Again, it's been a while. This time, however, I do have a good excuse. My husband was hospitalized for a life-threatening condition. I had internet for the 9 days I spent in the hospital with him, but it cut out every couple of minutes or so, and the connection had all sorts of restrictions (it wouldn't let me sign in to post here, for example).
Unfortunately, there isn't much to report on the writing front. I didn't get much writing done in that time. That isn't to say I didn't think about it often (there really is only so much TV-watching you can do, especially in a hospital). I plan on getting my chapter nine finished this week. Well, that's the hope. I think I might have been *thisclose* to titling the current novel, but I was under insane amounts of stress and quite sleep-deprived, so I might have hallucinated almost finding a title. Not sure.
I am completely sure, however, that the titled YA urban fantasy is going to be my NaNo project for this year. I need to do a bit more brainstorming on that one. I believe there will be more humor in that one than in the current one (the current one has some humor, but I wouldn't consider it a comedy, whereas the new one will have much more in the way of comedy).
I was linked to TVtropes.com by a friend, and it is one of those sites that can be incredibly helpful, but is dangerous. Total "Wiki Walk" territory. I can spend hours at a time there. To the point where one friend mentioned that she was going to have to send several well-oiled, muscled men in to extricate me. But still, I love it, and I recommend giving it a little browse if you haven't already. Tropes like Crowning Moment of Awesome, Heroic Blue Screen of Death, Big Damn Heroes, The Reason You Suck Speech, and the Pre Ass Kicking One Liner are some of my favorites (those were just the first few to come immediately to mind). Yes, I use the site for research purposes, but I have a hard time making people believe that, as I spend so much time giggling while reading.
Showing posts with label title. Show all posts
Showing posts with label title. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Friday, July 3, 2009
A New Idea
There was a two or three year period where I had writer's block, not all that long ago. And I mean that as in absolutely, completely, one hundred percent blocked. No ideas. No ability to write anything--no fiction, no creative non-fiction, no poetry, nothing.
Apparently, this current period is to make up for that.
I was hanging around in the chat (which, for the purposes of here, will be the Undead Chat, or just Chat) which I frequent, and some members were posting a few lines here and there of some of their bits of writing, and a new idea just hit me. A wonderful writer was giving us some of the beginning of something they'd written and haven't yet finished, and one line of hers triggered a new idea for me. They would very, very generally be about something similar, but the actual plot would be completely different. The amount of similarity is more like "a story about a guy who has xxxxx". I know it's an idea that's been done before (I think I may even have seen it around the NaNoWriMo boards last year, in a couple of incarnations), but there's really not anything new under the sun, now, is there? It's all how you work it.
The nice thing about this new idea, which is tentatively "Novel #5", is that it came with a title. A one word title, and I like it. I like the connotations (reminds me of domestication, and my pets, and loads of other stuff). It's kind of snappy. And it fits the general bits of the story, but doesn't give anything away that won't be known right off. It also lets me play with the idea in my head some more... I'm still trying to nail down if the character is in his current situation (which is the title, actually) of his own volition, or someone else's. Also, if his condition is more scifi, or fantasy.
I still have #3 to finish (trying to wrap up chapter 4 right now, in between typing this and keeping an eye on the Chat). Er... and #2, which was put on hold a bit for the freight train that was/is novel #3. And there's still novel #4, which needs to be fleshed out a good deal before I can begin to write it. And I really should edit #1...
For once, lots and lots of ideas, not enough hours in the day to get it all done and still function. I'm thinking I will concentrate on the 3rd novel, and take occasional moments to finish up the last 20% or so of #2, for now. #4 might be my NaNoWriMo novel for this year... and if it's not, #5 will be.
Apparently, this current period is to make up for that.
I was hanging around in the chat (which, for the purposes of here, will be the Undead Chat, or just Chat) which I frequent, and some members were posting a few lines here and there of some of their bits of writing, and a new idea just hit me. A wonderful writer was giving us some of the beginning of something they'd written and haven't yet finished, and one line of hers triggered a new idea for me. They would very, very generally be about something similar, but the actual plot would be completely different. The amount of similarity is more like "a story about a guy who has xxxxx". I know it's an idea that's been done before (I think I may even have seen it around the NaNoWriMo boards last year, in a couple of incarnations), but there's really not anything new under the sun, now, is there? It's all how you work it.
The nice thing about this new idea, which is tentatively "Novel #5", is that it came with a title. A one word title, and I like it. I like the connotations (reminds me of domestication, and my pets, and loads of other stuff). It's kind of snappy. And it fits the general bits of the story, but doesn't give anything away that won't be known right off. It also lets me play with the idea in my head some more... I'm still trying to nail down if the character is in his current situation (which is the title, actually) of his own volition, or someone else's. Also, if his condition is more scifi, or fantasy.
I still have #3 to finish (trying to wrap up chapter 4 right now, in between typing this and keeping an eye on the Chat). Er... and #2, which was put on hold a bit for the freight train that was/is novel #3. And there's still novel #4, which needs to be fleshed out a good deal before I can begin to write it. And I really should edit #1...
For once, lots and lots of ideas, not enough hours in the day to get it all done and still function. I'm thinking I will concentrate on the 3rd novel, and take occasional moments to finish up the last 20% or so of #2, for now. #4 might be my NaNoWriMo novel for this year... and if it's not, #5 will be.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Man, I suck at titles
At present, I have 3 novels in various states of completion. In short:
Novel #1 is a completed first draft, at about 87,350 words (287 double-spaced pages). It's literary fiction, leaning toward romance. It's written in third person, present tense, and the main character's a woman in her early thirties. I have extensive notes to incorporate into the editing, but I haven't started that yet.
