Please come and talk to me. Just for some general writing chat and support...

[BiglyBadgers]

I am about a third of the way through editing my stupidly long book (this'll teach me for writing epic fantasy) and need some chat!

I really loved the chat and support on the nano thread, but now novel writing month is long gone and I am alone! There must be other people out there bumbling along needing a friend to chat to...surely....I can provide coffee, cake and excellent free WiFi

Sleep loss is a killer tippity. You have my sympathy.

I don't think I have found the balance queen. Particularly as I have now added this blog into my writing as well. I find if I don't do the fiction for a few days I get twitchy so try and do some most days. I tend to try and get uni stuff out the way as early as possible so I'm not stressing about it.

I've just realised that a major thing in my ending just isn't possible which means I now have a war on my hands. Which is kinda fun...I think..

Managed to do a fair bit of editing today, even after a very large glass of wine and a pub lunch... chapter 4 almost complete. Only 10 to go!!!

Hope all is well with you all?

Great work honey

I've finished the initial rewrite of the big storyline I was completely redoing and am pretty pleased with it. It is much more interesting. Just a few more chapters to rewrite and then lots of tidying and editing to do. Feeling pretty good about it all at the moment.

Checking in! I was on the NaNo threads, but haven’t posted since.

Am now on my 2nd draft, having found someone to read and critique it on the NaNo forums. Her advice is really good, but unfortunately I’m critiquing for her, and I’m struggling with not being too harsh. Her writing is good but she has a tendency to use 3 paragraphs when one sentence will do, and I feel bad crossing out large parts of her ms.

Yikes, that's the fear with swapping crits isn't it

I'm glad this going good for you! I think I've lost count on my drafts. Just decided to completely rewrite another chapter I have never been happy with. Realised I just can't live with it. And on it goes.

Anyone still about?

I just rewrote my last chapter to a mega, is everyone dead? cliffhanger and almost cried, even though I know the main character is going to be fine in the next part.

I had two people read my fanfic so far and tell what they thought was going to happen next...
I woke up one day and thought that my plot was so so uncomplicated and obvious.
Ok, it turns out it's not that obvious, but my main character is seeming very relaxed and offhand, whereas in my head she's falling for the guy... so I need to show that more. Need to remember what is in my head doesn't always make it onto the page. Actually sat down and read what I've written as a whole which helped.
AND a colleague from work has found a writing goup that we might join together. ARGHHH

I can't seem to work on the book I was writing so I've gone back to editing the one I wrote before it. I think it's a strong book, probably better than the one I was working on, but it needs a lot of work still and is about 10k too short. So, lots to do!

Actually sat down and read what I've written as a whole which helped.

I'm doing this at the moment. Trying not to make too many edits as I go and just read and take a few notes on bits I need to think about. I've been working on it chapter by chapter and then by character line, and I feel like I need to get an overarching picture of it again before I seriously edit.

Let me know how the writing group goes. Very brave of you to go!

It sounds like a good plan Tippety. Perhaps a break from the current book will help you get back on it again later...or just realise it isn't working.

I need to do more editing now. I've got critiques a-plenty up to chapter 7 and not too bad up to chapter 10, but only edited to chapter 3.
Never mind I'm learning a lot.

I'd never dare to do a writing group. Wouldn't want face to face critiques! Not brave enough for that,

Not quite ready to join you yet ... lots of ideas in my head but no idea how to start ... but wondered what pantsing is?

Pantsing, from what I understand, is basically writing in a stream of consciousness without planning what you are going to write. I think it comes from the expression flying by the seat of your pants.

Hello asmadasmax. Pantsing is writing without planning - making the story up as you go along rather than first planning the structure, each chapter etc. Flying by the seat of one's pants. It's a good way to start if you're worried about starting! Just write anything. Anything at all. Words breed ideas which breed words.

Thanks bigly. Hope so. Think subconsciously I know I'm flogging a dead horse with the other book but I just like the first third so much, dammit! Only just started editing this other one. Baby has decided to make 9-10pm new bedtime so feeling knackered and very short on time.

I find periodically reading a WIP as a whole is really helpful for editing (I always have an internal similie that a book is like an orchestra and all the characters and subplots are the different instruments and sections, and reading it as a whole is like listening to them all play together... makes sense in my brain anyway, even if it's an overly grandiose comparison). I like to put my WIP on my kindle then it reads more like an actual book and I'm less tempted to edit it.

Good luck for the writing group honeyboo. I've got a course starting next month. Quite terrified that it will involve sharing work with the class and group speaking though I'm not entirely sure what the structure of it is yet...

Asmadasmax if you are just needing some confidence to get writing I would totally recommend a really short book called 'Writing into the Dark'. It is about pantsing though the author hates the word. It helped me get the oomph to start mine.

I have found I splurged out the first draft with no planning or real idea of what was happening very quickly and then have spent ages and ages rewriting and editing. I think someone earlier in the thread likened it to sculpting a statue, layer by layer.

I keep finding my mind wandering into Book 2 now, so I really need to get this editing done so I can move on I think. So much to do though!

I am vicariously very excited about your writing course Tippety. It sounds amazing and scary and good.

Thanks Bigly I'll have a look for it

Ok, have been approved for writing course and signed up. ARGH

Yaaayyyy!!! Go Honey!

For those of you writing fantasy

Shit, I knew I was doing it all wrong. Too many cities, too many seas and far too many religions. Plus my main character is a woman in her mid thirties. I go for the middle aged and stroppy end of the high fantasy genre.

How's everyone doing? I've almost finished my read through and realised I need to sort out one of the characters as she is a bit 2D and she is quite important. Also need to put in a bit more description and a smidge of backstory I think as I feel like I have gone a bit too far in stripping it all back. Ho hum.

Just joined a group of nursing students online who run a blog, so I have been doing a lot of non-fiction writing for blogs at the moment. Good practice for keeping the writing muscles limber I think.

Just added up my wordcount after the massive rewrite and am now on 80,716 words. Which is about 10k less than I had before the rewrite.

At least I feel I have plenty of space to add in some description and backstory stuff now.

Someone just sent this to me on Scribophile:

www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/write-character-arcs/

It looks quite helpful, I don't know if you'll find it helpful for your character.

That's pretty cool witch. Some thoughts for other bits of my rewrite. I actually have an arc for the character, she just has a bit of a flat personality meaning you can't really see why she is progressing through the arc I have written and why any of the other characters care about her. Think I need to put out her backstory and make her a bit more sympathetic.

Bigly I think it was Stephen King who said 'second draft = first draft - 10%' so losing 10k words sounds about right. It's progress even if it seems like going backwards!

I've finished the readthrough of mine and realised it actually needs quite a bit adding to the end to close up all the subplots and make it satisfying, which is good as I need to find an extra 10k words (and then cut it again!) as it's only about 70k at the mo. Need to do some research before I can write anything though.

Good luck for your course honeyboo. Mine starts in about two weeks. Eek!