tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post5147498463670407953..comments2024-03-28T10:41:26.999-06:00Comments on Blood-Red Pencil: Cues from the Coach: Q and ADanihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14471919576687777886noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-71344883621090445832012-10-15T08:15:20.221-06:002012-10-15T08:15:20.221-06:00rymrytr, I would guess that some great story begin...rymrytr, I would guess that some great story beginnings are residing in that "compost heap of good intentions." Would you like to resurrect them? Sometimes just chatting with a writer or editor can open new avenues to travel in your quest to write a book.<br /><br />Your comment indicates that you have a good handle on sentence structure, word choice, and ability to convey your thoughts. The problem appears to lie, at least in part, in your self-doubt.<br />If you would like to, you're welcome to contact me off site, and we can talk about writing and ways to move past those obstacles that get in our way. You may have a great book in you that readers will miss enjoying if you don't complete it. :-)Linda Lanehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06686488133905538811noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-80016338893939509472012-10-15T08:05:03.160-06:002012-10-15T08:05:03.160-06:00Nancy . . . Amen! We are all definitely different....Nancy . . . Amen! We are all definitely different. To tweak a cliché, what's good for the goose is NOT always good for the gander. The proof of the method lies in the quality of the finished product, and a great book attained that status as a result of the author's approach to writing it. Great rant! Feel free to comment any time.Linda Lanehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06686488133905538811noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-77780311923525502832012-10-14T16:46:54.936-06:002012-10-14T16:46:54.936-06:00I always set out to write, and after some number o...I always set out to write, and after some number of pages, I reach a point where I feel like I've said all that I can. That would be about the length of chapter one.<br /><br />Like you, I want to go one, but (unlike you), I lack discipline and find myself mired down in the editing and re-writing and the doubts & frustration with myself... there the story ends, lying on the compost heap of 'good intentions', moldering in mediocrity... <br /><br />As someone said above, the "dichotomy effect" rules here. I have a beginning, and I have an ending, but never the twain shall meet! :o)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-7716298193297878632012-10-14T13:20:54.280-06:002012-10-14T13:20:54.280-06:00Your comment about "edit as you go (Not recom...Your comment about "edit as you go (Not recommended) really caught my eye. That's the second time I've read something similar just recently. You hear it all the time, "Write the shitty first draft", but I personally do a fair amount of editing as I go and it works for me. I think it's time we acknowledge that there is more than one way to get a book written and maybe it's not the be all end all for writing OR getting published. I think we need to allow for the fact that everyone's process is different and stop feeling guilty if we don't follow the "common" advice that's out there. Sorry for the rant. I enjoyed your post.Nancy Oswaldhttp://www.nancyoswald.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-59520683398817162922012-10-13T10:05:41.597-06:002012-10-13T10:05:41.597-06:00I agree, Kathryn. The perfect opening may not show...I agree, Kathryn. The perfect opening may not show itself until the story is "on paper," so to speak. It's amazing how often it isn't where we thought it was, isn't it?<br /><br />Janet, it's comforting to know that someone besides me indulges in that no-no. :-)Linda Lanehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06686488133905538811noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-40554147615397957602012-10-13T10:00:46.804-06:002012-10-13T10:00:46.804-06:00Elspeth, great starting point. Now for those rewri...Elspeth, great starting point. Now for those rewrites. I can't remember how many times I rewrote the opening chapter of my first venture into the thriller world, and it's probably just as well.<br /><br />I love the "fish cleaning method of editing," Maryann. Never heard that term before. But it no doubt works well in many cases because the tastiest portions -- as well as the succulence that keeps the reader reading -- lie in between the "head" and the "tail." Nice!Linda Lanehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06686488133905538811noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-36241443343268805632012-10-13T08:25:14.162-06:002012-10-13T08:25:14.162-06:00I'm always changing my beginning. And, like yo...I'm always changing my beginning. And, like you, I edit as I write, although that is considered a no-no.Janet Smarthttp://creativewritingintheblackberrypatch.