I just finished writing Year of the Dog ! It had a massive plot hole that I had to fix which turned out to be more work than I expected. Here’s a snippet: “Hey, Auntie Nell.” He wrapped his arms around her, bussing her on the cheek and breathing in pikake flowers and shortbread cookies. And suddenly he was nine years old again, and her solid presence had made his chaotic world stable once more. “What are you doing here?” He usually took her to dinner on Wednesday nights, but today was Tuesday. The edges of her smile faltered a little before brightening right back up again. “What, I can’t visit my nephew?” She angled around him to enter his home. “Is this your new house? Looks lovely.” Which was a blatant lie, because the fixer-upper was barely livable, much less acceptable to a neat-freak like his aunt. She also left four matching pink and purple floral suitcases on the stoop behind her. Only then did Ashwin notice the cab driver standing slightly to the side of the walkway. “Can ...
10/12/04
Hahaha! I finally figured out how to post pictures.
I got some great plotting and characterization done yesterday. I've found, over and over again, that my characterization process is integral to my plotting. The way the characters flesh themselves out determines where the plot goes. Who a character is--her inner values--will ultimately control what choices she makes as the story progresses. Each step in the plot is a direct result of how she acts in response to what happened previously, versus the character just reacting to the rocks thrown at her.
Heather's blog yesterday talked about a fear she has, which resembles something I felt earlier: "What if the only reason God has me pursuing writing is to encourage others not to give up?" I had wondered if God wanted me to learn the writing craft only to teach other writers, never to be published myself. And while that scared and saddened me, I realized that even if that's what He wants for me, that's okay. I can trust that I'd be HAPPY with that. He wouldn't put me someplace where I'd be unhappy to serve Him (unless it's for a set time and to teach me something vital). So while I still think about that, I'm fine with it. I'm enjoying what I'm doing now, and after all, I didn't start pursuing writing with the aim of being published. I want to serve God, first and foremost, even if publication never comes my way. I wouldn't have started down this path if I hadn't placed my heart in that place, because I didn't want to only chase my own desires, I wanted to make sure I was in God's will.
I'm praying I stay that way.
Okay, Heather is bugging me to post this, so no more tweaking.
Hahaha! I finally figured out how to post pictures.
I got some great plotting and characterization done yesterday. I've found, over and over again, that my characterization process is integral to my plotting. The way the characters flesh themselves out determines where the plot goes. Who a character is--her inner values--will ultimately control what choices she makes as the story progresses. Each step in the plot is a direct result of how she acts in response to what happened previously, versus the character just reacting to the rocks thrown at her.
Heather's blog yesterday talked about a fear she has, which resembles something I felt earlier: "What if the only reason God has me pursuing writing is to encourage others not to give up?" I had wondered if God wanted me to learn the writing craft only to teach other writers, never to be published myself. And while that scared and saddened me, I realized that even if that's what He wants for me, that's okay. I can trust that I'd be HAPPY with that. He wouldn't put me someplace where I'd be unhappy to serve Him (unless it's for a set time and to teach me something vital). So while I still think about that, I'm fine with it. I'm enjoying what I'm doing now, and after all, I didn't start pursuing writing with the aim of being published. I want to serve God, first and foremost, even if publication never comes my way. I wouldn't have started down this path if I hadn't placed my heart in that place, because I didn't want to only chase my own desires, I wanted to make sure I was in God's will.
I'm praying I stay that way.
Okay, Heather is bugging me to post this, so no more tweaking.
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