Writing Update
Fresh from a brief sojourn in Wisconsin, I'll have much more to regale you with in a few days once I have uploaded my snaps of House on the Rock, but I promised regular writing updates... Here we go:
That puts me, right now, at a couple of thousand words behind schedule. Sigh. I hope to catch that up in the next week or so. I didn't write anything in Madison this weekend, but I sure did read!
You may notice that, FINALLY, I have finished the ponderous (but nicely written and informative) Beatles bio. Then, within a day, I also finished a slim hardcover volume I purchased for a quarter at the latest rummage sale, Still Life with Chickens: Starting Over in a House by the Sea by Catherine Goldhammer. It was a quick read and I enjoyed it, although I got tired of the whole chickens as bridge to new life metaphor quite quickly. While we were in Madison, Jeff found a used copy of Edwin Mullhouse, and, since I had nothing more with me to read, I began that. Amusing and interesting so far.
Well, GW has asked for updates on the novel, so I thought I would offer the first paragraph and the last paragraph of the latest batch:
First:
Bierce wandered in, resplendent in iridescent polyester scales, peering out of the gaping mouth of a huge fake and shimmering fish head.
Last:
On the other side of the plate glass, Grant sat at his keyboard, furiously worrying the eraser off of his latest pencil and tapping out his latest brainstorm of a headline: “City Art Lovers XXXasperated by Do-It-Yourself Show.” He chuckled and hit save.
Remember folks--this is first draft stuff!
That puts me, right now, at a couple of thousand words behind schedule. Sigh. I hope to catch that up in the next week or so. I didn't write anything in Madison this weekend, but I sure did read!
You may notice that, FINALLY, I have finished the ponderous (but nicely written and informative) Beatles bio. Then, within a day, I also finished a slim hardcover volume I purchased for a quarter at the latest rummage sale, Still Life with Chickens: Starting Over in a House by the Sea by Catherine Goldhammer. It was a quick read and I enjoyed it, although I got tired of the whole chickens as bridge to new life metaphor quite quickly. While we were in Madison, Jeff found a used copy of Edwin Mullhouse, and, since I had nothing more with me to read, I began that. Amusing and interesting so far.
Well, GW has asked for updates on the novel, so I thought I would offer the first paragraph and the last paragraph of the latest batch:
First:
Bierce wandered in, resplendent in iridescent polyester scales, peering out of the gaping mouth of a huge fake and shimmering fish head.
Last:
On the other side of the plate glass, Grant sat at his keyboard, furiously worrying the eraser off of his latest pencil and tapping out his latest brainstorm of a headline: “City Art Lovers XXXasperated by Do-It-Yourself Show.” He chuckled and hit save.
Remember folks--this is first draft stuff!
posted by Cathy VanPatten at 9:48 PM
8 Comments:
"{R}esplendent in iridescent polyester scales..."
Oh, sweet Crom, that is ONE! GREAT! HOOK! And, no, that was not an intentional pun; it simply happened.
I'd read the next few pages even if I DIDN'T know you!
Heh! Well, it helps that one of the characters has a cheezy "Creature Feature" type show on a local TV channel...
I have to say, this go-round it has been like pulling teeth! Argh!
That first paragraph has me interested!
It IS nice to sit at the keyboard and start out with something like that. And, as you can tell by the title of this blog, I have magpie tendencies: shiny? I'm there! O, joy! to be able to use the word iridescent!
It has really been hard these last few days, though. I thought I'd just sit down and bash out a thousand words or so a night and make up the difference lost in that first week in no time, but alas! I sit there and read back over and tweak and fiddle and... last night was a record of slack: less than 300 words. In an hour and a half. Ack.
Well, there's always the weekend!
You can catch up; I know you can! Just add a couple hundred words to each day and you'll be back on track in no time. Yeah, I say that and here you are, pounding away to get 300 words in an hour and a half. Don't tweak so much....just pound ahead. Here's what I do...I put a "??" next to scenes or paragraphs that I think are weak or in big time need of revision, then I keep on going. Later (later!) I go back, do a "find" for the "??"s, and fix them. But if you can help it, try to resist the urge to do *too* much revising as you do the first draft. Easier said than done, I know, but with your deadline, it might help.
Just mie tew scents. And that ain't necessarily worth much! :)
Beth
Of course, my problem has always been this.
Lee....I'm there, too, more often than I'd like!!!
Oh yeah!! That looks familiar!
I think I need to pull out my copy of Bird by Bird and read the "Shitty First Draft" chapter again!
LOL!
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