NaNoWriMo, Critique Group and Daylight Savings

Taken by me, Denny S. Bryce,  during a recent trip to New Orleans. A very cool street vendor.


I'm in a writing frenzy people. I got out 1800 words for NaNoWriMo, and am about to finish up the stories I'm judging for a contest. Then I'm going to go back and write a new scene for my current manuscript. My critique group was unanimous in their recommendation that I need a new scene. It's actually something I've been thinking about - but hadn't really formulated in my mind - or should I say came to the decision to just do it.


All in all writing is getting better and better - or I should say my approach to writing is improving. I literally wrote without editing today. Stayed within a certain area of story and just let it flow. We'll see how I feel after a day or so, when no matter how much flow I've got I can't get a word out:)...lol!


Great article I must recommend about books and publishing. It's called, Good Books Don't Have to Be Hard. It's an article in the Wall Street Journal.


I'm also reading Nora Roberts, or J.D. Robb's Naked in the Death. The first of the Eve Dallas books. I really like the economy of her storytelling. It clips along, smart, while providing the right bangs for your buck so to speak when they should arrive. I like that style.


Lastly, learned something I didn't know (okay, lots I don't know, but I enjoyed learning this tidbit from my critique partner about MICE.  It's from a book by Orson Scott Card.

M = Millieu -- about the world (including Alice in Wondeland and Gullivers Travels); beginnig of the story should be as close to the new place as possible; pov character is often not from this world and the story will end the character returns home

I = Idea -- story about the bits of information disovered in the process of the story by the characters who did not previously know the information (e.g., most mysteries); the question (e.g., whodunit?) shapes the action of the story

C = character -- something is wrong in the character's role in life and the story goes on until the character changes or accepts the way they are. In a character story, we need to see the character before so we know why they want to change.

E = Event -- something is wrong in the fabric of the universe; story ends when order is restored or a new order is stablished; story ends when the struggle ends; most SF/F are event stories

E stories don't have prologs, but begin where the charcter who will bring about the change first becomes involved (think Frodo or Luke Skywalker); OSC especially recommends avoiding prologs that show the 'world situation' -- readers won't care until they have a hero (again, think Luke); he recommends showing the hero first in a small setting and gradually pulling back to show the world situation.

And finally, I took some medicine for my aching hip, and viola! It feels better. I guess I should just take the pill when I supposed to take the pill:). My only problem here is now is time.  I didn't remember how much I dislike time changes. If I'm traveling someplace it's one thing, but just because? It's going to take me a week to feel like I'm over what time is it anyway? Okay, being a complainer for no reason...