Writing Numbers

Since finishing my latest first draft a few weeks ago, I've been thinking about how I work through each draft. Especially first drafts.

So I thought I'd post a bit about how I tackle these projects by allocating daily, weekly and monthly goals. I always find it easier to break things down into smaller goals to reach the big one.

Even though my process is similar every time, each project is a little different. But they all start with brainstorming an idea that's been simmering in the back of my mind for months. 

When I pick my next WIP, I grab a notebook and fill it up with pages and pages of notes. Every thought, scene and/or dialogue relating to the story goes in here. As well as character names, descriptions, traits and research. Not to mention pictures. These help me visualise the characters, locations and some of the things the characters will do and/or face. Then I start the chapter breakdowns. Sometimes I'll have loose notes for the entire book. Other times I'll only have the first 5-10 chapters.

I just fill my brain with stuff before I even begin to create the Word doc. I keep going until it feels like I'm about to burst if I don't start telling the story. LOL.

Then I grab a calendar and figure out how many actual writing days there are in my chosen month. What I mean by this is how many Mon-Fri there are, because I take weekends off. It's important for me to make sure I don't work on weekends, and instead spend time with hubby, go out, read, go for walks, and have my brain working on the story in the background. That way when Monday hits, I'm ready to go.

Usually I end up setting a 4k words/day goal. That totally works for me because I write in the morning and then in the afternoon. I like to call my sessions: before and after lunch. It's nice to break for an hour to eat and get a breather before adding more words.

Although the 4k thing totally works for me because I write fast first drafts, the projects I've tackled this year have started with 3k/day goals. That end up turning into 4k+/day when my need to get the story out becomes a word count frenzy. 

The reason for the smaller w/c goal lately is because I have a tendency to needlessly push myself, and I'm trying to stop that. If I add 4-5k on any given day, excellent. If not, as long as I have my 3k, I'm good. 

It's all about not putting too much pressure on myself. Which I always do. And strangely, the story ends up doing because everything gets so vivid that I go nuts in my quest to reach The End.

Another thing I find myself doing is reading the last chapter I wrote (the day before) to get back into the story groove and get a feel for what comes next. I usually don't look back and keep moving forward but lately, if something doesn't work or needs to be changed for better direction/plot/motivation, I don't mind backtracking. It saves time later.

The bottom line is: get the raw story out of my head and onto a Word doc as fast as I can. Thorough revision comes later.

First drafts are all about getting the story out.

When I finish the first draft I spend a bit of time updating my chapter and story notes. Plus, I get rid of all the scraps of paper and sticky notes I've accumulated.

Then I feel mentally exhausted and lost for a few days. I miss the story. I miss the process. And start a Revision List before putting it aside for a while. I make sure to take a few months away from the story and start thinking and dreaming about other ideas.

BUT first, I take a few weeks off to refuel. I read, go for walks, search for inspirational pics and watch stuff.

This part is important to avoid burning out.

After that, it's time to either start a new story or revise a first draft.

Well, there you have it. 

This is my process. What's yours?

Reading & Thinking & Brainstorming

Hey! How's it going?

There goes another week. Man, they sure go fast! O_o

Although I plan to embark on a new WIP this month, I just wasn't ready to start yet. Not so close to the revision I just finished. Not when I wanted to think and brainstorm some more. So, I spent the week updating files, researching demonic stuff, reading a book I was enjoying (until I wasn't), and brainstorming the WIP.

This is a story that's been inside my head for months, so I'm totally ready to get started. BUT, at the moment everything is just crowded in there and I needed more time to get everything into some sort of sequence. LOL.

I'm really happy with all the notes I took, the research I collected, the inspiration pics I added to the collection, and the direction the story is going.

Oh, and I'm taking part in #authorconfession on Twitter. So if you want to find out a bit more about the novel I plan to write, check out my timeline. :)

The other thing I spent most of my week doing is complaining about how our internet connection keeps dropping out. It's seriously awful. Less than a month ago we switched our cable to NBN, which is supposed to be the future of internet in Australia. Instead, it's a burning sack of shit. It's so frustrating. Terrible.

