#writinglife — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #writinglife, aggregated by home.social.
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Not all scenes are created equal
Occasionally scenes write themselves. Most don’t.
As authors, we know this, and in the ‘most don’t’ category, there are many sub-categories. So, for this blog I’m sharing the different dilemmas we encounter while writing scenes.
1. The scene we thought was perfect, until continuity raised its head.
I can think of two recent examples with my own writing. For one, I forgot a character wasn’t adventurous when it came to food, but in another scene, I had her salivating at odd toppings in a gourmet pizza joint.
The other happened in Grayson’s Magical Mishaps when I replaced an underdeveloped party scene set in a glass building on a cliff, with a newer funnier chapter which takes place in Milo’s mother’s house.
Initially, I was pleased with how well the first draft of the new scene was. That evening, I realised I changed the layout of the house as several earlier chapters already featured it. And in those chapters the layout was consistent. Later that week, I did a major rewrite.
2. That pivotal scene which needs to be perfect.
There are scenes in your outline which you know you need to get right. They change what happens later in the story. In one book, a scene centred around the ending of a short affair, giving a major character an epiphany which would alter his behaviour later.
Each time I thought I nailed it, I’d return to the latest rewrite and realise I hadn’t. I’d write it again from scratch, yet each time I returned, it still wasn’t right. Eventually I had a scene I was happy with. But every book has one or more of these scenes.
3. That scene you keep changing your mind about.
I currently have a work in progress where within a scene, all the gay characters have a conversation that’s not related to the main action. It’s the last time they appear in the book, so I wanted to leave the reader with a final impression of them.
As this novel is set in the 1990s, it was also important that their conversation had something to say about the period, or about being a twenty-something Gen X gay guy.
In one draft, they talked about dead celebrities, mentioning Michael Hutchins. One of the characters is a big Kylie Minogue fan. The likelihood of her ever reading this book is slim, but I thought if she ever did, I’d hate her to see what was said about Michael.
In a rewrite they chatted about AIDS. In another, they spoke about being gay teens in the 80s. I finally settled on a version where they talk about cruising as they live in a time before dating apps and the internet.
4. All those scenes which need rewriting due to a change earlier.
For Virtual Insanity, I deleted a character, so everything from his introduction onward, needed rewrites. In this dystopian novel, Edgar was learning how to cook.
When I began the story, a lot of people were working back late, grabbing a bite, and hardly using their kitchen. Edgar was supposed to represent the joy of cooking. But then Covid hit. We were all in the kitchen, trying new recipes and posting them online. So, his reason for being in the novel became irrelevant as he served no other purpose in the plot.
In the work in progress I mentioned for point 3, the character, Lane, was introduced in the first chapter. He was one of the core group of friends the story followed, starting with a party at his house.
But too many characters were introduced in this opening scene. So in recent drafts, he is introduced later. By doing so, I explore how he navigates his way into an established group of friends.
This meant, his party, and the dog he owned, transferred to Xander, another character in the book. In initial drafts, Xander shared an apartment with one of the other gay characters. So I rewrote scenes, giving his flatmate his own studio apartment, and placing Xander in the house.
But I forgot the dog. Initially, the opening scene was the only time we were in Lane’s house, so it was the only time the dog appeared. But as all the other scenes set in Xander’s home stayed, a dog needed to be added. More rewrites!
5. The idea you just need to commit to.
With Grayson’s Magical Mishaps, there is a courtroom scene, and I wrote an outlandish idea in my outline about what the court case would be about. The idea was just there until I came up with a better one (actually, I just wanted an easier scene to write).
But the deadline was looming, so in the words of a supervisor I once had – I made a decision and stuck to it! Yes, that outlandish idea was used. Oddly, it was one of those rare scenes which wrote itself, needing very few adjustments later.
I’ve learnt to challenge myself and write the scene I want to write. Whether its a sex scene (as I used to fade to black), or a more complex version of the scene in the draft. Flexing my writing muscle is worth it.
6. The scene that’s fine, but you can always improve.
I can’t remember where I heard this, but someone in the industry said that there is a point where you naturally delve deeper into the personalities of your characters. They become more two dimensional, then finally, three dimensional. Their flaws and quirks are established.
Sometimes these changes happen when you’re between drafts, working on something else, and an idea comes to you about a character’s childhood, or how they really feel about the overall dilemma.
Other times you’ll improve a scene after feedback from your writing group or your beta reader. Sometimes the advice will just be on how to improve the action in a chapter. In my writing group, someone suggested that in a scene where someone is an inebriated guest, they should pick up a fragile ornament while dancing, and the host should find tactful ways to get it back.
I was already happy with that scene, but adding that extra element made it shine.
Last but not least, the scenes which write themselves.
