Today is writing day #4 since the conclusion of my FamilySearch mission.
Reworked another Christy Chapter in Family Secret -- just have the final Christy chapter to do.
Reworked one of the Carp in Vietnam vignettes. In a flash of creative inspiration I made it its own chapter and placed it earlier in the book.
I reshuffled the order of my chapters. It is good to have a general outline from the beginning, but I experience no guilt about being flexible when, as the story progresses, I decide changes need to be made.
Almost time to send a section of chapters to my beta readers.
Five more full chapters and two partials and I am finished writing Family Secret.
Monday, January 9, 2012
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Changing Christy's Voice
Yesterday was my last day on the FamilySearch mission. Today was my first day on my writing schedule. Time to finish my novel, Family Secret.
I put in six hours total -- so far -- not including the half-hour break to unpack my new Brother PQ 1500S sewing-quilting machine (I love PayPal and their six months, no interest program. I love that I was able to find a quilting machine that did not cost more than my car.). That was enough to totally distract me from my writing for the day, but I did not allow it to happen. (Major victory!)
I set aside the chapter on Carp's Vietnam experience to work on Christy's story.Christy's story I wrote from beginning to end at the start of Family Secret. Since then, I have chopped her story up into five chapters.
The other issue is, I had not found my voice in this novel at the time I started writing Family Secret. The first several chapters I wrote in both first-person and third-person in order to see how I wanted the story to flow. Since then, I have decided that Jennie's voice -- the present-day voice -- will be in third-person. My historical voices are in first-person. Today, I converted a chapter of Christy's story from third-person to first-person, plus did some heavy rewriting. I have not looked at this part of the novel for at least nine month, so it needed it.
Lesson for today: Try to figure out what voice to use in my novels BEFORE I get too far into the writing thereof. It is a mess to try to catch all the third-person language and change it at this point in time. And, as I read over some former chapters where I already made the conversion and did the proof-reading, I can see that it will take even more heavy-duty proof-reading to catch everything before I am finished.
I put in six hours total -- so far -- not including the half-hour break to unpack my new Brother PQ 1500S sewing-quilting machine (I love PayPal and their six months, no interest program. I love that I was able to find a quilting machine that did not cost more than my car.). That was enough to totally distract me from my writing for the day, but I did not allow it to happen. (Major victory!)
I set aside the chapter on Carp's Vietnam experience to work on Christy's story.Christy's story I wrote from beginning to end at the start of Family Secret. Since then, I have chopped her story up into five chapters.
The other issue is, I had not found my voice in this novel at the time I started writing Family Secret. The first several chapters I wrote in both first-person and third-person in order to see how I wanted the story to flow. Since then, I have decided that Jennie's voice -- the present-day voice -- will be in third-person. My historical voices are in first-person. Today, I converted a chapter of Christy's story from third-person to first-person, plus did some heavy rewriting. I have not looked at this part of the novel for at least nine month, so it needed it.
Lesson for today: Try to figure out what voice to use in my novels BEFORE I get too far into the writing thereof. It is a mess to try to catch all the third-person language and change it at this point in time. And, as I read over some former chapters where I already made the conversion and did the proof-reading, I can see that it will take even more heavy-duty proof-reading to catch everything before I am finished.
Friday, December 23, 2011
Scheduling the Muse
Knowing that my commitment to the FamilySearch mission is coming to an end January 4th, I have been gearing up for resuming a more frequent writing schedule--a real schedule, not just a when-the-muse-strikes kind of schedule. Conventional wisdom says I should write 40 hours a week, just like a real job. I know the realities of my life, and that will not work. I have 11-12 days a month blocked out in January and February for writing. I will re-evaluate after that.
Lately, my writing has been sporadic, almost non-existent. It often takes place for 4-5 hours in the middle of the night after I try to get to sleep and can't. Sometimes when I settle down in my dark, quiet room and get all warm and comfy, my imagination fires up, drills down to one little incident in the story and then kicks into double-time putting it all together in my head. Since I know sleep is not an option at that point, I usually decide I might as well get up and write.
I probably will continue to do that, but in addition, I will have the schedule.
In Family Secret, I am focusing on the chapter about Carp's Vietnam War experiences, which are based largely upon of those of my husband. Very gripping incidences. This chapter actually became a writer's block for me. I have wanted to write it for many months. I kept putting it off, but not because I did not know what I wanted to write. I felt overwhelmed and did not know where to start. In addition to the emotional impact, there is enough information on the Vietnam War for a whole book instead of a segment of a book. I kept wanting to do more research instead of just planting my seat in the sofa, parking the laptop on my lap and writing the segment.
Most chapters, I start at the beginning and, over the course of days or weeks, I work it until the end. With this one, I have found it better to get my thought processes focused on an incident and then type up only that incident. Hence, the middle-of-the-night writing episodes. I will worry about what order they go in and how to tie them together later.
Now I have decided to "eat that elephant one bite at a time", I find I am finally making progress on this chapter.
