Eclectic Magpie

Achievements

–Chapters 17, 18 and 19 done; word  count — 20,796

Objective

–Write like the wind.

 

Making all the mistakes I hoped to avoid: info dump, dialogue as exposition, excessive dialogue, “much talking, some walking,” explaining and over-explaining, too much information; too much boogie-woogie, not enough rock and roll.

On the good side, figured out Anna Jane’s train of thought on how she thinks of launching AERIE into the sun, and it turns out it’s rooted very early and gives the plot a whole new line of conflict, secrecy, tension and suspense.

 

Accomplishments

–Wrote Chapters 14, 15, and 16 — word count: 18,137

 

Objectives

— Keep going

— Start trying to reduce the number of subject matter files by incorporating material into the narrative or deleting it

Accomplishments

–Wrote Chapter Thirteen; word count — 15,283

–Demolished Achilles.wip — all done

–7 digital reference files, 43 digital subject matter files, plus a file drawer full of notes

 

Objectives

–Write like the wind

–Maybe incorporate one subject matter file

Deep dive into Chapter Fourteen, and I realize I am uneasy about some things in the sequences. I took the whole thing back down to a beat sheet and then began filling in. Once again, the sequences did change. Plus I am left with uncertainty as to whether the rest hangs together. Still not completely done integrating what was left of the previous annotated beat sheet with all the text.

I am discerning hidden patterns and cross-references that I didn’t see before. How certain things set up other things. The one thing I can’t quite figure out yet is how she thinks of sending AERIE into the sun. What is her train of thought there? It’s no longer enough just to have a character say, “I have an idea.” It’s got to come out of the mulch of the story, not out of the moss in the writer’s mind.

A science fiction writer on a TV special told me about the Balonium, the mysterious substance-McGuffin, that goes along with the Handwavium (accompanied by the gesture), the thing you use as a distraction.

In a recent dream, I asked somebody if they liked the book. They said they didn’t. Why not? “It’s a comic book.” Full of Balonium and Handwavium.

I don’t know what I would be doing if I didn’t have it to play with.

 

Accomplishments:

–Wrote Chapter Twelve; word count – 14,432

–Moved another 7,000 words from Achilles.wip to Beats.ann — word count remaining — 3,691

 

Objectives

–Write Chapter Thirteen

–Finish off Achilles.wip.

I found these in an article by Steven James, and I am using them every day and finding them extremely useful as I formulate each chapter:

1. What would this character naturally do in this situation?
2. How can I make things worse?
3. How can I end this in a way that’s unexpected and inevitable?

Especially, how can I make things worse?

This might be all you need to make a plot.

Source: “The 3 questions that will solve every ‘Plot Problem’ you’ll ever have,” Steven James at writersdigest.com.

The deeper I get into the story, the more crucial the read-through becomes. It’s essential for continuity, and it never fails to remind me that the energy to write the book comes from the story itself. Each time I go through, I edit, sometimes with a tweak here and there, sometimes with a fairly important revision to correct a sequence or clarify something or connect some dots.

Moved a Martin Shepherd scene into the book almost intact from the second draft. His story will get more complicated later on, but for now he’s survived the rewrite mostly as written. So easy to plop him in, in contrast to the hard labor of constructing most of these chapters from bits and pieces of the second draft re-thought, re-worked, re-visioned, radically altered to fit the new frame.

“I have an idea.” This is such a cheap way to introduce a plot element. It almost always means the writer has had an idea and isn’t bothering to root the idea in the character, just gloms it in willy-nilly. I’ve seen it in the trailer for the new Star Wars movie, and I saw it on a TV mystery. It’s done a lot, but it’s a cop out. I managed to find a way to show where the idea for the chaos model comes from (her father’s notes), but I haven’t yet figured out how they get the idea for the old antenna leading to the scene in the Environmental Testing Lab. Since the lab was the actual place of origin for the entire idea for this book that has been bothering me for forty years, it’s important how I work it in. This week’s challenge for Chapter 12.

Accomplishments

–Wrote Chapter 10 and Chapter 11; word count — 13,047

–Moved about 7,000 words from Achilles.wip to Beats.ann; WIP word count — 10,524

 

Objectives

–Write Chapter 12

–Keep chipping away at Achilles.wip

The obstacle is the path.

A rule in spiritual growth, and a rule in plotting. The way forward is to put obstacles in the paths of your characters. Infallible and reliable. Ask yourself the magic question: How can I make things worse?

I was stuck most of the week on Chapter Eight. Finally realized it was in the wrong place. I switched it with the chapter formerly known as Chapter Nine, and the whole thing worked much better.

Scared, scared, scared. Just like Anna Jane.