I'm excited this week for three reasons:
1. The SLOW buddy groups have been sent out, and I'm in a group of five, which is really exciting, and also kinda daunting. I can't wait to see how we all work together.
2. The plot for my main NaNo project seems to be falling into place. It's almost like I'm putting together a jigsaw- I know the big picture, but I'm missing some of the pieces. So far all of the pieces that have shown up fit together well, and in sometimes surprisingly good ways. My main characters are also evolving in my head- the girl is a bit sassier than I expected, the boy a bit more insecure.
Plot-wise, I have up until they meet, and a bit beyond, and also the very end, but the big chunk in the middle is pretty up in the air. It's a journey for the characters, through a part of the world unfamiliar to me, and I need them to discover a lot about themselves and each other in that time, so hopefully the hazy fog that's stopping me from seeing what they'll be doing will lift once I start writing.
To be on the safe side, I'm dusting off an old idea I've wanted to write for awhile, which is a YA contemporary LGBT story. Theoretically, if I lose steam on one project, I can work on the other. Right now I just want to prove to myself that I can write 50k or more, that I can write original characters and plots and dialogue.
3. I have a plethora of notebooks. For someone who writes almost exclusively on a laptop, I probably have more notebooks and pens than I need, but I love them. There's something nice about cracking open a fresh notebook, seeing the ink sink into the page. I almost envy people who write long hand- but since my writing becomes illegible even to myself after a page or so, it's probably not the most sensible for me to try. So far I have a plotting notebook, a character notebook and a 'list of things to do' notebook. I just need to find excuses to use the rest of untouched ones sitting in a pile beside me!
1. The SLOW buddy groups have been sent out, and I'm in a group of five, which is really exciting, and also kinda daunting. I can't wait to see how we all work together.
2. The plot for my main NaNo project seems to be falling into place. It's almost like I'm putting together a jigsaw- I know the big picture, but I'm missing some of the pieces. So far all of the pieces that have shown up fit together well, and in sometimes surprisingly good ways. My main characters are also evolving in my head- the girl is a bit sassier than I expected, the boy a bit more insecure.
Plot-wise, I have up until they meet, and a bit beyond, and also the very end, but the big chunk in the middle is pretty up in the air. It's a journey for the characters, through a part of the world unfamiliar to me, and I need them to discover a lot about themselves and each other in that time, so hopefully the hazy fog that's stopping me from seeing what they'll be doing will lift once I start writing.
To be on the safe side, I'm dusting off an old idea I've wanted to write for awhile, which is a YA contemporary LGBT story. Theoretically, if I lose steam on one project, I can work on the other. Right now I just want to prove to myself that I can write 50k or more, that I can write original characters and plots and dialogue.
3. I have a plethora of notebooks. For someone who writes almost exclusively on a laptop, I probably have more notebooks and pens than I need, but I love them. There's something nice about cracking open a fresh notebook, seeing the ink sink into the page. I almost envy people who write long hand- but since my writing becomes illegible even to myself after a page or so, it's probably not the most sensible for me to try. So far I have a plotting notebook, a character notebook and a 'list of things to do' notebook. I just need to find excuses to use the rest of untouched ones sitting in a pile beside me!
Greetings from said slow buddy group!
ReplyDeleteMiddles are tricky beasts. I once read some really good writing tips and the one that stuck with me and has got me through muddy middles before is 'think of the worst thing that could happen to your character. Make that happen.' This raises the stakes and keeps up the conflict, which in turn allows for character development while driving the plot forward. It's a nifty trick, and one that might work for you.
Happy writing and good luck with NaNo!
Hello!
DeleteThank you for that advice! That's definitely given me a seed of idea to raise the stakes- both in terms of driving the plot, and also character development.