Category: Stand-Alone Fiction
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Today was a heavy, brutal rip-through… but I like what I got in the end
I hit a part of the novel today that I got way, way wrong in first draft. And while I’d estimate that in FACT I wrote close to 2000 words — over a period of three straight hours of hauling ass — what I was left with after ripping out that big first-draft nosedive into…
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Second take on Ohio 2 done in first draft
So… I didn’t use a word of the first version of Ohio 2. Even my “and’s” and “the’s” are brand new, and fresh and sparkling. NOW, HOWEVER… the novel sits for a week or two or maybe three while I outline Ohio Three. Ohio Three will also be brand-new. I won’t even be reading the…
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Last day of the year… and about ready to get back to work
It hasn’t been the best year in my life. It hasn’t been the worst, either. I wrecked four first drafts of my Ohio Series (books two through five) by exuberatant pantsing. After a longish Think Week and some time spent away from fiction writing and away from deadlines, I’m rested and ready to go through…
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Why I’ve been AWOL from blogging (AKA the dangers of stand-sliding on the playground)
In my first run through my five-novel Ohio series, I carefully plotted the first book, wrote it, love it… And carefully plotted the next four books. Followed by ignoring my outlines and pantsing the novels. Why? Because it was fun, it was exciting, it was like being a kindergarten kid again, standing on the top…
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To 169 on the write-in of Ohio 2
A lot of stuff is going from this part, to be replaced by some significantly better stuff following a line of thought my editor pointed out to me. I’m excited by how things started coming together here.
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Still replotting, still restructuring on Ohio 3
There’s damn little I’m going to be able to save. Ohio 3 is lost in the weeds. So at this point, I’m barely even looking for things to save. I’m just looking for the story I wanted to tell but didn’t, and if I can use any of what I already wrote, great. If not……
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Good news, BAD news on the Ohio Novels.
Finished up the type-in revision of Ohio 2 yesterday, and I love the book. Printed out the revised manuscript this morning, and have it set up for Matt to edit when he has time. And then I opened up Ohio 3. <cue theme from Jaws: beat head repeatedly on desk with vigor and frustration… but in…
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Ohio 2 Revision: To page 398 of 431
Pretty decent day. This part of the book took significant reworking, and I’m betting this is going to be one of the places where my editor finds out I struggled a bit. But I love what I finally ended up with. And I stand a pretty good chance of finishing the revision on Monday. I…
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Revised Ohio 2 through page 369 — and very happy with my progress.
Today was one of the weirder parts of Book 2, and it’s been a while since I’ve seen it. I was afraid it might not hold up. But it did. I found myself laughing in the right places, and getting choked up in the right places, and while there were some story issues I had…
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Catching up on the updates: Starting at page 291 on the Ohio 2 revision
The last couple days have been hectic, and I’ve managed to miss blogging twice. But I’ve gotten my revision pages every day. This morning, I’m starting the write-in revision on page 291. The last page in the novel is 431. I won’t get there today, but I’ll make good headway toward getting there, and might…