storyline

Stuck – Stuck – More Stuck

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Photo credit: picjumbo_com at Pixabay.

Hey guys, welcome back! As I sit here thinking of something to write, I’m also thinking how thankful I am to have you all to write for. I’ve been so lucky to have an audience for my posts, my ramblings, my writing journey. When I was writing my first book, I didn’t do this. It took me years to finish that first draft. It is taking even longer to edit it. But this current work in progress, well, this has been a mission. This has been my baby and I’m so glad I am documenting this ride of mine. I’ve heard from other authors that they are going through similar situations as mine and I’m so glad I’m not alone.

For example, I’m currently stuck. Like really stuck. I was getting close to writing the last chapters of this book. Then I stalled. Not just because a part of me doesn’t want this story to end, but because I thought of a whole new way to tell it!

So ok, I go back to the beginning again, I wrote an alternate first chapter. I liked it a lot and it gave me more ideas. What’s wrong with this? Plenty.

Although the amount of work it would take to rewrite the story again from another perspective is daunting, it would also lend more depth to it as a whole so there’s that. Also, my current word count is huge. Like, huge. The editing process for this book is going to be massive and is going to kill me to cut as much as I need to.

I have read and reread this work so many times, it is how I want it to be right now. Well, that’s at this current moment. It changes minute to minute. I think it’s because I don’t want to finish it just yet and am looking for excuses to postpone the last chapters. I’ll snap out of it of course, but in the meantime, I’m torn…I’m…stuck.

Do I go back and add to this and offer two perspectives or do I just go in and edit what I already have? I keep going back and forth on the best way to proceed and in the process, I just keep reading it over and over again. So, I continue to be stuck.

I’m hoping the answer will come to me between the lines. That there will be something that jumps out at me to say “this is it!” So far, nothing. The back and forth continues and then I write the other perspective. If I continue doing that, then it’s even more words I’ll have to cut.

I mentioned in my last post that I did some editing work in my past. I know I can be brutal when I have to be when reworking sentences, paragraphs, chapters. But that is with someone else’s work. With my own? Let’s just say that I don’t take criticism very well, even my own. When I wrote for others and something of mine needed to be edited? I didn’t take it well at all. Just the idea of someone else hacking up my work gives me a stomach ache. But seriously the word count? Massive. So the hacking must be done.

Also, the amount of research going into this book has been a big part of this journey. Not just for the story itself, but also for the work. Learning about querying agents, traditional publishing vs. self publishing, learning from other authors and bouncing ideas off of them and of course, word counts. I’ve been looking at other books in the same genre that I love to see what their counts are. Chapter length, page count, all of it. This is going to be the first book of mine that I want to get out there and it needs to reflect my best work. I want to get it right. I think this is one of the reasons I’ve been freaking out about all of this and will continue to do so until I can finally say, “hey! My first draft is done!” Until then, I shall remain stuck.

I wish this was more uplifting, a little more motivational, but not every day can be like that. Some days, the reality sets in and we have to sit back and take a breath. Take a moment to reflect on what we are doing and if we are doing it the right way. Look at it from a fresh perspective and hope that when we complete what we have started, it is right with us. I will forever be proud of what I have written, which is why the idea of cutting so much is killing me. However, to get this out there to the readers? I will do what is needed to put out my best work possible. (Did I turn this post around at all? I hope so!)

And that is where I will leave you for today. Thanks so much again for being here, for reading my blog and for your support. For without you, I wouldn’t be here.

Until next time…Cheers!

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Focus – Concentration – Favorite Chapter

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Photo credit: Engin_Akyurt on Pixabay

Hey guys, welcome back! I hope this week has been going well for you, it certainly has for me! I’ve done more marathon nights of writing and in between these focused binges, I got to see the Connecticut team win the first game of the Little League World Series! (Go Fairfield!) I love watching this series every year. I’m a rabid baseball fan and watching these kids brings me hope, as they show a level of sportsmanship that I wish more adults would. They are fun games and it’s great to watch them making friends with kids from all around the world. (I also love it when they show MLB players in the stands having fun and being true fans.)

Anywhoo…my concentration has been laser focused on the latest chapters of my book. I wrote so much over the last two nights alone, my eyes have become blurred, dry and bloodshot and the headache is incredible. I’m not gonna lie, a ton of caffeine has been involved in this sudden burst of productivity, but it’s been oh so worth it.

