ejistryingtowrite

[ejistryingtowrite]

I've noticed a lot of people advise writers to read their stories aloud. And I absolutely agree. But I've also mostly seen people mention it in like a 'you'll better notice where there are little mistakes, and where the phrasing is awkward' way. Which, again, is absolutely true.

But that's a 'read the story aloud to see what's wrong with it' advice.

And I think there's maybe an even more important reason to read your fic aloud.

It will show you all the the things that are RIGHT about your story.

Because there inevitably comes a point where you've read your own story in your head so many times that all the words are a bland mush that will leave you convinced that there's absolutely nothing interesting or good in your writing.

And if you go back to it many months later, you might realize... oh, this is a pretty interesting fic. And that's because the brain has had time to forget every tiny detail of phrasing you came up with, and you can actually read it like a reader, not the author.

But that road takes months, and until then, you might be inherently convinced that the story is literally the absolute worst thing you've ever written.

But... WHEN YOU READ ALOUD, you automatically start giving the words inflection, inflection that, when you're reading something that you haven't written yourself, you kind of hear even when reading quietly. But for your own story, all that inflection and weight has been sucked out by way too many rereads while you were looking for grammatical errors. The fastest way to be able to see it again? To hear it.

Anyway, read aloud to defeat the monster on your shoulder telling you your writing sucks.

[ejistryingtowrite]

Draft four is a go 🫣

[ejistryingtowrite]

Researching the topography of Sheffield to figure out if it makes sense in my novel has been great. It seems it all does work, not just in the main storylines of the novel, but also in some background stories that I've had brewing in my head. It's been a very productive few days.

[ejistryingtowrite]

My official WIP count at the moment is three:

1. One that is almost at the fourth draft (in other words, I've finished draft three and am taking a break between that and the next one). - This one is The Hand You're Dealt, which is a steampunk heist novel with lesbians (and other queers).

2. One I haven't touched in months, because I've been working on that one above. - This is supposed to end up a literary thriller with an unlikeable MC (a whole lot of bisexuals in this one).

3. One that is little more than an idea and a bit of worldbuilding that I've managed to put together. - This is supposed to be high fantasy with a teenage MC, but probably more on the new adult side.

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[ejistryingtowrite]

I've spent so long imagining the Riordan, I'd given up hope that a building exactly like the one I imagined exists, and then, it materialised in front of me in a different part of Yorkshire than where it stands in The Hand You're Dealt. But god, it almost identical to what I've imagined. Incredible.

[ejistryingtowrite]

No, but really, why make old English railway stations so beautiful, if not to have authors of gay steampunk novels write the first meeting of their main romantic couple in them?? If not for that, then for what???

[ejistryingtowrite]

So I've gone to Sheffield, where I set my novel without ever visiting it before, and is it everything I hoped it to be? Yes, yes, yes.

[ejistryingtowrite]

my fave writing reminder

honestly, this phrase has been on my mind more times than i can count. i've kidnapped it, taken it as a hostage with no ransom money because i need it to live permanently in my head.

[ejistryingtowrite]

This tweet is just... Odd. Very odd.

Like... You live like this? You write like this? You think like this??

[ejistryingtowrite]

congrats on finishing the third draft! what's your novel about?

Thank you!! It's about two young women whose lives have been affected by two powerful men. Maeve's lost her father to gambling and she wants to take revenge on the man who took her house and who she blames for her father's downfall. Eleri is the daughter of the most powerful man in the city, who is forcing her into an arranged marriage, which she is not too happy about. It's all about them trying to find a way to get what they want when the game is rigged against them. It's steampunk, it has heists, con artists, and lesbians ☺️

[ejistryingtowrite]

Draft three is officially finished, at the (much too big) word count of 141k. Now it's time for a break, research trip and some side stories I want to write.

[ejistryingtowrite]

Am I one chapter and epilogue away from finishing draft three? Perhaps 👀👀👀

[ejistryingtowrite]

Draft three is progressing, with chapter thirty currently undergoing rewrites. Today's count is about 4.2k words, about a fourth of which is a scene I added. As if the novel wasn't too long already 🤷🏻‍♀️

A slightly spoilery snippet below:

"And what should I say? Oh, that's terrible that the beautiful, sweet, and caring heiress fancies you?"

"Piss off."

She picked up the pace. Any faster and she would be running.

"I won't and you know it." Within a second, he was level with her. "Was it good?"

"It was sloppy. And it was in the middle of recon. What was she thinking?"

"Kissing you then or kissing you at all?"

"You really are trying to get on my bad side, aren't you?"

Grabbing her by the arm, he forced her to stop and face him.

"No. I'm trying to get you on your own side."

[ejistryingtowrite]

editing is so funny because it's like "damn, i wrote 'before' two times within three paragraphs. they are going to stone me in the town square for this"

[ejistryingtowrite]

me and my homies support real artists who put their passion into their pieces instead of a machine who rips off the hard work of talented peeps

[ejistryingtowrite]

Abandoned somewhere in France.

📸Julien Harlaut

[ejistryingtowrite]

A question I'm asking myself as I get closer to the fourth draft of The Hand You're Dealt is: do I or do I not disclose two pieces of information regarding one of the main (but not POV) characters? Neither of the things is necessarily crucial to the plot - though they could be - but both definitely add to the character and explain a thing or two.

One of them could both be an additional layer of conflict (should I want to stir shit up between two characters) or make a bond stronger. As of now, one of my MCs is unaware of one of these facts and it would certainly Complicate things.

Then again, am I not complicating things enough as is? Uuuughh.