We bloggers love our alliterative blog schedules, don't we? Since I love alliteration as much as the next person, I henceforth declare Wednesdays as the day in which I talk about my WIP and ask you awkward and random questions about your own works-in-progress, writing process, etc.
Saving Me
Word count: 46, 503
Goal: in the ballpark of 75,000
Genre: women's commerical (Southern) fiction
Terrible one-line summary without spoilers for my CPs: A graduate student with a troubled past must choose between herself and her family when an unexpected event throws everything she's worked towards into chaos. [Could that have been worse? Probably not. In fact, I don't even think that's what the story's about, but the spoiler is pivotal to the plot.]
General Thoughts
As always, work on SM is slow-going, or at least it feels that way to me. I'm trying to write around a thousand words a day, and so far I've stuck pretty well to that. Trouble is, a thousand words doesn't get me very far, story-wise, hence the feelings of sloth.
I've crossed 2 important plot bridges now, and am about to get to a third, which is all very exciting. New ideas are falling into place every time I sit down to write. I really love this story and its telling, but the urge for it to just be done grows stronger every day!
Also, my ability to channel "shitty first draft" energy is shorting in and out. Help me, Anne Lamott, you're my only hope!
Short Excerpt (spoiler-free for CPs)
Time to move on.
And I would be moving along, in exactly...I checked my watch. One hour. One hour, and Georgia would be nothing but a faint, humid memory.
But I would miss Julie.
I'd been battling with feelings of selfishness ever since I decided to go after the fellowship. Julie had never asked for her lot in life, two siblings with mental illness and her own substance addiction. And when an angry, recalcitrant eight-year-old had been dropped in her lap, she'd never once complained or resented me or tried to pawn me off on any of my father's distant relatives.
Julie taught me about unconditional love, but here I was, leaving her in the dust first chance I got. Not much Christian charity, that, but I'd never been a good Christian.
She wanted me to go, or at least she said she did. More than anything, she said, she wanted me to get out of Clarkston and make something of myself. Not to turn out sick like my mother, or haunted like my uncle, or just plain motionless. Like her.
She'd never said so much, but I knew.
I finished my latte and left the coffee shop, found my gate and leaned against one of the picture windows. Atlanta was not a pretty city, inside or out, but I'd known beauty here.
Questions for YOU
1. How do you format your first draft? For instance, I keep mine single-spaced, 12-point Times New Roman font. My draft is currently 90 pages long at 46.5k words. I think it's more exciting to double-space in the end.
2. What would you say is your #1 character physical tic? Mine is nodding. Nodding and shoving hands in pockets. #headdesk
25 comments:
I double spaced my first draft 12 point New times Roman font.
Great 2nd question probably biting her lip.
Thanks for no spoilers :)
I'll finish it up today.
You're doing great!
Double spaced, 12 pt. Times New Roman. My own personal tic, good question, talking to myself I think. Monster Baby always thinks I'm talking to her or laughing at her when I'm really of course, laughing at my characters' brilliant witty banter. LOL
My #1 character tick: clenching fists.
1K a day is very good, but I know how you feel about just wanting to get it done! That's how I felt about my last WIP at about the same place:46K out of 75.
That's good progress! I do my first draft in 12pt double-spaced TNR too.
My character wrings her hands a lot when she's nervous.
WIP Wednesday rocks!! :-)
Well done you for steady progress on your WIP! Over 46,000 words - brilliant.
And your one line summary works for me! I'm intrigued!! So Yay!
Your short excerpt is amazing! Your MC is fleshed out, there is conflict, I'm liking Julie and I feel your MC's dilemma and guilt and pain and obvious love for Julie but excitement at her new adventure! Thanks for sharing this.
I type single spaced to, 12 point Courier and leave double spaces between paras.
My physical tic? Does picking at food count? I have to have a bowl of something to pick at!
Lovely post, thank you.
Take care
x
Very interesting to read. made note of what you said.
