Another Question and Update

[jpskewedthrone]

So today was a good writing day. I got over 10 pages written and it was all one scene in the sense that I didn't use any * * * transitions. Instead, I used a paragraph or two to transition from one conversation/scene to the next. I much prefer this to the * * * copout, but of course use both. I tried to use as few * * * as possible in book 1 and 2, reserving them for long time jumps and such or at least trying to.

But the real bonus of the day is that after fretting over chapter 7 all weekend, I reread it this morning . . . and it works! Don't know what I was worrying about. It feels like a nice solid chapter, with only a few minor tweaks made in the reread this morning. It must have put me in the right mood because I started writing after that and didn't stop until 4:30 (except for a quick bite at lunch of course). AND, not only did I get wordage, I also wrote down copious notes about what the hell happens after this chapter. I have a much more concrete second half of the book now! At least 3 or 4 more scenes were revealed to me, with the emotional power behind them that tells me there solid scenes (as opposed to meandering mish-mush that my mind is producing to entertain and tease me).

Anyway, here's the wordage update, followed by the latest question from the rabid fans.

47,250 / 100,000 (47.3%)

Vacant Throne

dsnight In terms of your writing and being a writer, what scares you? Oooo! A tough question! I think there are two questions here actually: the writing fear and the being a writer fear.

For the writing fear . . . I'm scared I won't be able to pull the book off, especially a book under contract, but really any book idea I tackle in general. Since I generally don't have a plot outline and am much more organic in nature when I write, there's always this nagging fear that the plot and characters will start wandering away from each other and the book will just die. I've been hovering under this fear for Vacant Throne for a while now, but with the notes I made today, I think I can visualize how the rest of the book, all the plot lines and characters and such, are supposed to gel into a coherent ending. The last few chapters have been . . . stressful. As you can probably tell from the LJ.

For the being a writer fear . . . I'm scared that the books won't be up to reader expectations. This might be coming more from the fact that book 2 is close to release . . . and what if the fans that loved Skewed Throne hate Cracked Throne? What does that mean? Will I have failed as a writer? I try to keep telling myself that Cracked Throne turned out exactly the way I imagined it. Better in fact, under the guidance of Sheila Gilbert at DAW and my first reader. I can't worry about what the readers are expecting because if I do, I'll likely ruin the book. I need to write what wants to be written.

But the fear of what others might think is still there. Unfortunately, it's an emotional thing that can't be swayed by being rational. Sometimes, the writer side wars with the math side I guess. *grin*

Keep the questions coming! Not just at my prompting either. If you even have a questions, just ask in the comments of some post, even if it doesn't relate to that post at all.

Comments

[wishwords.livejournal.com]

It's good to know that successful writers have the exact same fears that I have. Do you ever get to the point where it's hard to even sit down at the keyboard? Are there strategies you use that help you?

[endelarin.livejournal.com]

What do you do when something (a character, technology or natural feature, for example) pops up in your novel and you realize you need to research it? Stop and research on the spot, or make note and move on, figuring you can go back later?