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-49552889478677615012012-10-12T17:25:09.350-06:002012-10-12T17:25:09.350-06:00Ah, a post about beginnings and I'm jumping in...Ah, a post about beginnings and I'm jumping in at the ending of the day! (Was at a great workshop all day.) I always like to say that you start writing anywhere you can, because you must. Only after you draft the story, however, and solidify its structures, can you know where its true opening lies. Kathryn Crafthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08371458857187160425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-14646417964836270742012-10-12T13:45:09.122-06:002012-10-12T13:45:09.122-06:00I often find that what I have written as the begin...I often find that what I have written as the beginning of a story gets cut in what I call the fish-cleaning method of editing. Cut off the head and the tail. <br /><br />Appreciate your humor, Christopher, and now we have Joel egging you on. This could be fun. (smile)Maryannwriteshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09479027709233807149noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-40903455400445093052012-10-12T11:42:33.690-06:002012-10-12T11:42:33.690-06:00I write mysteries so that opening scene is the dis...I write mysteries so that opening scene is the discovery of a body. As for the actual writing of said scene - I lose count of the number of re-writes!Elspeth Futcherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10330102545384369360noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-10609571827414077572012-10-12T11:26:59.490-06:002012-10-12T11:26:59.490-06:00I'm an edit-as-I-write author and unapologetic...I'm an edit-as-I-write author and unapologetic. First-draft-before-editing has become another one of those premixed prescriptions of modern writing, yet I know countless successful writers who defy the formula. I say it IS recommended. Try it, and if it works for you, be unashamed about it. If not, try something else.<br /><br />As to openings, I do obsess about them, which may or not correlate with editing as I write. As a writer of thrillers, I like to throw the reader into the rapids with the first paragraph, immediately provoking questions of "What the...?" and "Why in...?" <br /><br />The novel I am now writing, for example, begins "The cold white dot on the palm of Wáng Lěi’s hand was growing into a small circle."<br /><br />At least that is what the ms. reads now; I am notorious for changing my mind and redoing the opener multiple times.Larry Constantine (Lior Samson)http://amazon.com/author/liorsamson/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-11125922094514277142012-10-12T10:40:50.152-06:002012-10-12T10:40:50.152-06:00Joel, I'm a fan of pulling readers in with the...Joel, I'm a fan of pulling readers in with the opening line, be it dialogue in fiction or bullets in a business book. Get them involved. Make them want to know more. Thanks for your input. :-)Linda Lanehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06686488133905538811noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-8528169904569374462012-10-12T10:37:49.605-06:002012-10-12T10:37:49.605-06:00Let me see, Christopher . . . hmmm. I seem to feel...Let me see, Christopher . . . hmmm. I seem to feel just a touch of familiarity . . . not quite sure why . . . <br /><br />You always make my day, you know.<br /><br />:-)Linda Lanehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06686488133905538811noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-19418736043008444152012-10-12T10:21:23.940-06:002012-10-12T10:21:23.940-06:00Christopher, I'm a huge fan of dichotomies. Go...Christopher, I'm a huge fan of dichotomies. Go with that. It'll be, um, revolutionary.<br /><br />Now that I'm writing mysteries instead of business books, I like to jump into dialog. Throw the reader into the deep end of a conversation, then give them a lifeline to find their way to the surface for a breath.<br /><br />My business books usually start with a bullet list of counterintuitive claims about how business works, which I then substantiate throughout the book.<br /><br />Maybe it's the same thing.Joel D Canfieldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11801896011346177144noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5704943052235281766.post-58925810925910413712012-10-12T10:04:21.022-06:002012-10-12T10:04:21.022-06:00Always a challenge ... I'm trying out one for ...Always a challenge ... I'm trying out one for my next: 'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times ...' Waddaya think?Christopher Hudsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03667548312923348614noreply@blogger.com