January 20, 2021
Day 107, Week 15
- Words: 52,597
- Chapters: 28
- Point in Book (Save the Cat!): Bad Guys Closing In
- Ego Size: Clementine
- Emotional State: Steady State
I’m in a place where I know what happens, I know what’s missing and I just need to sit down and write the chapters, which is why I’m at Steady State. I’m at the donkey on a trail following the path they’ve tread before stage – just sit me down and I’ll write the next scene, chapter, plot point or dialogue. It’s a good place to be.
That is why my ego size is a nice small clementine. It was almost dried apricots, but I’m actually feeling pretty good about my story, its progression as well as the improvements to my writing style. I catch myself using weak or passive words. I notice that I use ‘before’ a lot (and will really need to look for that in the first round of revisions). I also revised my prologue and got great feedback on those changes, so that could be it. But, I’m feeling very solid right now. (Don’t worry, it will change in a day when my husband makes a comment about how xyz won’t work).
Speaking of…I had the ending. It was going to be EPIC. I was so excited. I talked it over with my husband and it was fun and new and had science. And then yeah, talked it over again recently and he popped that bubble with a big giant shovel sized pin. Obliterated my plan, my idea, my big awesome original ending. I was gutted, but trying not to show it (because he was only trying to help).
And here’s the thing. Everyone will tell you this idea is bad or that one won’t work and you can let them paint you in the corner. You can agree and think you suck and maybe think you’re unoriginal. Or you can look at their concerns, see them, and either ignore it – because what do they know? – or tweak it until it works. Until it doesn’t become a mcguffin, or a deux ex machina, or a loaded gun that other people in your book’s world will be able to use to defeat the main purpose of one of your characters and how the world works.
Because that’s what my initial idea was. A loaded gun that someone else could discover and use against one of my (supposedly) all powerful MCs (there are two, in case you haven’t followed any of my social media…or in case I haven’t mentioned it before, which is also possible). After sulking for a day or two, I realized I just needed to rework the idea. It’s still really good, but I have to make it one of those you-could-do-this-spell, but-it-will-eventually-eat-your-face kinds of things.
And that’s when I realized I write like I live. I don’t do well with sudden change, as in you really don’t want to be around me when something big happens that I have to deal with. Our last move – including repatriating to the States – was a clusterfudge of enormous proportions. A total trainsmash. All the smashes and chaos cliches you can think of. And then, I figured out a plan (I took charge and stopped relying on the company to do their job, but that’s a whole other saga) and it all worked out. It may not be a good plan. I may not follow that plan, but having the plan is the key for me to step and deal with the change. And I write the same way.
We had a workshop in my program that was about helping each other work through a scene that we were stuck on – a talk through. In the breakout sessions, I listened and gave suggestions to two other writers for specific scenes they couldn’t figure out how to write. And then it was my turn and I wanted to talk about my title. Because I didn’t have any problematic scenes – I know how my scenes are going to go. I may struggle to get them right the first time, but I have a plan, it is working and when I deviate from my plan, I just rework my outline and make a new plan. Just like when dealing with change in my normal life. Just like when halfway through my book, I completely changed the last half of it – completely. I have a new plan. It’s working…for now.
But back to the title. TITLES suck. They are so hard. It has to represent your book, be interesting and eye catching, but not give away any of the secret sauce recipe. In 3-7 words. It’s worse than Twitter. Or writing ads for Google. If you haven’t noticed, I’m a bit wordy, so boiling my book down to 7 words is impossible. I have no problems finding fun chapter titles, like “Black Coffee to Go (Not Just the Coffee Was Bitter)” or “Taking the Power Back (Don’t come a-knockin’ when the books are a-rockin’), but a title? Kill me now.
I had a title and needed to change it. It was wrong. It didn’t fit. But in the workshop with my fellow authors, I focused on my title for the talk-through. Of course they asked why I was focused on that, when the whole book needed to be written. I know what happens in my book, I have a plan. But I can’t write a title to save my life. And then one of them said something. And then I spoke to my husband and something he said triggered some inspiration. And then I rewrote my prologue and something wiggled loose there. And now I have a better idea of what my title will be. It’s not finished, it’s not perfect, but it’s a heck of lot better than what I had. I’ll share it once I nail it down more. But it’s good! And it fits. And I’ll keep chewing on it until it’s as good as it can get.
So yeah. I’m plodding along in the zone, writing my book. Only 13 more chapters to go (unless or until I add a few more)!
And a title. Sigh.