Sunday 24 July 2011

ROW 80 Check-in 24th July

This week, all goals completed!

This is my third of the three posts I wanted to write. I loved writing the one on my ideal writing place. I keep adding details to it in my head.

On Thursday I worked on a loose outline and tried to just plot my ideas in some way. I know this will change but I think it was good for me to set out the main things I want to happen. I also thought about the tense I will write in and decided to have a go at writing it in the first person but from both girls points of view (more on this later).

On Friday it was a late 30 mins when I had gotten into bed but I did them. I made notes on my character notes as little bits and pieces had come to me over the last couple of days and had been saved on my phone or on scraps of paper as often they came to me when I couldn't write them anywhere else. I also did some practical bits like transferring all my writing bits to my memory stick so I have them with me now I am away for a few days.

On Saturday I made further character notes and I think I have made character 1 more likable by simply adding more relationships into her life. I want her to be a sort of lonely character (which will explain why she does what she does) but want you to like her too. She is not a bad person, just struggles to be alone. Even with friends around you can still feel alone so I have given her more friendships. I also did my fiction friday (check!) on the bus on the way up to london. The prompt leant itself to be written from my character 1's point of view so I gave it a go writing in the first person as my character 1. The first time I tried to write as her. It was HARD! I don't know if I will write in 1st or 3rd person. I felt I struggled to get the location, actions etc in when writing in the 1st person tense. But it could just be my lack of experience so will keep an open mind and see what happens.

So feeling good this week. My Saturday writing was done on a bus, sat next to someone who got elbowed a lot as I balanced my notebook on top of my handbag but I did it. I did an hour yesterday as I knew a check-in would be all I have time for today.

Hope you had good weeks! Off to check some check-ins out!

10 comments:

  1. Great work, bus elbower. Don't feel discouraged if you find hard writing in 1st person. You can always try 3rd, which I like much more because I hate to see these 'I's appear constantly. But if you decide 1st person suits your story then write this way, eventually you'll get it done. :D

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  2. It can be fun especially if you want to portray the hidden, only 1st person can really get into a characters soul - I'm not sure action and location are such a big consideration but maybe I'm wrong - anyway give it a go see how it pans out - nothing set in stone with writing
    all the best this week

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  3. I like that you are experimenting with 1st person. Keep us posted. I've always told from 3rd, but considered 1st for my newest (my Row WIP). I'm still tossing the idea back and forth. And I like that you keep paper handy to write down ideas as they come. I have notebooks everywhere and it still doesn't seem like enough! Keep up the good work.

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  4. Sounds like you accomplished alot. I've never written in 1st person. Look forward to hearing more about it. Happy writing!

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  5. Great commitment to your goals, Em. I have little scraps of paper everywhere--it drives my DH to distraction.

    It's often revealing to write in 1st, even if you change it afterwards. The last two stories I wrote were each from two 1st person perspectives. It was hard, but revealed a lot to the readers before things were revealed to the other characters, and it worked pretty well, I think.

    Hope this week continues to work well for you.
    Nancy (lapidaryprose)

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  6. Great job, Em! So glad you're finding time to squeeze it in even with all the traveling you've been doing. I haven't chose between 1st and 3rd person yet either. I like to read both, so that didn't help lol. I'm trying a little of each to see which feels right. Good luck this week, and have fun in London!!

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  7. Awesome job, Em! Glad to hear that you're making time for your writing, and that you've been backing up your work. I am definitely going to have to do that, because if I lose any of the stuff I've been working on, I will cry very bitter tears. ;)

    I've also been wrestling with the 1st person vs. 3rd person issue. I haven't written in the 1st person since maybe 7th grade, but the MC in one of my tales just isn't cooperating with me right now. She feels flat, two-dimensional, and a bit wooden, so I've been trying to write from the 1st person to see through her eyes a bit more clearly. So far it's working fairly well, but I'm going to have to eventually figure out if I'm going to convert all those 'I's to 'she's... or if I am going to have to rewrite all 25K in 1st person (meh). But I realized that a couple of my favorite books are written in the first person (Diana Gabaldon's 'Outlander' series, as well as Jacqueline Carey's 'Kushiel's Dart' series), so I am going to refer to those as a 'guide' of sorts.

    Have a blast in London!

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  8. Interesting, I find she much more limiting than I. Hmmm. I'll be interested to see where your 1st person journey takes you. Please keep us updated. Sounds like you are the master of your goals. Great work!

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  9. Thank you for all your comments! I am glad that I am not the only one who struggles with what tense to write in. I am going to try both and try and see if there is a way I can do a bit of both! I want you to see from each girls view but it felt very 'me,me,me' as I was writing as character 1. As I said, could be my lack of experience. I will keep experimenting and keep you posted!

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  10. Congrats on hitting all your goals!

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