More Time Writing...

...less time writing about writing!

Minutes spent updating this blog (and the other ones) are adding up. I'm going to update weekly for a while to see how that goes. I'll still post " *** The 38 *** " if people are following it (let me know by commenting). From the start this has been a way to keep me honest and to have a record of my writing habits.

I'm in a routine now, so it's going well. I should have no problem finishing two stories by the end of March, for example.

I'm also excited about a new project. I'm writing scripts for short videos on motorcycle safety tips. I intend to film them however I can and if they air somehow, great. There's always YouTube if it comes to that - I can link them up to my motorcycling blog at the very least. It's a good off season project. We'll see how it goes.

I will now be able to devote some blogging time to "Across the Miles" and "On Riding and RiderCoaching". I'm way behind on the latter. I have 22 drafts just sitting there that need to be finished, and new ideas and topics keep popping up all the time.

Time...there's a limited supply!

Edit>Revise>Revamp!

I started doing some editing on "The House". I stalled right out of the gate. I have to better establish why the character is doing what he is doing. Without that, it's not believable. Have to think more...

Changed gears to story #9. It also needs some revamping. There is too much background info. I did some editing, but I think I need to go back to my outline and do some major work plotting the action of the story, then work from there.


Today: 1.1 hours/editing, some rewriting, outlining

Finally Finished

I have completed the first draft of the story I've been calling "The trouble."

It took a while (about 1.6 hours) and I rewrote and edited some.

I'm sure there's more work ahead, but it feels good to have a complete story with beginning, middle, end.

A number of others are in the works and, if I remember right, I wanted to have two stories finished by the end of March.

Still going............

Reprieve!

As my "publishing office" was closed today, I took the opportunity to do some more rewriting. Deadlines, shmeadlines! I'm using the short outline I described in the last post. I think my draft of "The Trouble" will now come out more compact and better.

I'm close to finishing it (even if it is just a first draft).


.7 hours/.8 pages plus editing

Sunday...

...was a busy day, for sure!

Did some good thinking and editing on current story. Let's give it a hint of a title: "Trouble".

Anyway, I tried to reduce it down to the bare essentials - the minimum I needed to arrive at the payoff at the end. I was getting into little subplots and side streets - too long for a simple short. I thought back to the 55 Word Fiction Project more than once. I also focused on how simple the idea was originally. So I trimmed the fat and made an outline of things the story must contain, then began to rewrite the whole thing from the start to see how compactly I could hit all those points.

So far so good. I'm feeling better about the story already
, even though my deadline is tomorrow!


2.2 hours/ pages? minus 2?

Saturday Hodgepodge

Today I reviewed some of the comments and entries on writing. It was good to review that stuff, to process what others are saying, and to comment back on a few. Helps me get my thoughts set.

Did some blogging on other places as well.

Today: blogging about writing, editing, minor additions to current story. 1.5 hours

Friday

.9 hours/ 1 page plus editing

Have added a new situation that allows me more conflict for my main character as well as allows me to show her more than tell about her.

Thursday

Working on the same story to make my deadline!

1.4 pages plus editing. Got some things sorted out and looking better (more show, less tell).

Deadlines! Deadlines!

I haven't forgotten that I wnated to have a first draft of one of my sories done by the end of this week. Well, for Monday morning.

Tonight I worked on it.

.75 hours/1.2 pages, editing


Why do murder mystery writers always hand in their manuscripts on time?
Because they write down their dead-lines!

Get it? DEAD-LINES!!!! Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!

I know, I know...don't get into comedy.

Fiction Is Making Stuff Up

Ian asked me what "faction" was today. After I corrected him a few times on how to pronounce fiction I thought, Why don't we call non-fiction "faction"?

Things that make you go "Hmmmm."

.7 hours/1.2 pages including taking notes on some non-fiction ideas

Expository Writing

I keep drifting into exposition, as Bickham defines it. Past events to try to give the reader his bearings. Is this a bad thing? I know that no story movement is happening during this type of writing, but how do I avoid it and still give the reader background info? How much is too much?


Today: 1.4 hours/1.4 pages

Another Page

I did another page or so on "The House." I like the idea of opening the story with action and filling in background as I go, as mentioned in the previous post. For now, I'm running with that. We'll see how it goes.

