209 pages into Stephen King's On Writing, and I am just really glad I decided to give this another go. I had been writing my current WIP (titled:Merge) without a plot, but then it seemed like plots were the way to go. Me and a friend decided to become crit partners and she sent me her very nicely done plot and I was like "hmmm, this may be what I am missing." Because I've been having a hard time concentrating and staying on task (sleep deprived, I believe now.) So I stopped writing, to plot....*sigh*.
Now after reading Stephen King saying he don't plot...I realize that I was okay not plotting, so tomorrow I'm giving up the plot and going on to to the writing. In my ebook Don't Open 'til Christmas, I didn't plot. I did make a visual board of my characters, because I need that, but I didn't plot. I just had a slight barebones idea in my head and I had no idea what was going to come of it. I loved the thrill of not knowing.
Another thing about this book that gave me that 'aha' moment, is that he says that he learns things about his characters as he writes them that he had no idea about and so he enjoys getting to know them. Makes me want to say to my daughter, "see I'm not a loony, or at least I'm not the only loony in the world." She makes fun of me because I'll say things to her like "I know I was going to make her run upstairs to hide, but she wanted to go in the back room instead. I had no idea why, until we got there and she told me there was an exit out of the house in that room and that's why she wanted to hide in there." I know it sounds nuts, but it's true in a weird way you won't understand unless you're a writer. Or I'll get writing and have it all worked out in my head and my character will say to me, "oh yeah I forgot to mention I can't hide in that closet because I'm claustrophobic...and I feel like screaming at her 'why didn't you tell me this before I worked the whole thing out in my head!!!"
Anyway I didn't get upstairs until about 10 minutes ago, it's been a busy day, so I have to end this here and head to bed now.
~R
Showing posts with label plot. Show all posts
Showing posts with label plot. Show all posts
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Thursday, March 14, 2013
A Day In The Life Of A Brain Dead Writer
The way this post should go is...ummm..well, simply put, it shouldn't, but we'll pretend I'm not as brain dead as I claim and try to spew out something anyway. If you close your eyes real tight (and basically don't read this blog, but pretend that you did and that it was brilliant) and think real hard,you will probably log off and walk away just amazed at my talent (don't choke on your _insert beverage of choice here__. ) Maybe a hypnosis would be in order right about now, but then maybe not because coming up with the dialect for hypnosis might shatter the image I am trying to portray here. Remember? Yeah, brain dead writer.
So, without further ado, how my day goes on this lazy March Break:
7:00AM wake up and talk myself into getting out of bed
7:15 AM finally give into the doggy drool and roll out of bed, head to the bathroom to pee
7:17: AM slip into big floppy boots and oversized coat and take the dog to pee
7:25 AM come inside, and make mine and child #3's breakfast because he's usually up by then
8:00AM catch up on emails and check the dreaded facebook (not necessary but I'm brain dead remember?)
10:00AM realize that it's now 10 and I've just wasted 2 hours doing something completely non-productive and then regret it and wish that I'd not flushed that time down the crapper (do this for at least 15 minutes!!
10:15AM go pull child #1 and #2 out of bed.
10:20AM straighten up the house, all the while wishing you could find a few minutes to write that day (make sure to dwell occasionally on the perfectly good two hours you flushed down the drain earlier).
11: 45AM: look at the clock and remember "oh no it's almost dinner and the DH will be home soon and expect to be feed. So try to think up something quick on the spot that you can whip up in 15 minutes.
12:00PM: set a meal that looks like you've toiled all day over (when in actually it's just 5 minute rice, cauliflower, and simple 10 minute fried salmon) on the table and make all the hungry mouths happy...oh except for child #2 who of course don't like fish...*sigh*
12:30PM Do dinner dishes
12:45PM start the rolls for supper that night, the whole while thinking of all the writing I'm going to get done that night
1:00PM set down with some tea and spend a little time with the kids talking about so many different things that after 15 or 20 minutes I drift out of the conversation and wonder what Pia (my currant protagonist) will do tonight...because remember I have a writing session planned that is going to be so epiphanic-like that it's gonna knock the socks off that agent or editor out there that is just waiting for me to come along!).
2:30PM okay need to get to thinking about supper tonight...so I need to work out the points allowances (oh yes me and the family are weight watching :s) of everyone and make sure I can wing it tonight and keep us all on track. and what I mean by wing it is it's march break...and I just made a pretty good meal for dinner (shhhhh nobody needs to know it took less than 15 minutes), I don't need left over for lunches tomorrow, because there's no school. So I finally decide: Eggs and a dinner roll!!! Perfect for me and the DH at least, child #3 will be happy with the split pea soup I made last night and children #2 and #3 who neither one like eggs can eat a lean cuisine.
2:45 PM: a headache that's been threatening to come has finally arrived in full force and I'm on the couch, thinking about whether I can make it go away before the evening (you know the big writing frenzy I have on the agenda!)
