Relax, Enjoy the Ride
I’ve never really had too many conflicts with my inner critic. She keeps her mouth shut until she’s spoken to, for the most part. My first chapter is my latest source of angst. It started when I entered the InnerMoonLit First Chapter contest. The word limit is 2,000 words. My first chapter is over 4,300 words. I cut the last scene to fit within the limits. Guess what? I didn’t like it. I became a little paranoid that perhaps 2,000 words is what I should be shooting for.
I took to the forums and learned this just isn’t so. Go with the flow of your work. It was comforting then to read a blog post that reiterates the same message–relax, go with with the flow of your work. Put that inner critic to bed and keep writing.
Watching Your As and Us
This is the kind of blog I like: one that makes me think about my writing. For the most part, I think I do all right on grammar. I can spot a misplaced it’s about as good as anyone. It’s one of my pet peeves, actually. Seeing a sentence like, “it shook it’s head”, drives me nuts. I guess I can thank the nuns for that. The hateful ruler and the mighty eraser performed their tasks admirably during my tenure at Catholic grade school.
Since I’m at the polishing stage on my work, I find the reminders about grammar helpful. I am forced to scrutinize my work. It’s not too much further for me. I’ll be sending out those query letters in no time.
And if you’re still not sure about the difference between further and farther, listen to the soundtrack from Smoke Signals, “Father and Farther”. Or better yet, just watch the movie.
Or better yet, just watch the movie.Getting Down To the Wire
Because of some new responsibilities I’ve taken on at work, I didn’t meet my December 31,2007 goal to have my mystery ready to market. Not sure what I was thinking either with the holidays and all. So, I have a new goal for Valentine’s Day. In preparation, when I’m not writing, I am organizing myself for the big push. I am also preparing the way to starting the next book.
To keep myself organized, I am using Microsoft OneNote to keep things together in one place. I set up my time line. I’ve identified my next steps such as completing my synopsis and cover letter. It’s a nice break going from writing fiction to more technical work. Besides, me being the geek that I am, it is just plain fun.
With a mind to the future, I am also marketing myself: publishing blogs, posting on forums, surfing blogs. So much to do, so much to write.
Is That That Bad?
I came across this post regarding a point of grammar that sometimes leaves me scratching my head. Is that always necessary? As the post points out, usage often decides its efficacy. That bad, that fat, that great all have their place. As a conjunction, one needs to look closer.
The example as given in the article makes perfect sense. It also brings to light an important aspect of revising. If you’re like me and I know I am, during the initial process of revising, my concentration is on the sound and flow of my work as I read it out loud and identify weak areas. Frankly, I’m not scrutinizing my work at that point to determine how my wording may or may not mislead a reader. My focus is style. Which brings me to the next point in my writing process.
Read a few writing blogs and sooner or later, you’ll stumble upon a post regarding strong versus weak words. I’ve inventoried those words, such as could, get, look, and walk. In an effort to view my work critically, I’ve searched through my list of weak words as they appear in my work. I am then taking the time to examine the sentence/paragraph structure and deciding if I can make it stronger. Sometimes it’s perfectly acceptable to say walk because a substitute like traipse while it will add variation, it may not convene the message properly or be too distracting. So, to my list of words to watch, I will add that.
The Bane of Getting It Right
Speaking for myself, finding a blatant error in a book I’m reading especially of a topic that I know something about, is truly vexing. It’s like when you watch a movies depicting a desert scene. There will be that stock footage of an eagle flying overhead, with the scream of a red-tailed hawk in the background. I guess movie makers don’t appreciate the deceptively quieter call of the eagle versus that of a hawk less than half its size.
It reminds me too of a botanist with whom I used to be acquainted. A very intelligent man, he knew his plants extremely well. I remember going to a movie with him and some friends years ago. The setting was sometime in the distant past like 1500s or something. We noticed him chuckling during the movie during a not to particularly funny scene showing a man pushing a cart of vegetables. “That is so wrong,” he said. “Squash wasn’t even domesticated back then.” Alas, the botanist was the only one in possession of such esoteric knowledge.
I plead guilty though of the same arrogance when the topic is one that I have adopted. So as I go back to edit my rough draft, I’m starting to notice those little things that I don’t feel I’m 100% sure about. Since my mystery is set in 1985, I’ve had to research when certain items, icons of pop culture were around. I caught myself in a what would be considered a grave mistake. The original gun I used in my work hadn’t been produced until 1995. Oops!
I want to take the time now to research as many of these tidbits as possible. Heaven forbid I receive the nasty email pointing out my quaff or be the subject of a spiteful blog post. I know that bit about glass houses and all. Living in one myself, I’m going to take out the extra insurance now.
Working a Deadline
My self-appointed deadline approaches. I set my goal for December 31st to finish my revising. At that point, I’ll give my manuscript to my husband to critique. He’ll recognize my sources for various plot elements. He’ll appreciate the sometimes not so politically correct humor of my detective. All of this is why I’ll need someone else outside of our immediate circle to read my book as well.
As I write this though, I’m reminded of Joseph Mallord William Turner, an English romantic painter and watercolorist. He is said to have even gone so far as to correct a painting as it hung in the gallery. It makes me wonder if I too will always desire to make that one correction, to remove that one scene from my book once it’s completed.
As an artist, I tend to let my works go after I’ve completed them. The idea of correcting a work after it is signed is not in my ken. In fact, I withhold signing a painting until I’m completely satisfied. The fact too is that typically after I complete a painting, it goes on auctions. At that point, I no longer own it. Once the image of it is posted, I am not at liberty to correct it. I’m curious to find out how I shall be as an author because my attachment to the work will be longer than it was with a painting. Does one let go of a book just because it’s published? That is one mystery I hope to find out.
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