{"id":1265,"date":"2021-01-13T07:38:19","date_gmt":"2021-01-13T12:38:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gailcarsonlevine.com\/blog\/?p=1265"},"modified":"2021-01-13T07:38:19","modified_gmt":"2021-01-13T12:38:19","slug":"question-grab-bag","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gailcarsonlevine.com\/blog\/2021\/01\/13\/question-grab-bag\/","title":{"rendered":"Question Grab Bag"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

On February 13, 2020, Samantha Pixley wrote, What do you do when you feel like your story is all over the map? My current WIP is a lot of great ideas that aren\u2019t coming together well \u2013 100 pages in, I\u2019m daunted by the idea that my story isn\u2019t capturing the right feeling that I\u2019m after and I might have to scrap it and start over. I feel almost like I\u2019m losing the essence of my story. Any thoughts on what I should do?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How do you deal with wordiness? I\u2019m 100 pages into my WIP and not even halfway through the plot. Besides this, I keep getting lost in the words instead of letting the story GUIDE the words. I\u2019m floundering in a swamp of words! I\u2019m talking too much and saying nothing!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You said \u201cCuriosity helps me. If I don\u2019t keep writing, I won\u2019t know what I\u2019ll come up with next. If I give up on a story, I won\u2019t find out what it will become. Same for if I stop revising\u2013I won\u2019t discover how it will be after the umpty-ump draft.\u201d Do you ever have the problem where you daydream about your stories instead of writing them and does it help or hinder your story? On that note; as a published, well established author, do you ever find yourself missing the characters or the world of an already completed story and getting the craving to go back and write more? Is that what happened with The Lost Kingdom of Bamarre (one of my favorite books of yours)!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do you ever go back to a story you wrote a while ago or already published and go \u201cIgth, that isn\u2019t nearly as good as I remembered!\u201d? I do that all the time! I think part of this is because I\u2019m guilty of never really editing that much and so my stories just aren\u2019t that pristine. Another reason might be because I am very much a new writer \u2013 I\u2019ve only really been writing for about four years, so I don\u2019t consider myself all that \u2018seasoned\u2019 in the process. Is this something that only I do, or do other people go back to their already finished works and say \u201cIgth!\u201d?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Several of you offered help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Katie W.: I\u2019ve been writing for about the same amount of time as you have, but I can take a shot at your third and fifth questions. First off, I totally daydream about my stories. Sometimes I even sleep-dream about them. (Although, given how nonsensical my dreams are, this doesn\u2019t help as much as you might think.) And what I\u2019ve found is that sometimes it\u2019s helpful and sometimes it\u2019s just annoying. For example, I am totally obsessed with my current MC, and spend a probably ridiculous amount of time figuring out her backstory and random scenes from her life. Sometimes it\u2019s useful, like the sudden realization that her teacher\u2019s motivations made a lot more sense if they were related, and sometimes it\u2019s not, like the fifty bogillion ideas for a scene I might never write. So, I would say there\u2019s nothing wrong with daydreaming, so long as you start writing eventually.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As to the fifth question, I know EXACTLY what you\u2019re talking about. I edit something to within an inch of its life, feel really happy, and come back to it a year later and absolutely loathe it. Two stories have been so utterly unusable that I ended up rewriting them without even a glance at the original. Others I\u2019ve just given up on because I don\u2019t want to go to the time and effort to fix them. The only good thing I can see about this is that at least I recognize that they\u2019re terrible, and the fact that I recognize that is a sign that I have grown as a writer. Or, at any rate, that\u2019s the way I choose to think about it, even if it\u2019s not entirely true.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Melissa Mead: I\u2019ll take a shot at \u201cHow do you deal with wordiness?\u201d, and maybe a little \u201cWhat do you do when you feel like your story is all over the map?\u201d too.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first place I sold stories to was a magazine with a maximum word limit of 600 words. I\u2019d write stories of about 1,000 words, and then cut, and tighten, and distill, until the story fit. It usually got more intense and focused in the process.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

So for your first draft: Go ahead! Write anything that strikes your fancy. Let it ramble all over the place. If a new character or side quest pops up, roll out the welcome wagon.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once you\u2019ve got a finished draft, put it away for a while, maybe a week, while you do something else. Then go back to it with an editorial X-acto knife in hand.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Re-read the story. If something\u2019s boring, or distracting, or just not right for that story, cut it out. (I keep a \u201ccut file\u201d for books and long stories. That way you can tell yourself that you can always put it back if you really want to.)