Just this morning, I finished what is possibly my most favorite chapter of the entire thing. After a few emotional days with a rather deep plot point, to have some more lighthearted things to write has been a lot of fun. I really enjoyed this part of the story. And after rereading this current chapter again to make sure I got it just right, I have to say, I’m so happy with how it turned out. I’ve been going over the first chapters of the book once again as well. By reacquainting myself with the earlier tone of the writing, I think that it’s really helped bring this third act full circle.

There is still so much work that has to be done on my manuscript. A whole lot of editing, rewrites and more. But for now, at this particular moment, I’m happy with what I’ve written. I still have a little more to go before the first draft is officially complete, but this has been a true labor of love. One that I’ve been so proud to work on. My total obsession that lives in my thoughts 24/7. I dream about these characters, this small town that I’ve invented, this couple and their journey. A part of me doesn’t want to get to the next part. A huge part of me doesn’t want to actually finish this book. It has been my escape from real life, my hideout, my haven as it were. I don’t want to say goodbye to it. In reality, I won’t have to for some time, as again, lots of work still to be done. But knowing that the end of this particular story is close is starting to weigh on me. I’m just hoping that I can give these people the ending that they truly deserve. An ending that my readers truly deserve.

And that is where I’m leaving you for today. I know this one was short and sweet, but I’ve been writing now for 8 hours straight and wanted to write this post while the good mood was still with me!

I thank you as always for being here and following along. Until next time…Cheers!

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I invite you to check out the rest of the site while you’re here. You may just find a new book to read, find some of my past works as well as catch up with the posts so far. And if you’ve gotten this far in this post, I thank you so much. 😊 

Plot Betrayal, Extended Research and June was Hot

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Photo credit: StartupStockPhotos on Pixabay

Hey guys, welcome back! I am in shock that June is over. I mean, is it just me or did you also just blink and it was done? As someone who feels that Summer is the equivalent of living on the surface of a volcano while eating razor blades, the faster these months go the better. (Basically, I need Fall, I need Fall now!) Even though this is my least favorite time of the year, I can usually deal with it. With my very odd schedule of sleeping during the day, I miss most of the heat. However, my AC this year has decided to only churn out the minimal amount of coolness and I’m currently sitting in a room with both the AC and a fan on and it is still 84 degrees. But I digress…(sorry, just needed to get that out). 😬

This past week I’ve run into the proverbial wall that I’ve been afraid would come for some time. If you’ve been following along here, you know that my writing has been going pretty smoothly so far. I’ve gotten into a routine, a rhythm, a wonderful flow of typing, creating this story of mine and I’ve been so happy with it. And then…

I hit a chapter that is important to the plot. Like, super important to the plot. I wrote it out, let it get out of my head and then went on to the next. After I put everything away for the day to get ready for bed, that one chapter was replaying in my mind. I didn’t like how it panned out and the thing is, a good portion of the next chapter very much depends on the bad one.

So, ok. That night I went in and reread it. I could see where it went off the rails. I make a copy of it, (I write each chapter individually for just such an occasion) and rewrite much of the thing. Go on to write the next two and ok, I think I’ve got it under control. I usually print out a chapter after two edits but kept this one off to the side for now because I was excited about where the rest of the story was going.

In the back of my mind though, that one plot point was just not doing it for me. If it was a case of it being a sort of side story or one for a secondary character, I could forgive much of it for now and continue on. However, this is a crucial storyline and one that needs to be told with accuracy.

This has been added to the routine. I need time each night now to research how this scenario should play out. Granted, I normally love, LOVE researching anything. But I painted myself into a corner with this one. A ‘said in passing’ character trait early on, has now become important to the story as a whole. The problem here is that it is not something that I am knowledgeable about and therefore, my search history is now one that is unrecognizable to me.

By the way, I’d like to mention how hard it is to talk about this without giving anything away! I’m trying so hard not to reveal anything about my book, so to talk in generics is proving to be quite a challenge.

I recently started a booktok (under NewChapterCove) and have started to follow a number of authors. Not just to support them, but to also see if I’m alone with a lot of my journey. I saw a post yesterday where this particular writer said something about how he looks at his screen funny when his character does something he wasn’t planning on. I COULDN’T AGREE MORE! My characters have taken on a life of their own and for the most part, I run with it. But now here I am, over 40 chapters in now and scrambling to figure out this one scene that I just need to move past to get on with my life.

Which of course means that this has become my panic chapter. That chapter in a book where the reader goes, “seriously? This is where it’s going?” Said with all the sarcasm that one could muster btw. Which of course, is a nightmare for any author.

With this happening, I’ve decided to put it aside for now. I have so many other things I’d rather be writing, the next few ‘days’ in the story that I want to continue with and can’t rewrite that one nightmare chapter until the rest of this is out of my head. Only then, will I be able to rewrite the sequence of events to have this all make sense and fit with the rest of the story. Or so I hope.

