DTD — Crisis of Confidence/ Restructure

Thursday I left the story happy with my words, but not happy with the overall direction of the story.

Friday night, watching a DVD with Matt, I suddenly realized what the story was missing… but didn’t know how to fix it.

I woke up this morning with a pretty good idea of how to fix it…and this afternoon in Starbucks while watching our coffees (okay, HIS coffee, and the kid’s and my frappachinos, because I’m a coffee wuss) while the kid found a toy he’s been wanting that just came out, I pulled out my notebook and started scribbling ideas.

With the pen on the paper, I started getting the direction I needed to take narrowed down to individuals and scenes. And I came up with a sharp, clean structure that limits the story to one year of book time, and divides it into four seasons, starting with SUMMER.

And when I got home, I pulled out the computer, and opened up Scrivener, and spent about an hour reworking my Sentence, and inserting an entire new first third to the novel (via index cards and Sentences Lite).

Tomorrow night, I’ll start in with the new chapter one. I’m totally jazzed. (And yeah, I’m writing on my day off, but since I didn’t write actual fiction, it doesn’t count, right? ๐Ÿ˜€ )

Sure it counts. I didn’t get any words of fiction, but I got awesome conflict. Today kicked ASS!

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32 responses to “DTD — Crisis of Confidence/ Restructure”

  1. Glynis Smy Avatar

    I was sitting at my daughter’s wedding and suddenly had a thought about my WiP! I found an envelope from her cards, whipped into the toilet and wrote out the notes. On the monday and I had a new chapter written. I felt my time well spent, married off DD1 and wrote something positive!

  2. Elise Avatar
    Elise

    I am so glad to hear that you, too, need to rework things after a good start. I’ve written a bunch of scenes that aren’t on my plot board (I use Post-Its on a board hung on my wall rather than index cards) and need to figure out how things are going to work from here. It may be a few days before I’m able to move forward again (my muse is lazier than yours), but I’ll be back with word counts soon.

  3. ceecee Avatar
    ceecee

    Spent several hours on Friday revamping and dissecting cards for upcoming revisions. Today, I set up a test scene and tried 3 different POVs for it. Interesting process and results. Not sure what to do–I’d hate to have to go through a whole first draft and change POV but if it seems right, I will. Will be setting up for full-on revisions on Monday. I’m still going to keep up at least the minimum word-count on the fantasy in progress while I revise the mystery. Good Words, All!

  4. tamlyn Avatar

    I finished my first draft a couple of weeks ago. Ever since I finished, the nagging suspicion I had chosen the wrong character to be the main one in my book didn’t leave me. I wrote a couple of scenes with her, and I just felt such a connection, I could write her with ease, had her all fleshed out, something my current MC is not.

    He is still part of the book, as he is the love interest, but it needs a big shift around to make her the main focus of the story, not him. Funny thing is, that I realized this earlier in the book, but I wanted to finish it, and just ploughed on with my plot in mind. This was a really good lesson though ๐Ÿ™‚

    Now there is another consideration: keep it in third person or go to first ๐Ÿ™‚

    I am going on vacation for a week, will bring my laptop so I can make notes, and maybe write a first chapter in both “persons”.

    Anyway, lots of blabbering while all I wanted to tell you was: good luck!

  5. Eddie Avatar

    I’m so inspired by Holly and all you other people with your daily progress reports. I’m a little sad that I can’t quite fully join in yet on producing words of actual fiction as I’m still in the planning stages of this novel. However, even though the idea has been in my head for almost two years- sleeping, dormant, germinating- now that it’s finally starting to develop, I’m just itching to start writing!

    Thing is, it’s still got a lot of work to do before I really know where I’m going with it, and I’m hoping to use it for my NaNo this year, so I can’t start writing it properly until November anyway. But maybe I’ll be able to coax another slumbering idea into being or rework some of my old NaNos in the meantime!

    Thanks for inspiring me everyone! And keep up the great work. It really is the greatest feeling in the world when it just *clicks* or you get progress done. ^_^

  6. Lucca Avatar
    Lucca

    Yesterday, trying to organize my scenes with real index cards, I started to feel tempted to buy a Mac to get Scrivener, for real… my storyline is getting playfully complex and the cards are helping me get a real grasp of it and give some direction and fill the gaps.

    Browsing the How to Think Sideways forums I bumped into SuperNotecard (runs on both, Mac and Pc) and loaded my paper cards there and started tagging them and all that. At midnight I got a perspective of my book I never had. I’m reworking the timeline too and starting to create the missing scenes.

    I’d never have done that without a writer’s application, it’s impossible to track all that in your head no matter how anal and color-code-maniac you are…

    650 words describing new scenes for me…

  7. Roo Avatar
    Roo

    Hurt. Tired. 6x word quota.
    (Thank you guys. I don’t know what would be going on if you weren’t here.)

    NOT DONE WITH THE SECTION. Grrr.
    *looooooong sigh*

  8. Sarah Collins Avatar

    Congrats, Holly – from another coffee wuss. =c)

    No fiction words for me Saturday. I did finish a nonfiction project and my client paid in full within 24 hours, so I’ll still call it a good day. =c)

  9. Red_dot Avatar
    Red_dot

    496 words at my fav coffee house. It was nice to have my youngest son with me, we both drank lattes. Finding that while I am trying to learn how to write a scene, I will need to go back through my last 4 chapters. Pushing forward, but everyday is getting harder. I bought a toy as a visual for me to concentrate with. Still on Chapter 5.