After a thousand calls and my constant complaining on Twitter, they're finally sending a technician next week. I really hope this gets sorted out soon because it's making me fucking crazy!

*fingers crossed*

Well, that's about it for this week.

Hubby & I are going on a date to watch IT tomorrow. I hope it's creepy, fun and awesome.

Have a great weekend!

THE GOETIA: The Lesser Key of Solomon the King by Aleister Crowley, Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers

The Goetia the Lesser Key of Solomon the King: Lemegeton, Book 1 Clavicula Salomonis Regis by S.L. MacGregor Mathers

 

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I just finished writing the first draft of a novel that leans heavily on demonology, so reading this book has been very helpful.

The descriptions and seals contain enough detail. The invocation instructions are handy. It's all very interesting. And the individual descriptions of the 72 spirits of the Goetia is great.

I find this book fascinating, and the way it fuels my creativity is fantastic. It's amazing how many things mentioned in this book happen to fit perfectly with what I've already written. This is a great base for me to spring from.

I also found it very easy to read.

Yep. I really liked it. This is a great reference book! And I know it's one I'll keep returning to.

View all my reviews

Sunny days are finally here!

The other day I mentioned that I had a new shade in my hair, and here it is! What'd you think? I love it.

 

I took this pic--with my daughter's help--this morning and finally managed to capture the actual colour. I've taken a few other shots, but they came out looking a little too dark because my hair looks black indoors. It's not until the sun is shining on it that you can see the true shade. :)

 

So. This week's flying by. I'm slowly working my way through my to-do list, but for some reason it feels like I'm not getting anything done. I always feel that way after finishing a first draft, revision or edit. When I'm working on either one of those, there are always word and page counts achieved at the end of the day, but now there's nothing. lol.

 

I just need to adjust, that's all. Which isn't going to be easy if Sierra things keep popping into my head.

 

Yesterday, my daughter and I attended Orientation Day at the high school she'll be attending next year. It was one of those really tiring things that took a few hours and left me exhausted, even though I didn't do much but sit around and listen. The cool thing is that my daughter's actually excited about starting high school, not worried/scared. I shouldn't be surprised since she was the same way when she was about to start pre-school and kindy. She adapts well, so I hope things go very well for her next year. Sometimes, I can't believe she's actually going to start Year 7 in 2013.

Time sure flies!

 

As far as my to-do list, I've managed to cross off a bunch of things but still have a few things left to tackle--some nitty-gritty worldbuilding issues/character notes/inspirational pics for one of my upcoming projects, random Sierra research, and nitty-gritty behind the scenes stuff for the final Sierra book. Doesn't sound like much, but it kinda is, so I'm taking my time with it.

 

One thing I haven't done this week is read. I just haven't had the time because I get caught up in my own stories and/or end up playing Zookeeper for ages. :D

 

Well, better go and do something...

Rain, rain, go away...

Really, go away. It's been raining all this week, and it totally sucks! I'm so over it. I have to wear my raincoat every single day and it's cold, too. We're supposed to have moved past the cold, shitty weather. O_o

<--- I took this photo this morning, during my daily walk. It's usually really nice but with the constant rain, puddles keep appearing and disappearing each day. So sometimes I have to either step all over the massive flood points, or find a way around them. Luckily, it wasn't too bad today. But still...

Anyway, that's enough bitching about the weather.

If you check out the sidebar, you can find links to where you can already pre-order CLASH. How awesome is that? I've also added some info about WITHER. In case you'd like to check out where the story began. ;)

So, I'm actually really happy with what I've achieved this week. I managed to complete a lot of background research and brainstorming for a bunch of things that'll affect Sierra and her world during the five-book series I have planned for her. Having all of this down in the one notebook is going to be incredibly helpful when I'm writing, revising, and editing each book. It'll save a lot of time, too. The best thing is that it's helped all the details fall into place, and sometimes I feel like I can step in and out of her world. Which is an awesome thing for a writer!

