The Big Week of Fiction Only includes Getting My Ass Kicked

How to Write Short Stories
Vipers' Nest
Vipers’ Nest

Monday morning…

Wild Optimism. Will have Vipers’ Nest done by end of day Tuesday.

Seven hours in, I was only a short way into the new bug-hunter’s sheet I’d started.

Tuesday morning…

Well, I’ll surely at least be finished with this one bug-hunter’s questions by the end of today.

Seven hours later, I’d finished one third of of the SAME bug-hunter’s finds. And that’s working straight through, no food, coffee and water only, two bathroom breaks.

Wednesday morning…

I’m still just one THIRD of the way through the questions I started on Monday from this one particular bug hunter, many of which have resulted in additional detail, and one in an entirely new chapter.

If they weren’t good, thoughtful, necessary questions, the book would be for sale by now.

But it wouldn’t be as good. 

HOWEVER…

How to Write Short Stories
How to Write Short Stories

I have writers waiting for their revision lesson in the Short Stories class, and until I revise A Few Good Men, and scan all my red-ink manuscript slaughter and filled-in worksheets demonstrating the process of thoughtfully and intently ripping a story to bloody shreds to get a BETTER story, they can’t get their lesson.

So today, Vipers’ Nest goes on the back burner until the revision for A Few Good Men is complete.

Wanna hear something funny?

I think I can get this revised today. You may laugh. Even as I wrote the words, my Muse snorted. The bitch.

At least I’ve already filled in most of my worksheets. 😀

image_pdfDownload as PDFimage_printPrint Page

By Holly

Novelist, writing teacher, on a mission to reprint my out-of-print books and indie-publish my new ones.

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

3 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Holly Lisle
4 years ago

Well, in twelve hours, I got thirty pages of mark-up and about seven pages of handwritten replacement story done.

Puts me at the halfway point of the story, and is pretty good for the time I had.

I have a real chance of finishing today, though I’m looking at another twelve hours to do it, and that doesn’t include getting my old printer/scanner to work its geriatric magic on the PDF.

But I’m hopeful.

Charlotte Babb
4 years ago

I am so happy that you share your process with us. I am excited to see how you slice and dice your old story to make the new one…even if it ends up as a fabulous taco salad!

Irina
Irina
4 years ago

I’m getting out my non-existent Pompons to cheer you on 😀
I am on a win-win here. Either I get to read Viper’s Nest, or my next lesson 😀

Thank you for your hard work!

3
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x