Progress Begets Progress

See the arrow? Yeah you should totally look at that word count meter. Notice how it's moved? Probably significantly since you last looked at it, right? Yeah.

I've been editing. A lot. Alright, so it's not really that big of a number. But it takes me awhile to get through a scene. Many of them need entire rewrites. And I'm adding a lot of scenes as I go through. So I'm making progress, but also most of these scenes I would still count as first draft and are still labeled as such in Scrivener.

By the way, about Scrivener. It's awesome. If you don't have it, and you write anything, you should totally think about getting it. They even have a thirty day trial. FREE. You can see and read about and download Scrivener here. It works on both Mac and Windows, with the Windows updates being a bit behind. Don't worry about it, though. It's still awesome on Windows.

Okay, with that little bit out of the way, I'm going to talk a bit about editing. I know I had a post on how easier it's becoming for me to edit this the more I do it, but I don't think that's unique to me.

The more I edit, the more I want to edit. I'm putting the first layer of shine and polish onto these first scenes and chapters, and I'm beginning to see the potential. Which shows the potential of all the other scenes as well. That, in turn, makes me more excited for editing and so I go back to it with renewed vigor. It's a cycle. And a good one.

I'm no longer afraid to make it worse, because honestly, it couldn't be much worse. And that is SO freeing! I can (I think) only make it better.

So don't hold back! Edit away. But remember, keep a virgin copy of your first draft. So you know and remember all the hard work that went into it, and in case you do end up messing something up royally, or changing the plot and deciding it works better the old way, you have something to look back on.

Happy writing/editing!

Give It A Rest

[APOLOGY: I am so sorry I have not yet gotten up the interview K.R. Green and I did with S.M. Boyce. If you follow me on Twitter you may have noticed I tried right before bed, but I didn't want to screw it up. My schedule is so wonky right now... I feel like I'm sleeping more than ever but I'm more tired every day than I have ever been. Doctor's Appointment tomorrow morning, as well, so I don't know when I'll get that video ready and up. Hopefully by the end of the week!]

This is a post about editing.

I don't remember exactly when I finished Mortality. I think it was around December. But as soon as I typed the last words, I wanted to jump straight into editing. I was so in love with what I saw that the book could be. So I did. I jumped right in. Wrote a single scene of prologue, and then stopped.

If I'm right, and it was December, I've been stopped for four months. I haven't done a thing. I've looked at it. I've re-read it many times. But I haven't done any editing. Until Sunday. I was talking on Skype with K.R. Green (pre-interview) and she kinda got me back to it. I've got two new scene's started. They're not finished yet, but they're started. And it's going pretty smooth.

My point is. Some writers go back and edit straight away. They can't let a book sit. I thought I couldn't. I had so many grand plans for the rewrite and I didn't want to forget a single one of them. I wanted it all done right now.

But, I think, when I went to go actually edit, I was afraid of making it worse. I know it's bad right now. Oh it's so bad. But you know what? It's a first draft. It's OKAY for it to be shit. The second one is probably going to be shit, too. But hopefully a smaller pile. Or perhaps a little less rank.

If you are new to the writing game, and have a first draft under your belt. Go ahead. Edit right away if you think that's the person you are. This was my first finished draft of any long piece of work. I thought I was that type. Don't be discouraged if it turns out you're not. Go ahead and set it aside for a few months. Maybe work on something else. But get back to it.

Don't let it sit aside indefinitely.

Editing and Non-Writers

Since finishing the first draft of my novel, and letting people know, I've figured something out.

There is a big misconception about the editing process. And I think it's not just non-writers, but possibly for new writers as well. We need to clear this up RIGHT now. Whether you are just planning your novel, are currently writing it, or are already finished.

To show you what I mean, here's how quite a few conversations have gone.

Me: I finished my novel!

Them: Oh yay! Now all you have to do is proof read and-

Me: Bahahaha! No. At least the first half of my story needs a complete overhaul.

Or, alternatively.

Me: I finished my novel!

Them: Oh yay! Now all you have to do is go through, fixing small mistakes and-

Me: Bahahaha! No. I'm not even worried about spelling or grammar right now.

Get the picture?

I think this misconception can be blamed on the public school system. Yes. The public school system. In school, "editing" a paper WAS just reading through, catching small grammatical errors and spelling errors. That is what people define editing is. It's not. That, my friends, is proofreading, or line reading. However you want to define it.

Editing, especially the first few rounds of editing, is for CONTENT. Does the story progress smoothly? Does it make sense? Are there any extraneous characters? Plots? Red herrings that are never followed?