Novel #2 is about 60-75% written (first draft). It's currently sitting at 87,337 words (wow, so close to the completed first novel), and is 144 single-spaced pages. Oddly, I write in single-spaced, and double-space when the draft is done. It comes from a paper-writing technique that worked for me in college. It's also literary fiction, though it could also be considered mainstream fiction, I suppose. It's less "literary" than the first novel is. It's written in first person, past tense. The narrator/MC is a male, aged 26.
Novel #3 is still in the planning stages. I'm actually quite close to beginning the actual writing. This one's fantasy, most likely Young Adult (I may drop the YA aspect, but I'm not 100% set on that yet). I need to plan a wee bit more to figure out if it's more high fantasy or sword-and-sorcery. It took me 4 full days of research and brainstorming to name my main species and the assorted races within (in addition to figuring what to call the non-magical humans and what the other magical creatures/people were and what they'd call themselves). It took an additional 3 days to give my main characters (all 7 of them, plus an 8th who is the catalyst for the action/plot) names. Pronounceable names, without apostrophes. I'm currently just nailing down some of the main plot points before I begin the actual writing. It will most likely be written in third person, past tense.
There is a novel #4 lurking in the back of my head, but it's only about 20% formed. Once I solidify it, I'll post more about it. I originally thought it would be a short story, but I'm now positive it'll be at least one novel, if not a small series of them (urban fantasy).
Now, you'll notice I refer to them all as "novel #1" and so on. That's because I haven't titled them. At all. They haven't even had working titles. This is a new problem for me. I've never had a problem titling my work before this. Then again, everything before this has been short stories, novellas, plays, poems, and essays/articles. But with the novels, I fail. I have no idea why. In the past, the title of what I'm writing comes to me quite early (in fact, sometimes it's the title that hits me first, before I even have a somewhat coherent story idea). Sometimes they change. Usually, they don't.
I'm not quite sure what's up with this. I have no idea what to do about it. I'm very curious what will happen when I write my next short story--will it start out, as most of the others have, with a title that just smacks me over the head? Or will this problem carry over? I certainly can't leave these stories unnamed. It'd be awfully hard to pitch a story to an agent or editor with it nameless. I suppose that having a beta reader or two might help, just so I have someone who can tell me their impressions and with whom I can bounce ideas around (someone with an understanding of all the characters and little plot elements and such). But finding a good beta isn't as easy as many might think. Not only do you have to find someone who's WILLING to read the story (which, depending on their speed and free time, can be quite a time investment), but you also have to find someone who will help on the level you're looking for. A simple "yeah, I liked it" doesn't help at all.
Now that I've rambled about my title issues, I'm off to do a bit more planning on that third novel, followed by some actual writing on the second--I haven't done any actual writing in a couple of weeks. How naughty.
Novel #1 is a completed first draft, at about 87,350 words (287 double-spaced pages). It's literary fiction, leaning toward romance. It's written in third person, present tense, and the main character's a woman in her early thirties. I have extensive notes to incorporate into the editing, but I haven't started that yet.
Novel #2 is about 60-75% written (first draft). It's currently sitting at 87,337 words (wow, so close to the completed first novel), and is 144 single-spaced pages. Oddly, I write in single-spaced, and double-space when the draft is done. It comes from a paper-writing technique that worked for me in college. It's also literary fiction, though it could also be considered mainstream fiction, I suppose. It's less "literary" than the first novel is. It's written in first person, past tense. The narrator/MC is a male, aged 26.
Novel #3 is still in the planning stages. I'm actually quite close to beginning the actual writing. This one's fantasy, most likely Young Adult (I may drop the YA aspect, but I'm not 100% set on that yet). I need to plan a wee bit more to figure out if it's more high fantasy or sword-and-sorcery. It took me 4 full days of research and brainstorming to name my main species and the assorted races within (in addition to figuring what to call the non-magical humans and what the other magical creatures/people were and what they'd call themselves). It took an additional 3 days to give my main characters (all 7 of them, plus an 8th who is the catalyst for the action/plot) names. Pronounceable names, without apostrophes. I'm currently just nailing down some of the main plot points before I begin the actual writing. It will most likely be written in third person, past tense.
There is a novel #4 lurking in the back of my head, but it's only about 20% formed. Once I solidify it, I'll post more about it. I originally thought it would be a short story, but I'm now positive it'll be at least one novel, if not a small series of them (urban fantasy).
Now, you'll notice I refer to them all as "novel #1" and so on. That's because I haven't titled them. At all. They haven't even had working titles. This is a new problem for me. I've never had a problem titling my work before this. Then again, everything before this has been short stories, novellas, plays, poems, and essays/articles. But with the novels, I fail. I have no idea why. In the past, the title of what I'm writing comes to me quite early (in fact, sometimes it's the title that hits me first, before I even have a somewhat coherent story idea). Sometimes they change. Usually, they don't.
I'm not quite sure what's up with this. I have no idea what to do about it. I'm very curious what will happen when I write my next short story--will it start out, as most of the others have, with a title that just smacks me over the head? Or will this problem carry over? I certainly can't leave these stories unnamed. It'd be awfully hard to pitch a story to an agent or editor with it nameless. I suppose that having a beta reader or two might help, just so I have someone who can tell me their impressions and with whom I can bounce ideas around (someone with an understanding of all the characters and little plot elements and such). But finding a good beta isn't as easy as many might think. Not only do you have to find someone who's WILLING to read the story (which, depending on their speed and free time, can be quite a time investment), but you also have to find someone who will help on the level you're looking for. A simple "yeah, I liked it" doesn't help at all.
Now that I've rambled about my title issues, I'm off to do a bit more planning on that third novel, followed by some actual writing on the second--I haven't done any actual writing in a couple of weeks. How naughty.
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