The planets have aligned and you’re in the ‘writing zone’. The words spill on the page, and when you return later, the scene only needs a few adjustments.
This is rare, but when it happens, it is a godsend. Every novel has one or two. How nice it would be if every scene spilled onto the page potentially perfect.
#Amwriting #amWriting #amwriting #author #authorLife #Books #craftingScenes #editing #writingLife #writinglife -
#Today 05
Good day!
Thanks to the storm off the west coast, we’ve been receiving at least a couple of strong rains each day.
That’s quite a switch from virtually no moisture for two months.
No more fire danger. No more smoke.
The weather this year is quite an adventure.
Be everwell.
#WritingLife #AmWriting #WritingCommunity #Aging #HealthyLiving #HealthyLifestyle #GetOutside #Hiking #Trails #HikingAdventures #Nature #NaturePhotography #NatureLover #Photography #LandscapePhotography
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#Today 05
Good day!
Thanks to the storm off the west coast, we’ve been receiving at least a couple of strong rains each day.
That’s quite a switch from virtually no moisture for two months.
No more fire danger. No more smoke.
The weather this year is quite an adventure.
Be everwell.
#WritingLife #AmWriting #WritingCommunity #Aging #HealthyLiving #HealthyLifestyle #GetOutside #Hiking #Trails #HikingAdventures #Nature #NaturePhotography #NatureLover #Photography #LandscapePhotography
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#Today 05
Good day!
Thanks to the storm off the west coast, we’ve been receiving at least a couple of strong rains each day.
That’s quite a switch from virtually no moisture for two months.
No more fire danger. No more smoke.
The weather this year is quite an adventure.
Be everwell.
#WritingLife #AmWriting #WritingCommunity #Aging #HealthyLiving #HealthyLifestyle #GetOutside #Hiking #Trails #HikingAdventures #Nature #NaturePhotography #NatureLover #Photography #LandscapePhotography
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#Today 05
Good day!
Thanks to the storm off the west coast, we’ve been receiving at least a couple of strong rains each day.
That’s quite a switch from virtually no moisture for two months.
No more fire danger. No more smoke.
The weather this year is quite an adventure.
Be everwell.
#WritingLife #AmWriting #WritingCommunity #Aging #HealthyLiving #HealthyLifestyle #GetOutside #Hiking #Trails #HikingAdventures #Nature #NaturePhotography #NatureLover #Photography #LandscapePhotography
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#Today 05
Good day!
Thanks to the storm off the west coast, we’ve been receiving at least a couple of strong rains each day.
That’s quite a switch from virtually no moisture for two months.
No more fire danger. No more smoke.
The weather this year is quite an adventure.
Be everwell.
#WritingLife #AmWriting #WritingCommunity #Aging #HealthyLiving #HealthyLifestyle #GetOutside #Hiking #Trails #HikingAdventures #Nature #NaturePhotography #NatureLover #Photography #LandscapePhotography
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Five Great Quotations about Originality in Writing
#iartg #asmsg #bookboost #writing #writinglife
inventingrealityediting.com/2...
Five Great Quotations about Or... -
Five Great Quotations about Characters in a Story
#writingcommunity #amwriting #writerscommunity #writersnetwork #writinglife
inventingrealityediting.com/2...
Five Great Quotations about Ch... -
The use of #AI can polarise views. In this blog, I talk about my experience using AI as an #IndieAuthor for #SelfPublishing.
The words are my own, but it's helped where I lack skills.
https://the-write-link.webnode.page/l/using-ai-as-a-writer-a-case-study/
#AmWriting #IndieAuthor #BookMarketing #WritingLIfe -
The use of #AI can polarise views. In this blog, I talk about my experience using AI as an #IndieAuthor for #SelfPublishing.
The words are my own, but it's helped where I lack skills.
https://the-write-link.webnode.page/l/using-ai-as-a-writer-a-case-study/
#AmWriting #IndieAuthor #BookMarketing #WritingLIfe -
The use of #AI can polarise views. In this blog, I talk about my experience using AI as an #IndieAuthor for #SelfPublishing.
The words are my own, but it's helped where I lack skills.
https://the-write-link.webnode.page/l/using-ai-as-a-writer-a-case-study/
#AmWriting #IndieAuthor #BookMarketing #WritingLIfe -
The use of #AI can polarise views. In this blog, I talk about my experience using AI as an #IndieAuthor for #SelfPublishing.
The words are my own, but it's helped where I lack skills.
https://the-write-link.webnode.page/l/using-ai-as-a-writer-a-case-study/
#AmWriting #IndieAuthor #BookMarketing #WritingLIfe -
The use of #AI can polarise views. In this blog, I talk about my experience using AI as an #IndieAuthor for #SelfPublishing.
