Updates:
*Life has quieted down a lot. Like silent.
*Next week I have the appointment that had me so upset.
*School started, and we’re getting back into a routine. The oldest, a freshman, starts at 7:20 am and the youngest, in seventh grade, at 8:10. That’ll be fun when they start physical school again (sarcasm font). To be honest, I love having them home. I know it sucks for many families, and I won’t want to dimish those struggles in any way. I have had struggles with my boys over the years.
WiM: Wrapping up
As for the end of WIM, I’m glad I joined. Writer in Motion was a chance to workshop along with writers of many levels and backgrounds. and I plan on coming back and dragging my writer-friends along.
I’m thankful that Jeni Chappelle mentioned it in the writing group she runs. My two CPs (critique partners) Yara and Toni (story here) helped me so much in shaping Unicorn Tracks. Their comments helped me figure out where to start the narrative and add in the right amount of world building. They did an amazing job!
Check out one of my favorites, The Witch of Blue Ridge by Erin Fulmer. To check out the other featured stories, head over to the WiM Blog.
I feel like overall I’m better at taking criticism, knowing what to use, and not using every comment. There’s an art to knowing which suggestions to use.
The best part is that I have something that is done. I struggle to finish things: my WiP, home projects, craft projects, household chores. Sometimes its hard to know when something is done. But it feels strange and wonderful when you do.
What’s next?
I want to write more about Cambriea. I’d like to share at least one series of short stories on my blog. Stockpiling unpublished stories for contests would be great. I’ll make a schedule.
As always, I’m still working on my big WiP.
For some perspective, my WiP SOULCHASER started out at 390K words and needs to be between 90K-110K. A reference for my actual process may help people understand why it takes so long for stories to come out. It took 4 weeks for 1000 words. doing the math each of my scenes is about 2K words and there are 4-5 scenes in every chapter. and there are 15 chapters. I’m still on the CP edits stage and am trying to rewrite some of the plot arcs.
This is not “the right process”, but it’s mine.
- Prompt: A spark
- Draft 0: Find the characters and setting.
- Draft 1: Write all the words. Make some comments along the way for things I know I need to fix.
- Drafts 2: Self edits make a rough ship of the story. Find the Beginning, middle, and end for the dominant plot arc.
- Draft 3: Get eyes on it. Then incorporate the big picture changes. This is where I can change POV, and narrative voice.
- Final draft: Polish and make the words pretty. Line and style edits are the last thing I do.
Tell me about your process. Does Writer in Motion sound like something you’d like to do?
