Category: NaNoWriMo

“Betrayal” – the penultimate final draft – Day 28

I’m sure I’ve been down this road more than once, and with the same novel, but whereas the last edit, which was probably the second or third, finished up in the pile, then forgotten.

I’m doing an active update to all my works in progress, and sending them to the editor, after going through the manuscript once again, with a view to publishing.  Hopefully, before the year is out.

…

I never thought I would get to this point, where there’s almost a complete novel.

It is quite remarkable that it is possible if you decide to focus, to get a novel out in a month.

What it does tell you is that proper planning is really a necessity if you want to succeed.

But…

It’s not the be-all to end all.

I’m not going to stop flying by the seat of my pants, but it’s given me another insight into the writing process.

I’m up to the business end of the story, and it requires concentration, and, it will not be the first time I have written a page or two, gone back to reread it and made an adjustment.

I have to be careful not to be overly critical. After all, it is only the penultimate draft and I’m striving for, bur not necessarily expecting perfection.

It won’t be, but I can always hope.

NANOWRIMO November 2023

“Opposites Attract” – In the beginning

…

How many times have you been sitting somewhere, and in the background there’s a song playing?

The interesting thing about music is the memories and the feelings that can be invoked.

And, if you’re a writer, it can tug at the inspirational strings.

I had one such experience not so long ago in a shopping mall of all places while having some ghastly junk food.   The chef must have been having a bad day.

I digress.

It was a Viennese waltz, and you know, if you’ve heard one, how it can stick on the mind, that ebb and flow effect.  I saw an episode of Disneyland many, many years ago that had Strauss composing the waltz in time to the clip-clop of the horses drawing his carriage.  I don’t think it was as simple as that.

But however it came into being, it stuck in my mind.

So much so, that I went to YouTube and pulled up people performing the Waltz, and in watching it I because almost mesmerised.

Where’s this going, you ask?

Well, it gave me an idea.  That first idea was to write a story of two people out on the ballroom floor, having a conversation, with the dance moves thrown in a appropriate times, in essence guiding the conversation.

Boring you say?

O light be, but then make the two people a girl and a boy who have niggled and hated each other all their lives, only to discover shortly before the ball, that the opposite was true, that they loved each other.

Hate is easy when you’re a pre-teen and teenager, but once middle school turns into college, and people change, though some not necessarily for the better, odd things happen.

Now, again, if it was an ordinary girl and an ordinary boy that would almost be boring, so to spice it up the girl is from the wealthy part of town, and the boy from the less wealthy side, those that the wealthy tend to look down on.

But he’s not too down and out, just from an old well-known family that has fallen on hard times.

Oh, and like all the romance films I’ve been looking at as research, this will follow one of the tried and tested premises, that she was always in love with him, and he was always from the moment he saw her in elementary school, just never thought he had a chance.

So, strap yourselves in for the ride!

…

“Betrayal” – the penultimate final draft – Day 27

I’m sure I’ve been down this road more than once, and with the same novel, but whereas the last edit, which was probably the second or third, finished up in the pile, then forgotten.

I’m doing an active update to all my works in progress, and sending them to the editor, after going through the manuscript once again, with a view to publishing.  Hopefully, before the year is out.

…

It’s interesting that no matter how much you outline and plan a chapter when it comes to actually putting words on paper it doesn’t quite run the way it should.

Last night I toiled over the chapter that has the first of the plot twists.

It’s been writing itself in my head, and I’ve been making notes to supplement the plan and take those notes into consideration.

But…

When I wrote it, the first time around, it didn’t seem right. You know what that’s like. It’s not the second-guessing thing, it’s not the being over-critical thing, you write it, walk away, get a coffee, or in my case, a large Scotch and soda water, and go back.

You either tell yourself it’s utterly brilliant, or at the other end of the scale, complete rubbish.

I was somewhere in between, and the cat, who was skulking nearby suddenly found himself a captive critic.

I read it out loud, he made weird faces, and, yes, I could see what was bothering me.

Three hours later, past two in the morning, it was in better shape than I was.

