NaNoWriMo: Editing
I seem to be very unusual as a novelist. From everything I hear and read about other novelists, it seems that people have a hard time writing briefly. Most commonly people write many, many extra words and need to trim dramatically. Â A complete draft is 100, 000 words for them! I am exactly the opposite. Â My natural style is extremely brief: short sentences, to the point, nothing flowery. Â What this means is that I am able to take a huge idea and write a complete draft that’s 40,000 words. Â It’s ridiculous. Â That draft isn’t any good and most of what’s wrong with it is that the pacing is far too fast, important concepts and moments are not given enough weight, and there is more telling than showing. For those who don’t know, the...
Read MoreSix Sentence Sunday: NaNo Two
I’m back for my third foray into Six Sentence Sunday with another six sentences from my current NaNoWriMo work…  ### “Trent, seriously, we have to be realistic here. We’re not ever going to be able to be together. We can’t even touch! This is ridiculous.” Trent bit his lip. “I can’t keep doing this,” Talia whispered....
Read MoreFriday Excerpt: Faith Gets Bad News
Here are 400 words (actually a little less) from my NaNoWriMo book. Remember it isn’t polished or edited at all! This is rough, rough draft. lol. (but still feel free to offer critique) ### Old lady Smythe was looking at her again. Faith found the old woman creepy. She had a small smile on her face all the time and a gleam in her eyes that suggested she knew everything about everyone. Faith tried to avoid her, not wanting her own secrets sussed out, but it seemed like the old woman was always hanging around her. She must have a nose for trouble and knew even before Faith herself did that Faith was destined for trouble. Faith was laying on her bunk and staring blankly at the white floor while she thought. She was reminising about the last time she and Reece...
Read MoreNaNoWriMo: The Log Line
You saw my sprawling blurb earlier, which needs lots of work. Â A blurb is critical in the success of selling a story. Â A log line is also extremely valuable. Â I’ve bought books more than once on the power of the log line alone. What is a log line? Â It’s the one sentence description better known in movies. Being able to sum up your plot in one sentence that has the hint of a unique and interesting plot gives you a fast way to connect with readers. Â The ability to write a pithy one line is also great for author bios and tweeting. Â It’s not a skill that comes naturally to me! Here is a good overview of writing a log line for a novel. And here are some examples of book log lines that I think are really good. These have gotten me to click on the link...
Read MoreNaNoWriMo: The Biggest Challenge
What is the most challenging part of NaNoWriMo for me? Â Letting the writing be bad. There are two major ways that people write. Some push themselves to write a first draft very quickly, turning off the inner editor and letting the writing be bad until they can polish it later. Others have a hard time ever getting a book written because they can’t move to a new section until what they have is completely perfect. Most of us, I think, fall somewhere in the middle of this. I know I do. Â I produce a fair amount of writing, I don’t have trouble finishing books. Â Yet I also polish a little bit as I go. In a day I might write a couple new scenes and also revise and polish some other scenes. To get the crazy word count of NaNoWriMo, one needs to be able to set...
Read MoreProgress Trackers
At proofreaders; available for pre-order
What Is Meant To Be
Second draft
Homework & Homicide (working title)
Second Draft
Book Montage
RFW winner October 7, 2011
