Playing Catch Up

I have a chance to finish my novel! Found out a couple of days ago that my boyfriend (I like calling him that to make me sound younger and hip, even though I know perfectly well 'hip' is not an acceptable word of youths these days) has the whole of next week off work. He had some extra holiday hours to use up, so that's a nice surprise.

This could mean that I might get some help with the kids so that I have time to finish my first draft. Then I just have to edit the sucker, write a synopsis and really good query letter and bung it off to agents!

Gosh, it all sounds so easy, crammed into one paragraph like that.

Signing off for about a week now. Oh wait, intermittent blogging and multiple fiction work processes are supposed to be good for the imagination. Okay well I'll try and stay offline all week, but if it does my creative flow more harm than good, I'll get back to blogging away. Seriously though, I want to get this novel finished and out of my sight!

Twilight - What have you done to my wife?

Oh my gosh this video is so ace. It was made in Utah as well! Where Stephenie Meyer is from her very self. And Utah is where I grew up too, as a matter of fact. There are some seriously clever clogs doing their thang in Utah. When will the real Utah talent pool be recognised world wide? Soon, I hope ;)

Too Many Chapters

I've already got 71 flippin chapters in my novel! Which seems preposterous. At this rate I'll have over 100 chapters by the time I hit 80,000 words. This is just crazy. Novels usually only have about 20 to 40 chapters in total, right?

*sigh*

I don't know what to do. Time for some online research.

The reason I have so many chapters is because of the way my novel is structured around one chapter that travels back in time 6000 years. This chapter is written in the past tense as well, unlike the rest of the novel which is written in the present tense. All the scenes in the chapter that's set in the past are inclusive of that one chapter. I don't leave the chapter at all until Bubbles flashes back into the present. Yes, it's an entire flashback chapter. But it's set in Heaven and Hell and involves the creation of the earth and biblical battles for crying out loud! It has to be dramatic!

I shouldn't say 'battles' it is a fun chick lit story after all. I should say 'disagreements' lol.

I can think of one book that has millions of chapters, but I'm not trying to write a bible here! ;)

ACCOMPLISHED

I've done it. I've figured out an ending. Just like that. Easy as pie. Didn't even have to think about it for more than a minute.

Can you tell I'm lying in text?

I totally strained my brain! I plotted for ages, filling in plot holes, thinking up new twists and turns! I drew on character arcs that affected the plot in new ways! I agonised about plot lines that were important to certain scenes and I deliberated how best to deliver a feasible ending that stemmed from my main characters very soul!

And I did it! I thought up a brilliant (IMO) ending to Bubbles story.

I thought I had it sussed out months ago with my original ending, but little did I know then that it was only to be the cataclysmic middle bit of my book. No wonder I haven't been able to edit the first three chapters, it's because the ending was never right.

I'm so proud of myself. Which I would never say in a conceited way. I'm the last person on earth who would ever be proud of herself. In fact, I can't believe I actually wrote that short sentence. It's not something I've ever even contemplated. Normally I'm insecure about my writing abilities.

Writing this novel has taught me so much. At times, I thought I would never write again. I often hated my writing during moments of writer's block. All my life I've admired authors because they are professionals who could actually write a whole book. And now I've actually completed something I never thought I could ever do.

I've written a novel.

And the day I type the words 'The End' on my manuscript will be the most fulfilling moment of my life. I guarantee.

It's like having a baby and being a mother. Although, I get to experience prideful moments about my kids every day. This is finally something for me. tee-hee

Partial Writer's Block. Thinker's Block?

I'm not blocked as in the words won't flow, because I'm building the story to a penultimate battle scene and it's really fun! But I am stuck for a twist in the final chapter. Sort of. There are twists and turns throughout each scene, but I need an unexpected twist for the ending.

The original twist has now been placed into the centre of my book and all the resulting chapters stem from that plot twist.

Guess I'm going to be deep thinking again. Which means I'll be zombie like. Whenever I'm trying to think up catastrophic plot twists, I always get a glazed look in my eye. People talk to me, but it's difficult for me to snap back into reality and address their concerns when I've got inter dimensional scenarios running amok between my brain cells.