Lately, my writing has been sporadic, almost non-existent. It often takes place for 4-5 hours in the middle of the night after I try to get to sleep and can't. Sometimes when I settle down in my dark, quiet room and get all warm and comfy, my imagination fires up, drills down to one little incident in the story and then kicks into double-time putting it all together in my head. Since I know sleep is not an option at that point, I usually decide I might as well get up and write.
I probably will continue to do that, but in addition, I will have the schedule.
In Family Secret, I am focusing on the chapter about Carp's Vietnam War experiences, which are based largely upon of those of my husband. Very gripping incidences. This chapter actually became a writer's block for me. I have wanted to write it for many months. I kept putting it off, but not because I did not know what I wanted to write. I felt overwhelmed and did not know where to start. In addition to the emotional impact, there is enough information on the Vietnam War for a whole book instead of a segment of a book. I kept wanting to do more research instead of just planting my seat in the sofa, parking the laptop on my lap and writing the segment.
Most chapters, I start at the beginning and, over the course of days or weeks, I work it until the end. With this one, I have found it better to get my thought processes focused on an incident and then type up only that incident. Hence, the middle-of-the-night writing episodes. I will worry about what order they go in and how to tie them together later.
Now I have decided to "eat that elephant one bite at a time", I find I am finally making progress on this chapter.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Chapter 13 - The Lucky Chapter
I am finished up through Chapter 12 of Family Secret. Man, that was a hard chapter. It was where Jennie's husband really gets pig-nasty rotten with her. But, that is over, and on to Chapter 13, the scene where Jennie is fortunate enough to be the first in her family to persuade her Grandpa to talk about some of his Vietnam War experiences as she tries to unravel the mystery surrounding the family secret.
Chapter 14, now that will be a tough one. I will largely be borrowing from my own husband's Vietnam War combat experiences. It could be a book in and of itself instead of a long chapter. But, the heart of the message of this chapter will not be the blow-by-blow account of the action that took place. Rather it will be the effect on the people involved and how it continued to influence their lives even after they came back home.
Chapter 14, now that will be a tough one. I will largely be borrowing from my own husband's Vietnam War combat experiences. It could be a book in and of itself instead of a long chapter. But, the heart of the message of this chapter will not be the blow-by-blow account of the action that took place. Rather it will be the effect on the people involved and how it continued to influence their lives even after they came back home.
Friday, April 22, 2011
Moving right along with Family Secrets
Wrote Chapter 11 yesterday and 1320 words of Chapter 12 today. Chapter 10 was a long -- long chapter. It was the one where I introduced GOFTS (Golden Oaks Family Ties Society) and their members. That took 3 days of writing over a 10 day period.
Friday, April 8, 2011
Correction: GOFTS
Correction: The acronym for the name of the local group in the make-believe central California city of Golden Oaks, home of Jennie Graves and her family, has been changed to GOFTS. That is because this acronym now stands for Golden Oaks Family Ties Society.
No, this change does not make the acronym for the club's name easier to remember or pronounce. If anything, it is more awkward. However, I decided I liked the revised long version of the club/society name better. It is more descriptive of the objective of the group of women who meet once a month to share presentations on a multitude of disciplines, give advice and moral support to each other in order to -- yes, you guessed it -- strengthen family ties.
Whether it is GOFFS or GOFTS, their families teasingly give them the nickname of goofs or goofy ladies.
Every family needs at least one goofy lady like the women in GOFTS.
No, this change does not make the acronym for the club's name easier to remember or pronounce. If anything, it is more awkward. However, I decided I liked the revised long version of the club/society name better. It is more descriptive of the objective of the group of women who meet once a month to share presentations on a multitude of disciplines, give advice and moral support to each other in order to -- yes, you guessed it -- strengthen family ties.
Whether it is GOFFS or GOFTS, their families teasingly give them the nickname of goofs or goofy ladies.
Every family needs at least one goofy lady like the women in GOFTS.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
No More Dilemma
I was writing two books side-by-side because I was debating if I should make Armitage a stand-alone historical novel or if I should make it part of the Jennie Graves series. I added the chapters to make it fit as the novel to follow Family Secret.
The dilemma is over.
After getting about eight chapters into both of them, I have decided that Armitage is going to be a Jennie Graves novel. Now I am focusing on finishing Family Secret to introduce the series.
I want to write about "Carp" and his memories of Viet Nam. (Thanks, Hubby, for letting me pull heavily from your stories. Unlike many men, including "Carp", who would not or could not discuss their war experiences with anyone, my husband was able to get past his by talking them out.) As much as I want to tackle this block-buster chapter now, I first need to finish the two preceding chapters that will lead up to it.
The dilemma is over.
After getting about eight chapters into both of them, I have decided that Armitage is going to be a Jennie Graves novel. Now I am focusing on finishing Family Secret to introduce the series.
I want to write about "Carp" and his memories of Viet Nam. (Thanks, Hubby, for letting me pull heavily from your stories. Unlike many men, including "Carp", who would not or could not discuss their war experiences with anyone, my husband was able to get past his by talking them out.) As much as I want to tackle this block-buster chapter now, I first need to finish the two preceding chapters that will lead up to it.
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