I spent the last three or four days watching season six of Dexter. Oops. Jordan and I finished it last night, though, and immediately after I got back to work.
I thoroughly enjoyed writing today. Up until now I had been afraid that my story might solely involve questions of love and right versus wrong. I wanted to make sure I had other things going for my story. Before today I'd had some vague ideas on how to branch out, but I wasn't sure about how to execute it. I think I got it today, or at least a good start. Enter more psychology material. I'm putting my college education to good use.
The scene was a lot of fun to write, and it went by quickly. I mostly wrote the dialogue, so I didn't slow myself down with the other details of the scene (aside from brief descriptions of what I needed to fill in the blanks later). That came to about 1,000 words. By the time I go through it later and add enough to flesh it out a little, I'm hoping that scene will be closer to 2,000 words. Maybe more if I can add to it's plot.
Writing with a specific scene in mind was so much easier that I spent the rest of my time for the day working on a more concrete outline. The one I originally made dealt a little more with the general feeling of the book as it progressed, with a few key scenes described. I wasn't sure how to connect certain points, and sometimes I only had a murky sense of what was coming. I'm trying to create one that would list the specific scenes in order. Hopefully a couple days of this will speed things up. As usual, it won't be set in stone. I still want to be able to change it if I come up with new ideas.
I'm debating whether I should release more information about what my
novel is about. I think I'm guarding it more than I need to, and even
if someone were to try to write something similar it wouldn't be the
same book at all.
I've also had a little fun lately visualizing what I have written as actual pages in a paperback book.
Total Word Count: 13533 (15%; = about 45 pages!)
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Monday, August 20, 2012
The art of 'stealing'
I know that anyone who tries to write faces all sorts of time-related obstacles. I guess I'm no different, but I've not really had the chance to write as much as I wanted to recently. I have continued to write, though, and I'm satisfied I haven't stopped.
I'm happy with what I've written in the past couple days. I had a general idea of what I needed to accomplish in a couple scenes, but wasn't sure how to do it. I was fortunate today, though, and the writing came easily enough. The scenes didn't end how I expected them to, but it feels good when a scene I write turns out differently. I take it to mean that rather than forcing a pre-conceived plot idea to fit, I am discovering how my characters really would act.
I have finished reading Before I Go to Sleep, and have now decided it might be helpful for me to go back through a book I have read before, Replay by Ken Grimwood. It is about a man who has a heart attack, and after that moment keeps going back and replaying parts of his life. Although most of the book is irrelevant to mine, there are certain key points that I hope might inspire me, even apart from the what-the-hell-is-happening-to-me element. There were a couple similarities in how we approached it, so that was encouraging. After I finish this post I'm going to go back to Replay and see if there is something in there I can 'steal'.
I take back some of what I have said about the Fifty Shades series. The very idea of fanfiction that underwent name changes so it could be sold as it's own work pissed me off at first. It still kind of does, and I still hold that it is ten times easier to write a book when you are masking characters from other works as new ones. I have done this myself (and I'm glad I did, because it was a good exercise and stepping stone), but I would never dream of trying to get any of it published because it still feels like cheating. However, yes, everything we write comes from something, whether life or another book. The creativity comes when you decide how to use the things you steal, because it can not exist in a vacuum. People do 'steal,' but in different degrees. E.L. James happened to 'steal' much more from one source. I still frown upon it, but it still does take some degree of creativity to turn Twilight into Fifty Shades of Grey. I guess the work fits into a grey area (pun partially intended).
What I think of the quality of James' creativity is unrelated, so I won't go into that here.
In the spirit of 'stealing,' here is a Ted Talk I have read on the matter by Austin Kleon, who wrote Steal like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You about Being Creative. Check it out.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oww7oB9rjgw
Total Word Count: 11638 (13% of my goal)
I'm happy with what I've written in the past couple days. I had a general idea of what I needed to accomplish in a couple scenes, but wasn't sure how to do it. I was fortunate today, though, and the writing came easily enough. The scenes didn't end how I expected them to, but it feels good when a scene I write turns out differently. I take it to mean that rather than forcing a pre-conceived plot idea to fit, I am discovering how my characters really would act.