Okay. That's it for today. I'm going to go and do... something, I guess.

Hubby will be home soon. Can't wait to get started on the weekend! Have an awesome one! 

Enter Sandman

We're sitting on Wednesday again. :/ And it's a wet one outside. It pretty much rained all day yesterday too. It's so annoying when it rains for more than one day. The laundry basket - which I caught up on during the weekend - is now full again. Darn it!

Well, yesterday I revised the long synopsis I wrote the other day. I'm pretty happy with it. I also finished the first draft of the synopsis for book 2. And today, I need to buckle down and get started on the third one. This one's going to be a little harder/different because it's the only one out of the trilogy that isn't written yet. Still, it might end up being the one I have the most fun with because of that. :D

I also started putting together a World Handbook... or bible. Whatever you want to call it, it essentially does the same thing. I need one place to write down all of my little notes, facts, character traits, research, world stuff. I'm really excited about it. I've pasted in a whole bunch of pics already.

So, the hubby suggested that I read Neil Gaiman's Sandman series. I mean, I love his stuff, but comics are just one of those things that I only read a little of. Still, he kept saying that it touched on a lot of the stuff I like to read, research, and even write about myself. How could I say no? We picked up the first four (again, hubby's already read them) and I read the first one yesterday.

I have to admit that after reading the first story, I was debating whether to stop reading. It just didn't grab me, for some reason. And then the Cain and Abel story was a total disappointment. The Fates one wasn't that great either, although it set Morpheus on the right path. And OMG, 24 HOURS was freaky and a lot gross. Lol.

There were two stories that stuck out the most for me - DREAM A LITTLE DREAM OF ME and THE SOUND OF HER WINGS. Dream a Little Dream of Me featured John Constantine, who Morpheus needs to get his bag of sand from. It was fantastic! Actually, because of this story, I decided to keep reading. And I'm glad I did, because The Sound of Her Wings was another fantastic story. This one introduces his sister, Death. This tale was awesome, touching, sad, and happy all wrapped into one.

In the end, I'm going to stay on the journey of the Endless. Hubby reckons that the stories get better and better as you move along. :)

Okay, I need to get back to some work. Lol.

Have a nice day!

Hey, new Monday!

Well, I'm happy to say that I finished off Friday afternoon by getting the first draft of the (dreaded) synopsis I was putting off done. Yay. Okay. Maybe it ended up being a little too long - seven single-spaced pages - but at least I can go back and cut/edit. :)

A rough synopsis is better than no synopsis at all. Lol.

And I've got two more to write.

At least these ones don't need to be super detailed, but I want them to capture the essence of the story and characters. That's why I'm giving myself a few weeks to get them done. So I can take my time and not put any pressure on myself. Besides, during that time I'd also like to get one of my world bibles started. Do you keep one of those? I've got bits and pieces for all of my different worlds - print-outs, pdfs, articles, inspirational pics, display folders filled with research, notes and more notes. But I want to start one up for Trina's world because it just keeps expanding, and new narrators keep demading to have their story told.

I think it will be cool. And fun to put together.

Well, this morning, I went on a virtual tour of two small towns in Europe. One in Spain and one in Italy. It's amazing how much information you can find over the Internet. Of course, nothing will ever replace you actually walking down the streets and experiencing everything yourself, but reading enough personal accounts will give you a sense of the place. And that's all I need, really.

Oh, and how was your weekend? Mine was filled with stuff. So much stuff that we didn't get a chance to catch up with our weekly shows - Supernatural, Life On Mars (US), and Castle. :/ Now that I get up so early during the weekdays, I find that I can't sleep in on the weekend. So, that then means I get tired earlier and can't stay up for long. It's a cycle, but I prefer getting an early start on the day, anyway.

I hope your week is a great one!

