Now comes the time of year where I have zero idea what to blog about! Here goes nothin'...
So I've been slowly trying to get back into the editing groove. Except, well, I've never really had a groove. I usually just wait around for inspiration to strike and then try to milk it for all it's worth, then once it's all gone start all over again. It's really not the best method. Waiting around for inspiration means that you're doing a whole lot of nothing in the meantime.
I'm trying to get in the mindset that it's ok to do a little bit at a time. If you can only get one paragraph done each day, that's still better than nothing. If you wait around hoping to get a lot done at once, you may end up not doing anything at all for most of the time. Just getting a little bit done everyday is still progress, right?
Right now I'm still trying to get through my first chapter revision. One of those random bursts of inspiration helped me get through the first scene, which was great, but that urge to write like crazy fizzled out after a few days. Since then I barely even looked at the chapter. If I kept waiting around for another one of those bursts, then chances are I wouldn't get anything done at all.
So I went back to the second scene. I had a few lines of dialogue already in mind so I started with that. I just imagined what was happening in the scene and started writing. It wasn't a particularly long scene, just enough to introduce some minor characters, really, and a little splash of backstory. But I got through it. I hit another one of my check points. With each one that gets done, I get a little bit closer to the chapter being done. And since this is the hardest chapter rewrite until I get around to the fifth/sixth chapter area, it will be really easy to get a huge chunk of revision done once the first chapter is complete.
So if I break down the first chapter, it looks like this:
1. Classroom scene (DONE)
2. Cafeteria scene (DONE)
3. Possible setting establishing scene (I'm still deciding if I need this but at this point I haven't even mentioned where the story takes place and if it's not in the first chapter it probably won't be mentioned until Chapter 3, which may be weird)
4. Home scene/phone call with mom (Not done)
5. Last scene--characters meet! (Basically done because it doesn't need much rewriting)
SO. Bottom line--one major scene to rewrite and the possible snippet to write and then the first chapter will be done! And then it's on to chapter two, which I literally have one editing note for. So I'm very slowly chipping away at this chapter. Maybe if I think small steps instead of big picture, this will actually get done sometime soon.
In other news, as long as I post something next Monday, my 400th blog post can be next Wednesday, which also happens to be my 5th blogiversary. Sounds awesome, right?? Except I have no idea what to do for it. Something bigger than a regular blog post, ideally, but not nearly as huge as say, a blogfest. I don't know. Suggestions are welcome...or I could totally just phone it in...
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Make the two events line up - you can do it. Maybe just encourage others to reveal a recent accomplishment, either here or on their own blog?
ReplyDeleteYou're making great progress. Just a little bit at a time.
To each his/her own, but as you said, waiting for inspiration isn't the most efficient way to get revisions done.
ReplyDeleteI like your method of setting small goals and just chipping away at them every day.
Slow but steady wins the race. ;)
ReplyDelete400th blog post and 5 year anniversary is a great blogging achievement! You can share something random like pictures from your life. Or have a friend interview you.
Hey, you're making progress! That's good and keep on going. :)
ReplyDeleteWoot for the 400th post and blogiversary!
Sometimes I don't feel inspired until I start writing/editing. It's like once I get going I have a 'oh yeah, I so want to do this' moment and I don't want to stop.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your 400th post/5 year anniversary. I've always had problems in trying to figure out what to blog about on anniversary/milestone dates (9 years this coming May and over 1500 combined posts), and this year will be no exception.
ReplyDeleteI can feel your pain about editing. I'm the same way with two of my projects. One is at standstill because I need to come up with a good tagline (or not), and with the other, I simply chip away at it writing a few hundred words at a clip.
Father Nature's Corner
I was surprised recently to find I got more accomplished when I just wrote a chapter by scratch than I did trying to revise other chapters. I hate the revising part.
ReplyDeleteI think taking the small steps approach will help your editing. At least, I know it helps me. I make all my editing notes on a paper copy of the manuscript. then literally only bring one chapter at a time to my desk to do the actual revising. It helps me keep from getting too far ahead of myself. But yes, it's definitely okay to do just a little bit at a time. It's still progress. Hang in there!!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the 400th post, and the 5-year blog-versary. I never even think to mark those kind of milestones in any way.
Way to make progress! Sometimes it's like that. We grapple forward for the most basic of things. You're doing awesome!
ReplyDelete5 years... Huge congrats! I like giveaways. ;)
Yes, a little bit at a time works!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on 400 posts and five years!
I recently did one about milestones. The timing seems good for a reflective kind of post about where you've been and where you're going, what you've done and what you want. Just my two cents.
ReplyDeleteI think you have to take it a little at a time, otherwise you'll drive yourself crazy! It's too overwhelming to look at the whole project and all that needs to be done.
ReplyDelete