Saturday Night (not) At The Movies…

So. You’re writing. You got words. Or didn’t.

What’s the story on your story?

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30 responses to “Saturday Night (not) At The Movies…”

  1. John Avatar
    John

    My big problem is the structure of the story I’m working on. The best analogies I can give to it are Citizen Kane and Highlander- where the story starts near the end and through various flashbacks we’re brought up to speed on events before the finale. Thing is, there is of course a larger picture than the one glimpsed in the story and several plot points concerning the lead character have to be delayed, so the flashbacks don’t occur in linear fashion. Also, as presently constructed, the flashbacks each involve a different key character- including the lead- and we witness events from their perspective. I keep alternating between marveling how brilliant this could be and wondering what the hell was I thinking of!!! 😛 I’m about 60-70% done with the first draft, and I like the story a lot, but am not sure where to go with it…

    John

  2. Sallie Avatar
    Sallie

    Words … oodles of ’em over the last few days. 1328 yesterday and I wasn’t even close to finished when RL intruded and I had to go away … and the characters are going someplace completely unexpected, but very functional.

  3. Researcher Avatar
    Researcher

    I did not add any words; took a day off to paint/watercolor my city and add portraits of my characters. It is very helpful when I am looking for deeper layers in my characters or the unseen history of the town/city. How they obtained their scars, or peculiar traits. Works for me, hope this is helpful to someone else. Tomorrow back to words.

  4. Cat (from HtTS) Avatar

    My youngest started school this Saturday and my niece was baptized so I decided to take the weekend off. Today (Monday), I am terribly tired from all the work we did over the weekend but I’ll stick with it until my 2000 words are translated and my 10 pages edited. THEN, I’ll drop dead and let my hubby carry me to bed.

    1. Holly Avatar
      Holly

      From my perspective, that’s odd. Saturday school? Is that a regular thing, or an introductory get together for students and teachers?

      And hugs on the tiredness. That’s no fun.

      1. Cat (from HtTS) Avatar

        It’s an introduction day. The kids from the former fist class stage a play, the director of the school welcomes the new students and they get a big bag filled with sweets and toys. Then they have a single lesson where they get to know their teacher. After that it’s a celebration at home – very exhausting but fun.

  5. Gabby Avatar
    Gabby

    It was really hard getting started today and at first it just felt so mechanical. (I really hope I’ll be good at revising…MC walked to sink, turned on water, put soap on sponge. That kind of thing. I’m definitely struggling with that at times.) But the story is definitely moving forward and there are some nice twists and character development so I forced myself not to worry. Things did get smoother as I was writing. I finished up my new scene and added a few sentences for the next scene. Hopefully I won’t have quite so much trouble getting started tomorrow. (I had toruble stopping tonight). I’m thinking about having a minion make his shadowy presence known to the reader in the next scene. (I’ll have to sleep on that).

    1387 words today which is really great for me. WiP is now 15035 total; about 24 pages, and I have so much story left to tell. Woot! I’m so glad I get to write along with everyone. Your posts have been so inspiring. Thanks again, Holly!

    (LOL: my cat is snoring! It’s so funny. I guess it really is time to get some sleep now)

  6. KQ Avatar
    KQ

    1200 -ish. That’s for the whole weekend. I did figure out a way to make the dark moment a little darker for my MC, and I think it will work out well. I feel as though I really need to get my a$$ in gear and slog through.

  7. Meghan Avatar
    Meghan

    No writing on Friday or Saturday. Instead, I helped my husband work on some home improvement projects. I may have some trouble getting in my words this week since we are finishing renovating our kitchen (low budget renovations that require lots of elbow grease). About to write my 250 for tonight, Sunday night. Will be back to report once I get those words in.

  8. Jessica Avatar
    Jessica

    nothing for me either – spent most of the day on a road trip picking up furniture for a friend and dropping it off again. Got some great inspiration for scenery though!

  9. Don Avatar
    Don

    Got words 979 of them had a great time, things are going well got the ending pretty much worked out in my mind, getting there is going to be half the fun.
    Have a great week everybody.

  10. Sarah Collins Avatar

    No words on Saturday. Big non-fiction deadline hogged the ol’ keyboard.

