What I've Been Reading: I have been reading my CP's manuscript lately, and I am really enjoying her edits. And in my spare time I have been reading A MILLION SUNS, which I am actually having a hard time getting into. It is the sequel to ACROSS THE UNIVERSE, which I thought was awesome, so I am going to press on.
What I've Been Writing: Well, that is the real question. My WIP and I had a bit of a stand off. I was trying to do DPOV, and found myself hating every blasted page. I finally thrust it at my CP 20K words in, and she confirmed what I already knew. His chapters were blah, her chapters were amaze balls. That may not be a direct quote. Anyway, I had to basically cut my word count in half by carefully removing his scenes, and then I had to re-write a few important scenes in my girl's perspective but I think it was well worth it. The chapters flow now, and the voice is spot on, if I do say so myself. And the best part is... I am not dreading heading to my computer each day.
What works for Me: This month, just allowing myself to get behind in my word count goal, but to hopefully end up with a better product when I'm finished. When it's not working, you know. You feel it. I'm not talking about that self doubt that we all have mid-way through our manuscripts (you know what I'm talking about, right? Right?) I mean serious THIS IS NOT WORKING feelings. You gotta listen to those. If it's not fun to write it, it's not gonna be fun to read it.
What Else is Happening: I am still deep in the query trenches for my first novel COMMITTED. I have had lots of interest, but I am still in waiting limbo. Dear Agent, wherever you are, I AM WAITING FOR YOU AND I ALREADY LOVE YOU. Love, ME
I've tried a DPOV before and wound up cutting one character's side of it... and then killing of that character entirely :P You've got to go what works best :)
ReplyDeleteYes, I know exactly what you mean about the serious "THIS IS NOT WORKING" vs "Ugh, I suck" thoughts. Being a writer requires good intuition!
Good luck with querying. I know how you feel (eeep, pleeeease! I need to KNOW!!!!) ;)
That's super frustrating about switching your story to one POV. I've never tried writing in dual POV before, but it seems like it would be a huge challenge. Great job on all the rewriting, and I hope the rest of the story goes smoothly now! :)
ReplyDeleteGlad you got your POV figured out so you are not dreading your time at the computer each day! That can be so tough. Good luck with the querying. Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteI'm working on a collaborative novel, and one of the writers REALLY wanted a section at a fair, and so I tried. I can't even tell you how many hours I slaved over that stupid section, forcing my character to care about things she didn't care about...finally I had to let go. I couldn't do it. And then things started to flow. Our subconscious minds are amazing things that won't lead us astray, as long as we're listening! It's hard to switch gears and lose stuff we've worked so hard on, but our mind knows! I hope things go more smoothly this week!
ReplyDeleteI would love to attempt dual POV sometime, but the story would definitely have to need it, you know? I'm glad you were able to sort out what your WiP needed and make those changes. You're so right about slowing down the pace and getting a better product out of it. Also, about not forcing it. I feel the same way! Have a wonderful week, Niki! And best of luck with querying! :D
ReplyDeleteHah! I totally hear you on the dual POV. I just attempted that and boy, writing even a slightly sexy scene from a male POV...um let's just say I had to bug my boyfriend for A LOT of details. Not my proudest moment as a writer.
ReplyDeleteAnd yeah, the middle of the book slump is normal. (At least I'm going to pretend it is)
Have a great week!