1. df4205

    df4205 New Member

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    A very long day

    Discussion in 'General Writing' started by df4205, Mar 11, 2021.

    Having a bit of a “OMG! What the heck am I doing?” moment and just wanted to see what the feedback/general consensus was.

    Even though I’ve finished three books (the shortest is almost 90,000 words) I still suffer from “There’s no time for this!” Though I may not have even filled out ten percent of a decent word-length I still get panicky about how much I need to cram in. I tend to get overwhelmed with “Jeez! I’ve got to explain the magic system, build a romance, create friendships, craft dangerous/exciting situations, and develop a believable BIG BAD! Where’s it all going to go?!” While I’ve gotten better at saying “No need to panic, you’ve got 50,000 words left!” it’s still something of an elephant in the room for me.

    Now, about that elephant.

    I’m currently entrenched in writing my fourth book and I’ve hit a zone of “Jeez, this is going on forever!" To sum it up: I’m 34,000 words in...and it’s still only the first day!

    I kicked the book off with the action as quickly as I could (seems like agents can’t be bothered with anything that doesn’t start with a nuclear explosion or a zombie apocalypse, lol). Originally I did “sort of” want to show the first day as being grueling, but now I’m second-guessing exactly how long it’s dragging on for. Time-wise it still makes sense (I think). In theory, it’s just a day of “Got to wake up, make breakfast, get the kids dressed, go to the market, visit my sister, pick up the dry-cleaning, go to X’s soccer game, do the laundry, make dinner, put kids to bed, and sleep.”

    Of course when you make it a list it sounds short and sweet. But anybody that writes knows that every item is a huge chunk of scenery and dialogue to craft. And before you know it, you’re at 34,000 words and they’ve still got to make dinner and put the kids to bed, lol. Granted, my story isn’t anything as boring and tedious as doing laundry, but you see the problem.

    The question is: Is a long day okay? Or should I put a break in there and start day two? Thankfully I had the foresight to leave the writing open enough that I can ‘break glass in case of emergency’ and jumpstart day two if I decide to. I just wanted to see what the general opinion was. I kind of like having everything be “on the move” to show how my MC really is being swept up by what’s happening. But on the other hand...it’s been a very long day, lol.
     
  2. Xoic

    Xoic Prognosticator of Arcana Ridiculosum Contributor Blogerator

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    My advice is to go ahead and write it however feels natural at the time. Don't worry about length—in revisions you'll be better able to see what changes to make. All that laundry list stuff is what in filmmaking they call 'coverage'—people walking down corridors, getting in and out of cars, walking across fields, etc. They make 2nd unit directors shoot a lot of it and then the editor throws most of it away (if they're any good, and assuming the director did his job well). So go ahead and play all the roles, be 1st and 2nd unit directors, shoot all the coverage, and then become the editor and decide what actually helps advance the story and what holds it up.
     

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