“Betrayal” – the penultimate final draft – Day 28

I’m sure I’ve been down this road more than once, and with the same novel, but whereas the last edit, which was probably the second or third, finished up in the pile, then forgotten.

I’m doing an active update to all my works in progress, and sending them to the editor, after going through the manuscript once again, with a view to publishing.  Hopefully, before the year is out.

…

I never thought I would get to this point, where there’s almost a complete novel.

It is quite remarkable that it is possible if you decide to focus, to get a novel out in a month.

What it does tell you is that proper planning is really a necessity if you want to succeed.

But…

It’s not the be-all to end all.

I’m not going to stop flying by the seat of my pants, but it’s given me another insight into the writing process.

I’m up to the business end of the story, and it requires concentration, and, it will not be the first time I have written a page or two, gone back to reread it and made an adjustment.

I have to be careful not to be overly critical. After all, it is only the penultimate draft and I’m striving for, bur not necessarily expecting perfection.

It won’t be, but I can always hope.

NANOWRIMO November 2023

“Opposites Attract” – In the beginning

…

How many times have you been sitting somewhere, and in the background there’s a song playing?

The interesting thing about music is the memories and the feelings that can be invoked.

And, if you’re a writer, it can tug at the inspirational strings.

I had one such experience not so long ago in a shopping mall of all places while having some ghastly junk food.   The chef must have been having a bad day.

I digress.

It was a Viennese waltz, and you know, if you’ve heard one, how it can stick on the mind, that ebb and flow effect.  I saw an episode of Disneyland many, many years ago that had Strauss composing the waltz in time to the clip-clop of the horses drawing his carriage.  I don’t think it was as simple as that.

But however it came into being, it stuck in my mind.

So much so, that I went to YouTube and pulled up people performing the Waltz, and in watching it I because almost mesmerised.

Where’s this going, you ask?

Well, it gave me an idea.  That first idea was to write a story of two people out on the ballroom floor, having a conversation, with the dance moves thrown in a appropriate times, in essence guiding the conversation.

Boring you say?

O light be, but then make the two people a girl and a boy who have niggled and hated each other all their lives, only to discover shortly before the ball, that the opposite was true, that they loved each other.

Hate is easy when you’re a pre-teen and teenager, but once middle school turns into college, and people change, though some not necessarily for the better, odd things happen.

Now, again, if it was an ordinary girl and an ordinary boy that would almost be boring, so to spice it up the girl is from the wealthy part of town, and the boy from the less wealthy side, those that the wealthy tend to look down on.

But he’s not too down and out, just from an old well-known family that has fallen on hard times.

Oh, and like all the romance films I’ve been looking at as research, this will follow one of the tried and tested premises, that she was always in love with him, and he was always from the moment he saw her in elementary school, just never thought he had a chance.

So, strap yourselves in for the ride!

…

“Betrayal” – the penultimate final draft – Day 28

I’m sure I’ve been down this road more than once, and with the same novel, but whereas the last edit, which was probably the second or third, finished up in the pile, then forgotten.

I’m doing an active update to all my works in progress, and sending them to the editor, after going through the manuscript once again, with a view to publishing.  Hopefully, before the year is out.

…

I never thought I would get to this point, where there’s almost a complete novel.

It is quite remarkable that it is possible if you decide to focus, to get a novel out in a month.

What it does tell you is that proper planning is really a necessity if you want to succeed.

But…

It’s not the be-all to end all.

I’m not going to stop flying by the seat of my pants, but it’s given me another insight into the writing process.

I’m up to the business end of the story, and it requires concentration, and, it will not be the first time I have written a page or two, gone back to reread it and made an adjustment.

I have to be careful not to be overly critical. After all, it is only the penultimate draft and I’m striving for, bur not necessarily expecting perfection.

It won’t be, but I can always hope.

“Betrayal” – the penultimate final draft – Day 27

I’m sure I’ve been down this road more than once, and with the same novel, but whereas the last edit, which was probably the second or third, finished up in the pile, then forgotten.

I’m doing an active update to all my works in progress, and sending them to the editor, after going through the manuscript once again, with a view to publishing.  Hopefully, before the year is out.