WRITING THE BREAKOUT NOVEL

Book Description from Amazon
A breakout novel is one that rises out of its category--such as literary fiction, mystery, romance, or thriller--and hits the bestseller lists. Maass explains the elements that all breakout novels share and shows readers how to use these elements to write a novel that has a good chance of succeeding in a crowded marketplace. They'll learn to:
* create a powerful and sweeping sense of time and place
* develop larger-than-life characters
* sustain a high degree of narrative tension from start to finish
* weave sub-plots into the main action
* explore universal themes that will interest a large audience of readers

Then, using several of his clients' experiences--including best-selling novelist Anne Perry--as case studies, Maass provides real-life, insider examples to show how this type of novel can generate agent and publisher interest, creating or enhancing a novelist's career.

I finished this book on Saturday night. I'd heard great things about it and had my eye on it for ages. I couldn't find it anywhere here, so I finally decided to order it from Amazon. And I'm glad I did.

It's filled with very interesting information and really forces you to be totally, brutally honest with yourself. I love the raise the stakes concept. It's so true. Without conflict, there is no story. So, after wanting to read it for so long, was it worth it? Yep. It definitely was.

Anyway, I picked up quite a few pointers and will certainly go back - especially to the checklist at the end of each chapter. That's very helpful. But like I've already said, this'll be one of those reference books that I will continually return to.

Have any of you guys read this? What did you think?

Research, revision and reading

I'm reading some very interesting research material at the moment. All about how easy it is to plant false memories into people's brains, and how we all go into an average of three trances per day. It's interesting stuff, and all relevant to the novel I wrote during NaNo last year.

Yesterday I picked up the first chapter and started marking it with a red pen. Yikes! After the second page, I decided that I didn't like the beginning. So I rewrote it.

Now I've gotten through eight pages and they look like they're bleeding all over the place. This is going to be a messy type-in. My eyes are going to cross and blur when it's time. Maybe because I've made so many changes, I should put them in after getting through each chapter. Maybe.

I wanted to get through the entire chapter, but with so many changes it wasn't possible. See, it was written fine to start with but I wanted to layer the atmosphere a little thicker. Get the reader sucked into the story so they need to know why a serene situation turns into a dangerous situation. If that makes any sense...

Anyway, my daughter went up another swimming level. She's now B2, which means she can swim without arm floaties and with a very thin floatie on her back. She's very proud of herself and even asked if she could continue the lessons past this week. It's something worth thinking about. Swimming is important. Trust me, I know because I suck at it. :/

Well, that's it for today. I need to answer a few emails, get the dishes done and watch an episode of Kid Nation we taped last week. Have a good one!

Spring is in the air

I took this photo on Sunday. The hubby, daughter and I headed into the city again. It was a lovely day, so that always makes it that much better.

The hubby wanted to stop by the Broadway Shopping Centre, and I thought it would also be handy to walk a little and stop into Hyde Park to snap a few shots. The Ships in the Night tale that I finished revising on Monday has a few scenes in there. So I wanted to see and feel it for myself again. Been doing that a lot lately. And speaking of that tale, the hubby wanted to start on it last night, but didn't get the chance. Man, he didn't get home until about 8pm and that just threw the whole night out.

I feel like total crap today, didn't get enough sleep. :/ We'll have to catch up tonight. I sure hope he gets back at a good time today. It was a total shock to have him get home so late after he's been getting home at such nice and early times. Lol. Anyway.

Yesterday, I pushed myself and managed to get the second edits of CHRISTMAS LIGHTS done and emailed. Man, my editor's awesome. I truly, truly love the editing process. It's hard work, but so worth it! I love how much tighter and stronger it can make your story. Excellent. And I've still got a lot of excitement for this little X-mas tale. So that's cool. Just one more round to go...

I ordered my books for September yesterday, from the fave bookstore. Five this month! Lol. I'm starting to fall behind on my reading again. The TBR pile just gets bigger and bigger. But I can't stop, of course. There are just too many cool books out there. ;) Which reminds me, I grabbed WITCH FIRE from my bookshelf last night and read the first chapter. Oooooh, I'm totally intrigued.

We've had some awesome hot days this week, I hope it keeps up. I'm so ready for Spring and Summer!

Well, not sure what I'll be working on today... but you know I'll find something. :D