“My tunes and numbers are here. They have filled my years, the years when I refused to die. And in order to do that I wrote, I wrote, I wrote, at noon or 3:00 A.M. So as not to be dead.”
―Ray Bradbury, The Illustrated Man
You had 91 excellent years, sir. Rest in Peace.
I talked yesterday about lacking focus and wondered how to jump back into a WIP when you’re nearing the climax and ending after you’ve been away for a few months. There were some truly great suggestions including character development, eavesdropping on conversations, listening to music, re-read the whole thing, re-read the last chapter or two, and just diving right back in.
Something you need to know about me: I self-edit. A lot. As in can’t get to the end of a long work because I’ve spent so much time changing what I’ve already written. With the two current projects I’m working on, I’ve been wearing the blinders in an attempt to stop myself from doing any edits. Are there things that need to change? Absolutely. Are there continuity errors. You bet your ass. Yet, so far, it’s worked. I started a new document with the tentative title of the work and the word “Notes” at the end. That file has two sections.
The first has character notes, plot points, things that might fit into the story. It’s my reference guide—or as Cassie and Miss Vic have referred to it, “the book bible.”
The second section of that document is a running list of things that need to change. For example, in the main WIP I want to get back into, I was writing late at night (attempting to get to my NaNo goal for the day) and fell asleep at my laptop with my head on the table. When I awoke, I saved the document, logged my word count, and went to bed. Upon opening it the next day, I encountered a very weird, very out-of-place section. The setting is a post-apocalyptic world, and yet there’s a scene where the narrator is talking about ice-skating and chocolate chip cookies. This is set 400 years ahead in the timeline, she’s 13-years-old, and yet she’s talking about two things that she has never encountered in her lifetime? I log that sequence into my notes so it can be deleted later. Those kinds of things go here.
All that to say, in order to avoid the self-editing pitfall until I’m done with the first draft, I’ll most likely be making a combination Golden Eagle/Johanna/Ninja Captain (Alex) plan of attack. That is to say, read the section prior and jump right the hell back in.
Last Word
I couldn’t let today go by without expressly pointing everyone over to Miss Vic’s joint. Today is the GRAND OPENING of her freelance business venture, Sketcher Girl Studios. She’s an incredibly talented artist, and the one responsible for the background of this here blog. Head on over to her blog to learn the secret word before heading over to the Sketcher Girl Studios website; you’ll need it to win stuff.
Well? What are you waiting for? Get out of here!