A soldier in the puny war
Dec. 12th, 2006 12:14 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
pjthompsonWritingness of the day:
I hit 100 pages, 25k on Charged with Folly yesterday. Doesn't seem nearly as much as I'd wanted to have done in two months, but it's what I've got. It's been difficult getting writing done the last couple of weeks—lots of interruptions of my regular time slot—but I still managed to squeeze in another chapter. Which means I'll probably be posting it on OWW in the next couple of days. As to picking up the pace on the writing, I'd like to think it will happen, but it probably won't, especially this time of year. Presents or no presents, the holidays eat up a lot of time.
I was also complaining to a friend that I'm not in love with this novel like I've been in love in the past. I'm liking it, liking how the story is developing, I'm committed to writing it, but I'm not enamored of it. I never got that honeymoon feeling that I always have at the beginning of a novel (until reality sets in and I begin to see it sucks about as much as anything else). This one has been more of a slugfest. Maybe that's a good thing. It'll cut down on the unrealistic expectations and make this more of a "working writer" experience.
My friend asked me if I thought I'd reach a point where that feeling of struggle might ease up—and, actually, I do. Right now I'm trying to balance the adventure/action parts of the story with the worldbuilding parts, and struggling not to do the infodump thing, and that's never fun. I mean, the imaginative parts are, letting myself cut loose. But getting it all to balance and flow, that's work. I do believe that fairly soon I'll be hitting parts of the story where I'm not having to do that kind of balancing act because I've established the world enough that I can just let the characters interact and do their damnedest. It might get more fun then.
In the meantime, I soldier on.
Random quotes of the day:
"There should be a science of discontent. People need hard times and oppression to develop psychic muscles."
—Frank Herbert, Dune
"[The asylum] was a lovely setting, unindicative of the mental anguish and dysfunction it sheltered—much like many individuals one meets in the course of a day."
—Jeffrey Ford, The Portrait of Mrs. Charbuque
Disclaimer for the Quote of the Day:
These quotes do not necessarily reflect the views of the poster, The Universe or its subsidiaries, Leonard Maltin, Siegfried and Roy, or the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. However, they frequently reflect the views of the Cottingsley Fairies.
I hit 100 pages, 25k on Charged with Folly yesterday. Doesn't seem nearly as much as I'd wanted to have done in two months, but it's what I've got. It's been difficult getting writing done the last couple of weeks—lots of interruptions of my regular time slot—but I still managed to squeeze in another chapter. Which means I'll probably be posting it on OWW in the next couple of days. As to picking up the pace on the writing, I'd like to think it will happen, but it probably won't, especially this time of year. Presents or no presents, the holidays eat up a lot of time.
I was also complaining to a friend that I'm not in love with this novel like I've been in love in the past. I'm liking it, liking how the story is developing, I'm committed to writing it, but I'm not enamored of it. I never got that honeymoon feeling that I always have at the beginning of a novel (until reality sets in and I begin to see it sucks about as much as anything else). This one has been more of a slugfest. Maybe that's a good thing. It'll cut down on the unrealistic expectations and make this more of a "working writer" experience.
My friend asked me if I thought I'd reach a point where that feeling of struggle might ease up—and, actually, I do. Right now I'm trying to balance the adventure/action parts of the story with the worldbuilding parts, and struggling not to do the infodump thing, and that's never fun. I mean, the imaginative parts are, letting myself cut loose. But getting it all to balance and flow, that's work. I do believe that fairly soon I'll be hitting parts of the story where I'm not having to do that kind of balancing act because I've established the world enough that I can just let the characters interact and do their damnedest. It might get more fun then.
In the meantime, I soldier on.
Random quotes of the day:
"There should be a science of discontent. People need hard times and oppression to develop psychic muscles."
—Frank Herbert, Dune
"[The asylum] was a lovely setting, unindicative of the mental anguish and dysfunction it sheltered—much like many individuals one meets in the course of a day."
—Jeffrey Ford, The Portrait of Mrs. Charbuque
Disclaimer for the Quote of the Day:
These quotes do not necessarily reflect the views of the poster, The Universe or its subsidiaries, Leonard Maltin, Siegfried and Roy, or the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. However, they frequently reflect the views of the Cottingsley Fairies.
no subject
Date: 2006-12-12 08:53 pm (UTC)Well, at least that's the light at the end of the proverbial tunnel. :-)
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Date: 2006-12-12 10:11 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-12-12 10:26 pm (UTC)Lol, seriously: I don't get like that until I start editing, and then I get all ansty about it and grumbly and wishing I just done it in the first place. And, you know, sometimes one has to dump, and that's all there is to it.
Now, if only my antag would come out of hiding, I'd be a happy bunny, too.
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Date: 2006-12-13 09:03 pm (UTC)lol--well, backstory always has to come first for me. I seem to need it even to get started. But I have been known to write a bunch of good bits and fill in. This one has some of that, but it's resisting all my usual methods. Maybe that's a good thing.
I don't get like that until I start editing, and then I get all ansty about it and grumbly and wishing I just done it in the first place.
Editing is usually a breeze for me--the opportunity to clean up all those things I second thought along the way in the first draft. I like editing. I *hate* having to whittle the ms. down, though. That's agony.
sometimes one has to dump, and that's all there is to it.
That's for sure. Have to get it on the page any way you can.
Now, if only my antag would come out of hiding, I'd be a happy bunny, too.
Pesky characters!
no subject
Date: 2006-12-12 11:07 pm (UTC)I haven't read Blood Geek but I have the others. This one is different because the main gorgeous guy hasn't woken up yet. Carsten is interesting, very sympathetic, but she isn't a gorgeous guy and I can't therefore drool over her. I did with Ezra and Caius. Perhaps the in love thing will happen for you when you wake Rye up.
no subject
Date: 2006-12-13 09:00 pm (UTC)