Went to hear a SCBWI speaker at the SLC Main Library. Jennifer Nielsen. She has one book published and has a contract for another.
Character development. I thought I pretty much got into the head of my characters, but the 'tools' Jen gave us to delve even deeper, opened my eyes to what great things my characters are capable. Of particular interest was a YA/Child Character Chart (http://jenniferanielsen.blogspot.com/2010/11/young-adult-character-chart.html
Great resource. I plan to share it with my writing BFs.
I haven't written since I've been back from my little vacation, but I've been thinking a lot. You know, when my WBFs say that, I just about cringe. And here I am doing the same. It can be such a good excuse for not writing. Yeah! I'm thinking. Well, thinking is like wishing. Ya gotta do something or nothing will happen.
I'm going to put my writing time on my cell phone's calendar and have the bloody thing beep at me. Then, I will sit and write. This past year has been challenging for I'm in the midst of editing my first book. The editing process is pure torture. If I'd known..... No, I'd still write, but better at the beginning and throughout - instead of at the end when corrections can cause tsunamis throughout - devastating plot, characters, themes, arcs, and even places and times,
Well, my little tsunami is calling - she's done with her blocks and wants to play puppets.
You've been thinking a lot? :)
ReplyDeleteMan, that happens to me too... That's an easy trap to fall in with writing, isn't it? I mean, to a certain extent writing comes down to recording your thoughts, so getting these thoughts in the first place can already seem like getting work done. That thing doesn't happen with other media of expression: for ex, you wouldn't fool yourself saying, no, I haven't drawn anything, but I've been thinking :D So yeah, sometimes I have to remind myself that unless I sit down and actually type something, it doesn't count. eh.
Personally, for me part of the problem is being afraid of writing bad stuff. Feels kind of frustrating to spend several hours in front of the screen, all to produce a hadnful of crap, doesn't it? So sometimes I'd tell myself, no, I'm not ready to work on that part yet, I need to think about it some more. But like you said, unless you do it, it won't happen.
My experience with writing is not so impressive, but what I've figured out so far is that if you nag and nag persistently at some stubborn piece, eventually something acceptable might come out of it. But if you keep avoiding it and let it rest in peace, there isn't even a 'might' for it... eh again :D
And like I said before, I can't even imagine the amount of toil you're going through with the editing thing. Best of luck on that!!
December