Things aren't exactly going to plan this year. I'm not having the time I'd really like to devote to this manuscript.
But what I can do is 30 minutes a day. It's not a lot but it's enough to keep the manuscript going. And it's going through more changes! But they're all for the better so at the moment the plan is to stick with it and make a little progress each day.
Who knows - I may be closer to finishing than I think :)
23 March 2008
3 January 2008
New year, new research
I've been quite slack on the rewriting front.
The good news is that I've rewritten the first chapter and really sharpened up my first page and it's working well.
The bad news (for me) is that I now realise that to make the rewrite work, I have to actually research and write the 'group assignment' that the girls have to do for their English assessment.
Sounds crazy (& like too much work) I know. But the reason is that I've worked out a really good structure for including Tash's point of view in the manuscript - and it involves including the group assignment...
Thus, I have to take myself back off to the library and research and write the equivalent of a Year 10 English assignment, which will probably take about 20 hours research to come up with the 2000 words I need it to be. What a pain!
But I know it's going to work really well, so I just have to bite the bullet and do it.
This weekend, its off to the state library for me - lucky that place has fabulous views of the river and an excellent coffee shop :)
The good news is that I've rewritten the first chapter and really sharpened up my first page and it's working well.
The bad news (for me) is that I now realise that to make the rewrite work, I have to actually research and write the 'group assignment' that the girls have to do for their English assessment.
Sounds crazy (& like too much work) I know. But the reason is that I've worked out a really good structure for including Tash's point of view in the manuscript - and it involves including the group assignment...
Thus, I have to take myself back off to the library and research and write the equivalent of a Year 10 English assignment, which will probably take about 20 hours research to come up with the 2000 words I need it to be. What a pain!
But I know it's going to work really well, so I just have to bite the bullet and do it.
This weekend, its off to the state library for me - lucky that place has fabulous views of the river and an excellent coffee shop :)
4 December 2007
Just when you think it's all under control...
Okay, well I never really had it under control. But getting sick and not being able to even go near a computer for almost a week really does throw a spanner in the works.
For some reason, I seem to catch every virus going around, and manage to get it ten times worse than everyone else. But thanks to taking it easy & resting I think I'm on the mend now. At least, I've managed to use the computer today and rewrite the all important first page of my manuscript.
I'll be getting feedback about my new opening page from the rest of the cohort group later this week. When rewriting the first page I really tried to follow Alison Goodman's advice on how to give it maximum impact. So I'm looking forward to the group giving me feedback on whether I've achieved this or not and how I can improve.
So that's another small milestone completed. But it means that the short story for the competition isn't finished yet. That's not looking good, but who knows, maybe I'll get inspired tomorrow to get it finished in time.
For some reason, I seem to catch every virus going around, and manage to get it ten times worse than everyone else. But thanks to taking it easy & resting I think I'm on the mend now. At least, I've managed to use the computer today and rewrite the all important first page of my manuscript.
I'll be getting feedback about my new opening page from the rest of the cohort group later this week. When rewriting the first page I really tried to follow Alison Goodman's advice on how to give it maximum impact. So I'm looking forward to the group giving me feedback on whether I've achieved this or not and how I can improve.
So that's another small milestone completed. But it means that the short story for the competition isn't finished yet. That's not looking good, but who knows, maybe I'll get inspired tomorrow to get it finished in time.
27 November 2007
Distractions
I got a bit of a start on my chapter 1 rewrite on the weekend but I have too many distractions at the moment, including a short story I'm trying to get finished for a short story comp that closes next week.
I need more time! But where I get it from is a problem. Still, it's a problem most writers face so at least I know I'm not alone.
I really, really want to finish this short story. And I only have another week to do it. So, maybe the chapter 1 rewrite will have to wait just a little bit longer. After I finish the short story, I'll get into the new chapter 1 in a big way. Definately. No doubt about it.
Well, at the very least I have to have written a new first page to present for group critique on 6 December.
Looks like I've got clashing deadlines... such is life.
(maybe I'll take a mental health day!)
I need more time! But where I get it from is a problem. Still, it's a problem most writers face so at least I know I'm not alone.
I really, really want to finish this short story. And I only have another week to do it. So, maybe the chapter 1 rewrite will have to wait just a little bit longer. After I finish the short story, I'll get into the new chapter 1 in a big way. Definately. No doubt about it.
