08-30-10 Did You Write?

08-30-10 Did You Write?

Making writing a habit is a key. Many here don't need this note to write, but some of us do. This note is especially directed at those of us who will write something, then go for months without touching the work in progress. The intent of this note is to embarrass, those of us who fit this profile, into writing something every week just so we don't look silly saying ‘I did not write again’. This note helped me quite a bit. I would see the note coming and find a way to write something, anything, just so I could say I did write.

Everybody agrees that new writing is writing. It can be poetry, blogging, technical writing, writing assignments, world or character building. It can even be E-mails as long as it pertains to writing or story, and is wordy.
Editing is also writing. some of us write by editing. We create a rough draft showing the plot and then edit it into shape. Editing is also writing, even if it is the work of someone else. Critiquing is also writing.
We never worry about word count. If you write the right word, then you wrote. It is nice to have word counts that rise quickly, but my last bit of work was to reduce the word count. When working on a story, I have sliced out as many words as I added. Word count does not matter.

As for me, I did write. I went through my Waxy Birth story a bunch of times and came up with the best written work I had ever created. I fired it off to my writing partner and she read it over. "The plot needs work." Was her response.
I had a suggested title for the story and she said it won't work for the targeted publication. It can be called anything. I am never married to a title. When I start a piece, I will give it a working name, to the file and that is usually the title of the story until the very end. In previous stories, I was never even married to the character names. In this case, though, the names are fixed.
But in finishing the piece It ended up at page 26 at 16064 words. Higher than my target but slicing it more would hurt the story. We will see how it comes out when later this month, My writing partner and I can work on it seriously.
I started on the second story. I am starting with Page 41 at 26845 words. It has to be smaller than the first story, likely 15,000 words when done. I cannot lop off the entire beginning of the story this time. I read through the piece and decided to re-outline the story, see if I can redirect the story better. right now, I have to work out the part that leads to the key part of the story, where the main antagonists are removed from the scene. The way I had it before, was the "cavalry" showed up in the middle of the confrontation. that is a no-no. I also have a bunch of stuff that happens after that before the actual ending. I have to figure out how to deal with that I have instructions, no "see next story" type endings.

On the story idea front, I have 57 story ideas in the compost pile. Due to a pair of ideas that sparkled in my mind and had to be written right after I finished one for the day, I am already at 31 story ideas. I can spend more time writing if I hold off, though it would be nice to be ahead for the year. I think I am only two ideas ahead right now. Next month, I will be writing story ideas at a higher clip. I will be visiting my writing partner and her family at the end of the month and will want to be caught up before I leave here.

On the wood working front, I am finally testing my crochet hooks. I found one that works nice so the rest have to be adjusted to match that design. My crochet is also doing fairly well while I am at it.
I have been involved in many hobbies. In most cases, I would buy stuff I thought I needed, and when I finally settled down in a style and the specific equipment to do that work, I found that a lot of the stuff I purchased, was not needed, just collecting dust. With my crochet, I will make my own tools, and keep my yarn stocks down to only what I am using at the moment.
I kept my carving fairly cheep by sticking to the knife, rather than going to chisels. I am using the same philosophy with my crochet.
With my wood turning, Over the years, I have purchased a number of pieces of equipment I thought I needed. Recently, I actually used a couple of those expensive pieces for the first time. What a satisfying feeling. One won't get too much use, but the other will.

A story idea from the above, is someone who asks to get into a hobby. He is required to put his money up front for it, so he gives his account number. When he comes home from boarding school a few weeks later, he finds his account almost emptied and he has a professional workshop with almost everything that is made for it. He has no clue as to what do to with it.
He slowly learns the hobby with just a few pieces of equipment. years later, as his knowledge, skill and he finds use for each piece of equipment he had already put his money out for.
He has the advantage that if he needs a piece of equipment, he has it. He just has to work out how to use it and when.
Sales comes from his hobby as his skills improve. He seams to develop the skills and need for a tool only after he had gained the money to buy it. He starts using the last piece of unused equipment about the time he feels he is a master craftsman.
it might be a plot line where he finds he does not like the hobby, but because he has the equipment, he continues. It is only when he is using that last piece of equipment, that he realizes he is really does like it.

As to the question of the week,
I can honestly say,

YES, I DID WRITE.

Did you write?