ROW80 Mid-Week Check-in
I read my 1st draft of Feathers (Working title) while it didn't have big plot holes it
didn't have a strong plot. I did find a few scenes that suggested a stronger (I
hope a stronger) plot.
I need to get rid of the love triangle between heroine
and two boys, just make it one boy.
I changed the heroine's name again. It's was Stormy
Anne, than Hannah (which make me think Hanna from the T.V. show Pretty Little Liars [Love that show] and
while my book is placed in a small town, the best friend is missing possibly
murder and who did it anyone guess I don't want it to also share a character's
name)
Add a little Switched
at Birth (Love this show too) and me into the plot. My heroine is now hard of hearing. I'm hard of hearing and see/experience the
world differently why not write about it.
It might help me find my writer's voice. (So of course Switched at Birth is one of my favorite shows look at all the deaf
characters and actors and part of the plot deals with everyday things people
who are deaf deal with)
Speaking of writer's voice I found a blog post on YA
Highway by the author of Divergent
Veronica Roth about Embracing Your Own Voice not changing it. After reading it and looking at the parts of
my 1st draft I liked I realized I'm a sparse prose girl and not a lyrical prose
girl. But I have learning over the years
of writing that I love symbolism in stories and it show up in my writing
whether I plan it or not. In college ( lit
major) one of my favorite short story writers was Nathaniel Hawthorne. I'm sure this symbolism is part of my
writer's voice.
All that dealt with my editing goals now my writing
goals.
I woke up
Monday with a head cold I thought for sure it would hinder with my
writing. Nope. I think I wrote more
thanks to this cold.
Since I'm working on my 2nd draft I turned to
writing in my notebook. Something about
the drag of the pencil helped the ideas and scenes emerge on the page.
Funny what you can learn while being stuck inside by
rain, cold weather, and a head cold.
Annie Laurie
You're slightly ahead of me, I'm quarter of the way through reading my first draft. It's good you found good stuff in yours, and have found a way to love forward. I hope ignoring goes well.
ReplyDeleteI get TOO stuck on names sometimes. I'll get derailed and spend an hour on baby name sites just to find the perfect name for some unimportant extra character.
ReplyDeleteFor finding your voice, my best suggestion is to let yourself write some "fluff" (or "crap" as some people refer to it.) If you're only writing the main WIP, sometimes it can feel very stressful. I like doing a little flash or throwaway fiction as a warm-up.
Hi Annie, I hope you are feeling much better. It's great to see you finding your voice. Including your own experience is going to give your work depth and it should be a really interesting read.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the rest of your editing and keep that pencil moving! It is stinking hot here, so being trapped inside has me working. Having few alternatives can be great for productivity.
Cheers,
Cate