Today's writing has the protagonist directly considering the primary antagonist as a suspect for the first time. The problem is, the only reason the antagonist had fallen under suspicion is that she's a new face in town. But she's also a figure of wealth and power, and if the protagonist is wrong about his suspicion, or simply can't prove that he's right, he's going to get his backside handed to him. And he knows it. So he takes the only measure he can to protect himself.
But that's not good enough to prevent two of the other antagonists from finding out one of their own is in the protagonist's sights. In fact, these two anticipated the protagonist's move. They counter it and move forward with their own plans.
I wrote five pages today.
Day 40 of writing my new novel is done.
Friday, May 7, 2010
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Day 39, May 6, 2010
I wrote another six pages today, and the whole process is beginning to remind me of a 20K run I did in Chicago a long time ago. The course was laid out, in part, on an out-and-back path along Lake Michigan. So while the recreational runner types like me were still on our way out, the elite runners were already on their way back and, man, those guys were flying. I'd have been happy to be able to run one or two miles at that speed, much less 20K.
I remember thinking at the time some of those runners will have to dial it back. They can't all maintain that pace the whole way. Of course, I never found out because by the time I finished they'd all gone home, got married and started a family.
Anyway, I feel like I'm writing at an elite pace now and I want to keep it up for at least a couple more weeks. I think I can do it; I'm pretty sure I can, but we'll have to see. At the end of the month I know I'll have to set a lesser pace because I'll be going out of town to do research for a new novel, and writing on the road, for me, is never as productive as writing at home.
Today's scenes include the protagonist getting a taste of how miserable the antagonists can make things for him just by doing little things. And a principal character comes to understand just what it would take for her to become a killer by reaching the point where the death of another seems to be her best choice.
Day 39 of writing my new novel is done.
I remember thinking at the time some of those runners will have to dial it back. They can't all maintain that pace the whole way. Of course, I never found out because by the time I finished they'd all gone home, got married and started a family.
Anyway, I feel like I'm writing at an elite pace now and I want to keep it up for at least a couple more weeks. I think I can do it; I'm pretty sure I can, but we'll have to see. At the end of the month I know I'll have to set a lesser pace because I'll be going out of town to do research for a new novel, and writing on the road, for me, is never as productive as writing at home.
Today's scenes include the protagonist getting a taste of how miserable the antagonists can make things for him just by doing little things. And a principal character comes to understand just what it would take for her to become a killer by reaching the point where the death of another seems to be her best choice.
Day 39 of writing my new novel is done.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Day 38, May 5, 2010
Today was one of those days when the world intruded. Both business matters and personal matters took big chunks out of the day…and I still managed to write six-and-a half pages. Yeah, that's a little bit of boasting, but more important than that, it's a comment on how hard the story has grabbed me. I'm having a lot of fun writing it, and I've built up a good deal of momentum. I raced past the page 200 marker and stopped for the day at page 205.
If you've ever done any drift snorkeling, that's the way I felt today. If you haven't done any drift snorkeling, it works like this: A boat takes you out to point A on some nice, clear, warm stretch of water and picks you up at point B. You can't stay where you started because a current carries you along. When you swim with the current, it feels like you're jet propelled.
That's what today's writing felt like, whoosh!
On the more substantive side of things, the antagonists cause a headache for the protagonist, get him good and PO'd, too. A satirical comic strip is used by the antagonists to anger another character, and to subvert her reputation. And lastly, the lead antagonist hatches a plot to bring down someone who truly deserves it, the escalating sexual predator.
Day 38 of writing my new novel is done.
If you've ever done any drift snorkeling, that's the way I felt today. If you haven't done any drift snorkeling, it works like this: A boat takes you out to point A on some nice, clear, warm stretch of water and picks you up at point B. You can't stay where you started because a current carries you along. When you swim with the current, it feels like you're jet propelled.
That's what today's writing felt like, whoosh!
On the more substantive side of things, the antagonists cause a headache for the protagonist, get him good and PO'd, too. A satirical comic strip is used by the antagonists to anger another character, and to subvert her reputation. And lastly, the lead antagonist hatches a plot to bring down someone who truly deserves it, the escalating sexual predator.
Day 38 of writing my new novel is done.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Day 37, May 4, 2010
Today started with the protagonist hearing from another oracle; there's no rule that says you can't have more than one. But you probably shouldn't have more than two or you might start veering toward satire. In this scene, the protagonist gets two clues that will figure into the ultimate outcome of the story, but at this point the clues are more perplexing than helpful. In today's second scene, another threat is received from the antagonists. At first glance, the purpose of this threat is thought to be mere aggravation, but then it's realized the purpose could be to confuse those whose job it is to counter the threat.
Put simply, today was a day of story machinations, gears within gears. Requiring the reader to keep paying attention.
Five-plus pages written was today's tally.
Day 37 of writing my new novel is done.
Put simply, today was a day of story machinations, gears within gears. Requiring the reader to keep paying attention.
Five-plus pages written was today's tally.
Day 37 of writing my new novel is done.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Day 36, May 3, 2010
Today I wrote another five pages filling out the backstory of three antagonists, who are obviously very important characters. This last section brings them up to the present day. More important, today's work gave me two important plot ideas on how to wrap up the story.
Plot, done right, is an organic by-product of character. Brave people do brave things. Cowardly people do not do brave things, no matter how much a good woman might love them or how profound an epiphany they might experience. If there's just one bit of advice any writer should pass along to others, and remember himself, it's: Can the clichés.