Then cut, and polish, and cut, and polish, until your gem shines the way you want it to.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Song4myKing: About daydreaming, I do it all the time. I don\u2019t have a lot of time to actually sit down and write, but I can still think about my stories and write the fun scenes in my head. I often figure out details this way, and get a sense of where I\u2019m going in the story, and get excited about upcoming scenes. Often, there are scenes that I\u2019ve written out in my head many times over. It probably doesn\u2019t work this way for everyone, but I love writing those scenes. It\u2019s almost like finally performing a well-rehearsed play or piece of music. I also daydream a lot about things that I know won\u2019t make it into the story. I don\u2019t see this as a waste; it\u2019s fun and it\u2019s helpful for world building and character background.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Raina: Story all over the map\u2013I\u2019ve struggled with this too, and it\u2019s one of the main reasons why I lose momentum on a project. What\u2019s helped me is to spend some time thinking about and writing down the \u201cheart\u201d of my story. I like to think of this concept as how I would answer \u201cwhat is your story about?\u201d It can be a theme, a character, a feeling you want to capture, anything. For example: \u201cMy story is about an Unchosen girl who chooses herself. My story is about finding adventure even when it\u2019s not handed to you. My story is about the side characters who get left behind, who aren\u2019t special enough to be the Hero but say screw that and make their own story anyways.\u201d Whatever the heart of your story is, write it down and keep it close. Whenever you feel like you\u2019re losing direction, look back to it. Remembering what you first loved about your story, why you\u2019re passionate about it, and what you want it to be is a fantastic motivator to make it a reality on the page.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Daydreaming\u2013I do this a lot too, but I think it\u2019s a GOOD thing as long as it doesn\u2019t take the place of actual writing. Daydreaming is an awesome place to develop new ideas, test new directions, and flesh out your story more. If you want to feel more productive, it can help to write all of that stuff down. An idea for a character, a snippet of dialogue, anything. That\u2019s what I do. Every single story-related idea I have that\u2019s worth remembering\/expanding upon, I write down so I\u2019ll have a reference later. (I use an app called Trello, but you can use a notebook, post it notes, anything.) And for me, at least, that stuff really comes in handy later when I\u2019m going to actually write the story.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Looking back at old stories\u2013I sometimes look back at old stories, and a lot of the time the quality is worse than I remember\/what I have now. Sometimes I\u2019m surprised, sometimes I\u2019m not. But I see that as a GOOD thing. The fact that I can now see problems means that I\u2019ve learned as a writer. The quality gap between my old work and my new work is how much I\u2019ve improved as a writer since then, and to me, at least, it feels pretty nice to see the difference. I try not to judge my old work; I\u2019ll either leave it be as a memory of my state at the time, or use everything I\u2019ve learned since then to polish it up into something I\u2019m proud of now. Occasionally I\u2019ll even see something that\u2019s actually pretty decent\u2013a line, a turn of phrase\u2013that I\u2019ll feel proud of myself for thinking of at the time.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I love Raina\u2019s idea about finding the heart of our story. Out of sad experience of getting lost more than once, these days I write a lot of notes before I start my manuscript itself\u2013character notes, plot notes, fictional world notes. As I\u2019ve said here, I have to know my ending in order to write a book. Not everyone does, but for me, knowing my destination keeps me focused.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We don\u2019t have to do this work at the beginning. A hundred pages in is a great place to stop and look around. It\u2019s certainly not too late. We can ask ourselves Raina\u2019s question about the heart of our story. If we\u2019re really all over the map, we may have a bunch of possible hearts. What an abundance!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We can see what we\u2019ve put in that supports this heart or that one. Which thread seems to dominate? Which one interests us the most? What endings are suggested by the threads? Do some of them interlock so they can be pulled together?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s hard to remember this, but there is no rush. My favorite and best writing teacher used to say that a story takes as long to write as it takes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And, published or not, the only person we have to satisfy is ourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Joy, if we love more than one idea, even if they don\u2019t all fit the story as it\u2019s shaping up. The others are fodder for more stories. Save them!