Yvonne,
You're getting so close!! I think it's awesome, I LOVE this story. I so want to be done with mine too, it's taking FOR-EV-ER!
Seriously, you're writing is beautiful, and I LOVE Anne Lamott.
Tic. . . hmmmm. . . probably twisting her braid around her finger. Kinda lame :)
Double spaced, 12 pt. Times New Roman, one inch margins.
1,000 words a day is good.
If you have the energy/time, try for 2,000/day ...it'll double your speed to the finish line.
My current WiP is in first person too.
Happy Humpday! :)
12 font, 1.5 spacing. I like to double space at the end so i can watch all the extra pages get added on.
also, 1k a day is great - just think, in 1 month you could have 30k!
for a tic, i tend to play with my fingers - touching all of them to my thumbs
oooh, also yawning. I'm like a dog, expressing anxiety by yawning (or maybe i just picked that up from my dogs...)
I don't know how you can single space; my eyes would go on strike! I double space mine in TNR 12pt. And I don't know about the tic, I know I want them to do things all the time but I catch them most of the time.
You're getting closer to the end. Congrats! :)
Single space ariel. Think that's the font I use.
And probably the clenching of fists.
Character tic: looking, glancing, staring, gazing, and pretty much any other word I can think of for pointing their eyes in a particular direction. GAH WHY DO THEY HAVE TO LOOK AT STUFF SO MUCH!?
Also, MSWord 2007 standard formatting for first draft. 1.15 spaced Calibri font with 6 point spacing after each paragraph.
For fun I write in Webdings sometimes. Some of my best work was written that way.
Double-spaced. Force of habit.
Character tic: glancing and furrowing the eye-brows.
I enjoyed reading about your progress. Great idea! :)
Double spaced, 12 point Times New Roman font. I love double spaced!
Character tic - hm. I find my main character always rolling her eyes. I need to reduce that a bit!
Love the update!
My format - well I am like you...I feel the doublespace will be more fun down the road.
As for tics...wow. Um I actually am going to have to look through my MS before I answer that one!
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I rough draft like you, Summer, except in double-space. I think I like that spacing because it looks like I've written more page-wise. Your story sounds really interesting. I'm rooting for you! In the words of Rob Schneider in every Adam Sandler movie, "You can do it!" I think a good tic would be using corny movie quotes in conversation. But the character would have to be minor because of this annoying habit. :)
I like your description "humid memory." I've never heard that before. It's good.
Hey Summer! I do the same thing with my first drafts. I don't dbl space them until I'm giving them out to readers.
I loved your excerpt! That was beautiful. I'd give you a more detailed review, but I'm short on time.
Just wanted to say "hi" and tell you I really liked it. :)
I also single-space when I'm drafting (and also 12-point TNR). I love the moment when I switch to double space and watch Word hesitate, and suddenly I have a 500 page document. lol. It's the little things for us writers.
Love your excerpt! Great voice here.
Also, wanted to let you know there's a new post up for the Novel Summer writing challenge - http://thisisnotnotmydayjob.blogspot.com/2010/06/novel-summer-2010-writing-challenge.html
I've been kind of a slacker with it, but now I'm trying to make it a bit more of a thing where we can post our progress and chat about our ups and downs with each other, if you want to, of course. :)
I like double space, easier to edit and the usual times new roman. :)
I find my main character always rolling her eyes. I need to reduce that a bit!
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Looking forward to your Movie Dirty Dozen on Monday!
Good progress and keep on plugging along! Nice to see samples of other writers' works. :)
First question: Double spaced, 12 point Times New Roman with no chapters. They'll be added later, but I honestly can't figure out where the breaks could/should occur.
Second question: My h/h don't have them. The characters in my other works did, but this one is different.
Thanks for the fun questions!
Recently I've been using Scrivener for my drafts, so it formats in Optima single spaced scenes. But I transfer into 12 pt Courier. I think it's an easier read after using Times New Roman forever.
My biggest character tick is men running their fingers through their hair. Gotta get over this one!
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