Taken Out of Context

[queenoftheskies]

For those of you who are writing on this loveliest of lovely Saturday mornings (well, it's lovely here, anyway...sunny and cooler than the past few days in which temps almost reached 100!), what are you writing?

Are you working on a novel? A short story? A screenplay? Something else?

Care to talk about the particular scene you're hard at work on?

Is writing coming easy today? Are you having to struggle?

What are your current feelings toward your current project?

I, of course, am working on Dawn of Destiny, my current novel.


Hoping to finish it this weekend, but sometimes, I do just decide to take off and enjoy life for a while. (My oldest son and I have been discussing the possibility of parking the car at a nearby park and hiking over to the walking trails that go through the woods that caught fire recently. The trails are really nice back there.)

I've already actually written the entire skeletal framework for this particular novel...including the ending. I'm just going back to either add or finish scenes that I didn't write/complete as I was writing.

Why? Well, sometimes, I know the plot point, but not exactly how I want a particular scene to go. Sometimes, I discover that events/scenes further along in the novel actually dictate what's going to happen in the scenes I've skipped.

After my current scene, I think I have maybe 12 more scenes to go. Several of them won't be more than a couple hundred words. Some will probably be several thousand.

My current scene, which I started yesterday, took on a life of its own, connecting backwards with history of this universe and connecting forwards with as of yet unwritten material. Kind of nice except that it referred to things that I haven't decided on entirely yet. So, maybe that means my brain is thinking on these things. I can't wait to see where it leads me.

Lilli had to make a really bad decision. Something that may later cause a major event she's trying to prevent. But, it was either that decision or a far, far worse immediate one. (Don't you love it when a character has no good way out?)

She doesn't have time to stress over it now, and she can't completely prevent the event she's currently working on, but she does have the power to stall it...and that's the best she can hope for at this point in time. Later, once we've ended this book, she'll have all the opportunity in the world to go, "Oh, shit, did I really do that?" and angst over the BIG decision a while. (And, blame herself, of course, because...that's what she does.)

And, that's where I am today. Allowing Lilli to postpone this event that's occurring in my novel (which will ultimately be resolved in this book) and set in motion events of "epic proportion", which will ultimately cause the HUGE conflict later in this universe.

Words are not flowing as easily as the past few days, but that's probably because I know I have to go out and take my daughter to tutor in about twenty minutes. Plus, she and my youngest son keep talking to me (and youngest son is tempting me with Pocky), so I'm not focused.

Hopefully words will flow better once I get home. I think I'm in the mood to end this scene and move on, then come back when I edit/revise and make it all purty.

I think I've decided that I love this novel now instead of just liking it. That happened to me on Ancient Secrets, too, as I neared the end. Things resolved and tied together and, most importantly, I actually can see, in my mind, how the words might flow and the book might transform once I get to the editing/revision part. Kind of like...magic.


No editing or revising, though, on any of the novels until maybe December (over the holidays while I'm off work for a week) or after the first of the year.

For now, I'm working on finishing, because these novels I'm writing influence one another and could change each other, based on how each one turns out.

Of course, my NaNoWriMo is in the same universe, but way before these are set, so it'll be stand-alone for now and not be affected by these...though it will, of course, affect them since it's the history of the discovery of the living crystals and how the Xanali came into existence.

Comments

[irysangel.livejournal.com]

I'm working on typing in the paper edits to the book I finished not too long ago. I've got another stack of paper edits for ANOTHER book sitting under those, but I doubt I'll get to it before Nano-time is here.

Right now I'm still trying to think out my Nano. I want to try a Young Adult, since the MC's going to be in high school, but I'm concerned that I'm going to have issues writing short. ;) We'll see. I came up with the original plot and haven't given it much thought since then.

As for the writing so far today? Kinda sucking. :) I have zero motivation, a gigantic headache, and things I should be doing and am instead putting them off.

[jmeadows.livejournal.com]

Wow dude, sounds like you've got a lot going on! Yay!

I'm not writing yet. Gotta do some reviews and finish reading lj, then work on SoV. :)

[merebrillante.livejournal.com]

Are you working on a novel? A short story? A screenplay? Something else?

A novel, but then I've just been challenged to participate in a short story contest that is extremely narrow in them and, what's more, out of my field. Jeez, what was I thinking.

Care to talk about the particular scene you're hard at work on?

I finished Chapter 9 in my novel today, so I'm between scenes with that. I'm too frightened yet to take up the short story.

Is writing coming easy today? Are you having to struggle?

It was like ripping my toenails out with pliers, but I attribute that to the late start. Inspiration-wise, I'm a morning person. I get my best ideas between midnight and noon.

What are your current feelings toward your current project?

Nausea at the yawning gap between where I am and where I want to end up.