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once we\u2019ve found the thread that interests us the most and seems to have the most possibilities, we can ask Raina\u2019s heart question. We can ask my ending question. As we write, we keep the answers in mind. We can write them on a Post-it and stick them on our laptop. Or more than one Post-it and stick them on the fridge, our mirror, our pillow. If we start meandering, we can ask if we\u2019re going off track or if there\u2019s a connection to our main story road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As for wordiness, I\u2019m entirely with Melissa Mead. I agree about first-draft freedom and the revision X-acto knife. About the first: We\u2019re word people. If we run on, it\u2019s out of exuberance and love of language. Writing is hard! We don\u2019t want to take the fun out of it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About the second: I wrote a blog post called \u201cDown With Length, Up With Thrills,\u201d which I posted on August 26th of last year. It may be worth rereading.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I don\u2019t daydream enough about my stories. I love when my mind spontaneously visits what I\u2019m working on when I\u2019m not actually working. The daydreaming is more relaxed than writing the book itself or even than writing notes. It comes from the back of my brain, puttering along, puffing out charming figments that are often useful. The only bad thing is if I forget before I write down the conjuring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Lost Kingdom of Bamarre<\/em> came from long-simmering ideas about \u201cRapunzel.\u201d I finally saw a way to use the fairy tale and end it in a more satisfying way than I think the original does\u2013by combining it with a fantasy version of Exodus from the Bible. Then I wondered if it could find a home in one of the worlds I\u2019d already created, and Bamarre came to mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I don\u2019t have the Igth!<\/em> experience you describe. Ordinarily, I don\u2019t reread my books, and I don\u2019t suggest rereading old work unless we plan to celebrate our growth, as Katie W. and Raina say they have. Otherwise, we\u2019re just making ourselves unhappy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lately, though, I have been reading my books on Facebook. I\u2019m doing it as my bit in offering some respite to people suffering stress from the pandemic and the economic downturn. I hope that the routine can help. I give the same intro and wear my little fairy pendant, and it\u2019s always my same old face and, lately, my disordered hair, plus a chapter or two of an adventure story that may be nostalgic for some and new to others. When I started, I had no idea how many books I\u2019d get through.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So I am rereading. I\u2019m glad to say I like my books. I\u2019ve even been surprised at how moving parts of some of them are. I don\u2019t know if anyone has noticed that a few times I\u2019ve been close to tears or laughter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the downside, I\u2019ve noticed some sentences that I\u2019d recast if I were writing them now. I pick up word repetitions that I don\u2019t like. Since I\u2019ve studied poetry, I even spot sound repetition, like unintentional rhymes, that I\u2019m not happy about. Ah, well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are three prompts, all inspired by the movie, The Wizard of Oz:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 The farm Dorothy returns to isn\u2019t the same as the one she left. Maybe a stranger has come to live with Aunt Em and Uncle Henry. Maybe the house now has an attic when it didn\u2019t before. List the possibilities of what may have changed. Think about what could result. Write the first scene of a sequel. If you like, write the whole thing. Consider what could be the heart of the new story and how it might end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 The wizard leaves Emerald City to be administered by the Scarecrow, assisted by the Tin Man and the Lion. What could go wrong? Write the story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 On the way back to Kansas, the wizard\u2019s balloon malfunctions and he and Dorothy make an emergency landing. Where? What happens? Write the story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Have fun, and save what you write!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On February 13, 2020, Samantha Pixley wrote, What do you do when you feel like your story is all over the map? My current WIP is a lot of great ideas that aren\u2019t coming together well \u2013 100 pages in, I\u2019m daunted by the idea that my story isn\u2019t capturing the right feeling that I\u2019m […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[97],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gailcarsonlevine.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1265"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gailcarsonlevine.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gailcarsonlevine.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gailcarsonlevine.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gailcarsonlevine.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1265"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/gailcarsonlevine.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1265\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1276,"href":"https:\/\/gailcarsonlevine.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1265\/revisions\/1276"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gailcarsonlevine.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1265"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gailcarsonlevine.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1265"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gailcarsonlevine.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1265"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}