Though, don't get me wrong, editing for content isn't the ONLY means of editing, but if this is your first draft, it's the only one you should be worried about.

The End of a Journey

I begin this post by apologizing for the past two non post days.

Yesterday I woke up feeling sick and light headed to the point every time I stood I felt as though I would fall right back over again, and barely had the strength to hold my head up for long periods of time. I was awake for about two hours before I told a coworker I would not make it in to work. There was no way I could do manual labor in that state.

The day before yesterday, which would be the 30, I meant to write up a blog post for the 31, but I was eyeball deep in writing. Which brings me to the purpose of this post.

*deep breath* I. Finished. Mortality.

It's only draft one, but I finally did it. I've been working on Mortality on and off for ten years, and that is WAY too long to be working on something like that. I know that now, and it will never take me that long to finish something again.

But give me some credit, I was around the age of nine or ten when I first hatched upon the idea and started writing. I stuck with it for that long, it's kind of sad to see the end come.

However, whether it's the first draft of your first novel, or the first draft of your tenth, it's only the end of the beginning. After the first draft, comes editing.

I was going to begin my own editing yesterday after I finished changing my (flat) tire, but I decided after my shower that I was too tired to stand, much less look critically at my book. I went to bed. And woke up sick as mentioned above.

Now, however, I am feeling somewhat better, meaning I don't feel as though I am going to pass out any time soon. I plan on diving right into editing after only a days rest from it merely because I can't stand to wait!

This is a good feeling, one I hope every writer will persevere until they finally feel it as well.

I now can call myself an author, and not just a writer.

Creating Characters

Hello guys!

I was trying to think of what this blog post would be about, when I thought, why not just talk about what you're doing? So, I'm in the midst of fleshing out all my characters for NaNoWriMo. I figure, I'll talk about my process for that.

Now, I know everyone's process is different, but bear with me.

Names

Names, names, names. Names are *very* important. Sometimes, I get them right on the first try. (Damon, Alucard, and Nicholai in Mortality have been named thus for eight years.) Other times I have to rename, and rename, and rename again until the feel is right for the character I want. (Devin's name has changed *many* times, but now I think it's right.) 

When choosing a name, you have to think of what genre you're writing in. My NaNoWriMo is written in a modern setting, so the naming isn't as difficult as it is with a fantasy setting. I have names like Jonathon, Garret, Alyson, and Abigail. But the one I'm most proud of is Sarah-Juliet. The name seems to not fit her at all, but that's why I like it. And it's why she hates it. 

If you're writing fantasy, it's a bit more difficult for naming. If you've got multiple countries/continents/areas, the names will sound differently for each place. You've got to figure that out or all the names will sound the same. In Mortality, all my vampires have, understandably, older sounding names. My main human character's name is Devin (a male name), her brother's name was Deron, and her mother was... Lina, I think. (They only showed up in a very important flash back). Two human twins I need to rename. I couldn't think of anything so they're Coral and Drell. 

Personality

Personality. This is the most important trait of a character, in my opinion. If you're unsure of your character's personality, the writing will be unclear. (A *big* source of much of my editing. I wasn't sure of a character's personality throughout most of the novel so far.) You don't necessarily need it before you start writing, it will develop as you write, but *please* edit it in in the beginning. 

Something I like to do is to give them a contradictory personality. Sarah-Juliet, one of the first person POV characters. Is self-loathing, but selfish. Filled with hatred (for herself and others), yet pities both Supernaturals and Humans. And... well she's the only character I have fully fleshed out. I can't wait to learn about the others. 

Physical Description

Arguably the least important, at least to me. In your novel you should *never* spend a block of text of pure description. (Unless, that is, it's NaNoWriMo and you need word padding.) You know, for the longest time, I couldn't describe Devin in Mortality. I *think* she's blond. Maybe has green eyes? Like I said, it's not that important to me, especially not in the rough draft. 

However, I'm writing out full physical descriptions for my NaNoWriMo characters this year. When I insert physical description into a story, I use individual things. Like eye color, or hair color, or height. For me, those three are the most important descriptors. Though weight can sometimes be in that list, too. 

Other

Some genre's, like high fantasy or supernatural, have some special powers, or magic. Often, that needs to be clear from the beginning. Magic plays a large role in Mortality. Magic binds her and another character together. Magic keeps her from dying, and warns against danger. etc. 

