Second Draft

I have mixed feelings about second drafts. I printed my first draft out several days ago - all one hundred and fifty-five pages and twenty-two chapters of it. I gazed lovingly upon those clean white sheets as one might upon their newborn baby - so perfect, so fragile, so...not ready to go out into the cruel world to be critqued. Half of me cringed at the thought of tarnishing its purity with that accursed red pen. 

While the other half thrilled at the idea of covering it with notes of improvement. With each dash and dot, I sensed progress in the winds and shivered with excitement. Closer, closer, closer to my destination. To publication.

A chill crawls down my spine at the thought... I anticipate publication and I fear it. I fear for the unknown. What will they think of my work? Will they love it? *swallow* Will they hate it? And who is "they" anyhow?

But, now is not the time for such thoughts...much work is still ahead of this adventurer!


Novel update: First chapter has been red-penned. Or, rather, for lack of a pen of the red persuasion, blue-penned.

Novel Update

Hear ye! Hear ye! May it be known throughout the Great Northwest, and neighboring lands, that on this glorious day (July the 12th, 2010) Kaeli Elise completed the first draft of her novel. One hundred and seventy-one days remain in her quest to finish an entire novel by December the 31st. The journey may be long, it may be perilous, but conquer she shall!

Boxed In

I smile every time I see this picture...

All too often, I feel like this girl, with my head trapped by various sizes of cardboard boxes. Oftentimes it's a tight squeeze. And I'm not really sure what to do. It seems an easy task to simply lift said box from said head. But I guess it just must be too dark and confusing in there to think such simple thoughts as that...

As a writer, it irritates me to see boxes anywhere in sight. Remember, us writers like to be in charge. In Writer's Digest, there is a column for a short story contest. They start you off with a prompt, and let your imagination do the rest. I've been fascinated with the creativity of these stories.

One prompt was "Parents look on in horror as a magician's trick goes horribly awry during a child's birthday party" At this point in the past, I would have crammed myself into an extra small UPS box, for mailing a single toilet paper roll.

But these writers didn't...It says "parents look on in horror". I would first think that the story MUST be told from the parents perspective then. But the winning writer thought outside of the safe cardboard, and created his story from the first-person perspective of the magician's rabbit in the hat!

I suppose, 'thinking outside the box' consists of not necessarily using the first bland idea you have...


Novel update: One more chapter to tidy up before my first draft is complete!! 172 days to go!

Show, Don't Tell

The golden rule of writing - show, don't tell - is drilled, pounded, pummelled and otherwise smashed into your head from day one of deciding you want to write. It's a fantastic rule, of course, and the first every writer should follow. But, finally, after thirteen years of writing, I understand it.

I'm reading the Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy for the second time, and it's faithfully just as good as the first time. I'm also reading another book (which I shall not name), in a similiar style to the one I'm currently writing, and I'm astounded at the difference in the quality of the two books.

As I've said before, carbon-copy writing styles grow wearisome quickly. However, the opposing poles of these books is a matter of, you guessed it, "show don't tell". Baroness Orczy is a master at transporting you to the very time and place, without drawing attention to her writing. I barely remember I am reading. Whereas, in the other, I struggle over play-by-playish descriptions. I feel as if I'm being told a story, rather than experiencing it.

Indeed, it is exceedingly more difficult to steer clear of being a play-by-play writer when writing in first person - which I (and the other author which shall remain nameless) am. But now I know what to watch for...

Novel update: About 19 chapters finished (not consecutively) and 175 days remaining...

Tick, Tock

You know you're on a deadline when you start thinking of your life in terms of hours and minutes and seconds. Time slips quickly through my fingers with each tick and tock of the clock. (Oh, wait, I actually have a digital clock - which means the minutes go by completely silent, completely unnoticed). Every day, I waste this precious commodity. Every moment I spend away from my story brings me closer to my deadline and sends me further from my goal.

Today is the official halfway point. Shall we recap?

I began this blog in April, just four short months after starting my writing quest. I had completed 5 chapters in 97 days. I now have 182 days remaining. I have 17 chapters in beautiful shape (12 chapters in 2 months!), all ready for a second/third draft. 4 more ugly chapters await my magical editing wand. Currently, I have 150 pages total - including the ugly chapters - and my goal is 250. Whew!

Since I started writing this post today, 480 seconds have passed. Time is a cruel master.


Novel update: Working hard. The last half of anything always goes faster than the first. I finally understand the term, "racing the clock". Allow me to retrieve my sweat band...