The I'm Writing Thread.... Celebrate your pages written etc

[Lanodantheon]

So can anyone tell me how they plan to celebrate when they finally finish their next book?  Fireworks?  Champagne?  A nice nap?   

Naps are always good whether in celebration or not.


Me personally? Something like that I would celebrate by getting some luxury food like Pagliacci's Pizza(I live in Seattle) or a nice Porterhouse Steak from the local Butcher.

[The Deposed King]

Made it to 168k today.  Working on the climax of the novel, at least for one character.  Wish I had more time in the average week to work on it, but you know how that goes. 

So can anyone tell me how they plan to celebrate when they finally finish their next book?  Fireworks?  Champagne?  A nice nap?   

Well it doesn't exactly count but I just finished my last one on the 11th.  My response was to raise my victory hands and pass out unconscious, waking up just in time to get to the day job!


The Deposed King

[Lanodantheon]

On my own front, revisiting a project I had shelved a while ago. Going back to school this coming week, I still want to write everyday.


Current writing problems I need to solve:


1. How to write a "First Book" without falling into the traps that lead to readers telling their friends, "You have to slog through the first book" because I hate when I hear that and when I have to tell people that. The only solution I can think of is, "Don't save the dinosaur riding for book 7. Give to me in Book 1!"


2. Avoiding #1 while the only plot that makes sense for the beginning of the epic narrative is, "The Main Character stumbles around for a while and has to learn the tools...blah blah blah...because heroes can never find their own A** with both hands and a map at the beginning of their journey." I wish I were a fan of the gritty fantasy like Joe Ambercrombie and George Martin that throws that kind of narrative out the window...but I'm not. >_<


3. Whether or not to roll with the idea of Obi-Wan Kenobi as my main character instead of Luke Skywalker(Metaphorically speaking). It fits and I find great humor & drama in the moment of "These are the kids I have to train to opposed the Empire and take the Death Star? We are so f****ed..."

[The Deposed King]

14.5k

back in the saddle

15.5k

and on a roll!

16.0k

back on the even steven!

18k

Winner hands!

into Book 3: Admiral In Spite of Himself




The Deposed King

[gatordave96]

On my own front, revisiting a project I had shelved a while ago. Going back to school this coming week, I still want to write everyday.


Current writing problems I need to solve:


1. How to write a "First Book" without falling into the traps that lead to readers telling their friends, "You have to slog through the first book" because I hate when I hear that and when I have to tell people that. The only solution I can think of is, "Don't save the dinosaur riding for book 7. Give to me in Book 1!"


2. Avoiding #1 while the only plot that makes sense for the beginning of the epic narrative is, "The Main Character stumbles around for a while and has to learn the tools...blah blah blah...because heroes can never find their own A** with both hands and a map at the beginning of their journey." I wish I were a fan of the gritty fantasy like Joe Ambercrombie and George Martin that throws that kind of narrative out the window...but I'm not. >_<


3. Whether or not to roll with the idea of Obi-Wan Kenobi as my main character instead of Luke Skywalker(Metaphorically speaking). It fits and I find great humor & drama in the moment of "These are the kids I have to train to opposed the Empire and take the Death Star? We are so f****ed..."

I had a similar problem when I started the outline for my first book that I am working on.  Started a plot arc and was halfway through charting the arc when I blinked and said, "Dammit . . . this is the plot for X-Men."  Tore the paper off the tablet, wadded it up, threw it in the trash can. 

Tried it again.  Started writing another plot arc and realized it was "Excalibur" or "Star Wars."  Tore the paper off the tablet, wadded it up, threw it in the trash can.

It's hard coming up with something totally original.  The reasons why the "ugly duckling" story works so often is because people like to think that through a little hard work and challenges through adversity they will come through the process changed for the better.

The only thing I can recommend is plotting out several arcs.  Then, later on, you can decide which is the main plot arc and which ones are the sub-plots.  Same thing with your characters.  Figure out who they are, write down all the characteristics, traits, etc.  And then figure out how they will develop during your story.  And during that exercise maybe you come up with something different and original.

[gatordave96]

14.5k

into Book 3: Admiral In Spite of Himself




The Deposed King

Already?  Don't forget to stop and take a breath.

Putting us all to shame with your proficiency. 

