Sometimes I write so fast that I outpace my plotting brain. I’ve learned to recognize it when I hit a point where I don’t know what happens next. Or rather, I do, but I don’t know how to write it.
Freakin’ Allergies, and also Babble About (Re)Writing to the End Read More »
If you follow writerly circles on the internet, you’ve probably seen it before. Someone posts less-than-kind things about a book. The author of the book responds. Maybe it starts out as a reasoned discussion (though not necessarily), but generally it devolves rather quickly into “you’re just not smart enough to understand my work” and/or “how
My One-Star Review Read More »
In general, I move fast in my first drafts. My focus is on the characters and the action, figuring out who is doing what and why. Sure, I’ve become more of a planner in recent years, but I’m still not much of one. If I have the BS2 half-filled in with a paragraph for most
So in past lives (or previous years, or whatever) I’ve tried morning pages as recommended by Julia Cameron. Many a writer has, and a lot of those that I’ve talked to find morning pages incredibly useful. Some have told me they can’t write three notebook pages longhand first thing every morning, but even most of
Free and Useful: 750 Words Read More »
Day eight, economics and politics. Just as you examined your timeline for events and pressures, now examine your map for resources and deficits. For five minutes, make a few notes on the map to mark places that have more of a type of resource, and jot down anywhere that has a definite deficit of something
World-Building, Day Eight Read More »
One problem is that I’m not sure of any major civilizations. The Devastation pretty much knocked everyone on their asses–it’s taken three thousand years to crawl back out of the dark age, and the world isn’t a bunch of bordering nations anymore. It’s bits of civilization scattered across the face of the planet. So…skip the first question, if it’s not answered by the date of the Devastation.
World-Building, Day Seven Read More »
Day Six: Races. (Note: the site I’ve been using seems to be down, but you can get a PDF with the exercises and more here.) Spend 10 minutes figuring out what people who evolved in each major area of your world would look like. Then spend another 5 minutes asking “what if this group encountered that
World-Building, Day Six Read More »