These things happen, of course. Sometimes I feel they only happen to me, but that's clearly not the case. The last month has been rather a constant schedule of changing plans, but I think it's finally starting to settle again (*knocks on wood*) so I can get back to actually knowing what I'll be doing for the next week. Which is about the only stress relief I conceivably get these days, so I've naturally missed it. I have nowhere to be in the next two months, and no pressing concerns other than my thesis (in fact, no non-pressing concerns that I currently know about). Hopefully that means I can get back on and remain on track until this is done.
In writing news, I am editing. Which is not really writing, per se, but yet it is. It is writing because there are some new words to put to paper, and yet it's not because it's really just rewriting sections to sound better, or moving sections around, or adding in references. To me, writing is sitting down and writing, editing is much more piecemeal, and for that reason, often more difficult. But today went alright, considering it was my first go, and I have a game plan for tomorrow. I think I'm going to very much take this one day at a time, but eventually I'll get there (by the 25th, one hopes). If I can manage a chapter every few days, we'll be fine. I haven't seen four of the chapters yet and have no idea what their corrections are like, but for the ones I have, 2-3 days per chapter is entirely doable. Particularly when I am no longer ill with the fugue.
Concurrently, because my Muse is entirely like that, I started yet another novel, for which I have my holiday relaxing to account for. I'll never actually write the thing but the idea is there if I ever get bored (or run out of more usable novel bunnies [plot bunnies, but more encompassing]). I know not to fight it now, anyways, and if my Muse wants to write about lost Rus princesses and weird versions of immortality, that's her business and I won't argue too much. I really would, however, prefer she devoted her time to the actual usable novel bunny instead, but one can't have everything. As long as she doesn't abandon me, we're okay here.
It is hard to believe it's October already. Of 2014. Really, this year has contained so many things, and has gone so quickly and yet so slowly at the same time. I really would like to be done with it, not least because I have high hopes for 2015 (well, higher). But right now there are two months left, plenty of miserable weather to contend with, and a thesis to finish, so I suppose I'll not have to worry about time passing too slowly.
Showing posts with label stories. Show all posts
Showing posts with label stories. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 7, 2014
Monday, January 2, 2012
This is How I Write
New Year's Resolution Number n. In other words, I have no idea what number I'm up to now. I keeping making them; we'll see if I keep any of them.
Still, this blog was ostensibly for writing about writing, which I haven't been doing. I did finally finish the last academic paper on December 31st and it is now emailed to my supervisor. I can only cross my fingers and pray at this point. I'm rather proud of it, but that usually ends badly.
How about a blog post about how I write? Or how I start writing, would be closer to the mark.
I have three ways. Which one works at any given time is rather arbitrary. There's the 'by way of title', which is when I come up with a really good title (or someone gives me one) and then I have to spend a long time coming up with a good story idea to match. I like this, in that it doesn't restrict my writing topic, but it can sometimes be hard to go from a few words to a whole story.
The second way I write is 'by summary'. I know the basic plot of the story in my head, but then I need to flesh it out to actually write it. The only downside of this particular way is that the title usually comes last. And very often, the title is the hardest part! I often end up emailing writing friends for help because I simply have no idea. [Point in proof, the last story I finished had this issue. A friend gave me a title...as well as another one (see 'by way of title')!]
The last way I write is 'by first line'. Something like: 'She does, actually, go to Nepal. For a while.'
From there, the story generally just flows. I have no proconceived notion of where it's going to go; I just write until I come to an end. Or what I think the end should be. Summaries for these sorts of stories tend to be lines taken from the text. And the titles usually occur to me late at night or early in the morning when I can't sleep. [Often, that's when these stories occur to me to, as the line above did last night just before bed and then proceeded to keep me up half the night.]
Right now I have the above 'first line' story on the go, a 'by way of title' story and also, my favourite kind, the 'by summary'. It makes me happy.
Still, this blog was ostensibly for writing about writing, which I haven't been doing. I did finally finish the last academic paper on December 31st and it is now emailed to my supervisor. I can only cross my fingers and pray at this point. I'm rather proud of it, but that usually ends badly.
How about a blog post about how I write? Or how I start writing, would be closer to the mark.
I have three ways. Which one works at any given time is rather arbitrary. There's the 'by way of title', which is when I come up with a really good title (or someone gives me one) and then I have to spend a long time coming up with a good story idea to match. I like this, in that it doesn't restrict my writing topic, but it can sometimes be hard to go from a few words to a whole story.
The second way I write is 'by summary'. I know the basic plot of the story in my head, but then I need to flesh it out to actually write it. The only downside of this particular way is that the title usually comes last. And very often, the title is the hardest part! I often end up emailing writing friends for help because I simply have no idea. [Point in proof, the last story I finished had this issue. A friend gave me a title...as well as another one (see 'by way of title')!]
The last way I write is 'by first line'. Something like: 'She does, actually, go to Nepal. For a while.'
From there, the story generally just flows. I have no proconceived notion of where it's going to go; I just write until I come to an end. Or what I think the end should be. Summaries for these sorts of stories tend to be lines taken from the text. And the titles usually occur to me late at night or early in the morning when I can't sleep. [Often, that's when these stories occur to me to, as the line above did last night just before bed and then proceeded to keep me up half the night.]
Right now I have the above 'first line' story on the go, a 'by way of title' story and also, my favourite kind, the 'by summary'. It makes me happy.
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