Chicken Stew

Chicken sitting has begun, and never have I been more tempted to turn them into chicken stew. My friends hadn't been gone but four hours when I lost the chickens. All of them.

Thankfully, I found them again - yards from a busy road - and had to call in the neighbours to help me chase them back to the chicken run.

In spite of this 'adventure' I have managed to read some of Evan Marshall's book and consider my synopsis in the light of what he says. Hmm. A lot of food for thought. According to Marshall I should concentrate on writing suspense novels (because that's what I mostly read), so I've got that right. All I need to do now is get my head (and story) around the idea of high concept.

Easy as chicken sitting, I suspect.

Prologue Progress

Yippity-yay! Time to rejoice.

I have finished writing the first draft of my prologue. "That's funny," I hear you say, "I'm sure you did that ages ago."

Yes, you're right. I did write the prologue before. But I chose the wrong character to focus on. This time I've focused on the villain and it has turned out much better. It also turned out 27 words longer. This is amazing. I write so tight I'm surprised that any words come out at all.

Why is it that everyone else writes an abundance of words and moans about their struggles in cutting them down to a reasonable size - and I am the odd one out who struggles to produce enough words in the first place. Sigh!

Part of my problem is that I forget description and setting (nothing important - LOL). Still, this is my first draft. I can do anything in the first draft. It's the re-writes that matter.

Yikes!

Please understand that I was half asleep when I wrote the last post. Take no notice of anything like time of day. Believe me, my writing is normally better than that in the final paragraph.

I normally edit whatever I write -- about fifty times (it takes an age for me to write an e-mail). Now the whole world can see how bad my writing really is.

On a positive note, perhaps I've finally managed to kill the perfectionist in me and can look forward to writing without editing as I go along.

Please say you missed me

Sigh! I haven't written much during the past week because I've had visitors from South Africa. Shirl and I are both writers and have talked a lot about writing, but neither of us have done any this week. But it's not every day that visitors come from so far away, so I tell myself I needed the short break.

I'll work twice as hard next week and especially the week after because I'm chicken-sitting. Okay, it's really house-sitting, but there are chickens, fish and a cat that I also have to feed.

Having said that, I will admit that I wrote a synopsis which I didn't expect to have to write. I hope I don't have to do that again. I've written and re-written the synopsis for this book about twenty times so far and the story keeps changing. One of these days I'll actually write the book itself.

I have a sneaking feeling that when I once I've written the book I'll have the write the synopsis yet again (and I hope that by then it will be easy!)

A nightmare soothed

Writing this week has been a nightmare. I've had friends visit and a family get together to attend so I've had to catch my writing in the between moments.

I have been writing every day -- but 50 words here and 100 words there, so I don't feel I've achieved much.

Even worse, trying to set my prologue into something coherent that could launch into chapter one without the need for flashbacks made me realise I'd missed out something. I just couldn't work out what it was. Now I know. I've used the wrong focal character.

My prologue focused on the child who witnessed the murder. How stupid am I? The one thing everyone needs to know is what the murderer was up to and why. Yep, I should have written it from the murderer's perspective! Sigh.

So I'm rewriting the prologue from the murderer's POV and it is much better. I can say what I need to say.

It sounds like a set-back but really it's progress for me. I have suddenly found out how important it is to make sure the correct person is at the focus of the scene so that it moves the story forward.

And I have to confess that my mother isn't THAT bad with her computer. She's improving in leaps and bounds. But I still want her computer for myself!! Envy is a terrible thing.

Horrors!

Oh my, oh my! When Miss Black said, "Show me your Chapter 1" I almost had a heart attack. I don't have a chapter one! Not yet, at least.

I confess that at the time when she first asked, I hadn't even finished blocking my book. I may have finished now. With a few little gaps (like I haven't a clue how it's going to end or exactly what the black moment will be).

So on Saturday I wrote 1,585 words to complete the blocks.

Today, I wrote 1,003 words of MY ACTUAL NOVEL. And I still haven't written Chapter One.

That's because, technically, I wrote the Prologue, so I do hope Miss Black will accept this instead of a Chapter One.

Now I have to wonder - is 1,003 too few words of a prologue? Of course, this is the very roughest of first drafts. I haven't bothered with motivation-reaction units or anything like that. I was just getting the story down to have SOMETHING to show Miss Black. Can you hear that fear of rejection in my voice?

I'm pleased, though. I managed to do a reasonable amount of words in spite of numerous interruptions from my mother who can't yet handle her computer. It's so frustrating that she has a more up-to-date one than mine and will never use it to half its capability. She won't swap. She prefers her computer because it shines with a pretty blue light. Sigh!

The Right, Write, Rite, Wright Word

"The right word at the right time is like precious gold set in silver," so the Bible says. (Proverbs 25:11)

Why is the right word important? Because writing is about communication, and you can't have true communication without clarity and understanding.

How do I convey the images and feelings that are inside me? You can't see them or feel them; they are mine alone. Unless I can find words -- the right words -- to express most clearly what I'm experiencing, you won't understand me.

Further, if I don't choose words that you know, you won't grasp what I'm saying. I might explain my feelings perfectly in Japanese, but if you don't know the language my words will mean nothing to you.

As a writer my most important task is to take you on a journey through my story. The right words provide a way for you to relate to my characters, understand the story world and ultimately the message of the story itself. One moment of failure could cost me your attention and perhaps your commitment to finish my book. If you can't relate to what I've written, it will seem meaningless and you'll simply throw my book across the room (and eventually in the bin). I can't risk that.

Will my book be a best-seller or a failure? The answer lies in my choice of words.

When is the right word important? All the time. Okay, perhaps the first draft is allowed to be [insert naughty word here] but even so I think I'd be on the lookout for the best word. If I can't think of it, then hopefully I'll catch up during the second and third draft. Then I keep on going until I'm sure I've said what I've meant to say and know that you'll understand it.

Not just the right word, but the right spelling of the right word is important. Years ago I worked in Human Resources. I vividly remember one particular applicant's resume. She explained that she was not like other young people who stood smocking on street corners. I suspect she meant to use the word "smoking" but my imagination went into overdrive as I pictured leather-clad bikers getting out their embroidery.

Unfortunately for her, I remember the resume for the wrong reason. I do not want anyone to remember my book for the wrong reason.

Surely, you think, there's no such thing as bad publicity? It must be good that someone remembers the book, whatever the reason. Not so.

Imagine you're my reader. How do you react when my word choice goes wrong?

First, you'd be jolted out of the story.
Second, you might feel confused.
Third, you might find it so difficult to read that you give up.
Fourth, you could get angry.
Fifth, you might never again read anything I write.

Gee, it's not worth it, is it? I'd better choose the right words or I'm sunk as an author.