[magicnoire.livejournal.com]

1. Novel (Last Rite)

2. I'm actually working on the final draft so at the moment, I'm combing through the first ~72K to make sure it's sturdy and sound. I have a plot hole to plug and layer in so it doesn't seem like a plug.

3. It's going okay. Not too easy but not too hard either. The first 13 chapters are very clean and sound. Right now I'm taking a snack break because I'm getting a hunger headache.

4. Oh and I love this novel.

[cicadabug.livejournal.com]

It's raining here, has been raining non-stop for more than a week. The local creek, which is usually barely more than a trickle, is a wide, fast torrent. We've had close to 3" of rain just in the last 24 hours; last Saturday we got 10" of rain. People's basements are flooded, some roads have been washed out, a few people have died. Not a great, inspirational day in any sense.

However, I've finally managed to sit myself down in my (thankfully dry) basement at my writing desk and I've got my full-spectrum lamp on, and I'm hoping to get some writing done. So far, I've lost a couple of rounds of solitaire and spent some time neatening up my desk. I might give up and sort books if I can't get into something soon. However, on my agenda for today is working on either the Titanic story or Farewell to Io, my novel-in-revision. Possibly both. Likely, none... )-:

[stillnotbored.livejournal.com]

Deeply mired in the land of novel revisions. When I finish revising Forest, than I start revising Disposable Son. Then once I get those out into the world, I start writing new words for Fire and Ice. In the middle of all of this, I take breaks and write poetry.

[slobbit.livejournal.com]

I wrote. I reworked the second chapter of the primary work in progress, and sent it out to my alpha reader. Then I and my military history expert discoursed over siege-breaking tactics I'll need for later on.

Now that the politics are falling into place, the other events are, too. I can feel the thunderheads building.

I love this novel. I love these characters. They drive me absolutely up a wall, but they're so *there*.

I'm always amazed to see your word counts. I'm sooooo sllllloooooooowwwwww.

[jediknightmuse.livejournal.com]

For those of you who are writing on this loveliest of lovely Saturday mornings (well, it's lovely here, anyway...sunny and cooler than the past few days in which temps almost reached 100!), what are you writing?
Still working on my Chronicles of Magic: Daughter of the Mystics story. Eee!

Are you working on a novel? A short story? A screenplay? Something else?
It'll be a...novel, I guess. Book one of three. I have an idea as to how book two will start off, but nothing beyond that, really. Should be fun when I get to start outlining book two.

Care to talk about the particular scene you're hard at work on?
The current scene is just before Azura, the main character/narrator (it's in third person), is going to meet the king and queen, the parents of Riordan which is the prince she's "courting"- not officially courting, really (they didn't ask each other)...and she's not a princess- so that she can request help from them for her people, who are going to war and there isn't a huge amount of them. Her people live in a secluded, hidden village in the forest, in a community for magic users, and they're going to war against Zeriphan, a sorcerer...She just met Riordan's younger sister, and now she has to go meet the king and queen, then she'll go before the Council to request for an alliance and help against Zeriphan and his forces....I think I'm almost done with this chapter. 80...something pages (I write it front to back and type it a couple pages at a time as I write a chapter), and only the fifth chapter. :D

Is writing coming easy today? Are you having to struggle?
Unfortunately, I haven't had ANY chance to write today- I had to work a crappy 11-7 shift and it was pretty busy (which should be expected, for McDonalds). I wrote a little last night but eventually lost the energy and went to sleep. Tomorrow is the last day I work until this coming Friday, so from tomorrow til Friday before 4:00 (eee, finally a Friday where I don't have to rush around in the morning to go to work) I'll have time before and after (-cough- and during) classes to write. I'm going to be struggling with the scene where Azura meets the Council and king and queen, because I haven't thought of what they'd be like until now, physically and otherwise, though I do have an idea as to how they're going to react to Azura's request. It's just going to be a little harder because...up until I started writing this chapter, I didn't have much about Anvar, the kingdom that Riordan lives in/the forest is part of, developed, so I'm still playing around with ideas. I struggled with one scene where they were in a tavern because Riordan found out that a friend was killed, and I'm iffy about his name, and the name of the friend who told him (they're both overused and slightly cliche names, but they were just names that came to me when I needed them), and I'm iffy about how the friend died, and...blah. All stuff I basically need to wait and see what people think about when they read it.

What are your current feelings toward your current project?
I'm excited to be so far into it, because it's been a really, really, REALLY long time since I've written something more than 20 or 30 pages long and haven't given up on it. I'm also excited because my creative writing teacher is letting the scene that I wrote as a draft assignment be considered something "new" instead of something I was already working on (it's a scene that'll be coming up in the current Chronicles story, and it was nice to write it out and see how it'd turn out) since she wanted us to write something new and I told her that I didn't want to write something else and have it distract me, because I've had that happen before...so now I have to work on revising that scene and adding on to it by this Tuesday. Yay.

projects

[writerbythebay.livejournal.com]

I'm currently working on two different projects. The first has been one in various stages of rewrites for far too long in the adventure fantasy genre. The second is a modern present day fiction story with characters that I am still getting to know. I keep picking up the fantasy and putting it down after adding a little to it here and there. The present day one has been getting most of the attention because it forced its self forward demanding to be paid attention to. The dialog is going well between the characters, it's usually what I have the hardest time with. (I'm much better at setting the scene, giving all the details and showing what's going on around) There really is something to the "it gets easier with practice" saying.

