Small Victories and Things I've Learned
Okay, so you can probably guess this post isn't about the conference, either. In fact, I'm probably not going to post about the conference, but just know I cannot wait until next year because it was so gosh darn fun.
This post is about small victories. Or large ones, even.
I recently typed "The End." on the first draft of my current WIP, Shadowland Book 1 (working title). And while this might sound like a large victory, for me it was a small one.
Since I write by the seat of my pants (also called "Pantsing" or being a "Pantser) my first draft is a mess. I know I've talked about this before, but I wanted to kind of lay out my "do it the hard way" method. Because if anything encompasses my spirit, it is "does it the hard way." (which makes me snicker snort a little).
So, I puke out my first draft and in the process of throwing it up I discover the storyline and the characters. I discover what kind of background my characters need in order to be able to do XYZ later on in the book. I know how they need to change and what I need to do to make them change. I discover other things, too. Like things called "call backs" (according to Debra Dixon in her incredibly awesome book Goal, Motivation, and Conflict). A call back is a tiny inconsequential snippet of information given somewhere in the beginning of the book that comes into play in a big way later on.
For example, and she uses this example in the beginning of her book, in Indiana Jones after he steals the artifact and it is stolen from him and he escapes the tomb and all that, he jumps in the plan and lo' and behold. There's a snake. Indy says "I hate snakes."
Later on, he's faced with a whole pit of them and we remember from the beginning that he hates snakes so NOW WHAT'S HE GONNA DO???
I was excited to read about call backs (also can be referred to as foreshadowing) because I have a couple in my book that occurred naturally through my organic process of shitting out my first draft. And I was super excited about them.
The call back is a cool way to foreshadow a big event with a small bit of information.
I'll be working on character sheets and GMC soon! Then on to plotting out the rewrite, upping the stakes, adding, subtracting, and making this story awesome.
What are you doing in your WIP right now?
Keep Writing!
Claire L. Fishback
This post is about small victories. Or large ones, even.
I recently typed "The End." on the first draft of my current WIP, Shadowland Book 1 (working title). And while this might sound like a large victory, for me it was a small one.
Since I write by the seat of my pants (also called "Pantsing" or being a "Pantser) my first draft is a mess. I know I've talked about this before, but I wanted to kind of lay out my "do it the hard way" method. Because if anything encompasses my spirit, it is "does it the hard way." (which makes me snicker snort a little).
So, I puke out my first draft and in the process of throwing it up I discover the storyline and the characters. I discover what kind of background my characters need in order to be able to do XYZ later on in the book. I know how they need to change and what I need to do to make them change. I discover other things, too. Like things called "call backs" (according to Debra Dixon in her incredibly awesome book Goal, Motivation, and Conflict). A call back is a tiny inconsequential snippet of information given somewhere in the beginning of the book that comes into play in a big way later on.
For example, and she uses this example in the beginning of her book, in Indiana Jones after he steals the artifact and it is stolen from him and he escapes the tomb and all that, he jumps in the plan and lo' and behold. There's a snake. Indy says "I hate snakes."
Later on, he's faced with a whole pit of them and we remember from the beginning that he hates snakes so NOW WHAT'S HE GONNA DO???
I was excited to read about call backs (also can be referred to as foreshadowing) because I have a couple in my book that occurred naturally through my organic process of shitting out my first draft. And I was super excited about them.
The call back is a cool way to foreshadow a big event with a small bit of information.
I'll be working on character sheets and GMC soon! Then on to plotting out the rewrite, upping the stakes, adding, subtracting, and making this story awesome.
What are you doing in your WIP right now?
Keep Writing!
Claire L. Fishback
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