To Twist Or Not?
The other day I rambled on about tying in plot lines in Red Bow 2.0 to "Untitled." One way that I thought about accomplishing this was with a couple of big twists in the storyline. Personally, as a reader, I love it when there are twists in books. I like being surprised and I also like that "oh man" feeling when you read something in a book. I think Ted Dekker is the master of plot twists. Every single book of his that I've read, I've been surprised with the twists. I've even tried to search out the possible twists, but he always keeps me guessing.
As an amateur writer, I think that I have a basic understanding of how to do this in a book. Crush, for example, has some pretty significant twists and it seemed to work pretty well. What about you loyal blog readers? Do you like plot twists? Or does it upset you when an author toys with you?
The new twists that I've thought of not only tie in nicely to "Untitled," but they also make this version of the story better in my opinion. I'm trying to push myself and write the best story that I know how to. I took a couple of classes at Wordstock this year and one thing that stuck with me was the comment about "don't save your best writing for later, write it now!" There are things that I've wanted to hold back on because I thought they were too good to put in the story, but it really doesn't make sense to do that. I should be laying it all out on the table, so to speak.
An update on Red Bow 2.0, I've outlined 11 new scenes, not including two new plot twists, that I need to write. With the help of the MindMapper program, I'm noticing that the guts of the story have gone from a basic story, to a story that develops characters, and flows in a more smooth manner. There were too many plot holes in the first revision that I had to go back and address.
I hope you are all as excited as I am to see how my writing will unfold. I've definitely seen growth in my writing over the last few months. It's nowhere close to where I want it to be, but I think I'm headed in the right direction. I will experiment and try new things and those things may or may not make it into the final drafts. This whole writing process and this journey is all about practicing, learning, and growing as a writer.
Can I Get Published In A Year
Monday, December 6, 2010
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Writing Exercise (CH2EX9)
This writing exercise is about writing about a character in first person, while they are on a train. The goal is to try to delve into their inner thoughts to reveal part of their character.
Ch2-EX9
Can I Get Published In A Year
Ch2-EX9
Can I Get Published In A Year
Writing Exercise (CH2EX8)
This writing exercise is about trying to put two characters into an intense scene where they are both competing for the same thing. I chose to use Tim and Amber's third date as the foundation for this exercise
Ch2-EX8
Can I Get Published In A Year
Ch2-EX8
Can I Get Published In A Year
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Day - 248
A Finished Product
I received two bound copies of Crush from FedEx this morning. These are the self-published versions that I have on lulu.com. Both copies will be distributed shortly, bringing the total number of copies of the book out in the wild, to four. Do you have your copy yet?
Can I Get Published In A Year
I received two bound copies of Crush from FedEx this morning. These are the self-published versions that I have on lulu.com. Both copies will be distributed shortly, bringing the total number of copies of the book out in the wild, to four. Do you have your copy yet?
Can I Get Published In A Year
Friday, December 3, 2010
Day - 247
Tying Plot Lines Into A Series
When I first wrote Red Bow last year, I didn't intend for it to be a series...more specifically, a trilogy. However, I really wanted to write more scenes with two of the characters from the story. That is how I came up with the idea for "Untitled." Now, the tricky part about having a series is that I have to tie in plot lines across the different books. Going back and revamping Red Bow 2.0 is allowing me to do this exact thing. I find it very interesting how a simple line of text, a subtle glance from a character, and even events are going to tie into "Untitled."
One tool that I am going to be using more for Red Bow 2.0 and "Untitled" is a program called MindMapper. It allows you to create a visual representation of an idea and different sub-ideas (is that a word?). It is very important to me to make sure that each book can not only stand on it's own, but also tie into the remaining books.
So you're probably asking yourself, "Wait a minute mysterious amateur writer on the Internets.....you said you're doing a trilogy, but you're already writing three books. What gives mystery man?"
I'm glad you asked that question. I have a rough outline for the third book in the Red Bow series. While the stories are different, they are tied together by common characters in each book. But that's just getting ahead of myself here. I need to finish the remaining two books first before I embark on that journey.
In any case, I am tossing around ideas for ways to weave the plot lines and stories together so that people will not only enjoy the books, but will also enjoy them so much that they want to read another book in the series. All that's left is the execution of said task. Easier said than done though....
Can I Get Published In A Year
When I first wrote Red Bow last year, I didn't intend for it to be a series...more specifically, a trilogy. However, I really wanted to write more scenes with two of the characters from the story. That is how I came up with the idea for "Untitled." Now, the tricky part about having a series is that I have to tie in plot lines across the different books. Going back and revamping Red Bow 2.0 is allowing me to do this exact thing. I find it very interesting how a simple line of text, a subtle glance from a character, and even events are going to tie into "Untitled."
