Archive for the ‘Progress’ Category
I spotted this quote on a pretty leather-bound journal at Barnes & Noble when I took my extra-long dinner break there last night:
Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss it, you will land among the stars.
It was a nice reminder to “go for it,” “just do it” or any number of motivational sayings. We all need a little shot of enthusiasm from time to time.
Today, I spent some quality time with my synopsis. I’d like to pare it to 4 or 5 pages. Right now it’s about 5 1/3.
A quick update: I’ve been editing up a storm on my Golden Heart entry. I’m 111 pages into the 213. I’ve been rewriting — adding things and taking some out — and am still right at about 58,000 words.
I’m looking forward to the next installment of the Ruby Slippered Sisterhood’s blog. The topic? How to write a great hook. I’m beginning to think I need to work on that, so it’ll be extremely helpful, I’m sure.
For the moment, I’m off to take a walk. Then it’s back to the computer to do some more work — in my workout clothes, most likely. I definitely don’t glam up to write. I don’t make myself fabulous to go to work, either. I’m definitely one of those gals who needs lessons on applying makeup. Guess I’ll cross that bridge when I become a GH finalist.
Note I did not say “if.” Positive thinking works wonders! 😀
I thought I was making good progress in getting my manuscript ready for the Golden Heart competition. I’ve edited 80 pages, trying to dig deeper into the minds of my characters and getting rid of a lot of “he said, she said” tags, replacing them with action tags instead.
I’ve even succeeded in making good, ol’ dependable Brad a little less boring — at least I think I have.
So I’ve been hard at work and I thought I was getting the job done. Then I read today’s entry over at the Ruby Slippered Sisterhood. Now I’m not so sure.
Am I choosing vivid enough nouns and verbs, instead of relying on adjectives and adverbs? Sometimes.
Does each scene end with a hook? Well, maybe. I want to keep reading … but that may be because I know what’s coming up next.
Do my characters’ speech and interior monologues sound natural and appropriate to their backgrounds, interests, etc.? I certainly hope so, but I’ve never given it much thought.
Do their speeches take gender into account? God, no. Do men really speak in shorter sentences than women? I didn’t know that.
Do the syntax and paragraphing creatively showcase my voice and make it distinctive? Hmm. I just write and my voice shines through — I hope.
Have I used short paragraphs to speed up the pacing? Ha! I have that one covered. As a journalist, I’m used to writing shorter paragraphs.
Is my synopsis short and concise, focusing on the hero and heroine’s GMC? Short, yes. GMC? Not so much, considering the story was until recently short on that.
There’s so much to think about — more than I realized. I really do have my work cut out for me.
As I get more involved in rewriting Brad and Erin’s story, I’m finding less and less time to blog — both here and on my other blog.
I guess I should take that as a good sign, eh? 😀
Today, I had a pleasant lunch (complete with sinful dessert) with a writer friend from NARWA. We’re both entering the 2010 Golden Heart (in different categories) and met to talk about our progress.
I passed along some of the tips I got in my critique, because they seemed to apply to her manuscript, too.
It’d be fantastic if we both were able to final in the contest … but I’m not counting on it, especially since I’ve never entered before. I’ve heard some people enter for years before finally getting the call that they’ve finaled.
Guess it’s a good thing that I’m still relatively young. I still have long years of writing ahead of me!
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