I'm not going to bother listing each goal individually today. I got little done this week, though I did poke at my story somewhat. My brain just kept fizzling on how to follow up on the suggestions my crit group made.
A couple days ago, I decided to set it aside for a week or two and switch to another WIP, a novel that's supposed to be book 1 of a trilogy. So far I've read through to the end of what I'd already done and now trying to figure out what's going to come next. It's about two thirds of the way through, but I'm not sure if the middle third actually works for the overall plot. The main antagonist for that part isn't developed well enough yet. There's some good stuff though.
This week's goal: plan out the arc for the last third of what I've tentatively titled Broken Destinies. It's actually a co-authored piece I'm doing with my husband, so at some point when he has some spare brain power (he's had a rough week), I'll get him to do some brainstorming with me.
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8 comments:
No worries. Just make sure that you're not being too critical of your own work before you write it. I know crits are good to have but sometimes they do weird things to psyche. After a crit I tend to let my inner editor out during outlining and during the first draft. When I do that, it makes progress really slow going- if progress is even made at all. Hope you have a better week!
I always had problems in the past making sense of crits. Now I'm working on a bit more of a one to one basis, I'm finding that side of things less confusing. Hope it works itself out soon and good luck tying down hubby for the joint project.
It sounds like you have a plan even if the last week was less than you hoped for. Good luck with the upcoming week!
Oh the crits are sound: clear notations about weak areas. Things like a reference to a deceased character came across as confusing as to whether it was the MC's brother or betrothed, and that a character the MC speaks to initially sounded like a much older woman rather than simply old enough to be her mother. Things about establishing setting more clearly so that events aren't happening in such a vague place. Really good points that I agree with even after a couple weeks. I know what to do; I just haven't figured out how I want to do it. Description is not one of my strong points.
I just figured maybe I needed to switch it up a bit, since I've been working so hard on that one. My brain still isn't quite back into the novel yet, but reading it a few times plus seeing various notes has gotten the overall shape refreshed in my mind.
You still did good! There's a lot of work that goes into thinking and you can't measure that. Nobody seems to appreciate how much brain work I'm doing when it looks like I'm watching t.v. eating Oreos. (Okay, maybe not then.)
Time reading for research counts too, doesn't it? If not, then I guess I have gotten exactly zero done this week. As long as the movement is still going forward, that is progress. Keep going!
Jaleh, I will echo everyone else. Sometimes, our writing is like a teenager--you just need to spend some time apart, thinking in your own spaces about things. My stories never slam the door behind them--that's the only difference.
Letting something simmer on the back burner is crucial to the creative process. Research studies show that our brains continue to work on problems that are on the back burner, even while we sleep.
So, no apologies necessary! Keep on thinking and the rest will come. Have a great week.
A break can be helpful, to keep from getting stretched too thin. You can do it! Good luck.
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