So a touch late with this blog, I wanted to do weekly updates but I found after a week of writing i didn’t have much to say except “getting there but it’s hard going” which in retrospect is an ideal outcome from writing. Every time I’ve written something and it was easy going I’ve realised after the fact that it was not my best work. Less thought had gone into it, maybe? Less struggle, so less success, maybe? Although saying that I could always have it a little easier going. Who wouldn’t?
So NaNoWriMo July Camp update. I’m continuing work on my collection of short stories and also on the expanded draft of what I called A Cold Cautionary Tale.
The original feedback I received about it was very positive. The only thing people asked about or for was more of it. Each feedback giver in their own way expressed a desire for it to be longer, to have more detail, more time with the primary character, etc. So took the idea and see where I could expand it out since I had to cut much of the first draft to fit the word count for both my class submission (the original reason for writing it) and the Reedsy submission that I also used it for that week. Both was 3000 words and my final draft of the short story came in at 2997 and that had been a painful day of cutting.
Rereading it a few months after last looking at it was interesting. I saw quite a few parts where I need improvement. While it was shortlisted as a Reedsy submission (which made my month), I can see why it didn’t win. I then took the basic story idea from fresh and broke it back down into a 5 act structure. I thought it would be easy, after all it had come from one, it would go back into one. Well turns out it was much harder to write the story I now know into it. After much fiddling and restructuring, I tried something a little new to me. I broke it down into three stages, I hesitate to call them acts or books to avoid confusion as im already using those terms elsewhere, each of those stages I then wrote as a 5 act structure story. Each one is a self contained step within the greater plot line but is very worthy of its own large spotlight. I can see why writers such as Joe Abercrombie and Brandon Sanderson do things this way. Allows a flexibility and ease of plotting that I had been lacking. Or maybe a more nuanced structure to work within brings out better in me, who knows.
Anyway I got it written out and had space and ideas for each section. A series of minor problems for my protagonist. This is where I get to shout out the wonderful interface of Scrivener, being able to have the plan always open as a separate smaller thin window to the side of my screen while I get to work on the main body of my text is amazing. Allows me to keep track of where I am and where I need to go missing nothing.
Now I’ve detailed what that project is I can give a proper update. I’m drawing towards the end of the first Stage. What is called “The Book of the Dead”. This week I should be able to get started on the second stage, what I’m calling “The Book of the Lost”. The ultimate stage is called “The Book of the Lonely”.
I have the first draft of my other long form writing a novella but i think it has legs, mostly complete. Titled “The Doom That Came to Egypt”. I’m not super happy with the first draft, needs serious reworking but it’s a pleasant start and gets a lot of basic plot exploration down. Least it’s figured out, recorded. Editing of that is a much later task.
The last few days I’ve been working on what would be another Reedsy submission but I was too lazy to get it done in time for the submission but I like the idea enough that I think I can expand it out a bit too. A headsman’s first day at work where he experiences second thoughts before going out. Will see where it goes, but it’s more of a fun distraction than anything serious I think.