Today's writing: .8 hours/1.1 pages

Delivery Systems

One of the short stories that I am working on, which I will call "The House," is a different kind of story. There's no dialogue in it (yet?). I've been thinking about the delivery systems I've been using. See Bickham's The 38 Most Common Fiction Writing Mistakes.... number 6 from a previous post for more info.

I'd say it's 5 percent description, 10 percent exposition, 80 percent dramatic summary. It's all the background so far. I'm worried that I'm going to start the action too late.

Maybe I'll rethink where the story opens, or write an alternate version in which the reader is filled in as the action progresses. Hmmmmmmm...

1.4 hours/1 page

Once Begun Is Half Done

This entry is for Friday, February 13

I'm about half way through the first draft of my new short. 90% of the material is there. Now I have to go through it, check for flow, story logic, all that stuff. Then I will have a working first draft.

Today's writing: 1.6 hours/ 3 pages

Thursday

Today's writing: .75 hours/2.4 pages

A New Spark

I've started something new that could turn out well. It has a good premise. I know where I'm going with the first draft. I think it will wind up being short, which could be what I need, too.


Yesterday's writing: 1.2 hours/1.4 pages

I Need a Break...

... from the story I was working on. It's not the routine that's got me bummed out - or maybe it is - but I need some space to get perspective on the story. Not sure where it should go. Plus, I need a fresh start, so I started working on another short story. I'll come back to the original one soon (at the latest during some time off I have next week).

Today's writing: 1.2 hours/1.4 pages

Two Problems

I keep getting on what seem like tangents or subplots when I do my daily writing on the short story I'm working on. At some point, I'm going to have to streamline and do a lot of editing. I guess it's better to keep writing and have a lot to choose from, even if a lot gets scrapped. I just have to watch my time. I don't want to spend a year on one short story so maybe I'll set a deadline for my first draft soon. I feel like I need a big block of time to look at this thing as a whole for a while, maybe two whiles. I have some off time to work with coming up. See how it goes.

I've got to keep the action moving more. I keep falling into this pattern of telling, telling, telling. Descriptions of how the characters feel and why instead of showing it in their actions. I'd like to comb through what I've done so far and try to weed out description and replace it with relevant action. I think it will help a lot.


Today's writing: .75 hours, 1.3 pages, plus the above

Show Don't Tell

Looking back at some of the writing I have done on this short story it feels like I am forever giving background. Instead of showing by what the characters do I am telling the reader. Not good. Not enough action, too much bla, bla, bla...

I think I will reread with that in mind, cut out the fluff, and figure out ways to show and not tell.

Another thought: I am liking getting into a routine of writing a little each day. The one page minimum is something I can handle. Lately, though, I feel like a good stretch of time would be a great help so I can focus on the whole thing for a while and pull it all together.

Today's writing: 2.3 hours/2.1 pages plus editing

11 Don't Forget Stimulus and Response...


...when you can strengthen your writing through cause and effect.

* Readers usually need specific stimulus right now and outside the character that causes a given response in the next few moments.
* You have to provide all the steps - background, motivation, immediate stimulus - for the reader to believe and understand the character's actions
* Physical stimulus (something the reader can see or hear now) and physical response are critical to story logic, not just background, motivation, character thought, or character feeling







Today's writing: more than one page......blogging, writing about writing, etc.

I'm Tired...

...but I did 1.3 pages in about an hour.

Back to "The 38" tomorrow.

Slam Dunc

In the Bickham book ("The 38..." - see introduction to right) he talks a lot about a story being a record of a strong character's action to overcome obstacles to his goals. In a book that I read recently with Ian, the author provides a lot of conflict and a lot of positive action. Keep in mind as you look at the outline below that the chapters are quite short (3 1/2 to 5 1/2 pages).

