Revision Pains Etc

I have been revising Dark Falcon for the past week or so. I'm overwhelmed now. I really, really want to finish this revision by the end of the month. That was going pretty well, but the past couple days have been gunk. Maybe it's allergies... but my head just won't work. Not the best time to edit, you know?

I'm optimistic about Dark Falcon, but I need a beta reader. Trouble is, I'm not actually sure how to get my manuscript off my internet-less Windows 98 and onto this one (a Vista).

I've also been writing a short story I've tentatively entitled "The Goblin Queen". It's my own take on goblins, Faye, and Otherworld, so that's always fun.

My interest in Twitter has been revived as I now have more opportunities to sneak on.

I'm not really big on writing scripts, but I may collab with my brother again for ScriptFrenzy. He gets to mess with the formatting that way.

My 18th birthday is coming up (yay!) This may sound weird, but I want to head out to the zoo and practice my photography for the occasion.

:D SD

P.S. I have discovered I am a geek: This summer's superhero movie lineup has me freaking out. ...And Cowboys & Aliens.

Finished Draft Woes and Longhand Binges

So I finished Dark Falcon with I think it was 73K. Have read through it a couple times since November. There are a few issues. It needs expansion in some places, and a lot of (rather difficult) research in others. Somewhat overwhelming amount of supporting characters. Can't think of any major revisions to the story though, and it's been bugging me whether or not that's a good thing. I spent so much time planning the story out in September and October, that I may have actually gotten it right in November.

Of course, I hope this isn't the wrong intuition.

While I work out this small conundrum, I have been writing another story (August 16th) longhand. It's made great progress, but I'm still sorting through any multitude of options for the story. (I always hated Choose Your Own Adventure stories. There would be pages I just could never find. Not that this story is one. Just feels that way.) Spent all of the last three days working on it.

Have to say, because I'm writing in time-coded sections, writing longhand has been easier for August 16th. I did once have this crazy idea about making it anchronological, a whim since abandoned.

Hope everyone is having a great 2011, and does anyone else find some stories just flow better in longhand?

:D

Researching for Nanowrimo

How tall would a wall have to be to break Humpty-Dumpty?

It's not easy. You've got to sit down an think about all the vague exploits and hijinks that will happen, character details that you often forget to pay attention to, and all the while, you're sure that there's something that you haven't remembered.

Wikipedia's always a good place to start, but it's not a story-solver. After that, there's the Reference Desk on the Nano forums. People are more than willing to share their wisdom. Only problem is pretty much every other person on Nanowrimo is asking questions too. At that point, you might try wading through the different forum posts, which very often does turn up useful information.

Of course, if you've some VERY specific inquiries to make, you have to take on the Google beast or the labyrinth of your library. This is not for the faint of heart. In 2008, I was writing about a woman who had sustained a severe traumatic brain injury. I wanted to know what her chances of recovery were from different specific scenarios. It wasn't easy. A lot of the information I needed was locked away on websites that required $800+ dollars a year for access to their articles. So I spent the first half of October piecing together the information for myself using diagrams of brains and TBI patient resource sites.

You can make an inquiry with a specialist, or perhaps someone on Nano, but usually you're in a hurry. Come November, you realize what it was you really needed to research back in October. You're falling behind on word count, and no one's answering your Reference Desk post. None of scientific/medical lingo really makes any sense to your literary mind anyway.

In the end, you might even find you wind up leaving this information out all together. Your story might no longer make sense, but that's what revision's for, right?

Of course, when you do get the information you need, it can put your story together or break it to pieces. But even then, it's hard to be completely sure your story is believable.

It must have been a writer deluged in this sort of exhaustive research who first said: "Write what you know."

Not that, I think, anyone ever takes this advice for more than five minutes together.

I'm Just As Stubborn

I'm sitting here at the computer desk. I've been up three hours and have about three paragraphs to show for it. I'm tired, bored, and uninspired. I know what I want to write in the next chapter, but I've got to get them there first. The writer's block just isn't going away.
Got up to make a new copy and started wondering: Is this story any good? If it is, would anyone ever buy it? I've got other stories I could be working on, so why stick with this series? We both know it'll probably just wind up on a memory stick my sock drawer.

My only answer to this dilemma? I'm passionate. I love these stories and these characters. I can't expect it to be any good on the first try, or even the second. Sure it might be epic fantasy, not very original, and too short; but it's mine. I'll keep writing and resist the urge to open another document. And I just might finish for once.

So I'm still here. And I'm going to get to writing. And I'll pull myself out of this funk I'm stuck in.
Maybe, just maybe, the Chinese chicken leftovers will survive.

See? I'll show the writer's I'm just as mule-headed as it is.
:P S.D.

Out of My Mind

I have been getting this strange feeling lately: I am (completely out of the blue) compelled to finish, edit, and polish The Restored. I get this feeling that I need to finish it. The Restored is supposed to be the first book in a series about a fantasy world.
But this is a strange feeling for me. I think I'm going to go mad if I don't get it finished. I've only felt this way during Nano, and still, that was only getting to "The End."

I'm going to have to throw myself into this to save my mind.

Signing off, S.D.

POV Troubles

I don't really like first person anymore. At least when I'm struggling with the character. See, my character Meredith and I are having problems. I'm ready to blame it all on her, but I'll be bigger and admit it's partially my fault her character is not coming across on paper well.

It could have something to do with the fact I'm writing longhand. It's all kind of messy on binder paper, so I feel disorganized. Anyway, I just can't find a voice for her. It's very annoying. I think I'll give it a go on the computer if I can ever get the time. It's tempting to stop writing S.T. and work on Meredith instead (on the computer), but I can't let myself do that.

Off to face the sludge, S.D.

Self-Promotion?

I've encountered quite a few writing how-to blogs lately that stress the importance of self-promotion. I know a lot of writers in the past would have killed to have half my chance to put their stuff out there. Unfortunately, a lot of the reason why I write as much as I do is because I'm not very eloquent. Novelling through the voice of my characters has become my way of speaking. The thought of writing a synopsis for my stories terrify me. Pitches are even worse. But going out there and making people want to buy my book? *Runs and hides in terror*

And that's pretty much how I feel.

And it's a feeling I'm apparently going to have to conquer unless I win the million-dollar jackpot and can hire my own promo agent. Unfortuantely, I'm not even 16 yet, so the lottery is out of the question leaving me with only one option: Self-promote.

I'm planning on being finished with Across the Stars by April. That's when I suppose I'll start. I should be done with Title Page by June. Selling two little novels off Amazon doesn't sound easy, exactly, but I'll put on a good attitude. Optimism and all that.

Curse the cynicism I got from my mother!

And I'm rambling. I can feel it. If you made any sense of the above, could you give some tips if you have any?

Cramps in my Stomach

Nanowrimo is in less than 16 hours... And I'm panicking, I'm panicking. There's like a total lack of plot here.
Anyway, I had thought about introspecting about my character's clothing here today, but now I can't. I'm so nervous I'm practically maniacal.
Catchya later! Maybe even December later..... That is if I'm alive.