One tool that I am going to be using more for Red Bow 2.0 and "Untitled" is a program called MindMapper. It allows you to create a visual representation of an idea and different sub-ideas (is that a word?). It is very important to me to make sure that each book can not only stand on it's own, but also tie into the remaining books.
So you're probably asking yourself, "Wait a minute mysterious amateur writer on the Internets.....you said you're doing a trilogy, but you're already writing three books. What gives mystery man?"
I'm glad you asked that question. I have a rough outline for the third book in the Red Bow series. While the stories are different, they are tied together by common characters in each book. But that's just getting ahead of myself here. I need to finish the remaining two books first before I embark on that journey.
In any case, I am tossing around ideas for ways to weave the plot lines and stories together so that people will not only enjoy the books, but will also enjoy them so much that they want to read another book in the series. All that's left is the execution of said task. Easier said than done though....
Can I Get Published In A Year
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Day - 246
Shout Outs
I wanted to give a shout out to the new followers and also to my home girl SG! She gave me a shout out on her blog, so I'm giving her a shout out here. What up homie?!?
Alright, so to the new folks following the blog, welcome and thank you for following. It really does mean a lot to me that you've chosen to read my random thoughts and attempts at novel writing. Hopefully you are as excited as I am to experience this writing journey with me. There are roughly 119 days left before I meet my deadline and I can honestly say that I have been kicking up the intensity and fervor with which I write. For some unknown reason, my mind is filling with idea after idea for Red Bow 2.0. I'm diligently putting these ideas into my revisions and trying to write the best story that I know how to.
Red Bow 2.0 Page Count = 106 pages
It's a slow, but steady pace and there are still three days left in the week.
Can I Get Published In A Year
I wanted to give a shout out to the new followers and also to my home girl SG! She gave me a shout out on her blog, so I'm giving her a shout out here. What up homie?!?
Alright, so to the new folks following the blog, welcome and thank you for following. It really does mean a lot to me that you've chosen to read my random thoughts and attempts at novel writing. Hopefully you are as excited as I am to experience this writing journey with me. There are roughly 119 days left before I meet my deadline and I can honestly say that I have been kicking up the intensity and fervor with which I write. For some unknown reason, my mind is filling with idea after idea for Red Bow 2.0. I'm diligently putting these ideas into my revisions and trying to write the best story that I know how to.
Red Bow 2.0 Page Count = 106 pages
It's a slow, but steady pace and there are still three days left in the week.
Can I Get Published In A Year
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Day - 245
When The Mood Strikes
The last six weeks or so, I've had idea after idea randomly pop into my head for scenes to write. This happens randomly at work, when I'm at the gym, when I'm watching TV, when I'm reading, etc. Now why are these ideas popping into my head now more than before? Maybe I'm in the "writing zone?" All I know is that if I'm driving, I will tell my wife the idea and have her text it to me so I can write it out later. Or if I'm not driving, I'll jot it down in my iPhone.
Today, while in between meetings at work, I had a new idea for a scene in Red Bow 2.0. So what did I do? I started tapping away on my screen and writing it out. It's kind of funny to think about me writing scenes from the book on my phone. But if I don't write out the idea, I might forget it. All I know is that I'm really enjoying the writing inspiration that has been bestowed on me recently. When I think I'm out of ideas or stuck in a plot line, a new idea pops into my head. Maybe this is what new writers experience as they go through the writing process. I've noticed that converting these ideas into scenes is getting easier to do. The writing technique portion isn't necessarily easier, but being able to get the thoughts out of my head and into a document is much easier now.
In any case, when the mood strikes, I am ready, willing, and able to write in some fashion. Even if that means tapping away a scene like a weird person on my iPhone in a secluded parking lot in between meetings at work.
Can I Get Published In A Year
The last six weeks or so, I've had idea after idea randomly pop into my head for scenes to write. This happens randomly at work, when I'm at the gym, when I'm watching TV, when I'm reading, etc. Now why are these ideas popping into my head now more than before? Maybe I'm in the "writing zone?" All I know is that if I'm driving, I will tell my wife the idea and have her text it to me so I can write it out later. Or if I'm not driving, I'll jot it down in my iPhone.
Today, while in between meetings at work, I had a new idea for a scene in Red Bow 2.0. So what did I do? I started tapping away on my screen and writing it out. It's kind of funny to think about me writing scenes from the book on my phone. But if I don't write out the idea, I might forget it. All I know is that I'm really enjoying the writing inspiration that has been bestowed on me recently. When I think I'm out of ideas or stuck in a plot line, a new idea pops into my head. Maybe this is what new writers experience as they go through the writing process. I've noticed that converting these ideas into scenes is getting easier to do. The writing technique portion isn't necessarily easier, but being able to get the thoughts out of my head and into a document is much easier now.
In any case, when the mood strikes, I am ready, willing, and able to write in some fashion. Even if that means tapping away a scene like a weird person on my iPhone in a secluded parking lot in between meetings at work.
Can I Get Published In A Year
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