Thursday, April 29, 2010

Progress?

So I haven't done much actual writing this week. Between killing my hand with icing the ninja and spending all day every day at work staring at the computer screen, I haven't had much desire to type or handwrite. I did write my Tuesday prompt, though, which is good.

I have done some writing-related stuff... sort of. I bought myself a new notebook. This is the notebook that I'll be using while editing HEA. It's a thing with me, the need to have a new notebook for a new project (or portion of a project). There's just something about opening up a fresh page, having a fresh start. I know that there are a lot of people out there who are intimidated by a blank page. It's empty, and YOU have to fill it. For me, though, it's an opportunity. I get to fill the page with whatever I want. Sometimes, I find myself staring at the blank page for a while before I start. Usually, it's not because I have no idea what to write, but because I'm trying to figure out what story feels write for this particular notebook. If I've had a story brewing inside for a week or two (or more), I'll often go out shopping for the perfect notebook for that story, because I want it to be just right. This editing notebook is a bit smaller than 8.5x11, it's got a black outer cover with gears printed on it, an inner grey cover with gears decorating it, and a rule slightly narrower than college rule. That's the thing that's most important to me - I write small, so I hate having standard ruled notebooks. My writing looks tiny in those, and it feels like a waste of paper.

So, now that I've got the notebook and a set of good red pens, I'm ready to edit. Mostly. The plan is to read HEA through once by the end of this weekend, so I can start tearing it to bits next week. *whimper*

In addition to getting ready to edit, I've been reading. I'm re-reading Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth series. I love those books, but I have this habit of skipping over stuff occasionally. I've made a point of forcing myself to go back and read those parts that I would normally skip. I'm trying to figure out what it is about those sections that make them feel boring or unimportant to me, so that I can recognize those things in my own writing.

Finally, I've sent copies of FRI to a couple of readers, and am waiting for feedback. I could use a few more opinions, though, so if you would like to read for me, just let me know!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

several things:
First, I swear I will mail you your feedback tomorrow evening, when my stupid life gets back to semi-normal.
First and a Half: The ninja cake was AMAZING.
Second: I don't hate the Goodkind series, but neither do I love it. The comparisons with Jordan's Wheel of Time (especially in the beginning) are impossible to ignore, but I WILL say I think Goodkind does it better. I skip LOTS of pieces, and in retrospect, I'm pretty sure it's all the overly descriptive crap I've been trying to prune out of my own stuff.
Anyway.
Just sayin'.
Thank you for giving me the idea of a structured blog, and letting me read your story, and stuff.