 |
| Haha Camp NaNo is not that bad, don't worry! :P |
I did not reach my 40k goal, but I do not feel bad about it since I've managed to get as close as 39, 307 words! And since my last post (July 30th), I've passed the 40k mark with relative ease. Nellie IV has reached 42,853 words and is therefore well underway although I must admit once again that I do look forward to finally be working on something else...
Worse: I don't even worry about my future anymore! (I know what you're thinking: OMG, what happened to you? Good ol' neurotic you! We demand that you bring that anxiety-prone, self-doubting wreck back again!!! ^_^ Don't worry, at some point, she'll come back I'm sure :P But for now, I'm fine.) I don't care about whoever won't like my stories. I don't care if I don't get huge and famous and rich and popular and pretty and all that! :P For now, I am perfectly fine. :)
But my moods have been known to swing around faster than chimps in trees so... we'll see what tomorrow brings! ^_^
For now, that is all. I'm sure you guys have better things to do than to read my ramblings :P
And I've got me a novel to finish reading ^_^
Toodles!
I've made the decision not to write anything else until that final volume which I've dragged for far too long is finally cleared. I owe it to many of my readers (who are patiently waiting for that fourth volume to come out) to finally get down to the task, stop postponing and finding excuses and write the damn thing.
So I'll do it if it's the last book I ever write!
I will emerge victorious.
I. Shall. Conquer!
I will emerge victorious.
I. Shall. Conquer!
Hopefully, it won't be the last book I'll ever write...
Cause yeah, I rant and I rant about being a writer (no money, no real recognition, etc.) but the truth is that it's a pretty neat life:
Really, how awesome is that?
It's a great life! I urge you to live it! :P (Just... have a backup plan for rent, 'kay?)
1) I make my own schedule (I can work late and sleep late if I want!);
2) No real boss (except my readers ^_^);
3) I get to work at home (geek t-shirts and boxers are my typical office outfit);
4) I get to go on book signings and meet with my readers;
5) Basically, my job is to make up intricate lies to put down in books people will want to buy!
Really, how awesome is that?
It's a great life! I urge you to live it! :P (Just... have a backup plan for rent, 'kay?)
Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah! I don't think it's the last book I'll ever write... giving that I can't stop coming up with cool settings and characters. :P
But I have one big giant flaw in all that: I can't come up with good plots. (Now, don't try to flatter me, I know this to be true.) I've always had this feeling, this hint that all of my stories lacked directions, foundations... Like I'm just plucking ideas out of thin air and never really link them, you know? They don't make sense, they don't seem real and most of the time, I think the readers can't feel for my characters... I lack the sense of realness. It's a thing! I've been reading a book on how to write and the author says that: a book is a form a contract between the reader and the writer, like "I know you're lying to me, but do it well". And the key to doing it well, to make the story believable is to make it seem real. THAT's where I'm found lacking...
And so far, I haven't found how to fix this...
If you've got any ideas, please, lemme know!
And so far, I haven't found how to fix this...
If you've got any ideas, please, lemme know!
But there's one thing I've managed to fix.
You see, I'm a Lazy Lass. :P I don't like to work and I most certainly don't like to work hard! At least, that was true last week so what changed?
(A new story idea assailed me a couple of days ago and I went to the library today to stock up on some research material. Care to venture a theme? ^_^)
I've started training again.
Yep. You read correctly! I've started training again and the simple fact of moving my fat butt around at some point during the week has jolted my brain and got the cogs a-turning! Actually, it's so badly beneficial that I've come to a point where I don't mind doing research! o_O
(A new story idea assailed me a couple of days ago and I went to the library today to stock up on some research material. Care to venture a theme? ^_^)
Worse: I don't even worry about my future anymore! (I know what you're thinking: OMG, what happened to you? Good ol' neurotic you! We demand that you bring that anxiety-prone, self-doubting wreck back again!!! ^_^ Don't worry, at some point, she'll come back I'm sure :P But for now, I'm fine.) I don't care about whoever won't like my stories. I don't care if I don't get huge and famous and rich and popular and pretty and all that! :P For now, I am perfectly fine. :)
But my moods have been known to swing around faster than chimps in trees so... we'll see what tomorrow brings! ^_^
For now, that is all. I'm sure you guys have better things to do than to read my ramblings :P
And I've got me a novel to finish reading ^_^
Toodles!
Wow it sounds like you are in a great mood, physically and mentally! I would say THAT is the key to making your story the best it can be - if you feel good, the story you're writing will feel good too :)
ReplyDeleteEvery story is different too - some need research, others sound great as stream of consciousness if the character is entertaining. But it's easier to pick what's best when your mind is clear, you feel great, and positivist is flowing through ya!
I love those book titles btw - looks like you are researching for a mystery...
Aaaaw thanks for your comment!! :D
DeleteI try to keep my mood up but as everyone knows, whatever goes up must inevitably go down. But it's okay cause it goes up again later. The key is to allow yourself these ups and downs! ^_^ So today, I find myself in a good mood again (which was not the case these past few days).
You're right: every story is different. Just as everyone is different. I'll talk about it in my next post I think...
Haha I love those books I rented too! I hope I can live up to the expectations tho... Will let you know when that new story is in writing! :)
Make sure your characters' motivations are really set in your head -- What do they want? What's keeping them from getting it? That's where plot comes. Without conflict, you're stuck characters but lack focus or a story to bind it all together. Think about the story you want to tell and why you want to tell it. When in doubt, push your characters past their limits and see what happens. Let yourself be surprised :) Good luck!!
ReplyDeleteThat is SO true...
DeleteAnd I have so much trouble doing that... Can you give me some examples of motivation and their blockade? I'm a visual person; I learn best thru examples...
That's the thing: I don't know why I wanna tell that story other than "that story popped into my head and I like to tell stories, create worlds and characters. It's a nice escape from the real world." Is that a good enough reason? :S
Thanks for your kind words and advice tho! :)
What do you mean by examples? Every character in every story is different. Just make sure you know your characters inside and out. And make sure you know why you want to write about them. What makes them interesting to you? And relax; don't overthink it. Just tell the story as it needs to be told
ReplyDeleteHmm yes I guess this is my problem: I usually care very little about my characters. :P
DeleteI write stories for the sake of writing stories, just to get them out of my head and have fun discovering the whole story while writing it...
I usually don't know my characters when I start writing: I get to meet them and know them thru every line I write. Is that bad?
Um I don't want to say it's bad, but it's not something I understand at all. How can you write about people you don't care about? How can you expect people to care about characters you don't care about? Yeah, it sounds like this is your problem :P I mean, you don't have to know them before you begin, but I think it is important to care.
DeleteHmmm gonna have to work on that :P
DeleteAnd there are SOME characters that I love. But not all...
At least, not from the beginning... I usually end up caring about them when I get to know them better, a little later down the road...
Perhaps that's why I always feel the need to rewrite everything once I'm done because I know my characters better... Gotta learn to do this part of the job BEFORE I start writing the whole thing :P
Thanks for your help! ^_^