  10. Don Avatar
    Don

    Did 819 I’m at 90 pages I need to add a few more things, and things can get cranking. I’m thinking about cutting some things down not allot just a little pruning. I’m curious anybidy using White Smoke? If you are what do you think of it?

  11. The Pencil Neck Avatar
    The Pencil Neck

    458 words.

    Probably a third or a quarter of the way through this scene. I expected to write more today but ended up working and then vegging instead.

    The old sheriff followed the bad guy to the bosses manor. Staying out of sight of the bad guy, he finds the mangled corpse of one of the security guards beneath the bushes and then hears a scream coming from the manor itself.

  12. Jules Andre Avatar

    Do you have an idea of how much of what you had gotten already will be kept with your new structure? Is everything gone?

  13. Danielle Avatar
    Danielle

    That’s so awesome! I love when the story manages to fix itself.

    And I’m glad I’m not the only one doing it. ๐Ÿ˜€

    Hooray for less-than-recalcitrant muses!

  14. Emily Avatar

    Wow. I’d be tearing my hair out right about now. I don’t know how you keep yourself together.
    Your post has made me realize that I’m too dependent. Given your situation, I’d be asking for ideas, help, guidance… anything from my critique group, HtTS workgroup, and you. I’d probably ask for help before really looking at the problem critically.
    Thank you for pointing out my crutch. I’ll be less apt to rely on it in the future. ๐Ÿ™‚

  15. Clare K. R. Miller Avatar

    That’s awesome! Mostly though I had to comment because I’m delighted to hear that you use Scrivener as well. It’s such a great program.

    I didn’t write for Saturday–went to the movies with my family instead.

  16. Ceallai Avatar
    Ceallai

    I’m new, can I join in?
    I’m working on something a bit futuristic, I hit 10 000 words today and I’ve got more background than is really necessary… :S

    1. Ieva Avatar

      Welcome in! *cheers*

  17. Charlene Teglia Avatar

    Yay for breakthroughs!

    I’ve hit the halfway point on 2nd novella of Write Along With Me. After this wraps up, I have edits and then I’ll move onto the book.

  18. Lisa R Avatar
    Lisa R

    Holly, your enthusiasm makes me want to be home writing! Well, also, I have been wanting to write but as soon as I got home last night from work I crashed. Hopefully, I have caught up on my sleep and will be able to get some words down tonight. I might also cheat today and write during lunch.

  19. Ieva Avatar

    This sounds absolutely great.

    I didn’t do anything for the novel (except for marking 2 chapters for edits and finding tidbits of stuff for me to go on), but I wrote 2000+ words on a nice new short story practically on a whim. So I’m very happy with myself.

  20. megan Avatar
    megan

    how cool Holly.

  21. Dana Avatar

    Sounds like a great day, Holly! Congrats!

    I’ve been plugging away on the outline and working my way through 2YN. Things are going pretty good. Using a conflict/resolution structure is really pushing things along.

  22. Brian P. Avatar
    Brian P.

    Wow – I had the same thing. Didn’t write at all yesterday because I was stuck in the middle of a scene. Today, I figured what how to continue but realized it changed my whole outline. I’m glad I was only part way into that outline! The story suddenly has more urgency and really hits home the danger the whole world is in. I’m about to continue writing, I’ll report back on how many words later!

    1. Brian P. Avatar
      Brian P.

      755 words and new scene 3 is done!

  23. Erin Kendall Avatar

    Congrats!

    I wrote 1907 words today, more than I’ve written for the longest time and it felt GOOD.

    Cheers,
    Erin K.

  24. Nancy Avatar
    Nancy

    Wow, congrats Holly. It is so amazing to watch you work. Glad to hear that inspiriation is alive and well in the Lisle household… Frappucinos are sooo Muse food.

    I’m chugging along. Managed 511 words today. The Purger and his Seeker are on the hunt for my MC, and now she’s on the run. Poor thing, it’s destined to be a short race.

  25. Brent B. Avatar
    Brent B.

    889,

    A snowball fight that . . . *ahem*, snowballs . . . into a real fight. My outmatched MC spends a lot of time getting knocked down and getting to know the snow better. If this is what MC’s own brother does to him, then I can’t wait to see what happens when the real bad guys come along.

  26. Leah Avatar
    Leah

    Yeah, I hit a glitch two days ago too, and between it and a really busy schedule, I got no writing done. However, I do have a plan now ๐Ÿ™‚ So I guess my Muse has been fixing it in my head while I’ve been working.

  27. Jessica Avatar
    Jessica

    Congrats on the revamping Holly! Don’t you just love it when the muse strikes and things click?

    I was starting to feel like I had left my inspiration back at the office – so nice and quiet there it’s easier to concentrate – but I’m feeling some words coming into my fingers now. It must be an environmental thing. And the headache is gone, which helps too. ๐Ÿ™‚

    1. Jessica Avatar
      Jessica

      1720! Which means I should break 20K if I write tomorrow. ๐Ÿ™‚ Although the headache came back I think it was more the quiet background music I was listening too that made the second scene turn really sad! I almost cried.
      It was a good night – for me, not the MCs.

  28. Don Avatar
    Don

    Funny you should say that I was happy with the over all direction, the structure I wasnโ€™t happy with. I made some notes added a scene moved the time line added a love interest and now it works. Did another 850 words today, going to do a little more tweaking tomorrow then proceed on for the next 20,000 do another mid course correction, over all a good day.

  29. Brian Cansler Avatar

    Good to hear I’m not the only one reworking my plot in a major way!

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