I know the title sounds very silly (haha) but I couldn't post a longer title. Anyways, here is just an update of my story. It's quite long and sloppy but this is the first draft so I'll edit out the bad parts; particularly the parts where it reads like saccocio's writing. One of the things I need to get right though is the climax which occurs roughly 200 manuscript pages into it. That is a very important part because the first arch takes up both part I and part II and the climax marks the end of that arch along with all of the pov characters except two. I wrote it but I'm not completely satisfied with it so when I do my 2nd draft I will focus on meeting every standard I have for it. Tough duty; trying to write equivalent to one's own sentiments. I am currently writing part III which continues to stretch well over 110,000 words. This part however strays from the first arch quite a lot. It still has a core problem and a remaining theme but I still need to tread lightly when writing. What is going on in your stories right now? And what are your overall feelings for your WIP?
I've five pages written on mine so it's got a long way to go. I got the basic premise figured out though so the major themes and the general plot structure are defined. It's a spy thriller, by the way.
I'm only two and a half page into mine, with the first page being a sort-of prologue...still a loooong way to go and currently don't know what the general story will be, just have a few ideas for things that'll happen as the story goes on. Have most of chapter 1 planned out though, at least in general terms. Been at it for about two weeks and pretty happy with what I've got so far, considering it's my first attempt at writing anything but one-page fan fiction ^^
Been working on mine for what feels like forever. I'm stuck on magic; not sure what kind of magic I want for the world. I've been playing with different ideas, including chemistry and airwaves. All in all, I love my MC so far, and I have two other characters that I have a lot of fun writing. 8 pages so far, long way to go but feeling optimistic!
Sounds very nice! Spy books seem to touch on things I'd like to write about but it doesn't fit into fantasies.
My book's only about 14,000 words in, but I'm excited about it. Yesterday I wrote a future scene that's a big life change for my MC, and today I finished editing a past scene that never sat right with me. Now all I have to do is connect the dots, and I'm playing around with some fun ideas to do that with.
I'm pitching a completed project, so my WIP is actually just barely underway - I've written a couple of scraps (what will eventually be the beginnings of two separate chapters) and I'm still mostly researching. Miles to go before I sleep.
How exactly? And what is it you like about them? I might need a target audience beta reader, we could talk about it.
Well spy books (from what I know) have different kinds of characters *arcs and antagonists who are more human/relatable to real life scenarios. it tends to get more wordy.
My WIP is adapting Kurt Vonnegut's Harrison Bergeron into a screenplay. Honestly, I thought it would be frustrating but I'm actually having quite a lot of fun. I've never written a screenplay before so the learning curve is steep but that's why I enjoy writing, I suppose.
That's interesting. Are you just doing that for fun? Because you definitely need the rights to do something like that. Screenplays are a lot of fun though. I worked on that craft on and off for 10 years before venturing into the novel game. To answer the question of the OP, I'm taking a break from my main WIP (starting draft 5 soon) and spending a lot of my time reading but also working on another novel which I'm only in chapter 2 of. Mostly I've been reading though and working on some short stories.
It's for a school project (honor's project for a better chance at grad school scholarships when the time comes). Never going to see the light of day. I know that I need rights in order to do anything with it. I'm really just learning the format using a short story that I love. I have plans for an original screenplay when I feel comfortable enough with the format.
Fair enough! I had written 3 full screenplays in my teens and early 20s and really enjoyed the format. Only 2 years ago did I really dive head first into prose but have plans to eventually go back (I have a lot of plans for a lot of things haha). The two formats are so different but both very fun. I could argue that screenwriting is an easier format because it is based in only vision and sound and you are forced to stick with the bare bones of the story but at the same time could argue that that's the reason why its harder to portray a complex story. And with a movie, its usually a time crunch. Who knows. But I do remember Celtx being my best friend
It's challenging because it's forcing me to think of the story in a different way. The hardest part is formatting. I have a vision in my head for how I want the film to play, but I don't know how to format it. So I'll sit there researching on Google for twenty minutes for what amounts to one line in the script. Like I said, I really thought it was going to be a pain in the ass but I'm quite liking it. To be honest, the hardest part is emulating Vonnegut's unique tone as I turn written sequences to visual. I think I would be having a much easier go if it was my original work.
Short stories are great to venture into a different mind state and perhaps publish through smashwords or Amazon. It feels refreshing after skimming through pages of first draft chicken scratch! Haha.
It really sounds interesting. I would love to hear more from you on how it's going. Keep us posted of your progress. Good luck with it. I wish I could have learned that in school. I think this project will set you up nicely for writing your original screenplays. I read two scripts and bought a cheep bottle of whisky. It's coming along. I guess everyone goes down their own learning path. It sounds like you are really taking advantage of the opportunities available to you. I hope you get the scholarships. Screenplays and short stories are very similar if you think about it. They are both meant to be take in during one sitting. I think it was Francis Ford Coppola who said something like that.
I spent 3 years working on a universe (1 and a half to 2 of those years working on the book itself (with some long droughts of writer's block)) for my book, the universe now has a role playing game which is being play tested and having art drawn for it. As for the book itself I am half way through it having finished chapter 15 a while ago but still needing to get back to work on it.
Are you formatting it yourself or using a program? I highly recommend Celtx to help with your formatting, its free or at least used to be. Agree to disagree, short stories and screenplays are nothing alike in my opinion.
I'm actually using Scrivener which is proving to be a Godsend. I'd be paralyzed if not for formatting programs, haha. As for the screenplay and short stories: I think @deadrats meant that they are similar in focus. And I'll definitely agree to that. They are both striped to the bone stories with a hyper-focus on specific story threads. Obviously they differ in format but I think the aim for each is relatively similar, big picture wise: few characters, one or two major plot points, meant to be viewed/read in one sitting, etc. They aren't synonymous, but they do share certain traits. But I think the same could be said about all storytelling formats/mediums.
Sluggishly plodding along 37.5 K at the moment. Politics are not as fun as just running around blowing stuff up, and hacking/breaking bodies. Add in like 3-4 shorts that are juggled in the block of the WIP and oh boy. Seems like nothing is going to get done.
20k of something I'm not decided about what it will be. Need to remove obsolete parts and find a reader.
