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