I'm celebrating my twelfth story from A Story A Week today.
Twelve weeks. That leaves only forty stories still to write.
If this endeavor can be compared to a marathon, I'm feeling the first burn right now. I'm starting to wonder if this was a good idea. It's a big commitment. I'm spending more time writing short stories than I am novels. I have a bunch of short stories I'd like to polish, but I don't have time. Creatively, I'm drained.
But then I remind myself -- after this year there will be time to polish. And I'll have 52 stories under my belt. And hopefully I'll be a better writer than when I started.
It's that last point especially that keeps me going.
Stay tuned for this week's short story ... coming right up!
Showing posts with label mini-post. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mini-post. Show all posts
Tuesday, 13 April 2010
Monday, 12 April 2010
Mini-post #5: Abandon
I've made the decision to abandon another book on my Fill in the Gaps project list. I'm so embarrassed to admit which one it is, because I *should* enjoy it. The author is celebrated, beloved. It's literary, it's middle-grade, the subject matter is deep and personal.
Still, I wanted to quit on page 64. I had no desire to keep reading.
But I made myself keep reading.
Now I'm on page one-hundred-something. Again, no desire to keep reading.
The book is due on Thursday. I've had it out for two months and have run out of renewals. Maybe it's time to move on.
Besides that, City of Bones arrived for me at my library today. And also The Yiddish Policeman's Union. And also the amazing Annie Dillard's Living By Fiction. I have to move on with my reading life.
Now I'll admit it. The book I'm abandoning is Homecoming by Cynthia Voigt. Don't all throw tomatoes at me at once!
Still, I wanted to quit on page 64. I had no desire to keep reading.
But I made myself keep reading.
Now I'm on page one-hundred-something. Again, no desire to keep reading.
The book is due on Thursday. I've had it out for two months and have run out of renewals. Maybe it's time to move on.
Besides that, City of Bones arrived for me at my library today. And also The Yiddish Policeman's Union. And also the amazing Annie Dillard's Living By Fiction. I have to move on with my reading life.
Now I'll admit it. The book I'm abandoning is Homecoming by Cynthia Voigt. Don't all throw tomatoes at me at once!
Mini-post #4: Voice
I'm pretty sure I disagree with most of the world on this.
I think the "voice" of the story should be the character's voice, regardless the point of view. To give an example, the mc of a story I recently wrote is a British expatriate woman. Because of this, the language in the story is entirely different from the language I use for my YA novels. I wrote the story in third person. Still, I wanted to use her pattern of speech to tell it. I wanted her voice.
But many would argue that writers need to find "their own voice," that sets one person's writing apart from the rest of the world's.
Is there a perfect balance here? Is a balance even possible?
What do you think? I really want to know.
I think the "voice" of the story should be the character's voice, regardless the point of view. To give an example, the mc of a story I recently wrote is a British expatriate woman. Because of this, the language in the story is entirely different from the language I use for my YA novels. I wrote the story in third person. Still, I wanted to use her pattern of speech to tell it. I wanted her voice.
But many would argue that writers need to find "their own voice," that sets one person's writing apart from the rest of the world's.
Is there a perfect balance here? Is a balance even possible?
What do you think? I really want to know.
Friday, 9 April 2010
Mini-post #3: Fill in the Gaps
I posted last night on the Fill in the Gaps project blog, just to give an update on my progress. Click here to read it.
Is anyone else doing this challenge? Or are you involved in another reading plan?
I personally love having a list of books to read. It helps me to be more deliberate & thoughtful about what I put in front of my face.
Is anyone else doing this challenge? Or are you involved in another reading plan?
I personally love having a list of books to read. It helps me to be more deliberate & thoughtful about what I put in front of my face.
Mini-post #2: Experiment
I am experimenting.
I am re-starting my WiP (in a blank document, just for the heck of it), but I am typing it in a weird font. I chose one that I thought my mc would pick. It may be too early to tell, but I think it's helping with voice.
Has anyone else tried this? (Of course, I'll switch back to Times New Roman 12pt when I'm done.)
I am re-starting my WiP (in a blank document, just for the heck of it), but I am typing it in a weird font. I chose one that I thought my mc would pick. It may be too early to tell, but I think it's helping with voice.
Has anyone else tried this? (Of course, I'll switch back to Times New Roman 12pt when I'm done.)
Mini-post #1: Susan's Contest
The sensational Susan Fields is having a 100-blog-follower contest. Congratulations, Susan! If you like to buy books, you should enter, because you might win and then you will be able to buy MORE books.
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