Well, at the very least I have to have written a new first page to present for group critique on 6 December.
Looks like I've got clashing deadlines... such is life.
(maybe I'll take a mental health day!)
21 November 2007
Back to basics
I have yet to embark on the big rewrite. Instead I've been working out relationships between the girls and having another look at their characters/backgrounds. This, I'm hoping, will help me add that extra detail and depth that the manuscript assessor thinks I need.
I'm also looking at the character of Tash's father. I know it's meant to be bad form to write characters that are all bad, but let's face it, in real life some people are just a**holes. Not everyone has redeeming features. But I suppose I can stretch to allowing him to be a generous boss (as long as his employees don't cross him...).
Apart from the character work I've been doing a bit of research into the 'assignment' notes that will replace Tash's diary entries. I'm still not 100% sure on how this will work, but I'm trying out a few different ideas.
Maybe I should just start writing it & see what happens.
I'm also looking at the character of Tash's father. I know it's meant to be bad form to write characters that are all bad, but let's face it, in real life some people are just a**holes. Not everyone has redeeming features. But I suppose I can stretch to allowing him to be a generous boss (as long as his employees don't cross him...).
Apart from the character work I've been doing a bit of research into the 'assignment' notes that will replace Tash's diary entries. I'm still not 100% sure on how this will work, but I'm trying out a few different ideas.
Maybe I should just start writing it & see what happens.
12 November 2007
Killer beginnings
Last Friday YA fantasy writer, Alison Goodman, ran a workshop for our master's group on writing killer beginnings. She is a great presenter and teacher and I'm really sorry I missed her earlier workshop on killer endings (but hey, I wasn't leaving New York early for anyone!).
An outstanding first page is a necessity - many publishers/editors don't read beyond the first paragraph, let alone the first page.
To help us create our own killer beginnings, Alison worked through a list of 'must haves' for any work of fiction to get off to a great start, including:
An outstanding first page is a necessity - many publishers/editors don't read beyond the first paragraph, let alone the first page.
To help us create our own killer beginnings, Alison worked through a list of 'must haves' for any work of fiction to get off to a great start, including:
- genre markers
- empathy
- setting
- tone
- dilemma
Alison also said it's vital for the author to show authority, that is, show that you have control over your manuscript. Perfect grammar and spelling is a part of this - you don't want to be making amateurish mistakes on your opening page. No matter how brilliant it is, an error like that is going to plant a seed of doubt in the editor's mind.
Alison's other main piece of advice was to make each word and sentence work harder. With my distaste for slabs of description, this is a particularly important rule for me to follow. And Alison was able to show me how just small changes can have a big impact on your work and make sentences as effective as possible.
So now I have no excuses for not writing a brilliant beginning to my manuscript!
6 November 2007
How much more rewriting?
The manuscript assessment has arrived and I'm not in a state of shock, depression or about to throw my manuscript in the bin. So that's a positive!
I've read through it a couple of times but I think I need to read through it a couple more before I get stuck into the rewriting. The assessor has made some good suggestions and some interetsting points, and although I don't agree with everything they said, I agree with most of it. A couple of things I don't quite understand, though, so if I still don't get it after another reading or two I'll ask the rest of the cohort what they think the assessor means.
Going by the feedback, I think I've got another 3 months rewriting to do, maybe 6 months. I'm not exactly sure what 'finished' state the manuscript has to be in to submit it for my Masters, but that's really the least of my worries, seeing I haven't even made a start on the exegesis.
Oh well, maybe I'll write that in February!
I've read through it a couple of times but I think I need to read through it a couple more before I get stuck into the rewriting. The assessor has made some good suggestions and some interetsting points, and although I don't agree with everything they said, I agree with most of it. A couple of things I don't quite understand, though, so if I still don't get it after another reading or two I'll ask the rest of the cohort what they think the assessor means.
Going by the feedback, I think I've got another 3 months rewriting to do, maybe 6 months. I'm not exactly sure what 'finished' state the manuscript has to be in to submit it for my Masters, but that's really the least of my worries, seeing I haven't even made a start on the exegesis.
Oh well, maybe I'll write that in February!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)