The First Five Pages: Pacing and Progression

I figured out what is wrong with one of the beginnings to one of my manuscripts. I’m not leading anywhere fast enough. I keep yammering on about the same things, trying to show a certain bit about my one character and instead don’t progress the story enough. That could also be why one agent thought the story wasn’t particularly original. Well, yeah, you’re right. I can see it now, I keep having the protagonist and her friend moan on and on. After the comment, I realised where the problem was, but I didn’t know the name until last night when I read this chapter instead of sleeping.

The plot, however, I feel is original. So, that means I can go in there and do some rewriting and I can fix it. I think.

I’m like the little train that could. I think I can. I think I can.

But, I need to wait awhile. Otherwise all my characters will be murdered wholesale. It will be a virtual slaughterhouse and I will be reduced to Lady MacBeth type behaviours. “Out damn spot!” Although, I’ll be more like, “Out damn paragraph!” and “Out you bloody fool! OUT!”

Hey! It sounds like time to work on my new project again! Either that or read the book I just got on character development, as that will likely help that progression issue. Because really, I think it is the root of the progression problem. I fear that I am not illustrating just how hard up this character is for a good man, thus my need to hammer away scene after scene on this same issue. And thus the plot doesn’t get to progress. And honestly, I would hate to have to fix this type of problem AGAIN in a newer project. So I may as well learn how to avoid it before I do it again.

Still on the subject of progression, I fear (with a different manuscript) that I am not making the readers work hard enough for the story, and that I am just handing it to them. “Here you go folks. It’s like cotton candy. You don’t even have to chew.” Sweet, dude.

So, I suppose it is back to the books again, eh? It’s a good thing I just finished three books this week. (Big Bonedby Meg Cabot. And yes, Heather FINALLY gets Cooper. Thank god. I can hold off on having that aneurysm. I am one chapter away from finishing As Seen on TVwhich has been predictable, but unpredictable and good. And sadly, I am now at the end of my Lukeman Overhaul as I have now, officially, finished The First Five Pages. <Sob> That book, if I ever get published, will definitely be the reason why. If you are a writer–go buy it. Seriously. Now. Go.)

The First Five Pages: Setting

What impression do you want to make? Which details will you choose in your setting to make this impression? I’m paraphrasing Lukeman here, but I find these two ideas to be very helpful. And man, there are a lot of things to think about when writing a scene. One day, I am sure it will all be second nature, but until then, I guess I will have a lot of sticky notes pasted around the desk.

The idea of setting and details and which impression you want to make reminds me of getting ready for a job interview. There was this one time where I wanted a job as a librarian. So, I figured, if I want to get this job, I need to dress the part. I need to create the impression that I AM a librarian. So, I put on my most serious long brown skirt and a plain white silk blouse along with this awful brown vest. It was a very ‘librarian’. I drove there in my little car that was plastered with stickers and all painted up with flowers. I parked it down the street and walked in and got the job. I made the librarian impression that I wanted to make. I guess when they figured out who I really was, it was too late. Not to say that I was dishonest, because I wasn’t. But what I did was give them a visual impression. I created the right setting.

I guess that is why when I threatened to break someone’s legs (in jest) a good year or so later, they were shocked and surprised. That first impression held more strongly than the accurate one that I let slip out over time. So, I suppose, be careful what impression you create with your characters and settings because the first one sticks. From this chapter, I really liked the idea of the setting interacting and affecting what is going on in the story. Sometimes, as a person who is not particularly visual, I forget to clue the reader into things like climate, character appearances and the like. Therefore, when I have a thin setting, it isn’t able to interact and participate. I do think I am getting better at it though. For example, a TV ending up being the stimulus for relationship break-up. A couch becoming a physical barrier. That sort of thing.  However, in some cases, I think I could fall into some ruts. Twice, I have had a character slip on ice while wearing heels and have a guy catch her. The only time that happened in real life to me, my car caught me, not the guy. (Dang.)  