In my NaNoWriMo novel, this is the first time I've actually had to describe a car. So Sarah-Juliet drives a '76 Chevrolet Camaro. It's old. Not well taken care of. Doesn't like to start. Also, the Supernaturals are kept track of by GPS tracking tags. But some have been missed. They stay deep underground. Figuratively, not literally.

Well. That's all I got. Good Luck this November! (You know, if you're a NaNo'er.) 

Cheyenne

Food For Thought

What's your process for creating characters? 

Do you come up with characters before, after or with the plot?

NaNoWriMo

It's about that time of year again.

The NaNoWriMo website rebooted not too long ago, the forums are already up and jumping and I've already got a cover!

For those of you poor few who don't know what NaNoWriMo is, well, follow the link.

The awesome cover to the left is brought to you by Measa. I don't think she has a blog, otherwise I'd link you there.

Let's see, what can I say about NaNoWriMo?

Well, for those of you who don't know, it was started by  

Scratch that, you can read all that info on the website. Here, I think (since I have never crossed the 50K mark during NaNoWriMo) I will give you tips on what NOT to do during it.

Do's and Don'ts Of NaNoWriMo

Or any other WriMo, for that matter. 

Really, I only consider myself an expert on the don'ts. You know, cuz I've never crossed the finish line. ANYWAY! Disregarding that fact, I do have some tips that might help. 

Do

• Add buddies. But don't just add buddies. TALK TO THEM. Send them some NaNoMail, ask them how they're progressing. Offer to bounce some ideas around. I know a lot of people need that. Like me. 
• Check out the forums. Seriously. I didn't last year and they would have been SO HELPFUL. They can be kind of confusing because of how fast they explode in size. But if you need help, don't hesitate to post. If you're not sure where, ask an admin. Or post where you think appropriate and if it's not, an admin will move it for you. 
• Check out the Adoptables. Even if you think you have everything figured out. Check the Adoption Society threads. Much will be useless to you I am sure, but you can find a name, place, dialogue, description, any number of things that may spark ideas. Even if you don't use them in NaNoWriMo. 

Don't

• Try to go at it alone. If you have no one holding you accountable for your word count, you're more likely to stop midway because something comes up, or put off writing for days on end and get so far behind you're unlikely to catch up. 
• Smother flights of fancy. Really, right now is the PERFECT time to indulge. Want to follow the stream-of-conscious of a gnat? Go for it. A side character wants to steal the spotlight? Power to 'em. Don't railroad your characters. 
• Expect it to be perfect. Just don't. You're writing an entire 50,000 words in a month. A lot of it is probably going to be crap. 
• Reread. This is my biggest killer. If you go back and reread what you wrote the day before, you'll REALIZE it's crap and be disheartened. 

Other Tips

Uhm... I swore I had some. Oh yeah!

Stay comfortable. If you're cold, or sore, you're not going to be in a very writerly mood. Have a comfortable place (but not TOO comfortable or you'll fall asleep!), where you can plug in your laptop (or sit at your desk), put on headphones (even if you don't turn them on), and just write. 

Writing Totem. It's good to have one. I think the first time I came across the term was in Chris Baty's No Plot? No Problem! (He's the guy who created NaNoWriMo and that book is a How-To guide for making it through the month.) It's basically an outward sign that you're in "Writer Mode." I don't have one, unless you count my glare. 

ELIMINATE DISTRACTIONS. Sorry to yell at you, but it's that important. If you're distracted, you won't write. Believe me, you may start off strong but midway into the month you'll have the "what am I doing?" thoughts. Those will lead you to procrastinate. Don't do it. Unplug the TV, turn off the internet, and throw away the phone. (Just kidding, but seriously put it somewhere you can't hear or get to it.)

Anyway! That's all I have. 

Follow me as I tweet about NaNoWriMo @ThatNerdyWriter

Or Add me as a Buddy on the NaNoWriMo website C.R. Trumbo

Good Luck Next Month! I'll be battling right along side you!

Cheyenne

Food for Thought

Do you have any other NaNoWriMo Tips? Leave them in the comments!

Slow Down

Hello.

I'm mostly feeling better now, but not trusting myself to eat anything but crackers or drink anything but Ginger ale or Sprite.

Anyway, this blog post is brought to you by Wasteland Nomad, an interesting person, who, with one tweet, inspired me.

The tweet was as follows,

"Sometimes physically writing a story can slow you down and let you see things clearer. At least to my crazy brain anyway."

Which made me think.

Can You Write Too Quickly?