Summary of Dunc's Dump by Gary Paulsen

1 trouble: mixing chemicals
threat: Amos's low grades in science
threat: will Melissa notice him (Amos)?
looking forward: speculation of how things will be with Melissa
trouble: chem explosion
strong character: Dunc takes action, gets out of bedroom
trouble: Amos's mother calls him downstairs

2 trouble: cleaning up mess
strong character: Dunc is loyal, helps clean mess
strong character: Dunc decides on a course of action-project find out what's
going on at the dump
threat: what if they wind up in trouble like before? Will they find what's in garbage?
strong character: Dunc knows things
trouble: pail disaster (Amos)

3 strong character: Dunc has a plan, resolve against Amos's objections, equipment
threat: will they be successful at the dump?

4 threat: Amos feels sick, scared
trouble: it's dark
strong character: Amos keeps going
trouble: they might be discovered
trouble: the mannequin “grabs” Amos's leg
strong character: Dunc reassures Amos of the plan, calms him, moves on
trouble: Amos feels lost
strong character: Dunc gets on with collecting samples, is prepared with gloves
trouble: something wiggles and squeaks as Amos picks it up

5 threat: what if Amos's parents come home?
Strong character: Dunc is prepared, reasons with Amos
Strong character: Dunc finds something from his research

Rereading the outline (and after having read more from this series) I see that Amos is used as a contrast to Dunc and, of course, for comic relief. Dunc is obviously the duo's confident leader.

I am surprised at the amount of movement and action. That's compact writing. It's no wonder that it's fun to read!

Today's writing: 1.0 pages (editing, new writing, and a bit of blogging)

Editing

Did some rearranging, read through more free writes, wrote.

Today's writing: .8 hours/1 page

Go For a Drive!

Today I plotted a short I've been working on for a while. I had been free writing on a list of potential conflicts and background info. I felt it was time to review, pull together, do some editing.

I focused on creating a sensible timeline for events, then rearranging stuff logically. This helped me view the story as a continuous whole and sort out the action and motivations.

I think the free writes helped me explore some possibilities and see what might work and what wouldn't fit. I guess that's why sometimes you just have to keep writing. You don't always know where you're going. You have to keep driving around until you find something. Not writing is like idling in the driveway. You don't get anywhere.

Go for a drive!

Today's writing: 1.2 hrs/1.4 pages

*** The 38 ***

10 DON'T HAVE THINGS HAPPEN FOR NO REASON...

...when you can use background and motivation to instill logic and credibility in your fiction.

* story logic leads to believability
* character needs background for action but an immediate cause for the action,too
* coincidence in fiction is deadly; the character must seek out the desired event, then work for it


Today's writing: 1.5 hours/1.2 pages

*** The 38 ***

9 DON'T DUCK TROUBLE...

...when you can fill your writing with true conflict.

* conflict is the tension between characters with opposing goals
* chance, coincidence (adversity) can also create sympathy but deny character the opportunity to understand, plot, confront
* To set up conflict: put two characters with opposing goals onstage to struggle now





Today's writing: .75 hours/1.2 pages

Yesternight

I fell asleep before doing my entry...but not before doing 1.1 pages!

*** The 38 ***

8 DON'T WRITE ABOUT WIMPS...

...when you can build strong, active characters by employing “story goals.”

* fiction reflects aspects of reality by being better than reality
* story people determine the outcome, not fate or chance or coincidence
* nudge your character into action with threat, change: 1.something has changed 2.your character feels threatened 3.your character vows to struggle 4.your character selects a goal and starts taking action toward it
* every story is the record of a quest
* every time a character forms a goal-oriented intention in fiction the reader worries (suspense)


Today's writing: 1.3 hours/2.4 pages

Today's Writing

.75 hours/1 page

Stay tuned. Tomorrow we're back to the 38!

Write!

*** The 38 ***

7 DON'T USE REAL PEOPLE IN YOUR STORY...

...when you can create vivid, compelling characters through exaggeration.

* Use tags that repeatedly identify the character
* Base characters' actions on goals, reasons, that reader can identify
* In short fiction character is almost always consistent with background


Today's writing: 1 hour/1.6 pages (new story)

Today's Writing

.75 hours/1.1 page

Today's Writing

I've been working on two short stories lately. Hope to have them done by the end of March.

.7 hours/1.2 pages

*** The 38 ***

6 DON'T DESCRIBE SUNSETS...

...when you can keep your story moving by avoiding flowery description.