Part of me feels that there can be too many details which can detract from the story. Where is the balance? I suppose it all comes back to the whole focus chapter where everything adds up to the whole. If it doesn’t have a purpose, leave it out. If it doesn’t add to the cumulative effect you want, cut it. So where is the balance? When you get your head into your work, it can be hard to tell what is important and what isn’t after awhile. Details help solidify the overall impression and ground the reader in what is happening, but which ones? Which ones are doing the adding up to someone who is reading for the first time and doesn’t know what is going to happen? Tough stuff. I guess that’s why I’m not bored yet, there is so much to learn and it is different every day.

Break Out the Bubbly!

Guess what?

In my first ever writing contest, I placed 6th! Wow! I know it is 6th and not in the top three, but it feels like I have climbed Everest and am happily, blissfully even, staring at the beautiful world before me! I couldn’t be happier! I am so proud of myself!

I submitted the first scene of There’s No Place Like Home a month ago and pretty much forgot about it, believing that the scene stunk. Okay, not really. I liked it when I sent it off, but since a round of editing on the manuscript after entering the contest, I have developed a hate relationship with that piece. Seriously, I hate it. I hate all of my writing right now. I think it is a great time to go on vacation–which I will be in a few days. Thank goodness for a well-timed break!

Anyway, word came back today and I got 6th! 6th! In the Grand Beginnings contest. Wow! You are only allowed to submit the first five pages. One judge gave me 56 out of 60! Wa!!! The other judge, well, not so much. But still! The one judge said if she was in the store and she read those pages she would have bought the book in order to find out what happened. Wow.

I looked at the contest website again and I think I was one point off having an industry professional judge my opening. Wow. So close. So close, I can practically taste it. And judging by the way it smells, it is going to taste waaaaay better than chicken. And I like chicken.

The agent who rejected a different story last week gave me some brief feedback which indicated that I had a good hook. One of the judges also said that this story had a good hook. Thank the lord! I can hook! The writing gig doesn’t seem so bleak and difficult right now. I can do this! I really can!

Ahhhhh….

Writers and Nature Vs. Nurture

I was recently asked something along the lines of what do I think makes a writer? Is it a natural predisposition? Is it a nature thing or a nurture thing? Are good writers born or is it a technical/mechanical thing? Is writing an art or a science?

I thought it was a great bunch of questions that got me thinking. I also have about a million different answers for each of the questions–which indicates that I really don’t know! Anyway, I’ve posted some of my thoughts here:

Do you really want to open to the nature vs. nurture can of worms? I felt that a great deal of the nature vs nurture argument was bunk before I had a child. I felt that the ‘nature’ aspect was a bunch of anomalies gathered together to make an argument. Now, not so much. There is a lot more to the ‘nature’ aspect of the argument than I would like to admit. There is some gender stuff that is totally nature that gets my feminist hackles up. But we won’t go down that path.

As for writers and nature vs nurture? Well, honestly I have never thought about it. Possibly certain dispositions lend themselves to ‘better’ writing. But then we could get philosophical and ask what is ‘better’? I think everyone can write. Some are just able to express themselves in a ‘better’ or more ‘pleasing’ way that makes sense and is able to reach others on more than a superficial level. This is where the mechanical/technical aspect comes in. Although I could naturally express myself from a young age (language development tends to be a female thing–stupid nature argument coming into play here), my mechanical/technical aspects probably needed help. I think to a certain extent, this can be taught (nurture). But like anything, some are able to grasp this quickly, some are ‘born’ with it (nature?) whereas others can’t ever really achieve the ‘flow’. I guess, really, when it comes down to it, writing is like anything else. Some are good at football, some are good at fixing things, others writing. (Among the zillion other things people can be good at.)

I believe that writing is art grounded in science. If it is merely a science, it is nothing but words. Meaningless. If it is simply art, again, meaningless. You need to combine the two to make something truly dynamic.

What do you think?

Work in Progress

Hey there.

I am playing with the blog’s theme again. Slowly, things will shape up and change, so if you see some strange things, fear not. So things will shape up or I will discard the whole thing and start over. (Again.) I wanted to pull my banner into the blog, but I’m having trouble finding a suitable theme to bastardize. My hacking skills when it comes to code is very limited.

 Hang in there and let me know what you think of the new theme/look.