…

It’s interesting that no matter how much you outline and plan a chapter when it comes to actually putting words on paper it doesn’t quite run the way it should.

Last night I toiled over the chapter that has the first of the plot twists.

It’s been writing itself in my head, and I’ve been making notes to supplement the plan and take those notes into consideration.

But…

When I wrote it, the first time around, it didn’t seem right. You know what that’s like. It’s not the second-guessing thing, it’s not the being over-critical thing, you write it, walk away, get a coffee, or in my case, a large Scotch and soda water, and go back.

You either tell yourself it’s utterly brilliant, or at the other end of the scale, complete rubbish.

I was somewhere in between, and the cat, who was skulking nearby suddenly found himself a captive critic.

I read it out loud, he made weird faces, and, yes, I could see what was bothering me.

Three hours later, past two in the morning, it was in better shape than I was.

“Betrayal” – the penultimate final draft – Day 26

I’m sure I’ve been down this road more than once, and with the same novel, but whereas the last edit, which was probably the second or third, finished up in the pile, then forgotten.

I’m doing an active update to all my works in progress, and sending them to the editor, after going through the manuscript once again, with a view to publishing.  Hopefully, before the year is out.

…

Today went well, the book is now almost editing itself, such is the benefit of outlining.

I’m almost sold on the planning idea, but that will sort itself out next time.

The way the story is running, and the additions I have made so far, the story is going to be longer than anticipated.

I’ve just seen a glaring plot hole and will be working to fix that, and then, that opens a can of worms because the ending is now a choice of three.

This is the trouble with rereading and changing and not being satisfied and letting editors tell you what needs to be fixed when nothing really needs to be fixed in the first place.

Damn, it’s just the editing jitters kicking in.

It’s time to get back to the current project and finish it.

“Betrayal” – the penultimate final draft – Day 27

I’m sure I’ve been down this road more than once, and with the same novel, but whereas the last edit, which was probably the second or third, finished up in the pile, then forgotten.

I’m doing an active update to all my works in progress, and sending them to the editor, after going through the manuscript once again, with a view to publishing.  Hopefully, before the year is out.

…

It’s interesting that no matter how much you outline and plan a chapter when it comes to actually putting words on paper it doesn’t quite run the way it should.

Last night I toiled over the chapter that has the first of the plot twists.

It’s been writing itself in my head, and I’ve been making notes to supplement the plan and take those notes into consideration.

But…

When I wrote it, the first time around, it didn’t seem right. You know what that’s like. It’s not the second-guessing thing, it’s not the being over-critical thing, you write it, walk away, get a coffee, or in my case, a large Scotch and soda water, and go back.

You either tell yourself it’s utterly brilliant, or at the other end of the scale, complete rubbish.

I was somewhere in between, and the cat, who was skulking nearby suddenly found himself a captive critic.

I read it out loud, he made weird faces, and, yes, I could see what was bothering me.

Three hours later, past two in the morning, it was in better shape than I was.

“Betrayal” – the penultimate final draft – Day 27

I’m sure I’ve been down this road more than once, and with the same novel, but whereas the last edit, which was probably the second or third, finished up in the pile, then forgotten.

I’m doing an active update to all my works in progress, and sending them to the editor, after going through the manuscript once again, with a view to publishing.  Hopefully, before the year is out.

…

It’s interesting that no matter how much you outline and plan a chapter when it comes to actually putting words on paper it doesn’t quite run the way it should.

Last night I toiled over the chapter that has the first of the plot twists.

It’s been writing itself in my head, and I’ve been making notes to supplement the plan and take those notes into consideration.

But…

When I wrote it, the first time around, it didn’t seem right. You know what that’s like. It’s not the second-guessing thing, it’s not the being over-critical thing, you write it, walk away, get a coffee, or in my case, a large Scotch and soda water, and go back.

You either tell yourself it’s utterly brilliant, or at the other end of the scale, complete rubbish.

I was somewhere in between, and the cat, who was skulking nearby suddenly found himself a captive critic.

I read it out loud, he made weird faces, and, yes, I could see what was bothering me.

Three hours later, past two in the morning, it was in better shape than I was.