Unless it is during NaNoWriMo, or another WriMo, the answer is, surprisingly, yes.

NaNoWriMo is all about writing quantity over quality, and that's great when the goal is to just get something written, but outside of NaNoWriMo?

If you're working to a deadline, you want to write quickly, but not so quickly that you lose sight of where you wanted to go. Working with a go, go, go attitude is great and all, but too much of that, and you become derailed. Become derailed and we can become unmotivated. You may look back at what you've written and go, it's crap. Well, yeah. That's because you weren't paying attention to what you were writing.

How can we keep from writing too quickly?

Sometimes, we just need to take a step back.

If you feel you are becoming lost in your story/novel/post/fanfic or you've written yourself into a hole, take a step back. Look at it as if for the first time, take note of what you want to happen later, or how you want the scene/novel/fanfic to end, and try to figure out what happens in the meantime.

Even as a pantser, I find taking a look at it this way helps. With my current WIP, Mortality, I wrote out the main plot points from where I am to the end, and have started figuring out what happens between now and each point.

It's making the writing itself flow much smoother. I don't plan to the last detail, I leave my characters a lot of leeway, and you should to.

Can You Write Too Slowly?

Most definitely yes. This is the other side of the same coin. 

It's great to know the specifics of what's happening and going on in your novel/scene/fanfic, but while you're writing don't worry about that. If you do worry too much about who's doing what, what's taking place elsewhere or how this effects the future or how the past affected this scene now, you're going to be so wrapped up in the past/future of your novel that writing RIGHT NOW, is going to be downright impossible. 

How do we keep from getting bogged down?

Well, there are many ways you could do this. 

For one, stop worrying. If it's a first draft, which is really all this post pertains to, there is so much editing going to be done that really, worrying now is a time waster, and nothing more. 

If you can't help but go back and reread what you've written (a BIG no-no, especially during WriMo's) the moment you open the file, turn the font color for everything previous, white. Or whatever background color you choose. 

Use WriteOrDie. (Really, it's a life saver). Especially on Kamikaze mode. 

Well, that's all I have for today darlings. 

Stay inspired,

Cheyenne

Food for thought

Do you write too quickly? How do you slow down?

Do you write too slowly? How do you speed up?

Well hello

Greetings, and well met. 

My name is Cheyenne, and though I very much dislike my name, I would hate to write under any other. 

I am brand new to this whole "Blogging" thing, and just for clarification, I am not old, merely new to blogging. I have been considering it for awhile, though, and so here I am. 

I was not sure, at first, what to blog about. On the recommendation of S.M. Boyce, I have decided I will do book reviews. But, as I am lackadaisical by some definitions, I may meander through topics. 

I will not stay to one topic, such as book reviews, but will also post about writing, editing (when I reach that point), movies, politics, characters, plot, coffee, caffeine, other blogs, and whateverelseImaythinktoadd. 

This post is seeming a bit short at this point, and since I have managed to make it this far, it would be pointless to stop. So, a little bit about me, you ask? Well, there is not much to tell. 

I am just out of high school, living on my own (which in this day is a feat on its own), working nights, writing when the mood strikes me and sometimes when it doesn't, fighting with the characters in my head and the boyfriend (on occasion), not getting out of the house as much as I probably should, shying from the light of day (as I'd much rather sit under false light than the glaring sun, as many authors are wont to do), battling writers block and chronic laziness, training my kittens and my boyfriend, and trying to maintain my sanity on a daily basis. 

I believe I have failed on that last point, but you may be the judges of that.

How long have I been writing, you ask? (Well, you didn't, but I would want to know)

Well, I normally say about ten years, or since I could, but the truth is, I'm not sure. Obviously I've been writing since I began the great public school system of the United States. But writing fiction? My current Work in Progress, Mortality, which you will hear much more about, I recall having in mind eight years ago. I have been very spotty in my writing, and have a hard time with anything that isn't perfect, so it has remained unfinished. 

However, I reached the hundred page mark about a week ago, and have stopped worrying about perfection long ago, now I fight writer's block and the shiny internet on a daily basis. I hope to finish it before the year is up. Perhaps in a month so that I may participate in NaNoWriMo. I don't think that very likely, though I may do it if I put my mind to it. I don't plan on starting anything else until I finish it, though. 

Well, I can't think of anything else to go on about that you may even remotely care to read, oh, but my next post that will hopefully be up in an hour or so will be a review of the book Lichgates by the aforementioned S.M. Boyce. 

Farewell and fair travels, 

Cheyenne