Monday, September 9, 2013

Cleaning House and September 2013 #writemotivation Update

So the first week of September has come and gone and I have finished my homework for my awesome mentor. And I've learned something.

Having two antagonists with two separate agendas and that are not working together can really confuse things.
Yup. I did it.  And this is why Nicole said this:
Where is the plot? I think this is the biggest element that I struggle with. I kept looking for the hook, the moment where the problem would be presented and I'd follow the hero on his journey to overcome it. However, there is no clear plot.
You're hero should have one defined goal. Yes, you can have multiple bad guys, but they have to work together against the hero. Yes, they can have their own agendas, but if your protagonist has to split between struggling against two separate camps, it's going to get confusing.

So, I'm cutting a character arc. The character will still be there and involved, but not with the same focus. The character is more of a symptom of my main character's life and not the cause of it.

I have direction.

I have committed atrocities to my plot using a dull chainsaw and have duct taped the tattered remains together. And I've started rewriting. And when I'm done, it'll be (hopefully) prettier than when I started.

The other thing I've learned is that Sick Puppies is the perfect soundtrack to writing this story. I thought I had a good soundtrack, but then I heard "My World" by Sick Puppies and I knew.


Goals for the month:

  1. Do the homework assigned to me by my Mentor Agent regarding HJ. DONE!!
  2. Revise HJ based on Homework.  IN PROGRESS
  3. Take what I learned and apply it to my current WIP if I have time.  Probably won't get this done, but we'll see.
  4. Blog once a week. Yes
  5. Cheer on my twitter and #writemotivation friends. Totally!

'Till Next Time

12 comments:

  1. Rock on!! It's so awesome to get great feedback that you trust, and feel things start to click. Best of luck with those changes. I'm sure cutting an arc will be a bit painful, but good pain! :)

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    1. It wasn't as painful as it was "damn, how do I fill this hole"?

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  2. So proud of you! Can't wait to see what comes of the homework! Now, you got me thinking about HACKICIDE! 2 antagonists...not originally working together to achieve the same goal...but maybe in the end? we shall see. I'm still writing bits and pieces, and still working out the conflicts, because I can't do conflicts.
    Jai

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    1. In my case, there was no collusion between my antagonists and it just confused the plot too much. You can have two, but it has to be done right. I didn't do it right.

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    2. I still love you! :)

      I Know you can do it!

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  3. That was the exact same thing I was told when I had an editor go over Nameless. I think it's a problem with a lot of first novels. Good job ripping it apart and putting it back together though! Many people would have decided it wasn't worth it :)

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    1. I'm too close to give up. :D Also, giving up is no longer in my vocabulary.

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  4. Hooray! You're doing good on your goals. Keep it up. =D

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    1. Thanks! :D Finally getting back into it. Feels good.

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  5. thank god for duct tape! it may not look pretty but get the job done. keep up the great work on the goals!

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