Saturday, June 23, 2012

Keep it fresh

Kyle and I have been busy, it seems. We've taken time away from this site, but here is a "quick" post to jump start us, hopefully.

I'm far in DAHDBB, my main folklore, fantasy, sci-fi, novel. I have pride in that. Sure, I wish I was finished with it, so that I could edit and move on to trying out agents. But, that's not how it is, yet.

Why do I have pride? Because the last novel I wrote was for NaNoWriMo, and in some ways I wish that was the case with this one. I want to have a draft done in a month. It's a good feeling to know that the word count is there and that I can edit all the faster. I've been writing DAHDBB since September. I came up with the original first chapter last May, let it fall into the abyss, until I snatched it up again and thought, "Hey, this could be really good." So, I have pride because I'm writing despite my wish that I could go faster. I'm continuing to push to the end, no matter how crappy the first draft may be.

Now, to the "Keep it fresh" theme.

Don't get complacent.

The second that La Escritora, Ha Sopheret, The Writer, thinks that she has no problems writing her story, or editing her draft, is the one where she will fail herself.

Fail herself? Eh? Say what?

It's nay impossible to write a wholly original piece, today. Try to write a decently original story and there will be an audience clamoring for more. The only time a rip-off story will be popular is when the initial cycle of audiences has never read fiction, or fiction in the category you've written, so they don't know any better. Sorry to say, but that's happened to me, especially with Christopher Paolini's Inheritance Cycle (Eragon books). I still haven't read the last one, Inheritance. But, that's another post.

If I can't write a completely original story, why shouldn't I just rest on my literary laurels and steal from the greats? Because that's illegal, for one, but also I wish to become a great writer off of my own talent and eager, excited fan-base.

Thus, Keep It Fresh. Put those veggie plots in a new place in the fridge, or introduce a new delectable food to the cold place. What do you have to lose? Cutting it out later if it didn't go well, or editing the shit out of it till it works? So, time, really. But, to gain? A more promising, enriching story. That's what you want.

I keep thinking that I will not strengthen my weaknesses as a writer, and boy I know what they are. I ask for feedback and criticism, so I'm not exactly avoiding unpleasantries.

But, I'm still trying. At every chapter, I ask myself what is interesting, what is confusing, what is boring, and what will this do for the story. Some times I'm wrong, or I don't see it, yet. I'm sure that's happening with DAHDBB. Yet, that doesn't deter me from trying out new ways to tell my story -- even if it means I have to surprise myself, sometimes. That usually means a character does something and it makes me wonder why and what it might mean. And the consequence of such an occurrence is only as far-reaching as my imagination. Hey, they're my characters. Kill 'em off if I don't like them. Or, better yet, have them lead the protagonist into a trap. Yeah. Do it.

Henceforth, your goal and mine shall be to dice up those fresh greens and bag 'em up in different places. See what happens. You just might like the result.

JK.

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