Comments on: Where My WIP Went Wrong

By: Rebecca

Rebecca — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 21:21:16 +0000

That was very resourceful of you to save those 33,000 words in a separate file. Good planning! Never let anything good go to waste.

I am currently working on a children’s book. It’s not fantastic, but it still has room to grow. I sent it to you to review. I’ve been to nervous to check my e-mails about it! lol
.-= Rebecca´s last blog ..BBAW is Baaaaackkkk! =-.

By: Memory

Memory — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 06:13:40 +0000

I hope you feel ready to write WAVERLEY sooner rather than later. I want to read it!

I’ve had so much trouble with trying to coerce my books into becoming something that’s commercially viable (read: has a plot) but still stays true to the story I want to tell. It’s tough and frustrating, and I think it’s one of the reasons I’m such a slow writer. I hate coming up with A-B-C-D plots; I’d much rather focus on the characters. But publishers like something that’s easy to summarize, so I spend forever trying to figure out what the characters could do that’d keep a plot-loving reader interested. I often fail miserably, and I’m back to square one.

By: Cat Woods

Cat Woods — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 18:35:20 +0000

I actually see it a lot when people write using their experiences as a basis for their fiction. They try to stuff too much in and it doesn’t work.

“But,” they say, “that really happened.”

Yes, but life doth not good fiction make. A small snippet, morphed into a magical story, yes. Not an entire life history with the names of people and places changed.

Great post.
.-= Cat Woods´s last blog ..Strap on Your Writing Helmet =-.

By: Barbara

Barbara — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 14:05:13 +0000

I’ve done this twice. First it was a book about Francis Wright, a 19th century reformer. Just as I was approaching the end of my research and had written quite a bit of the book, another book came out about her. I had been told the other writer would never get published. Anyway, that took all the wind out of my sails and I put the ms away.

The second one also sits in a box in the closet – a book about steamboats for children. That one is also partially written and I had envisioned pages of punch-out pieces that would let the child build his own steamboat. Everyone in the industry said it was too expensive and wouldn’t fly. Oh well . . .

I keep them though. You never know. Now I’m stuck in the quicksand on my mystery novel that I’ve been writing forever. Shall I stick with it or add another box to that closet shelf. It remains to be seen.
.-= Barbara´s last blog ..Review: Split Image by Robert B. Parker =-.

By: Beth F

Beth F — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 11:13:40 +0000

I see the forcing issue a lot in my life as an editor -- sometimes cutting sections works, sometimes starting over works. . . . .-= Beth F´s last blog ..Weekend Cooking: Review and Giveaway of SOS! by Aviva Goldfarb =-.

By: Megan

Megan — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 01:52:03 +0000

I’ve started a million things and not finished them. Ugh. I should really save all of my stuff though. I always delete it forever, believing it’s garbage.

There are two books that really jarred me while I read them and stick out in my mind as having endings that felt like they were forced rather than coming organically from the story, and those are Certain Girls by Jennifer Weiner and Handle With Care by Jodi Picoult. Those are two of my all-time favorite authors, and I loved those books right up until the ends- the final thirds I guess you could say. With Certain Girls I literally spent about 20 pages convinced the narrator was suddenly going to wake up and what was happening would just be a bad dream because it felt so “wrong.”
.-= Megan´s last blog ..The Kitchen Sink, Vol. One =-.

By: Jemi Fraser

Jemi Fraser — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 22:06:31 +0000

I have an ms marinating right now. I’m going to look it over in the summer (probably), but I think I’ll shelve it for a bit. It’s not edgy enough for today’s market, and I don’t want to destroy the story, so I think I’ll wait for a bit and see what happens.
.-= Jemi Fraser´s last blog ..Find the Fun! =-.

By: rhapsodyinbooks

rhapsodyinbooks — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 20:20:46 +0000

I just listened to a book by Herman Wouk that was supposed to be about science and religion but was actually sort of reminiscences about his writing process and he talks a great deal about writing The Winds of War, and War and Remembrance. He said he had such a hard time because there were several themes he wanted to use and he couldn’t figure out how to do it in ONE book – people kept encouraging him to write separate books but he just wanted to do it altogether! Anyway, eventually he figured out a way sort of by serendipity, from this and that conversation about it with this and that person. (no blogging back then!) :–) So maybe talking about it and getting feedback will help you in a similar way, even though you have kind of the opposite goal in mind!

By: Dorte H

Dorte H — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 19:42:56 +0000

Actually, I think I have written half a novel twice but decided that it was just not good enough. I also think I have learnt a lot by beginning projects I could not finish, e.g. that *I* have to plan a crime novel carefully to keep up the suspense and get to that important, final chapter.

So writing thousands of words and throwing them away is definitely better than writing nothing!
.-= Dorte H´s last blog ..Sudoku Weekend =-.

By: Molly

Molly — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 18:48:57 +0000

Such great words of wisdom for a neophyte like myself!

I wonder if that is the problem that I am having with my story idea. I like the idea and I want to write about it. But I think I am trying to make it an adventure story when really it is something else entirely. Now just to figure out what that might be

Love reading your writing posts, Belle!
.-= Molly´s last blog ..TSS: A Week of Introspection =-.