I have finished reading Before I Go to Sleep, and have now decided it might be helpful for me to go back through a book I have read before, Replay by Ken Grimwood. It is about a man who has a heart attack, and after that moment keeps going back and replaying parts of his life. Although most of the book is irrelevant to mine, there are certain key points that I hope might inspire me, even apart from the what-the-hell-is-happening-to-me element. There were a couple similarities in how we approached it, so that was encouraging. After I finish this post I'm going to go back to Replay and see if there is something in there I can 'steal'.
I take back some of what I have said about the Fifty Shades series. The very idea of fanfiction that underwent name changes so it could be sold as it's own work pissed me off at first. It still kind of does, and I still hold that it is ten times easier to write a book when you are masking characters from other works as new ones. I have done this myself (and I'm glad I did, because it was a good exercise and stepping stone), but I would never dream of trying to get any of it published because it still feels like cheating. However, yes, everything we write comes from something, whether life or another book. The creativity comes when you decide how to use the things you steal, because it can not exist in a vacuum. People do 'steal,' but in different degrees. E.L. James happened to 'steal' much more from one source. I still frown upon it, but it still does take some degree of creativity to turn Twilight into Fifty Shades of Grey. I guess the work fits into a grey area (pun partially intended).
What I think of the quality of James' creativity is unrelated, so I won't go into that here.
In the spirit of 'stealing,' here is a Ted Talk I have read on the matter by Austin Kleon, who wrote Steal like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You about Being Creative. Check it out.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oww7oB9rjgw
Total Word Count: 11638 (13% of my goal)
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Dissociative fugue vs. dissociative amnesia
Considering that I was a psychology major, I feel kind of foolish. I was doing a little research on amnesia for my novel and remembered that my story might not involve 'normal' amnesia at all. It seems more like dissociative fugue. It has been at least four years since I took abnormal psychology, so I didn't remember all of the specific differences, and I found some conflicting information online. It was also hard to say because dissociative fugue involves a person assuming a new identity and physically moving elsewhere... and as of now I have planned to have my character stay where she is. I needed to look into this more, because this could change things. I may need to iron out how my character would act before I can decide. I prefer the idea of a dissociative fugue (mis)diagnosis, if it is possible, if only because it isn't nearly as overdone.
I wanted to find the technical clinical requirements. I do own a copy of DSM-IV, but on top of it being somewhere in Knoxville it is also now somewhat outdated. DSM V will be published next year, I believe.
I went to the DSM website (www.dsm5.org) and finally had a little luck. Evidently, dissociative fugue used to be its own disorder, but it has been proposed that it be entered in as a subtype of dissociative amnesia (general episodic amnesia) in the newest edition. A few of the criteria in DSM IV included travel away from home, loss of episodic memory, and confusion regarding one's identity. Some of my questions were answered, but I still was not sure of all I wanted to know. What if the person in question seems to think that they are someone else but either doesn't have the chance to leave or else does not try? Why is going elsewhere a requirement? Then I found a notation. The travel aspect is an inconsistent feature of dissociative fugue. I may be in business.
Still, I'm wondering if I can stop by and see my old abnormal psychology professor. He still works in my department, and I occasionally see him, but he probably doesn't remember me anymore. Maybe if I can do that I'll understand a little better and then will be able to decide how to tackle this. I may not have to find a reason for my character to up and leave as a part of my plot.
Now, a question. I hadn't expected my novel to go into much detail on the facts and details on all this (retrograde vs. anterograde amnesia, episodic memory, dissociative amnesia vs. dissociative fugue) but for the story to be credible I would have to include the scenes where a doctor explains these nuances. Would that make for boring reading? Maybe I can find a way to get one of the characters to spice it up. Maybe I can make a character lose their mind and start speaking in tongues.
I didn't write much today. I had a movie night tonight and I wanted to get to read more of Before I Go to Sleep. I did do a little revising. Editing as you go can be kind of risky, but I like to read through what I've written sometimes, and when I do I'd rather it not feel so raw. I might not have increased my word count by much, but I improved some of what I already had. At least it's something.
