tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3318840210070768346.post5294690327013401635..comments2023-12-10T19:04:26.773-08:00Comments on Author2Author: Start at the BeginningEmily Marshallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07073350248209507278noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3318840210070768346.post-77963610831480799752008-06-20T18:38:00.000-07:002008-06-20T18:38:00.000-07:00I hate beginnings. I'm horrible at them, but they...I hate beginnings. I'm horrible at them, but they're so important that I can't write the rest of the story until I've gotten the first chapter right. <BR/><BR/>So, like with anything else I'm not very good at, I obsess over them. I plan out the story, write a paragraph, do more planning, write another paragraph, do more planning, etc. until the first chapter is finished. Then I go back and tweak, rewrite, tweak some more, rewrite again (lather, rinse repeat) until I've got something I'm relatively happy with. And that's usually twenty drafts later (I told you I obsessed). <BR/><BR/>Then, and only then, can I get on with the rest of the story - where I'll learn more about the plot and characters, which changes the beginning, and I need to go back and tweak. Again. <BR/><BR/>I know it sounds insane, but I rarely have to scrap an entire beginning. So it's what works for me. :) Just don't be surprised to find me in the looney bin in about ten years. :)Tabithahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17420910182752981979noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3318840210070768346.post-31008995603681119552008-06-20T16:25:00.000-07:002008-06-20T16:25:00.000-07:00I'm horrible at beginnings. I tend to suffer from ...I'm horrible at beginnings. I tend to suffer from "trying to get too much crammed into the beginning." I end up having to change my beginnings alot (often at least 10 rewrites). And I'm beginning to think I need to do this again on one of my books.Emily Marshallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07073350248209507278noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3318840210070768346.post-65714741562037747162008-06-20T09:37:00.001-07:002008-06-20T09:37:00.001-07:00I'm actually in good shape, compared to everyone e...I'm actually in good shape, compared to everyone else. My apartment was over a hundred feet from the flood level, but I couldn't get into my apartment because the water did get into the entry. My apartment building is about 100 feet from the river, right in the second worse place of the flooding. You could see it on one of the "Good Morning America" reports. :)<BR/><BR/>So, I consider myself fortunate. Very fortunate since I was well-prepared to flee (packed two days before, ended up leaving that night) and had in-laws to crash at for a week. Except for a severe laptop addiction (I blogged about that), I actually wasn't that badly hit. <BR/><BR/>http://moonfire.us/blog/2008/06/20/i-feel-like/<BR/><BR/>I did write a overly dramatic version of my visit back to my apartment earlier this week, just because it was fun.<BR/><BR/>Even with staring at the water line above my head, I still love Iowa though. Not bad for a Illinois city boy. :)D. Moonfirehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09219249033378321750noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3318840210070768346.post-54731791875412519492008-06-20T09:37:00.000-07:002008-06-20T09:37:00.000-07:00Oh man, I always think my beginning is AWESOME whe...Oh man, I always think my beginning is AWESOME when I dive into a new story. Then later I'm like, "Crap! That's not right! It's too busy! It's not suspenseful! Gah!" The beginning in my current Revising For An Editor book has been rewritten like seriously 10 times. :)DeenaMLhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01093257361683249174noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3318840210070768346.post-50263022214206707642008-06-20T09:28:00.000-07:002008-06-20T09:28:00.000-07:00Oh, yes--I'm keeping you in my thoughts, too Moonf...Oh, yes--I'm keeping you in my thoughts, too Moonfire. Take Care.Ghost Girl (aka, Mary Ann)https://www.blogger.com/profile/10104992485564788542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3318840210070768346.post-29050375295900470972008-06-20T08:24:00.000-07:002008-06-20T08:24:00.000-07:00Lisa, don't doubt that you're inspirational! Your ...Lisa, don't doubt that you're inspirational! Your post inspired me to write a new beginning paragraph for my WIP. I like it so much better than the old one. <BR/><BR/>Moonfire, my thoughts are with you and what you've been through in Iowa. So glad that you're alright even if your apartment is not.Kate Fallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12856887940900664692noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3318840210070768346.post-40148146532524127892008-06-20T07:59:00.000-07:002008-06-20T07:59:00.000-07:00Oh, yes, I can soooo relate to this, Lisa. I just...Oh, yes, I can soooo relate to this, Lisa. I just revised the first chapter of my first YA for an editor...and I think it <I>still</I> needs some work. <BR/><BR/>My second book jump into the action so fast. It felt great! But for both of these books, I have gone back a million times, at different points in the writing process, to fiddle with the beginning. <BR/><BR/>Some great advice, here...THANKS!Ghost Girl (aka, Mary Ann)https://www.blogger.com/profile/10104992485564788542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3318840210070768346.post-39456870858983253932008-06-20T07:17:00.000-07:002008-06-20T07:17:00.000-07:00"Gortam staggered back and clutched his side as bl..."Gortam staggered back and clutched his side as blood poured from the ragged gap of his chain mail."<BR/><BR/>That's the WIP rewrite of my novel I've been preparing for while I wait for the flood water to recede and the apartment to become accessible again. (I live in Cedar Rapids, IA.)<BR/><BR/>For the first version, I had a problem of too many characters in a short period of time. Baring three characters, everyone was introduced in the first two chapters and two of them (Welf and Maef) had names that were too close to each other. So, I'm reworking it a bit and moving a bit before the story and the first three chapters are actually about the parents of the children (I have a 1 POV/chapter, which changes based on the story) and more gradually introduces characters and their personalities.<BR/><BR/>Since this is the fourth major rewrite (been shopping it for about two years now), I have all the important things really set up. I'm changing the world a bit more, since I just spent a month working on history, languages, and terrain of the world; plus going back more than a generation for all the characters should help. Those little changes I'm hoping will add a bit more depth and it resolved some of the plot jumps I hated.D. Moonfirehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09219249033378321750noreply@blogger.com