Ah well, these phases don't last long, and before you know it, something clicks. An idea will burst into my head and I'll say, 'aha!' Then, I'll jot it down in my notebook, cry tears of joy that the sudden realisation hasn't escaped me forever, and bang out the prose to complete my manuscript (again) (for the last time!).

Well, that's how I'm hoping it will happen. That's how it worked before. After much wearing out of carpet from manic pacing, twisting of sheets from an inability to sleep for pondering and puffy eyes from lack of sleep and crying at my seemingly endless inability to conjure plots.

Hey, no one ever said novel writing was easy.

I'm not talking about any old plot twist here. I could easily just make up crap, such as making a character do something totally off the wall. But you can't fool readers. If an author is lazy, as a reader myself, I'll know it. I can tell full well when a character absolutely wouldn't have done something like that, just to give the story a bit of a twist. It's one of the wretched things that makes a reader frown at the pages. Along with bad grammar and your basic crap writing, these things take a reader right out of the story. In a really bad way.

That's why plots and twists are so difficult. Well, they are for me anyway. It pains my brain, but is worth the struggle to keep the story real and true. And fun! That's the whole point. The twist has got to be amazing and wonderful! And it will be, because if I can't think up one off the bat, I can always turn to character twists. Again, not changing a character's personality, or altering a character at the end of the book. I'll just turn my concentration onto observation and get people watching, everywhere. Watch out now! Just kidding ;)

Okay, this post is an incredibly long one. My fingers kill from typing too much!

Action Packed

Criminey. I've written over 2600 words today, in just 3 hours. I think my brain is fried. Plus I'm writing battle scenes, so the imagination station in my head is on serious overdrive. It's great to get back to first draft writing though. I never knew how much I don't like editing, until it stumped me for 3 months.

I wrote almost 3000 words yesterday too, so I'm feeling quite tired. That's not the only reason for my fatigue though. When I'm writing my brain doesn't shut up. Especially at night when I'm trying to sleep. I've got all these ideas buzzing around in my head and it's difficult for my subconscious to take over.

Talking of which. I have very vivid and fun dreams when I'm writing. Unfortunately I don't have time to write them down first thing in the morning, as there are things to do! Plus I'm always too anxious to finish my novel (again), so the dreams become forgotten, replaced with conscious imaginings.

I may have to read a few battle scenes and fight scenes in novels before I conclude my own. Just to get an idea of how they're done, you know? Instill some feisty feelings into my brain so that they issue forth as actions my main character carries out on the page.

Ug, I can't even blog anymore. My eyes are soooooooooooo tired. Bye bye.

Embrace the Words

I'm writing again and it feels wonderful! I haven't just written for months now and I'd forgotten how fun it is!

Everything to do with writing that has happened in between has helped me though. Especially reading. It's true, I did need a break after finishing my first draft. Now I'm feeling the flow once again! Maybe all my novels should be written like that. I should write half of it, take good long break from it for a month or two, then write (or in this case re-write) the second half and finish it.

I did some outline work, but now I'm just going with the flow. I've got thoughts in my head for upcoming scenes, but they change (for the better!) as I write.

Hopefully I can get the manuscript back up to 80,000 words. Ideally I would like to reach 100,000 words, so that I have room to edit. I'm not going to add 100,000 boring words, just for the sake of word count though. They have to be 100,000 pacey and interesting words if I'm going to aim so high! But maybe I should set different challenges for myself. I can't seem to discipline myself properly, so maybe I need some other kind of motivation. Whatever, I'm back to 65,000 words, so it's going to be a hell of a struggle to even reach 80,000 words whilst keeping the story good.

Never mind about word count. It's a requirement that's stuck into the back of my mind now. Along with genre, commercial writing, humour and pace. All of which are important factors to consider when trying to write a novel that I want to try and get published.

Ok, back to it. The writing I mean. The writing of words that people will want to read. Not just crapola for the sake of filling pages. Yes I'm very pessimistic about my writing, but we'll see.