3:00PM: DH comes home and says why not just relax and we'll watch a 45 minute episode of Dexter...which in this household take 1:30 hours with all the pauses.
4:30PM headache has pretty much subsided, but now my eyelids are heavy. I go out to fry our eggs and reheat the pea soup. I have child #3 choose which he wants and he takes the soup, and I set down to eat my breakfasty-supper
5:00PM I decide to load the dishwasher rather than do the small bit of dishes by hand
5:15PM and the time we've all been waiting for has arrived....I head upstairs to write
5:20PM what's this? Why it's a new Jodi Arias trial video on youtube...must watch that first, it's just a short 22minutes video after all :S
5:42PM eyelids are drooooooopy....yawn Don't think I can write through this haze...but I must try
7:48PM still staring at the same page...and finding it very difficult to keep my chin off my chest...
I AM BRAIN DEAD!!!!
so note to that editor or agent who is out there twiddling his/her fingers waiting for me...just give me a few more days okay...I'm paying off my sleep debt, I'm in the process of limiting my facebook time, promise! and Jodi Arias is on day 31 of her trial, she has to be sentences soon, right?
~R
So, without further ado, how my day goes on this lazy March Break:
7:00AM wake up and talk myself into getting out of bed
7:15 AM finally give into the doggy drool and roll out of bed, head to the bathroom to pee
7:17: AM slip into big floppy boots and oversized coat and take the dog to pee
7:25 AM come inside, and make mine and child #3's breakfast because he's usually up by then
8:00AM catch up on emails and check the dreaded facebook (not necessary but I'm brain dead remember?)
10:00AM realize that it's now 10 and I've just wasted 2 hours doing something completely non-productive and then regret it and wish that I'd not flushed that time down the crapper (do this for at least 15 minutes!!
10:15AM go pull child #1 and #2 out of bed.
10:20AM straighten up the house, all the while wishing you could find a few minutes to write that day (make sure to dwell occasionally on the perfectly good two hours you flushed down the drain earlier).
11: 45AM: look at the clock and remember "oh no it's almost dinner and the DH will be home soon and expect to be feed. So try to think up something quick on the spot that you can whip up in 15 minutes.
12:00PM: set a meal that looks like you've toiled all day over (when in actually it's just 5 minute rice, cauliflower, and simple 10 minute fried salmon) on the table and make all the hungry mouths happy...oh except for child #2 who of course don't like fish...*sigh*
12:30PM Do dinner dishes
12:45PM start the rolls for supper that night, the whole while thinking of all the writing I'm going to get done that night
1:00PM set down with some tea and spend a little time with the kids talking about so many different things that after 15 or 20 minutes I drift out of the conversation and wonder what Pia (my currant protagonist) will do tonight...because remember I have a writing session planned that is going to be so epiphanic-like that it's gonna knock the socks off that agent or editor out there that is just waiting for me to come along!).
2:30PM okay need to get to thinking about supper tonight...so I need to work out the points allowances (oh yes me and the family are weight watching :s) of everyone and make sure I can wing it tonight and keep us all on track. and what I mean by wing it is it's march break...and I just made a pretty good meal for dinner (shhhhh nobody needs to know it took less than 15 minutes), I don't need left over for lunches tomorrow, because there's no school. So I finally decide: Eggs and a dinner roll!!! Perfect for me and the DH at least, child #3 will be happy with the split pea soup I made last night and children #2 and #3 who neither one like eggs can eat a lean cuisine.
2:45 PM: a headache that's been threatening to come has finally arrived in full force and I'm on the couch, thinking about whether I can make it go away before the evening (you know the big writing frenzy I have on the agenda!)
3:00PM: DH comes home and says why not just relax and we'll watch a 45 minute episode of Dexter...which in this household take 1:30 hours with all the pauses.
4:30PM headache has pretty much subsided, but now my eyelids are heavy. I go out to fry our eggs and reheat the pea soup. I have child #3 choose which he wants and he takes the soup, and I set down to eat my breakfasty-supper
5:00PM I decide to load the dishwasher rather than do the small bit of dishes by hand
5:15PM and the time we've all been waiting for has arrived....I head upstairs to write
5:20PM what's this? Why it's a new Jodi Arias trial video on youtube...must watch that first, it's just a short 22minutes video after all :S
5:42PM eyelids are drooooooopy....yawn Don't think I can write through this haze...but I must try
7:48PM still staring at the same page...and finding it very difficult to keep my chin off my chest...
I AM BRAIN DEAD!!!!
so note to that editor or agent who is out there twiddling his/her fingers waiting for me...just give me a few more days okay...I'm paying off my sleep debt, I'm in the process of limiting my facebook time, promise! and Jodi Arias is on day 31 of her trial, she has to be sentences soon, right?
~R
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