Dread

You know how in history, whoever attacked Russia gave up because of the harsh conditions of winter?

I’m starting to feel like this book is just waiting for me to give up.  I outlined my final chapter.  I have to make it cohesive.  I have to wrestle it down to size.  I realize that in addition to my usual issue (bland conflict), it’s also lacking character depth.

Editing, editing, editing.

I’m generally a fairly “clean” writer so I edit only minutely.  I’m also a planner so I don’t end up making massive changes to my stories where I need to then edit all the ramifications.

But not here.  This one’s a mess.  And I’m not excited about it.  I’m tempted to drop it.  But equally determined not to let 7 months of work be for nought.  I want to self publish this.  And I want to make it–if not something I’m proud of, at least something that is enjoyable to read.

I have another project I want to start working on.  But I’m staying disciplined and going to give myself til the summer to try to polish this up.

Here’s my list:

1. get rid of bootcamp
2. get rid of andrew and wolff’s fight but still make sure they have character
3. change andrew to roger
4. remove the last chapter (12) w/ the back and forth
5. write ending.
6. streamline storyline
7. add physical, emotional, setting description
8. add pathos? depth?
9. make it less choppy

Latest Project Fizzle

Boy oh boy did I get myself into a mess with this.  I’m almost 70K in, so that’s pretty committed (especially when I try to write 50K books).  I knocked all the major conflicts out and stuck with the cutesy relationship, but it turns out books need conflict.  The conflict arc is like the skeleton of the book.  And my story is pretty spineless.

I’m powering through the last two episodes of this kdrama (this story is following the general plotlines of part of a kdrama I really enjoyed).  After that I hope to find some semblance of a conflict to finish off this story.  The way it’s looking now, it’s in danger of not even being suitable for self-publication.

After I finish the last 2 episodes, I’m going to take a few months to prune off 10-20K words and see if I can make it less choppy and more streamlined and something I can be satisfied with.  By July, I’ll either be making progress or it’s on to a new project.

I’ve been brought up to finish what I start.  It’s taken me years to be okay with finishing books I’m not enjoying.  I have an urge to finish this but I don’t know if it’s because it’s a good concept or because I tend to finish even mediocre things.

And for your latest horrified enjoyment, today’s adverb trespasses:
Alex was sitting practically on top of Dooby.  At every bump, Dooby solicitously touched her shoulder.  Zeke kept looking at them jealously.

Count ’em, folks.  THREE.  “Jealously” is cheap and I should just chuck it and replace it with descriptive body language.  But “solicitously” is so exactly what I want to say.