On finishing the first draft

Just a few moments ago, I finished the first draft of my first novel. How does it feel?  Wooo-hoooo! Celebration time!

I grabbed my husband Alex and said, "I finished it," with finality.

He said, "Finished what?

I bashed him and said, "You know, only the thing I've been working on forever."

He laughed and said, "So now, the real work begins."

He could have given me one moment of glory. One moment of respect. One moment of success. One moment of cheer.

Naw, I guess you never deserve to expect anything.

Right. On to the next phase. Reading what I wrote.

Psssst. I read the first chapter already. Found a few small typos. But I LIKE it.

I am celebrating on my own.

Techniques for setting tone

Departing for the unknown

Setting the tone for a novel and staying true to that tone throughout can have a profound impact on everything that happens around it. The characters you develop, the words you use, and pictures you paint all have to fit into that chosen tonality.

Opening lines

What's the point of an opening line? Is it to intrigue someone so much that they must continue on? Is it to set the tone for the rest of the book?  Is to make someone stop and think or pay attention right from the start? Or is to paint a picture in which the story will unfold?

Perhaps it's a little of each of those things.I've been practicing writing opening lines for images posted on Twitter by iAuthor.  

Here's an opening line I think will work in a future novel I am planning to write.

"My past held a very bright future. Then, life cast its shadows on my prospects." 

My story is going to take place on land but told from the perspective of being at sea.  It's going to reach into the deepest darkest places of someone's soul, but it will come out into the light in the end. At least that's the plan.

Stoking the imagination

As I near completion of my first novel, I am searching for the topic for my next one. For the next one, I have decided, is going to take every ounce of my effort to craft the fine literary novel.  The book that Joseph Conrad or Hemingway would have written.  I want it to be short, poignant and beautifully written. But what should I write about?

Fishing for success

Today I entered my first writing competition. I entered a flash fiction piece, the first I have ever written.  I submitted it to Fish, the anthology publishers for first time writers. I didn't even know such a genre existed a few months ago, yet somehow it captured my imagination. To get across in 300 words a complete story with an emotional edge to it was an interesting challenge. I loved writing it.

It sprang up on me. I didn't know that story was inside me until I started writing it. Now I wonder if they'll think it was worth reading. I'm hoping they will, but I'm dreading they won't. So long to wait. At least I'll have four months of hope to cling to.

Competitions are different from just straight publishing. It's not just about your work. It's about being judged against all others who have submitted. That's different. Tougher in a way. But if you succeed, you'll be a winner.

Somehow, I feel like I've already crossed the line, though. I submitted it.

Standing still

If we lay down on the earth and let our brains just take in the sky throughout the night, this is what we would see.  In a carefully chosen spot on Mount Teide aboard the island of Tenerife in the Atlantic Ocean,  one would see the stars moving across the night sky. The procession of stars around the north celestial pole creates an other worldy scene. Would our mind's eye be able to see this image, recreated from the slowly etched impressions on the film in our brains? Or does our mind sift through and retain only those fleeting snapshots that make an instant exposure? I don't know the answer, but it's food for today's thought.

Credit to Daniel Lopez http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap100618.html. 

Forecast for writing

Yesterday's weather was partly awful. Today's weather forecast is dire. Tomorrow's is worse. The day after continues poorly. The time is ripe to write.

I find joy and glee in a dire forecast. It means I won't be tempted to go outside and garden or romp in the fields. No. I will write. Yesterday, today and tomorrow, too. I may even finish the first draft of my first fiction book.

Writing productivity ≧ Weather x Duration / Speed + Creativity