tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34330113.post5223741896094512556..comments2023-07-06T11:50:15.086+01:00Comments on Just Keep Writing and Other Thoughts...: RewriteAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02744937536946299450noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34330113.post-52348436562258538262008-02-17T13:31:00.000+00:002008-02-17T13:31:00.000+00:00CS, I'll order this book. It will be useful to se...CS, I'll order this book. It will be useful to see how someone else handles it. I think I may have figured one way to up the emptional stakes for Madde while walking this morning - now I need to figure out how to work that in!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02744937536946299450noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34330113.post-80435504155115373752008-02-16T16:42:00.000+00:002008-02-16T16:42:00.000+00:00You might find it helpful to look at Alice Hoffman...You might find it helpful to look at Alice Hoffman's Here on Earth, which also has a strong daughter story in what is essentially the mother's story. I thought of your discussions of your Serena/Maddie balance when I read it. You may not find she strikes the balance you want, but thinking about what she does might give you some ideas. (I love Hoffman, by the way, but not this book--she goes against a common fantasy, which is unsettling).cs harrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13708705800818667923noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34330113.post-1282324296550545382008-02-15T10:24:00.000+00:002008-02-15T10:24:00.000+00:00Rachel, I'm so pleased someone else hates their ow...Rachel, I'm so pleased someone else hates their own voice :-)<BR/><BR/>CC, well done for tackling plot first! Brave woman and smart too. Reading aloud is hard but it throws up so much stuff!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02744937536946299450noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34330113.post-26712526232180893662008-02-15T10:21:00.001+00:002008-02-15T10:21:00.001+00:00I'm working on the plot development of my wip at t...I'm working on the plot development of my wip at the moment and it is daunting but I feel that I can't start polishing it until I'm happy that the story unfolds at the right pace, that I've weaved all the various bits and pieces into the relevant chapters. Some days I'm all fired up and excited about changing it and then others I'm overwhelmed by how much there still is to do. <BR/><BR/>I haven't tried reading any of my writing out loud but intend to do so for precisely the same reason you have done. <BR/><BR/>Keep it up! <BR/><BR/>CCCC Devinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05643697869694982791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34330113.post-83706957130940725992008-02-15T10:21:00.000+00:002008-02-15T10:21:00.000+00:00I hate my own voice, but reading the prose aloud i...I hate my own voice, but reading the prose aloud is exactly what I have to do in the edit stage.Rachel Greenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13048590167153841615noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34330113.post-74296745879335507032008-02-15T10:07:00.000+00:002008-02-15T10:07:00.000+00:00Thanks Julie. I suspect that your first draft pro...Thanks Julie. I suspect that your first draft prose is a whole hell of a lot better than mine and therefore easier to work with. I think if I don't deal with the clunks first that I may not be able to see the plot problems through the typos.<BR/><BR/>My big fear on this story is bringing a balance. As the story stands right now it is Serena's, the 15 year old - which is good, but I don't want it to be just hers. In my head and not yet on paper I am trying to work through how I can make Madde's story the lead. I have to accept this may not be possible - or at least I haven't seen the way yet!<BR/><BR/>Again, I should imagine having read your books that you have little need to read aloud - your prose flows :-) Speaking of which One Night Stand is on order with Amazon and will come out to Dubai with sil :-)Can't wait.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02744937536946299450noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34330113.post-28124778835536272232008-02-15T07:49:00.000+00:002008-02-15T07:49:00.000+00:00That's the opposite of the way I would go about it...That's the opposite of the way I would go about it--I'd do the structural stuff first and then polish the prose, because, as you say, you may have to get rid of some of those perfectly-chosen words eventually. And it is easier to get rid of words that you haven't worked and reworked and made yourself fall in love with.<BR/><BR/>I understand, though, why you're doing it this way, if you're feeling scared of massive structural revisions. Twenty pages at a time, making micro-changes, does help you feel in control. I bet you'll find, once you're done with the whole book, that it's come alive in your head in a way that will help with the big stuff.<BR/><BR/>I must admit you are making me feel ashamed--I rarely read my own work aloud unless I suspect it's particularly clunky, and I'm sure I would benefit from it.<BR/><BR/>I sympathise with your dread. I feel it often!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com