    1. Holly Avatar
      Holly

      Yeah, that’s where any other sort of day job at all has it over a writing day job. It’s murder to write all day, and then write recreationally at night.

  11. Treelight Avatar
    Treelight

    Saturday was my second writing-free day of the week. Having not a bad conscience because of lacking progress and a lazy word-count made the weekend with my friends even better.

  12. Karen Avatar
    Karen

    Not as much writing this past week, but I did work on plot and answered a few questions that I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to answer. Also figured out the reasons behind my antagonist’s actions, which was very nice. The pieces are falling into place, it’s great! ^_^

  13. The Pencil Neck Avatar
    The Pencil Neck

    361 words.

    The sheriff got the bad guy talking, got him feeling comfortable, and then pretended to stumble into the bad guy’s foyer. And found bodies stacked like cordwood.

    To which, the bad guy smiled and said, “Sacrifices must be made.”

    And the sheriff couldn’t move.

    1. Holly Avatar
      Holly

      Oh. Nice. Well done.

  14. HannaBelle (formerly known as Belle) Avatar
    HannaBelle (formerly known as Belle)

    I got about 300 words on MC’s sister, her sister’s growing obsession with miracles and her father’s sense of humor but also his dark side.

    I know more, now, about the understanding of the map around them in their time frame.

    I got sidetracked with her sister’s obsession with miracles, which will play a critical role in MC’s demise.

    I am still not sure about the structure becuase MC’s life as it is happening is seeminly normal and uneventful, it is in the later examination that she is considered incredible. Hence, the narrator/interviewer who is trying to piece together if MC is special … or not. So, for now, I am going to go back and forth, write the normal life and the examined life. One will surely rise up as the structure — or something else.

    1. Holly Avatar
      Holly

      In first draft, you’ll probably play around with it for at least half the book, maybe longer, while you get a feel for how it all comes together. Sometimes you aren’t sure right up until you write the ending…at which point, it becomes clear how the whole thing needs to be revised to make that ending really punch.

      You’ll get it. Hang in.

  15. Khena Avatar
    Khena

    I got words, lots and lots of words, though I didn’t really intend to get many. So my total was … 3063, most of which were obtained while my children and husband took a nap. And they flowed magically. It was amazing. I actually had to stop a few times because I was so involved in my story I was breathing heavily and my heart was racing. My heroine was stuck climbing a cliff, scared out of her wits and in a lot of pain. I didn’t even know it was there before I started writing, but it was in a great place. Little does she know her cut and raw fingers are going to get infected in the next scene…

    =)

    1. Gabby Avatar
      Gabby

      Wow. Great job! It sounds like an exciting scene and you gotta love that word count :))

  16. Ieva Avatar

    Zero words yesterday (that’s OK). I’ll do something today though. I need a little twist now, to make these things interesting for myself, so I’ll dedicate the morning in figuring the twist out and then I’ll write it..

  17. Lucca Avatar
    Lucca

    No words during the weekend, since our foster child had a small operation (a little hernia) so I’m pampering him and teaching him how to use a PC.

  18. Leah Avatar
    Leah

    300+ words today, but finished my pesky scene! Gotta love TWC, Holly 🙂

    1. Holly Avatar
      Holly

      Thanks on the TWC comment. I’m wondering how part I went over. 😀

  19. Eve Avatar
    Eve

    414 words and I realize that I haven’t been following my scene sentences that well. Still it seems to be hanging together so I’ll just keep writing.

  20. Danielle Lanois Avatar

    I got words. 330 of ’em. Not a lot, but I managed to end in the middle of a scene, which usually makes it easier to get back into the next time I’m working on it… we’ll see how that works out tomorrow, I guess.

  21. Patricia Avatar
    Patricia

    1,129 words tonight, and my MC gets ambushed! I am so excited! I really want to write more, but I know I’ll regret it in the morning because I need to get up at six and it’s already eleven…

  22. PolarBear Avatar

    I did get words. Rewrite words. Amazing how this scene had the “tell ’em what you’re gonna tell ’em, tell ’em, tell ’em what you told ’em” feel of a military briefing. Rewrote for a “you are there” feel, and I think it’s much better.

    1. Holly Avatar
      Holly

      Sounds like a good change.

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