@squidge
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I am about half way through and loving this. Especially how there’s an link between each story which binds them all together.
Laughing @jonathan! Comes out publisher-ready… in our dreams!!
I understand what you mean about the ‘something bigger’s going on’ scenario. I had places where I could definitely see that happening and rewrote whole sections. And I also know what Jonathan means about being in a particular mood.
I think my rule of thumb is going to have to be whether it adds value to the text – ie improves it. I mean, I know that’s what editing’s trying to do, ultimately, but if the change doesn’t make any appreciable difference and I can settle for what was there before, maybe it never needed changing in the first place, IYSWIM?
I certainly blog less when I’m writing – or busy, generally. The Scribbles are sadly neglected at the moment…
I try to keep some level of engagement with the Den going, but when writing it can be either extreme; popping in to read but not comment, so I appear absent, or lots of posts asking for opinions or having a rant or despairing about the current project.
I think it feels sometimes as though it’s trying too hard… The kinds of words used, particularly. I know there’s a place for fabulous language – certain Denizens often take my breath away when I read what they’ve written, for eg! – but sometimes it feels laboured. As if the author thought ‘I must describe this thing beautifully to get across how beautiful it is’, IYSWIM?
Sometimes it is a naivety – an approach of ‘this is what I have to include to make a story’ rather than an ‘I know what I want to write so I’m going to write it and I’m happy with it’ kind of vibe. The latter probably comes with more experience though – I think very few writers are able to jump straight to that step with confidence (myself included!)
There’s also lots of poetry – the sort of poetry where you think ‘what?’ after reading it. Which takes me back to the use of language for language’s sake…
Of course, you have to bear in mind that some of what I’ve noted may be as much to do with me as a reader and my preferences, rather than anything that might be ‘wrong’ with the writing. Bad choice of words there – not ‘wrong’, but ‘recognisably similar’?
I think some ARE young, Sandra, but what I’ve seen of the Masters, it tends towards a fairly older crowd, often folks who’ve been doing other things in life first.
I think there is a different approach to writing if you do a degree/Masters in it. It’s almost as though, at the point of graduation, most folk have a perceived idea of what writing should be. Qualifying this because I know a creative writing lecturer, and am in a facebook group for one of the CW courses at a local uni. Some of the stuff I see posted is very…not pretentious, exactly, but it is fairly obvious that for some on the courses, they are still at the experimental and learning stage which means they are sticking to tried and tested formulae in order to ‘make their way’ in the world.
I think every writer needs to find their own style and flavour of writing which suits them, although then you’re battling against agents/publishers who often want more of the same old, same old because it sells. Tied into that, though, will be certain elements that, whether you’re writing something unique or something that fits/follows a trend, are essential in any work that’s going to get published.
The best compliment I ever had was that a reader recognised something I wrote because it was in Squidge-speak. That’s good enough for me, even if it doesn’t suit JW/CW approaches 😉
Apologies…409 words. 😉
By Tilda’s twenty-sixth attempt to produce an illuminorb, Silviu’s patience was wearing thin.
“Concentrate, Tilda,” the Ambakian powermage snapped.
“I am concentrating.” Tilda rubbed her palm against her trouser leg. It felt hot; surely she must’ve been close to pulling the Power down that time?
“Again.” Silviu grabbed Tilda’s hand and pulled her arm straight out in front of her.
Tilda gritted her teeth. She’d never get the hang of this. She could feel the Power inside, fizzing through her veins as it had done ever since her initiation, but she couldn’t seem to pull it outside of herself to form one of the illuminated spheres that Silviu had demonstrated so easily.
Silviu sighed and rubbed his forehead. “Remember what I told you. Say the words illuminarka spherus, imagine a channel in your arm and direct the Power along it, towards your hand. Then you can shape the Power into something more tangible – like an orb.”
“And if I can’t?”
Silviu’s blue eyes shone like chips of ice when he replied. “You must. You cannot progress any further with your training as a powermage until you succeed.”
And how long would he be prepared to wait for that? Tilda’s stomach dropped into her boots. If she failed to achieve this first step in her training, would Silviu start looking for another mage to represent Merjan?
She wouldn’t be beaten by a little ball of light. She squared her shoulders, closed her eyes, and focussed on the fizzing sensation. It had been strange to feel that extra something inside her body over the last few days, and its constant presence had fooled her into thinking it would be easy to use the Power. But to consciously tune into that sensation and draw on it to produce an orb was much harder than it looked.
The doubt demons struck; you can’t do it!
Don’t think about failing, a little voice said in Tilda’s head. You can see and sense the Power – heck, you’ve even spoken to it. You can’t give up, not after everything you’ve gone through to become the Mage of Merjan. Concentrate… and try again.
Tilda took a deep breath and quieted her thoughts. In her head, she imagined a line, running from her chest to her shoulder, then along her arm and thickening where it reached her palm. Concentrating hard, she visualised the fizzing as blue light, and gently, drew it along the line, colouring her whole arm blue.
Read this Richard as I’d watched the recent programme with the woman who is the lead in Silent Witness, an ex-prison governor with experience of serial killers and an ex-cold case copper, which looked at the Ripper story in light of modern techniques.
