#WritingDrafts

[allnovellas]

Rewriting and Revising Your Story: When and How

When should you start revising your story? How can you make the rewriting process more effective? This guide will unravel the art of revision and rewriting, offering a roadmap to refine your story and polish your prose. Knowing When to Revise One of the most crucial aspects of rewriting is knowing when to do it. When should you put on your editor’s hat? Firstly, it’s important to complete a…

[awriternamedphoenix]

Untitled poem idea (draft #1)

Crimson blood drips onto a white canvas

Art is born

For art is the blood we bleed

Bit by bit, drip by drip

Until the well has run dry

Until we have given all that we have

Until we are begging for a breath of air, suffocating slowly at the hands of a society forged by hatred and prejudice and loathing until we have been well and truly been crucified, brandished as a warning for those who dare to dream

Is this what it means to leave our mark on the world?

[achlasan]

By the year 2023 both men and women in the nascent stages of the Episodic Communication era were divided into large tribes stretching across continents, further than previously thought. Archaeologists have found exciting new proof of the brief presence of pre-limit communication in flood plain bogs, one of the only places where materials such as nylon and polyester are preserved in recognisable forms. New findings have allowed us to develop a new image of some of the most dense communication groups when supplemented with surviving imagery and documentation: dressed in efficiency-boosting stretched fibres, one such CG were dedicated to the development of muscular physicality through a practice called yoga, already far removed from its predecessor created centuries before.

[stormsfurygrows]

a piece of writing from deep in my google docs

I woke up to the sound of walking right outside my door. I didn’t hear it followed by gunshots so I assumed it was ok to leave my room and see who it was. My door thankfully cooperated in opening silently and down the hall I could see Gracie walking towards the kitchen and living room.

after following her into the kitchen I finally decided to speak up

“you ok?” Yeah, keep it simple. Can’t seem like I care too much or she will ask if I have a crush again. But what if I seem like I care too little? This situation is ridiculous. 

“I'm just not able to sleep again but it’s fine, I’m used to it” she looked at me over her shoulder revealing deep bags under her eyes. Her eyes looked so dull and faded. 

“cmon, let’s just sit for a minute to see if that helps” She just nodded and followed me to the couch. 

“Put your head in my lap, I want to try something” I said after sitting. She just nodded once again. 

I started gently running my hands through her hair. She's overworking herself and letting her paranoia run the show. While it is valid that she is scared of someone breaking in during the night to kill me, and I haven't fully allowed that to seem real to me, I wish she would just allow herself to rest. Her hair is unsurprisingly soft. I really cannot fathom how she still finds time to keep her hair in good condition considering she never seems to let her guard down or not be on some form of patrol. 

[typingoverworld]

How long you let your book rest [in between drafts]--sort of like bread dough between kneadings--is entirely up to you, but I think it should be a minimum of six weeks.

Stephen King, “On Writing: A Memoir on Craft” p. 211 on ‘killing your darlings’

[centerednscholared]

~dining room turns into office space till about 6pm ~office space is meditation station when words get choked up ~the clouds just gave us a quick rain shower in the A so I took a break and watched. ~sun is back out...re-focus #editing #novelist #writingdrafts #fictionwriting #writingenvironment #shortstories #historicalnarrative

[cmcwritingismylife]

For the first time ever, I printed out my current draft to have a paper copy. I’ve spent the last few days making notes in it, and not all of them are edits... #Writer #Vermont #Author #book #writing #selfpublish #bookstagram #WIP #writingdraft https://www.instagram.com/p/B1886v7nPtZ/?igshid=191dlk88tolj

[tcrreur-blog]

Have you ever re-written a post so many times that you can quote what you’ve been writing? Because I can. And I hate it >:(

[deborahdeshoftim5779]

It has often frustrated me that I cannot draw to a suitable standard, because I have a nagging desire to illustrate my work. Studying French and German medieval texts inspires me often because of the beautiful engravings and calligraphy in the work. Yet I have a massive stumbling block to drawing accurate body proportions like those above. 

So I searched up a list of writers who could also draw and was pleasantly surprised. Well, more than surprised-- delighted. Writing and art have a symbiotic relationship, so it’s small wonder that many can succeed in both fields. And like writing, art is a skill which can be learned. There’s no such thing as “I can’t write/I can’t draw”. Both are completely accessible. 

This means I have absolutely no excuse. And drawing skills aren’t just for illustration of a book. As a predominantly nonfiction writer, I can use drawing to help me understand concepts, explain ideas, too. The potential is endless. I also read another set of excellent articles on how to develop strong writing skills, which I will be sharing as well. 

Since I can push myself to complete NaNoWriMo, I can definitely push myself ahead with drawing on a consistent basis. 

[broadwaybuttermilk]

Daily Creatus Annus Progress

Day 24-30

IM BACK AT IT FOLKS!!! Had a real tough week, but now we are starting up on the new goal. I went through all of my writingdrafts today, and edited some stuff I liked. I have one song that I’m pretty keen on, and another idea that I really like, but no idea on how to start it. Not exactly sure what I’ll do tomorrow, but it will be something!

I MEANT TO POST THIS TWO DAYS AGO BUT APPARENTLY I JUST SAVED IT TO KY DRAFTS OOPSIES. Anyways, as of Day 30, I have started researching different music writing softwares. If anyone knows any good ones, I’ll be putting out a separate post right after this. Please respond to one of them (this post or the other) with your recs. Thanks loves!