If you write character honestly, you'll write your characters' actions believably.
The better you know your characters, the more choices you'll have as to what they might do.
Day 36 of writing my new novel is done.
Plot, done right, is an organic by-product of character. Brave people do brave things. Cowardly people do not do brave things, no matter how much a good woman might love them or how profound an epiphany they might experience. If there's just one bit of advice any writer should pass along to others, and remember himself, it's: Can the clichés.
If you write character honestly, you'll write your characters' actions believably.
The better you know your characters, the more choices you'll have as to what they might do.
Day 36 of writing my new novel is done.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Day 35, May 2, 2010
Today's writing continued the subject I began yesterday: filling in the background of three antagonists. Yesterday, I commented on the placement of such material in the arc of the storyline. I believe it should fall somewhere in the middle of the story at a point dictated by the development of the plot. In other words, there should be story logic as to where this type of material is placed.
The question I faced today is how long should such biographical information continue? Yesterday, I wrote five-plus pages and today I did the same, and tomorrow I'll do probably a couple more. That's thirteen pages on one facet of the story. Far more than I'd devote to an average scene. But, to be fair, the material is divided into a number of scenes.
Still, how long can you let other characters cool their heels. The answer, I think, is for as long as the background stuff is interesting and contributing essential information to the story, i.e. furthering the reader's understanding of what's going on.
The popular lit superstar of the moment is the late, great Stieg Larsson. In his second Millennium novel, he has the reader cruising along with his fearless heroine Lisbeth Salander from the start of the book and well into it. Then he has Lisbeth take a powder for a very long time. Even the other characters in the story wonder what the heck has happened to her. Of course, there are different rules for every writer (as to what a publisher will accept), and were Larsson still alive, there would be precious few restrictions on him.
Thing is, though, he put Lisbeth on the shelf for a good chunk of his book and got it published before he was famous.
My takeaway from that is to keep the parts of your story that you like and take your chances.
Day 35 of writing my new novel is done.
The question I faced today is how long should such biographical information continue? Yesterday, I wrote five-plus pages and today I did the same, and tomorrow I'll do probably a couple more. That's thirteen pages on one facet of the story. Far more than I'd devote to an average scene. But, to be fair, the material is divided into a number of scenes.
Still, how long can you let other characters cool their heels. The answer, I think, is for as long as the background stuff is interesting and contributing essential information to the story, i.e. furthering the reader's understanding of what's going on.
The popular lit superstar of the moment is the late, great Stieg Larsson. In his second Millennium novel, he has the reader cruising along with his fearless heroine Lisbeth Salander from the start of the book and well into it. Then he has Lisbeth take a powder for a very long time. Even the other characters in the story wonder what the heck has happened to her. Of course, there are different rules for every writer (as to what a publisher will accept), and were Larsson still alive, there would be precious few restrictions on him.
Thing is, though, he put Lisbeth on the shelf for a good chunk of his book and got it published before he was famous.
My takeaway from that is to keep the parts of your story that you like and take your chances.
Day 35 of writing my new novel is done.
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Day 34, May 1, 2010
When I read a novel, I like to know a few things about the principal characters, say a character profile, not a Doris Kearns Goodwin biography. So I feel it's only fair that when I write I provide a decent amount of background on the central characters. Figures of mystery bore me. They also make me wonder about a writer's ability to create characters you might recognize if you bumped into them at the opening of a play or at your child's playground.
So if you're going to provide some biographical info, a/k/a backstory, on a character, when is a good time to do it? Not in the middle of an action sequence: We interrupt this fight to the death to bring you a Hallmark moment. Not good. It's also not wise to front-load a life story, at least in popular fiction, because you want the plot to carry the reader into at least the second chapter and probably farther. Withholding a character's personal details until the last moment smacks of a Morris the Explainer ending where somebody has to make clear what's been going on. Very clunky technique.
So what does that leave? Yes, the great middle. Ideally the point at which we get to know someone should be dictated by story logic. That is, some action should take place that makes the reader ask: Hey, why'd he, she, they do that? The biographical info that follows should answer the question. It's still Morris the Explainer, but he's a much more welcome guest if he arrives in the middle of the party rather than early or late.
That's the way I feel, anyhow. And that's what I did today, wrote five-plus pages filling in the blanks on who three of the story's antagonists are and why they act the way they do.
Day 34 of writing my new novel is done.
So if you're going to provide some biographical info, a/k/a backstory, on a character, when is a good time to do it? Not in the middle of an action sequence: We interrupt this fight to the death to bring you a Hallmark moment. Not good. It's also not wise to front-load a life story, at least in popular fiction, because you want the plot to carry the reader into at least the second chapter and probably farther. Withholding a character's personal details until the last moment smacks of a Morris the Explainer ending where somebody has to make clear what's been going on. Very clunky technique.
So what does that leave? Yes, the great middle. Ideally the point at which we get to know someone should be dictated by story logic. That is, some action should take place that makes the reader ask: Hey, why'd he, she, they do that? The biographical info that follows should answer the question. It's still Morris the Explainer, but he's a much more welcome guest if he arrives in the middle of the party rather than early or late.
That's the way I feel, anyhow. And that's what I did today, wrote five-plus pages filling in the blanks on who three of the story's antagonists are and why they act the way they do.
Day 34 of writing my new novel is done.
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