It was fascinating – a lot of the info I’d heard before, but what came clearly across is that the majority of women were probably prostitutes, however they came to be in that unfortunate position. To say they were sleeping is pretty bunkum.
If you didn’t see the programme, it also pointed to there being a sixth Ripper victim – his first – and named a man who is the most likely suspect, based on where he lived, and the fact that ultimately he was incarcerated in a mental hospital for attempting to stab his sister…round about the time the killings stopped.
I guess we will never know for sure, but there is definitely a line between historical fiction where you might twist some of the facts to suit the storyline, and coming up with complete falsehoods to support a personal view.
Just to prove how stupid I am – did not realise that the camp didn’t let you post anything until the official start of the writing period. But at least I know where to find the thing to log word count – even if it’s not appearing yet.
Can you tell I’ve not done this before? *face plant*
Having never done Nano before, someone’s going to have to tell me how I log my word count, cos I can’t find where on the menu bar I do that. I have found stats… just not how to change them.
Sometimes I really hate technology.
For me, it’s about getting the time to think about short pieces, full stop. I’ve finally got going again on the novel, so my writing energy’s good, but I can’t commit to something every month on top.
If you wanted to split comp and non-comp, they could run on alternate months – that way, you can choose whether to be competitive or not. And I’ll offer to help with non-comp prompts, cos it’s what I do every month for NIBS, our writing group…
I think I’m saying I don’t mind – it’s the challenge of producing work, when I can, and if I’m inspired by the prompt, rather than the competitiveness which drives me. But I’ll happily be competitive sometimes.
Didn’t feel slow at all.
Only bit that jumped out at me was the initial explanation about Bert early on – it felt quite tell-y and a bit out of place where it was. I was caught up in the conversation and Bethany’s dilemma, and it pulled me out of the dialogue.
I wonder if that info would be better moved to when Bethany mentions him later on instead? It would explain why she’s offered this person as an alternative companion so although it’s still ‘telling’, it’s logical to tell there?
Every couple of months sounds good. I think it’s good not to have critique on the comps – if you post and you’re not looking for crit, then getting someone’s comments (however well intentioned) can be bruising if you’re not used to it.
Failing that, do we want/need it to always be a comp? There are other writing sites that post a topic/prompt and simply invite a word limited piece… No pressure to find a judge, no judgement of the piece itself, just the satisfaction of reading what’s there and posting something if you’re inspired. That’s not to say there isn’t room for comps as well, but we can share themed posts without the need for them to be competitive, IYSWIM?
Oh Jane – yes, I can totally imagine that. And Richard – it would be so much easier if they actually had the right info on the signs, wouldn’t it?!
I am so glad to hear that I’m not the only driver who goes through this!! Part of me was thinking I was a real idiot for getting so worked up after over 30 years of relatively trouble-free driving…but maybe getting majorly lost somewhere is a rite of passage that I’ve just managed to delay?!
Thanks both – I can honestly say I have never experienced the stress/panic I did yesterday. Once I knew I was safe – ie at the school – I was OK. Quite cathartic to write it all out though and wonder why I responded like I did when I don’t usually react in this way.
It is such an emotional rollercoaster, isn’t it? So glad you came out of it on a high – well deserved. Really happy it’s all come together for you. x
Just seen it on facebook – well done, Philippa! So pleased for you x
Another success for the self-edit alumnis!
Procrastination is nothing to do with commitment! It is everything to do with recognising that you need something completely different sometimes to get the authorly juices flowing again. I do it – it doesn’t mean I’m not committed at all.
I prefer to call it what it is and look at WHY I’m doing it. If it’s simply time-wasting, then I give myself a good telling off and try not to get sucked in.
But if I’m doing it to give myself a break from something that I’m stuck on, or because life isn’t giving me the space and time or creative energy to write, that’s OK too. There are other ways of keeping up creativity which isn’t writing, and I have to respect that in myself. I don’t think I’ve written anything since the summer other than a few NIBS pieces; doesn’t mean I’m not committed to getting on with my sequel, or Room with a View – but life is just too big, so at the moment I have to do what I can, when I can.
If everything stopping me writing was seen as procrastination, I’d be rocking in a corner, eaten up with guilt.
Knitting is often my procrastinatory thinking time…
I remember doing these sessions at York…it all seemed to make perfect sense when CMT was explaining it, but I can’t put it into practise. I don’t think I have the kind of logical and structural mind that can break a story down into these kind of segments. Which is annoying, because I know it’s all good stuff and very useful – I just can’t apply it. I seem to need something more flexible as an approach.
Very nice… There were a couple of points only that tripped me up in the reading:
‘Tasha and she nicked the lipstick’. Didn’t sound right. I wondered about ‘She’d nicked the lipstick when she was with Tasha’, but wasn’t sure how that’d affect your word count.
‘The salty scent of sweaty skin trapped in every pore’. I read this first as the sweaty skin being trapped – does it need a comma to clarify and separate?
Otherwise, some really lovely imagery and phrasing in this. I enjoyed it.Don’t think I’d qualify as I’m not looking to change genre but am already published… Also can’t commit to the time at the moment 🙁
Are you involved in WEM, Philippa? I just received their latest email update and it all sounded a bit highbrow!