With one manuscript finished I opened another short story called Foxproof and started re-writing it. This one was more my style with agents and bad/good guys. (not that I didn't love Amalathea, still do and will definately rework it at a later date.) I started to write it and as I would hit a wall or get bored with it I started more stories. Within a few months I had a few completed rough drafts and a few more stories started.
After a few months I decided to pull out my old MS, (Dominion Day)the one I wrote in High School. This was definately a favorite of mine. But a challenge since the origional storyline was actually very simple. With the other story's finished, I sat down with the origional MS and the partial rewrite I did after HS and began to write the story out.
Now, the origional story was supposed to be two books a present the problem and solve the problem set of books. I couldn't immagine something longer than that. The first story was of a guy and girl who are agents they marry and have kids. The second about thier kids after the couple die.
Well, about halfway through the book, a scene appeared in my head where my main character got religion. This scene literally turned the book upside down. It went from a 2 book set to a 5 book series. With the change in my character the story became much more complex. Scenes popped in my head like popcorn and there were a few days where I wrote 20 + pages a day.
About this time I was in church and they started asking if anyone had good news. I kept feeling I should tell them about my finished manuscripts. So after battling with my inner voice that was insisting that I say something I did. After Relief Society, (a church meeting) A woman aproached me as I waited to leave the classroom. she introdouced herself and said that she was interested in writing and wanted to talk sometime. It took a few months to actually talk but we hit it off on New Years Eve. We have been best friends ever since. We exchange writing talk about plot, and characters. We found out about the LDStorymakers conference and went to it together.
She was the first validation that what I had, inspite of the grammar problems, was good work. She also worked with me on those grammar problems and helped me develop a thick skin for critiquing.
So as my friend and I continued our writing careers together, the MS's I was working on began to evolve and become pieces of work that were slowly becoming better.
11 comments:
Good for you, for sharing the good news! It's scary to say it at first, huh? I still tense up a little when I tell people I'm a writer. :)
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It's so good to have someone to bounce your ideas off who doesn't just say,"It's great, I love it, honey." Uh-oh, charity critique,from the loved one. I'm glad you've got a willing ear and an understanding heart nearby.
bwahahahhahahhhahha....
"This might be off the wall, but i think you should kill your main-character off." :)
...and while you're at it, scrap the entire MS and start with this"
tehehehee :) So much for a "level head" to bounce things off with :P
There's this story called The Guardian War and it starts with a funeral. Is that enough?
"Absolutely" NOT. Scrap the funeral, have his ashes fly away after the dog knocks over the jar, and volunteer Dalton as a replacement funeral for the opening chapter, explaining it as a fluke problem with his replacement skull surgery. Then have a distraught Basille step in and take out the rest of the standing-family as a trade-spy influenced by flea influenza. :) THEN we'll talk.
Meanwhile, you're welcome
anyone else need plot advice?
LAUGHING TILL I SQUEAK!
To be honest, Emergence wouldn't be what it is without you. <3's
um.... that could be a bad thing, you know. :)
True, but sometimes you have a moment of brilliance. :P
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