Total Word Count: 9,320
I wanted to find the technical clinical requirements. I do own a copy of DSM-IV, but on top of it being somewhere in Knoxville it is also now somewhat outdated. DSM V will be published next year, I believe.
I went to the DSM website (www.dsm5.org) and finally had a little luck. Evidently, dissociative fugue used to be its own disorder, but it has been proposed that it be entered in as a subtype of dissociative amnesia (general episodic amnesia) in the newest edition. A few of the criteria in DSM IV included travel away from home, loss of episodic memory, and confusion regarding one's identity. Some of my questions were answered, but I still was not sure of all I wanted to know. What if the person in question seems to think that they are someone else but either doesn't have the chance to leave or else does not try? Why is going elsewhere a requirement? Then I found a notation. The travel aspect is an inconsistent feature of dissociative fugue. I may be in business.
Still, I'm wondering if I can stop by and see my old abnormal psychology professor. He still works in my department, and I occasionally see him, but he probably doesn't remember me anymore. Maybe if I can do that I'll understand a little better and then will be able to decide how to tackle this. I may not have to find a reason for my character to up and leave as a part of my plot.
Now, a question. I hadn't expected my novel to go into much detail on the facts and details on all this (retrograde vs. anterograde amnesia, episodic memory, dissociative amnesia vs. dissociative fugue) but for the story to be credible I would have to include the scenes where a doctor explains these nuances. Would that make for boring reading? Maybe I can find a way to get one of the characters to spice it up. Maybe I can make a character lose their mind and start speaking in tongues.
I didn't write much today. I had a movie night tonight and I wanted to get to read more of Before I Go to Sleep. I did do a little revising. Editing as you go can be kind of risky, but I like to read through what I've written sometimes, and when I do I'd rather it not feel so raw. I might not have increased my word count by much, but I improved some of what I already had. At least it's something.
Total Word Count: 9,320
Monday, August 13, 2012
One-tenth milestone
I am not too distracted today. I've kept writing, which feels great, to be honest. I feel like I did in college when I would sit in my lectures and write ideas and snippets of conversation I wanted to remember in the margins of my notes. I feel excited to write again, and so you can probably guess what my lunch break entailed today. My idea from yesterday has made writing so much easier, and I feel like maybe, just maybe, I'm finally getting somewhere.
I don't know why I'm so occupied with the idea of completing a November NaNo. It may be because the municipal liaison for Bloomington started talking about it last Wednesday when I went to the group. She was considering where she could hold the weekly write-ins for November and the kick-off event. She also talked about how everyone has a bead bracelet as an incentive to keep going. For every 1,667 words written, you get a bead for your bracelet. If you accomplish certain goals (stay on track for the first week, be the first to 50k words, etc) you get a charm to add to the beads. Somehow I think having a tangible reward, however little, could be such a huge incentive. But then, that is a couple months away.
I was roaming the NaNoWriMo website and found the pep talks from the past years events. Published authors write them and email them out to all NaNo'ers each week during November. It just so happens that the authors of three books I loved have written these pep talks before. Two of them, Sara Gruen and Erin Morgenstern, have actually done NaNo before. Sara's pep talk showed that even now that she is published and successful she still does NaNo. Her pep talk mentioned that she was behind on her word count (which, of course, makes me feel a little better about my own progress). And then, it was great seeing the talk by Audrey Niffenegger considering that The Time Traveler's Wife is possibly my overall favorite book right now and has inspired certain elements of my book. I also liked seeing that Meg Cabot, even if I don't read her books, did a pep talk and has done NaNo in the past. I suppose that's just because she grew up here in Bloomington. She went to high school just across the street from where I lived last year.
I probably won't write more today. I have been reading Before I Go to Sleep by S. J. Watson. It's not as relevant to my book as I hoped it might be, but I'm hooked regardless. I may take some of my focus away from writing until I finish it, but I do plan to keep working on my word count tomorrow.
