After a bit of discussion in the comments, he came up with his #1 writing tip and I share it with you here:
you do actually have to write something!
That may be where I've been going wrong.
Mind you, I am writing every day now but not for publication: my nanonovel is slowly emerging. I'm checking the word count every two hundred words, which is a bad sign, but I'm having fun with it all the same. The only problem is the plot holes which are piling up, if holes can pile up. Well, these ones are.
How is your writing coming along, presuming you do any? Or if you want to, just pop in and say "hi"!
12 COMMENTS:
Now that's a good tip...
Sorting out plot holes can lead in interesting directions, in my experience, so they can be positive.
I'm at 28,000 words with the WIP and pressing on.
Now I'm trying to imagine holes piling up. It's interesting.
I'm halfway through the Great YA Air Pirate Revision. Sam's entire timeline has been altered, officially making him an 18-year-old pirate. Now I have to walk through Hagai's and do more of the same.
"I read the news today, oh boy.
Ten thousand holes in Blackburn, Lancashire.
And though the holes were rather small,
They had to count them all.
Now they know how many holes it takes to fill the Albert Hall"
Nearly at the end of my WIP, I think I've decided to change the whole format, which means that, after working out the outline again, I'll have to start writing from the beginning, hopefully inserting sections I wrote before. One day, it might be finished.
Yay for fab Simon!!! I'm very very pleased for him!!!
That's a great writing tip!! LOL!!!!!!
GREAT NEWS about your nano writing!! I say plot holes what plot holes?!?!??!? :-)
Take care
x
Lexi, I thought it was a great tip too! I'm glad you're getting on with your WIP. You know that I really enjoyed Remix.
Adam, that sounds like a lot of revision to do. I never seem to manage to revise anything that long.
Miriam, love the song! You sound like you've got major revisions in hand too. Good luck with them.
Kitty, Simon's doing great, isn't he? I'm laughing at your attitude to plot holes - that's pretty much what I'm doing at the moment, although I'm noting down some of the more obvious ones.
Glad I was of some use! Thanks for the encouragement as ever - and for the plug too!
Simon, I always have great fun over at your blog so I wanted to share it around!
Miriam, you cannot quote Beatles lyrics! They will be after you for LOADS of money.
That's a good tip from Simon, and even then if you don't write everyday you can always write when you get a burst of life to write, as that is how I have started.
Well done on all that you are doing so far!
Have you been to any local write ins? I have been to the one in Southbank so far yesterday evening and hope to go again next Thursday. Great support group! I know that there is interest in one in Surrey, an area we both live in! If nothing comes up in the next weekend on the forum, I'm going to propose we meet via the forum and arrange it myself.
NaNoWriMo is going well. I started on Tuesday and since then have done chunks of writing very happily and calmly. Of course the write in helped, and it was great that I did over 2,000 words in two 45m breaks. Overall yesterday I managed to write 4121 in a day! And it was just from my splurges in chunks. When I feel to write really..
Today so far I have managed another 2515 words. Again with short sit downs of splashes. This seems to be working for me. :) Considering I started to write late afternoon Tuesday, and I am still ahead of schedule on the whole NaNoWriMo word count deadline. I have written 9,335 words in total.
I'm quite enjoying my memoir which is turning more into a self help book. :) Interesting as I've always wanted to write one of these.
Again the very best to you, and hope to meet/chat with you one of these days. :)
Lexi, I thought everything on the net was public domain ;-)
Ana, I'm glad Nano is going so well for you. I was planning on going to the write-ins in Woking but I don't think I'm going to be able to at all. I'm a bit shocked to find that if I write solidly for more than about half an hour my CFS plays up and I crash. I may be up for daytime socials, but evenings and write-ins look like they may not happen for me.
I'm glad you managed to get to the South Bank write-in, although a little envious. I love the South Bank and it looked like a fun time.
A pile of holes - as holes are negatively-filled volume - would go downwards rather than upwards... they'd simply combine into one big hole.
And - used creatively - that hole can become part of the plot. ;-)
Richard, I hadn't planned on a giant hole, or a black hole, but now you mention it...
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