Here, the weather is positively wonderful- very un-Northwest. There was actual sunshine so warm I had to take off my coat and contemplated going back into short sleeves. Writing isn't getting done today because I know I'll have 10 whole months of being stuck inside where I'll have nothing better to do than actually park my butt and get some work done. So today I play- and maybe getting work done- going to the bookstore counts right???

[java-fiend.livejournal.com]

Still struggling mightily. :-(

So I'm editing a piece for a good friend. I'm hoping that will shake me out of the craps I've been in of late.

[queenoftheskies.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry to hear you're still having troubles. Because of real life issues and work suckage???

I hope the editing helps.

I've been reading QnI submissions this afternoon. Trying to get to critiques soon.

You getting the AWESOME clouds down your way? Any rain? We got a little rain already. Hooray!

[java-fiend.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry to hear you're still having troubles. Because of real life issues and work suckage???

Yeah... I haven't mastered your technique of putting things aside enough to be able to write... I'm working on it. I'm hoping to finish off the last couple of sentences in my short and get it into Quill.

I've been reading QnI submissions this afternoon. Trying to get to critiques soon.

Cool. :-) I'm sure that the authors are going to benefit from your critiques!!!!

You getting the AWESOME clouds down your way? Any rain? We got a little rain already. Hooray!

There were some clouds earlier, but they appear to have gone away!!! I want some rain so bad. LOL... But it *is* getting cooler and there is some wind, so here's hoping those storm clouds come a-rollin' in tonight. :-)

[queenoftheskies.livejournal.com]

Did you succumb to youngest son's temptations?

I did have one bite. However, it really has very little sugar, so I don't even feel guilty. :)

Today....I critted a short story a good friend sent me....

Oh, that's cool. A lot of times, it helps to read someone else's work. I read some submissions to QnI this afternoon. Hope to critique soon. Speaking of which, are you still interested in critiques of any of your work in the novel section?

I'm attempting not to feel guilty or stressed about that....attempting being the key word in that phrase....

You should not feel guilty. Everyone needs some time off. I haven't written much today and I'm trying to finish a novel. I might hit 1,000 words by the end of the night. Then again, I might now. :)

I'm thinking I need to write some shorts...but nothing is springing to mind....

Do you ever write shorts based on any of your novels?

Instead of worrying about, I'm.....*blush*...going to go colour. Filling in lines makes me happy ;)

I like coloring too. What do you like to color?

[queenoftheskies.livejournal.com]

And, critting gets me really thinking about the nuts & bolts of writing...it's one thing to feel that something isn't quite right, but it's something else entirely to have to explain why in a way that makes sense....lol....

Yes, I like that about critting. I've learned to look at my work more objectively, too, from critting.

And, lately, the strangest thing has been happening. Though I honestly don't know if I can apply this to my own writing, I think I'm beginning to "get it". What it takes to make writing work. What it takes to make it beautiful and deep and real. It's very exciting to me. I get these really cool glimpses of what I think it's supposed to be like!!!

Sure, Songbird & Once & Future need help!

Hooray! I've read both already. Just hadn't had time to get critiques written, and will try to get that done soon.

The other way around, actually...most of my shorts have been the seeds of novels, which, of course, is a bit frustrating, considering that shorts are shorts, and novels are...well....long...lol....

Yes, I have that problem, too. Though I was pleased recently when I tried to turn one into a novel and it didn't work. So, maybe I'm beginning to learn about short stories?

What about you? I know you have some shorter stuff on the go, right?

I have several short stories that I wrote based on the current universe I'm writing in, but haven't revised or submitted them to QnI cause I have no idea what I'd ever do with them other than put them on my website if I ever sold something. :)

I also have a short story I'm working on based on a novel I wrote based on a screenplay I wrote.

Right now....err...stuff from the Book of Kells...sometimes, just my own doodlings...

Ooooh, coool. So, what medium to you use? What do you color with?

What about you?

Depends on my mood. I love intricate patterns. Also fantasy type patterns and art. I get art books designed for coloring at one of the lovely, independent bookstores nearby and I color those. Lots of Celtic designs, knots, and fantasy creations.

When I have time to draw, I also like to ink in my own stuff...but I haven't really created anything worth coloring in a long, long time. Actually, I haven't drawn in a long time. :(