* Fiction is movement; description is static
* Character thought and feeling is also description
* Tell (describe) a little, demonstrate (show in action) a lot
* Delivery systems in writing: Exposition - facts (slowest mode) Description - (almost as slow) Narrative - action of characters on stage, no summary and nothing left out, continuous movement (goes swiftly) Dialogue - very little action or interior (tremendously fast and forward-moving) Dramatic summary - summary instead of narration (fastest)
* Analyze your copy to see what form you tend to use and to work on pacing



Today's writing: 1 hr./1.4 pages

Are You Threatening Me?

Ten times I felt most scared or worried (in no particular order):

1. Going to St. Lawrence Wrestling Camp's 15-18 year old week as an eleven year old.
2. The first day of wrestling practice as a freshman.
3. Riding the ferris wheel for the first time.
4. Flying in a plane.
5. When the cops called the house and asked for Dad.
6. On ladders, staging.
7. Almost going off the road/getting hit on the bike.
8. When Tommy Thompson(or Will Darmetko) was after me.
9. When Steph was really sick, pregnant with Colin.
10. Driving in very bad conditions.
11. Anxiety attack.
12. Living in the ghetto (at night, several incidents).
13. When the doctor told me it was possible I had a brain tumor, waiting for the MRI and the results.
14. When Colin had a lung infection at a day and a half old.


Ten changes that I think might make good opening threats in stories (in no particular order):

1. A young soldier waits aboard a transport plane to be dropped off in a war zone.
2. After moving to a house in the country a man hears strange, terrible sounds coming from a neighbor's house at night.
3. A young couple with a newborn are alone and out of money.
4. A man's car won't start after he slides off the road. It is after midnight and bitterly cold.
5. A man awakens in the middle of the night to loud cracking sounds. He realizes that his house is on fire. Smoke is filling his room and the rooms of his children.
6. A man finds out he has a month to live.
7. A married executive gets threatened with blackmail by his assistant, who is also his lover.
8. An alien ship approaches a planet to harvest all of its resources.
9. Night is falling on a chilly Autumn day. A young family, out on a hike, is lost in the woods.
10. A man gets fired and cannot face the prospect of failure, poverty, and shame.
11. A rookie police officer goes on his first drug raid.

*** The 38 ***

...to be continued tomorrow...




Today's writing: 1.2 hours/3 pages

*** The 38 ***

5 DON'T WARM UP YOUR ENGINES...

...when you can write a captivating story from the very start.


* Description stops the action
* Fiction looks forward, not backward
* Good fiction starts with - and deals with - someone's response to threat (change)
* List ten times you felt most scared or worried
* List ten changes that you think might make good opening threats in stories


These last two bullets (lists of changes/threats) will be my entry for tomorrow.


Today's writing: 1.6 hours/partial rewrite of chorus of 1 song; brainstorming, rough draft of another song; journaling (about 4 pages)

*** The 38 ***

4 DON'T EXPECT MIRACLES...

...when you can achieve your writing goals through hard work, patience, and perseverance.

* Set goals for yourself for: 5 years from now, 4 years, 3 years, 2 years, 1 year
* Make notes of your insights and learned skills


My goals:

5 years - 1 published novel
4 years - 2nd novel complete
3 years - 2nd novel 1st draft complete
2 years - 1st novel complet
1 year - 1 published short story


Today's writing: 1.75 hours/ .5 page, one song (3 drafts) - it's a good one!

*** The 38 ***

3 DON'T SHOW OFF WHEN YOU WRITE...

...when you can give your writing power by putting complex ideas into simple language.

* don't put in your expert knowledge for its own sake or show off
* work in background info skillfully


Today's writing: .5 hours/1 page

*** The 38 ***

2 DON'T CONSIDER YOURSELF TOO SMART...

...when you can bring your writing down to earth – where your readers are.

* Plumb the depths of human emotions - portray them, re-create them, stir them


Tuesday's writing: 1 hour/1.2 pages

*** The 38 ***

1 DON'T MAKE EXCUSES...

...when you can avoid procrastination and delays with these ideas to get your project started.
* Keep a calendar with hours that you wrote/number of pages
* Write one page per day every day as a minimum (writers write!)
* Any day that you don't write, type one full page of excuses, date it, file it


Monday's writing: 1 hour/1.5 pages