So this is where I am now. With these now higher chapters, I’m still trying to work out how this will wind down even though I really don’t want this book to ever end. I have thoroughly enjoyed writing it and it has also become a special escape for me every night. The thought of extending it to a sequel or series to keep it going is still up in the air right now. I can’t think that far ahead until I can work out this rather brazen plot betrayal of mine.

And that is where I will leave you for today. I thank you so much for reading and following along with my slight freak out and hope that if you are celebrating the 4th of July, that it is fun and most of all safe! (Leave the doggies at home too. Fireworks are the leading cause of the most lost dogs of the year.)

Until next time folks…be good, be kind, be you!

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No Sleep, Character Obsession and Just Kept Writing

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Photo credit: xaviandrew on Pixabay.

Hey guys, welcome back! I hope you all got to see the bonus post I did filled with Summer Reading ideas. If not, it can be found in the ‘new posts’ tab, I’l also link it below this post. I am planning to put it up as part of the On the Bookshelf page as well as I’ve been really neglecting the rest of the site this year as far as updated pages. Also, please note that my links show up on this site in a darker color. They are (unfortunately?) not as defined as other sites.

Anywhoo, let’s get the post at hand, shall we?

Just going to say it, I haven’t been sleeping. Part of it is because it’s hotter than the sun here in the Northeast these days (and other places as well) and my AC is struggling to keep things cool. I mean, 90 degrees inside isn’t exactly cooling things off. I did treat myself to some Gatorade so hey, living the dream!

The lack of sleep has had me writing a whole lot. I have the house to myself this week and with my odd sleep schedule of staying up and night and sleeping during the day, I decided the other day to see how long I could go just writing.

I mentioned in a previous post that I’ve developed a pretty regular routine. To give you an idea (read:recap) of how screwed up my schedule is: I always start by reading the previous night’s work and editing as I go. This usually begins around 4am. At 5am I’m most likely done and then I write the new stuff until about 7:30-8am or until I finish a chapter. I type very quickly, so a chapter can sometimes only take me two hours or a little more. For a little perspective though, some of my chapters are short at only 11 pages or so. I take a lot of meds because of medical issues and I need stuff to help me sleep. Sometimes I will take something about an hour into writing so that I can fall asleep by 9-10am. (Boring you yet? Sorry)

The problem with this a lot of times, is that I’m just getting into the story or getting more ideas for where the story can go just as the sleep stuff kicks in. Then I’m stuck replaying it all in my head making it hard to get any actual sleep. Again, I have the place to myself and had nowhere to go the other day. So I decided to try something and not to take anything. To see how long I could keep going with the story. To just keep writing.

When I finished what is a very pivotal chapter, I went to do a page count and I had typed out 31 pages! I started at around 5am and went until 1pm. I just kept writing.

Will I keep a lot of it? Will the chapter be broken up into two? Is any of it good? Well, that’s what editing is for! But to know that I could keep going like that proved to me that I’d like to try doing this more often. That stifling the creativity just as it gets rolling may not be the way to go. And yes, I have tried starting earlier than 4am. It didn’t stick.

This story has really consumed me. Suddenly, scenes I hadn’t really planned on putting in, are taking over and I’ve been surprised at how they fit into the story as a whole. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that this new book is being written in the first person. The main character has invaded my thoughts and when I put everything away at ‘bedtime’, the story continues in my head like a movie. I will lay there trying to clear my head, only to sit back up and write stuff in the notebook I keep near my bed so I don’t forget anything later on. Yet still, the storyline keeps playing in my head like this week’s Netflix trailers.

There’s also a few things I keep going over, especially now that I’m 36 chapters in. Do I change things up? Do I throw in a major surprise? Is it time to start thinking of this as a series rather than a standalone book? I’ve created some characters and a location that has become so real to me now and that has become a great escape for me that frankly, I don’t want to leave it. But that’s me. What will readers think?

These are the things that are now starting to keep me up at night. That and a whole lot of heat.

And that is where I will leave you for today. I’m sorry if this one wasn’t too exciting but as I’ve said before, sometimes I just need to get out the thoughts so I can move on with my life. 😂

I very much appreciate your hanging out with me for a little bit. I hope you are staying cool and hydrated and that if you like it here, you’ll share this site with your friends.

Thanks again and until next time…

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It’s Summer Reading Time! <—Summer reading inspiration by yours truly.

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Thank you for getting this far and see you next time!! 🥰