[itsladywritesalot-blog]

Gilbert Gottfried & da 1st Draft Meeting

So the first prompt was to write a scene in which a barrier is crossed. Professor Holt asked for examples and I raised my hand and offered the answer ‘emotional’. She laughed a little and sarcastically said “Thanks Jimmy”, anyone else- something more casual? People chimed in with examples like a doorway and other things but my mind was already racing on the struggles I could put my character through. I knew just the thing. The assignment was due on Friday and I didn’t start it until then. Unbeknownst to me, it was 12 o’clock noon- not midnight. So yeah, that assignment was late. Oops. My writing borrows similar character personas from a series I love dearly. I add a lot of my own content, so the characters are very different, but they were born as the main three characters from this show. Anyone reading my writing wouldn’t know that unless I told them. But hey, gotta start somewhere. I was disturbed to learn that 50 Shades of Grey is Twilight fanfiction. Never read the first one, and I don’t plan to. Twilight was okay- team Edward in case anyone was wondering.

I chose a controversial scenario which unfolds near the very beginning of the writing. My main character Nye (yes like Bill Nye- but no he’s not a science guy *eye roll*) was a victim of gang rape. Which I didn’t go into detail, I conveniently had him black about before anything got serious. He’d been attacked after his night class with a baseball bat and dragged into a janitors closet. Oh yeah, he’s a college student. It may sound stereotypical but its an elite FBI-like academy for the best of the best. Rape is a very touchy subject in general, but from the male side of things- exponentially more touchy. I have been sexually assaulted before so this setup for my character Nye is somewhat personal. I actually got kind of upset after I finished writing that excerpt ending with the rape (innocence boundary being crossed) that I posted something to my Facebook about feeling personally connected to fictional characters going through hardships.

I am currently a college student and taking an Intro to Lit class as the last humanities requirement before I graduate with my AA this fall. I met a cute little dual-enrolled student named Hannah who also is on the path to an English major. I let her read the excerpt and she asked me if I felt weird submitting this kind of work to my professor. This made me rethink my topic and feel slightly awkward but was later reassured by my professor everything was fine.

Which brings us to the first draft review meeting I had with my professor. This is an extra thing I’ve decided to do outside of class and plan to continue as I write more of my novel. This class is focused on fiction, non-fiction, and poetry but I’ll be enlisting her help throughout this semester for my future-book. I’ve already told her that I plan on dedicating it to her, she’s been a major influence on my career choice and writing life.

We went over the draft which I had added to since I had submitted it and she made her little notes along the text. We discussed the future storyline which included Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), a case for a confusing serial killer and Nye’s character development. I debated whether or not I would reveal the main twist which was that the main characters find out that the serial killer is someone they know. Which is ironic since they are at an elite detective, crime scene investigating, security guard academy. I sat in silence for a few seconds before blurting out who the killer was like I couldn’t hold it inside anymore. Professor Holt was momentarily disappointed at knowing such a critical plot point in the story but was able to give me advice on how to continue writing. I told her I wanted some parts of the story to be told from the point of view of the serial killer and acknowledged I’d have to do more research on DID and schizophrenia to be factually correct in portraying these aspects. I’m still not sure if I will move forward with the schizophrenia aspect in a certain character. She suggested I watch a series on Netflix called “You” which is narrated by a creepy stalker/psycho and Hannibal. Another interesting thing she brought up is a videogame called Hellblade where the main character has schizophrenic-like voices in her head. These voices will yell, have conversations or arguments while some voices tell her conflicting things. I have made a mental note to watch some YouTuber play that game, surely someone has posted about it.

The session ended well. Oh, we also watched this (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkLqAlIETkA) which was funny and disturbing. 50 Shades of Grey read aloud by Gilbert Gottfried for an audiobook. It’s a short video that’s quite funny, but as you can tell inappropriate if you have small children around. This came up after I brought up my shock at how 50 Shades was fanfiction. Gilbert Gottfried if you don’t know him, is the voice of Jafar’s bird in the Disney movie Aladdin. So yes, enjoy that video if you haven’t already clicked the link. Just don’t play it out loud if people are around. Fair warning.

Let me know what you think of the video or what your inspiration is for starting a novel if you’re planning on it! I’d love to hear about it!

Love,

ItsLadyWritesALot

[therestisbest]

Start Writing. Now.

One of the most challenging aspects of “dissertating” is escaping the black hole of research and entering into the writing phase. Each time I felt ready to begin the daunting task of writing my dissertation, I found one more intriguing lead, one more trip down the rabbit hole that led me off into a fantastical world of new possibilities. Perhaps it’s endemic to qualitative research, as it seems to have less clearly defined margins. It’s not a clear five-chapter endeavor. Discovering other directions provided the perfect delay mechanism. I was not ready. Don’t rush me. There’s much more pondering to be done.

My meandering path showed signs of circuitousness. The same research popped up again and again. I saw my dogged research for what it was: delay of the inevitable. I had to get off this merry-go-round and begin to go somewhere, anywhere. I heard my own voice in my head, the college writing teacher instructing her students to begin somewhere, anywhere. Just begin. Every first draft looks like a pile of poop. Get started. I suppose I could practice what I preached. I metaphorically buckled myself in my writing seat for set periods of time and wrote a bunch of crap. I sat and talked through my research with dissertating colleagues. I went back to the screen and wrote. When the screen failed me, I picked up legal pads and a mechanical pencil (a brand named “PhD” even) and laboriously wrote by hand. I kept at it until I found flow.

When I stalled, I read other dissertations, hoping to find my way out of the morass of my own writing. I wrote and rewrote on screen, on paper. I dreamt paragraphs. Once I had accumulated a semblance of a dissertation draft, I created a file and, full of hope, named it “Final Version.” When over 50 documents filled the file, I renamed it “Final Version Perhaps.” The final document count numbered in the 80s.

The point here: nothing happens until you start. Follow my Twitter feed @dissertating for some quick tips on getting past writing block.

[judyangelguangco]

xxx

IG @judyangelg 

Fb @penofangelWP