[The Deposed King]

I had a similar problem when I started the outline for my first book that I am working on.  Started a plot arc and was halfway through charting the arc when I blinked and said, "Dammit . . . this is the plot for X-Men."  Tore the paper off the tablet, wadded it up, threw it in the trash can. 

Tried it again.  Started writing another plot arc and realized it was "Excalibur" or "Star Wars."  Tore the paper off the tablet, wadded it up, threw it in the trash can.

It's hard coming up with something totally original.  The reasons why the "ugly duckling" story works so often is because people like to think that through a little hard work and challenges through adversity they will come through the process changed for the better.

The only thing I can recommend is plotting out several arcs.  Then, later on, you can decide which is the main plot arc and which ones are the sub-plots.  Same thing with your characters.  Figure out who they are, write down all the characteristics, traits, etc.  And then figure out how they will develop during your story.  And during that exercise maybe you come up with something different and original.

Personally I don't worry too much about totally new and original. If you're having trouble my advice?   Make your plot some strange compilation between Excalibur/Starwars/X-Men.

The process of merging them, taking the best ideas and forging the remainder into a unique creation will spark something new and unique that will just blow you away.  If it doesn't then I say focus in on your characters again.  The process of making a hand full of living breathing characters fit through the first 'standard' pigeon hole you're agonizing over will make it almost impossible to get them all in harness for hte next pigeon hole. By then you'll know exactly how your characters are non-stock and where you're going to have to take things.

But that's just me  good Luck!




As for taking a breath....?  The 2nd book's been up for 4-5 days already and this is the first chance I've had since I started editing two weeks ago to get anything new down on word processor!  1.5k down and its time to get back hammering on the WP.


have a blast!



The Deposed King

[The Deposed King]

19k

off the duff and finally making some forward progress again!


The Deposed King

[drewavera]

i do all my writing by hand and then type it later. ive written 7 chapters and typed out 1 1/2 chapters, taking the oppurtunity to revise while im at it. writing is hard work, especially when juggling active duty military and family into the equation

[the neurovore of Zur-En-Aargh]

Me personally? Something like that I would celebrate by getting some luxury food like Pagliacci's Pizza(I live in Seattle) or a nice Porterhouse Steak from the local Butcher.

I haven't been to Seattle in years, and you are reminding me how much I want to go to Pagliacci's again. Also the Dilettante and the Capitol Hill Twice Sold Tales, if they are still there.

Come to think of it, if my tentative plan for travelling that way in March or May of next year comes together, should I drop you a line ?

[the neurovore of Zur-En-Aargh]

Personally I don't worry too much about totally new and original. If you're having trouble my advice?   Make your plot some strange compilation between Excalibur/Starwars/X-Men.

And steal everything you can from Shakespeare, who stole almost everything from somewhere else plotwise anyway.

(Well, except Measure for Measure.  Don't steal from that because it's on the bad crack.  I sometimes suspect that the entire genre of Jacobean revenge drama derives from people trying to imagine what sort of characters could plausibly behave like the Duke in Measure for Measure.)

[The Deposed King]

20k

A little prework writting storm.  The Big Reveal!

21K

There he goes, there he goes again!




The Deposed King

[THE_ANGRY_GAMER]

I'm writing a set of - well, they're a little long to be short stories, and a little short to be novellas... stories in the same UF story-world. Some follow Lasin Qandi, a Seeker (think Dresden without the magic, crossed with Geralt of Rivia), in London, and some follow Lauren Holter, an unkowingly magically-talented FBI agent who has a run-in with a vampire and gets reassigned to an FBI version of SI in LA.

I eventually intend to write a novel with the characters, but for now, I'm refining my craft and doing worldbuilding in these short peices, and I'm enjoying myself tremendously.

Anyway, the first one, entitled The Seeker, which can be basically summarised 'Demon-posession in a Council Estate', runs to 9,068 words. The next, which is currently untitled, deals with the ghosts of all those who were ever executed in the Tower of London getting riled up, a la Grave Peril. The first Lauren one will probably involve a vampire feeding off people at Hollywood teenagers' Christmas parties.

[The Deposed King]

21k


Admiral In Spite of Himself





The Deposed King

[The Deposed King]

23k

ssss-push it... push it real good!




The Deposed King