this week, but last week worked out okay. I was able to make up the shortfall with a Sunday writing session and even wound up a bit ahead of the game. We'll see if I can keep this up.
And more and more I think my next novel project is going to be straight comedy. Maybe with hints of dark corners (because I am who I am), but nothing worse than bittersweet. I've had it with the sturm und drang.
I'm at the point in Night Warrior/Born to Darkness where I'm pretty much doing nasty stuff to my characters all the time now (it's that time of the novel) and I'm bloody sick of it. I can't help wondering if that's leaking into my attitude about my life these days, too.
"We are standing in the storm of our own being."
—Michael Ventura
Writing report of the day: I'm writing and not reporting much because that generally works out better for me.
I've been smushing together chapters and rearranging so much that I was in jeopardy of posting a chapter to the workshop that hadn't been vetted by my local betas yet.
I rarely make major changes to a chapter after they've read it unless they've had big problems with it, but it makes me feel better to know somebody has laid eyes on it before it goes from fevered brain to semi-public release. My lovely locals have saved me some big embarrassment in the past and I love my lovely locals.
I had planned to finish the whole thing up and give them one big chunk—and they'd agreed to that. But I begged their indulgence and gave them six chapters Monday without the big finish. I keep thinking I'm about five or six chapters from finishing this thing completely—but I've thought similar thoughts before and fooled myself. So I'm still not making any predictions.
I've been trying a new writing strategy, too, to see if I can boost my production. I generally produce 500-750 words on a lunch hour, with the occasional 1000 word of 1200 word day. That's five days a week, and I generally allow myself to turn to other writing projects on the weekend. But for the past couple of weeks, I've tried for 750 a day. If I don't meet that goal, then I've got to make up the pages on the weekend. So far, I'm two pages in arrears for this week, but last week worked out okay. I was able to make up the shortfall with a Sunday writing session and even wound up a bit ahead of the game. We'll see if I can keep this up.
And more and more I think my next novel project is going to be straight comedy. Maybe with hints of dark corners (because I am who I am), but nothing worse than bittersweet. I've had it with the sturm und drang.
I'm at the point in Night Warrior/Born to Darkness where I'm pretty much doing nasty stuff to my characters all the time now (it's that time of the novel) and I'm bloody sick of it. I can't help wondering if that's leaking into my attitude about my life these days, too.
no subject
Date: 2006-02-01 12:24 pm (UTC)You've talked about the OWW before. It seems like you really find it useful. Are the reviewers pretty good at being honest without being soul-crushingly brutal? And how do you find it to give reviews to others?
Curiousity Embodied,
~Vay
no subject
Date: 2006-02-01 12:34 pm (UTC)As to the OWW, I'd say it has helped me tremendously. I've been there four years now. Like any group of individuals, you get the good and the bad. There are writers at all levels of skill, both as writers and critiquers. But generally, I'd say they are a serious bunch (i.e., they want to improve and they want to be part of the community) and the level of criticism is good. Having to pay weeds out the less serious folk, IMHO.
But you usually have to roll up your sleeves and do a lot of critiquing up front until you find a stable group of critters because no one is forced to crits and sometimes you need to call attention to yourself in order to make OWW work for you. (There are rewards for critting but no punishments.) They offer a free month's trial and I think the best way to make that work for you is, as I said, to go in with the idea that you're just going to do a lot of critting up front.
Besides, you know, I think you learn as much or more from doing critiques of the work of others as you do from getting your own stuff critiqued.
no subject
Date: 2006-02-04 10:05 am (UTC)http://ccfinlay.livejournal.com/
He's one of our grand poobahs and real nice fella.
no subject
Date: 2006-02-07 02:01 pm (UTC):) Recognizing the power of your recommendation, the inherent genius of the organization, and my own desire to find a more serious writing support organization, I've renewed my long-lapsed membership* and am going to do my best to be an upstanding member of the OWW. It'd be really nice to get to know other serious, pro-aimed writers.
Thanks for your help.
* I had a membership that I ignored about two years ago. :/
no subject
Date: 2006-02-07 02:47 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-02-08 07:06 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-02-08 09:40 am (UTC)