The words are my own, but it's helped where I lack skills.
https://the-write-link.webnode.page/l/using-ai-as-a-writer-a-case-study/
#AmWriting #IndieAuthor #BookMarketing #WritingLIfe -
This month's Any Questions? post is up on Patreon now! Subscribe at any level from $1.99/month to drop your questions related to writing/reading/publishing/knitting/fountain pen geekery/any similar topics in the comments & get them answered in September's video. :)
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This month's Any Questions? post is up on Patreon now! Subscribe at any level from $1.99/month to drop your questions related to writing/reading/publishing/knitting/fountain pen geekery/any similar topics in the comments & get them answered in September's video. :)
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This month's Any Questions? post is up on Patreon now! Subscribe at any level from $1.99/month to drop your questions related to writing/reading/publishing/knitting/fountain pen geekery/any similar topics in the comments & get them answered in September's video. :)
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This month's Any Questions? post is up on Patreon now! Subscribe at any level from $1.99/month to drop your questions related to writing/reading/publishing/knitting/fountain pen geekery/any similar topics in the comments & get them answered in September's video. :)
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This month's Any Questions? post is up on Patreon now! Subscribe at any level from $1.99/month to drop your questions related to writing/reading/publishing/knitting/fountain pen geekery/any similar topics in the comments & get them answered in September's video. :)
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#Today 04
Good day!
As faint trails go, Milltower Ridge was faint, at times completely disappearing, but then there was nowhere else to go.
The ridge itself dictated my direction.
All I had to do was make sure I found the trail when it exited the ridge.
Be everwell.
#WritingLife #AmWriting #WritingCommunity #Aging #HealthyLiving #HealthyLifestyle #GetOutside #Hiking #Trails #HikingAdventures #Nature #NaturePhotography #NatureLover #Photography #LandscapePhotography #FootpathFriday
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#Today 04
Good day!
As faint trails go, Milltower Ridge was faint, at times completely disappearing, but then there was nowhere else to go.
The ridge itself dictated my direction.
All I had to do was make sure I found the trail when it exited the ridge.
Be everwell.
#WritingLife #AmWriting #WritingCommunity #Aging #HealthyLiving #HealthyLifestyle #GetOutside #Hiking #Trails #HikingAdventures #Nature #NaturePhotography #NatureLover #Photography #LandscapePhotography #FootpathFriday
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#Today 04
Good day!
As faint trails go, Milltower Ridge was faint, at times completely disappearing, but then there was nowhere else to go.
The ridge itself dictated my direction.
All I had to do was make sure I found the trail when it exited the ridge.
Be everwell.
#WritingLife #AmWriting #WritingCommunity #Aging #HealthyLiving #HealthyLifestyle #GetOutside #Hiking #Trails #HikingAdventures #Nature #NaturePhotography #NatureLover #Photography #LandscapePhotography #FootpathFriday
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#Today 04
Good day!
As faint trails go, Milltower Ridge was faint, at times completely disappearing, but then there was nowhere else to go.
The ridge itself dictated my direction.
All I had to do was make sure I found the trail when it exited the ridge.
Be everwell.
#WritingLife #AmWriting #WritingCommunity #Aging #HealthyLiving #HealthyLifestyle #GetOutside #Hiking #Trails #HikingAdventures #Nature #NaturePhotography #NatureLover #Photography #LandscapePhotography #FootpathFriday
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#Today 04
Good day!
As faint trails go, Milltower Ridge was faint, at times completely disappearing, but then there was nowhere else to go.
The ridge itself dictated my direction.
All I had to do was make sure I found the trail when it exited the ridge.
Be everwell.
#WritingLife #AmWriting #WritingCommunity #Aging #HealthyLiving #HealthyLifestyle #GetOutside #Hiking #Trails #HikingAdventures #Nature #NaturePhotography #NatureLover #Photography #LandscapePhotography #FootpathFriday
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Over on the blog, a few thoughts on what I have realised is particularly and personally significant about this weekend.
Why, exactly, thirty years ago, I binned the novel I was writing and started afresh...
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Over on the blog, a few thoughts on what I have realised is particularly and personally significant about this weekend.
Why, exactly, thirty years ago, I binned the novel I was writing and started afresh...
-
Over on the blog, a few thoughts on what I have realised is particularly and personally significant about this weekend.
Why, exactly, thirty years ago, I binned the novel I was writing and started afresh...
-
Over on the blog, a few thoughts on what I have realised is particularly and personally significant about this weekend.
Why, exactly, thirty years ago, I binned the novel I was writing and started afresh...
-
Over on the blog, a few thoughts on what I have realised is particularly and personally significant about this weekend.
Why, exactly, thirty years ago, I binned the novel I was writing and started afresh...
