Like what?
Like dialogue, voice, pacing and info dump.
I'm pretty sure my book is going to be a paragraph long when I get through making all the changes that need to be made.
Boy meets girl. They fall in love. They have conflict. They get over conflict. They live happily ever after. The end.
See. That's about all that's left.
I might even have to remove The end since it's implied.
My emotions get the better of me too.
I embrace making the changes. Yes, this will make the story better.
Then I get angry while I make them. Why should I have to change this? This is exactly what I wanted to say or how I wanted to say it!
And I get upset with the other class members. They post great stuff or great questions and I'm having trouble absorbing the damn lessons to begin with.
It truly is a great class though. The writing tools that I am learning will make a huge difference in my writing.
If I let them.
I am admitting to the world that I watched Teen Wolf on MTV. It's not bad. Not great but the characters are interesting and its holding my attention. Plus the guys are kinda hot. Not Nathan Fillion hot or Alex O’Loughlin hot or even Ryan Reynolds hot but, hey, few are. Actually the sidekick is my favorite character. He kind of steals the show.
Off to do more homework.
Important tip from class: Ms. James tells us to read our work aloud. It's a great way to catch mistakes or awkward dialogue.
I always read aloud, you can't beat it for catching cumbersome sentences.
ReplyDeleteOh, you forgot Karl Urban hot!
Glad your finding it useful despite the painfulness of it all. I'm sure it will all get easier to absorb with time.
ReplyDeleteKeep us updated.
mood
Moody Writing
@mooderino
i hate going back over my wip so many times, but i hav taken out a load of cool, (to me) yet unnecessary to the flow of the story, info dumps ie, tmi
ReplyDeleteand thanks for the tip =)
i will hav to check out teen wolf...
yes, Heather, I always read out loud especially when I'm stuck on dialogue or a scene. You're working on your current wip while taking this class and it will be better. And I'm certain it will be more than a paragraph long!
ReplyDeleteTracey Lyons
You'll get through it! And reading out loud is a great way to catch sucky dialogue. (Not that you have any, but I sure did.)
ReplyDeleteWriting is hard. My first taste of a writing class was nice, and I know I learned a lot, but to this day I still find myself disagreeing with the comments some of my fellow classmates said about my work. AND what my professor said. But that's what it's like with all feedback. Some of it sticks, some of it will make your jaw drop as you wonder why you hadn't already thought of that, and some of it will leave a bad taste in your mouth. Keep going at it :) Nothing good comes easy, after all!
ReplyDeleteI wanted to try Teen Wolf, but they've taken off the first few episodes from on-demand. SO. I'm not starting at episode 4! Comcast decided for me, I guess.
Wendy - When you first said Karl Urban I thought that was a country singer. I had to look him up. YUMMM. I know exactly who that is and yes...Karl Urban is hot! Thanks for the reminder.
ReplyDeleteMood - Thank you. Will do. I expect by the end I am going to be awesome!
Tara - I hear ya. She said we better be in love with our stories. I still am, I just need to make it farther than the first few chapters each time. And mine is short compared to some others in the class.
Tracey - HI! Yes. It has been helpful to read out loud. It's amazing what your brain will skim over but your mouth won't. Hmmm. That doesn't sound right at all!
Alex - I know it! My dialogue doesn't suck too bad (according to me) but I tend to think 'We'll' but type 'We will'. You know?
Jessica - It's true. Nothing good comes easy.
MTV online was showing the full episodes if you are still interested.
Thanks for all the comments. You guys always make me feel better!
Heather
I'll be finishing my third round of revisions and then comes the last bit... Reading my work aloud. I've heard it works and having tried it I know it works! It's incredible what you can catch.
ReplyDeletePatience and Perserverence are the two keys in writing. Both are needed to keep a level head until it's the proper time to send your work out.
Love your blog! Great post! I do hope you'll stop by my blog Unedited to say hello!
I know exactly how you feel, but when you look at the finished product you'll see what a difference strict editing makes. It'll amaze you. Each revision makes it more perfect.
ReplyDeleteTeen Wolf the original? I watched the one with Michael J Fox. :)
Ah, making it further than the first few chapters... I don't think I've ever made it more than 5 chapters into writing a novel, but switching to scripts and serial fiction has worked well for my output and actually finishing things. I guess I just like the punch from a finished episode even if the larger story is ongoing. Sounds like a good class though.
ReplyDeleteJen - Thank you. Appreciate the comments. I am already a long time follower of your blog! Thanks so much for visiting.
ReplyDeleteLaila - I agree. It will make a big difference.
MTV is re-doing Teen Wolf as a TV show.
David - I always wanted to write a script. Leave out all that boring description crap. This is the only story I have finished but I have others in the works.
HMG
I think we may be taking the same class. I'm really enjoying it. Lots of things to think about, especially passive voice and show don't tell. That's one of the easiest things to pick out and hardest to fix, at least for me.
ReplyDeleteReading aloud is really helpful, too. Amazing how much you can catch.
Glad you are enjoying the class! I find reading aloud helps too.
ReplyDeleteRegarding TEEN WOLF, yeah. Stiles totally steals the show.
Very funny...and all so true! I've never had the pleasure of taking a writing class. I just learn as I go.
ReplyDeleteStacy - Yes. We are both taking Ms. Angela's class. It is amazing how much has changed in just a few classes. See you there.
ReplyDeleteLiz - Thank you. Stiles really is hilarious. All the best lines but his expressions...awesome.
Nancy - I have now ages quite a bit and realized that I needed help when all my queries were rejected. I'm calling it an investment in me.
Thanks for stopping in!
HMG