I read a quote on writing that made me feel better for missing my personal deadlines:
I don't know why I'm so occupied with the idea of completing a November NaNo. It may be because the municipal liaison for Bloomington started talking about it last Wednesday when I went to the group. She was considering where she could hold the weekly write-ins for November and the kick-off event. She also talked about how everyone has a bead bracelet as an incentive to keep going. For every 1,667 words written, you get a bead for your bracelet. If you accomplish certain goals (stay on track for the first week, be the first to 50k words, etc) you get a charm to add to the beads. Somehow I think having a tangible reward, however little, could be such a huge incentive. But then, that is a couple months away.
I was roaming the NaNoWriMo website and found the pep talks from the past years events. Published authors write them and email them out to all NaNo'ers each week during November. It just so happens that the authors of three books I loved have written these pep talks before. Two of them, Sara Gruen and Erin Morgenstern, have actually done NaNo before. Sara's pep talk showed that even now that she is published and successful she still does NaNo. Her pep talk mentioned that she was behind on her word count (which, of course, makes me feel a little better about my own progress). And then, it was great seeing the talk by Audrey Niffenegger considering that The Time Traveler's Wife is possibly my overall favorite book right now and has inspired certain elements of my book. I also liked seeing that Meg Cabot, even if I don't read her books, did a pep talk and has done NaNo in the past. I suppose that's just because she grew up here in Bloomington. She went to high school just across the street from where I lived last year.
I probably won't write more today. I have been reading Before I Go to Sleep by S. J. Watson. It's not as relevant to my book as I hoped it might be, but I'm hooked regardless. I may take some of my focus away from writing until I finish it, but I do plan to keep working on my word count tomorrow.
I read a quote on writing that made me feel better for missing my personal deadlines:
- "I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by."
- - Douglas Adams
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Trying to get back on track
It's been a while. I kept trying to get back to work, but I couldn't. I wasn't going to the NaNo group, and I certainly wasn't writing. I was thinking a little about my story, though. I am still going to do it. I don't want this to be some passing dream that fades. I just had other things going on in my life for a while, and somehow could not make myself write. I would say I wanted to do it, but when it came down to sitting in front of my computer I couldn't come up with anything.
I'm working on it. I went to a NaNo group on Wednesday, my first time since the very end of May. Today I skimmed through some notes so I could start writing. I wrote a little, but then something strange happened. It's almost like my writing muse started tugging on me and telling me, "Alright, get back to it." I had such a crazy idea. I don't know how I didn't think of it before! It just makes sense this way, as though my story was showing me how everything really unfolds. It doesn't change much in practice--I will only have to rework a few sections--but it will add an entirely new level to everything. It adds a new sense of motivation to why my characters might act a certain way, and creates more connections between a few events in my plot...but best of all, it ties everything together so much better. Also, it is exactly what I needed to get excited about this again.
I am kind of sad I let both NaNoWriMo summer events pass me by. Technically the August one is still under way, but there is no way I'd be able to catch up in time. The official one will be in November, but I don't want to wait that long. I need to write while I've finally got my motivation back.
Total Word Count: 8,077
I'm working on it. I went to a NaNo group on Wednesday, my first time since the very end of May. Today I skimmed through some notes so I could start writing. I wrote a little, but then something strange happened. It's almost like my writing muse started tugging on me and telling me, "Alright, get back to it." I had such a crazy idea. I don't know how I didn't think of it before! It just makes sense this way, as though my story was showing me how everything really unfolds. It doesn't change much in practice--I will only have to rework a few sections--but it will add an entirely new level to everything. It adds a new sense of motivation to why my characters might act a certain way, and creates more connections between a few events in my plot...but best of all, it ties everything together so much better. Also, it is exactly what I needed to get excited about this again.
I am kind of sad I let both NaNoWriMo summer events pass me by. Technically the August one is still under way, but there is no way I'd be able to catch up in time. The official one will be in November, but I don't want to wait that long. I need to write while I've finally got my motivation back.
Total Word Count: 8,077
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