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Book faced me today with two of the most daunting scenes in the series…not the kind that twist your emotional core into a wad and then set it on fire, but technically daunting as in “How the dickens do I even approach writing this?”
One answer is “First make chocolate chip cookies and pick your music.”
Note: I don’t normally stop to make chocolate chip cookies when I get stuck. But I don’t normally get stuck in this particular way–pure technique problem, how to make words do something really strange. Enough years in the business and the toolkit is fairly well stocked with tools and the hand with tricks. So today, coming to a complete and frustrating halt only about 500 words into the day, I thought perhaps sugar and chocolate would convince the neurons progress was possible.
Hence the chocolate chip cookies. And after that, and turning on some music…things did go better. The technical challenge proved susceptible to brute force, at least in the first draft. It was, however, a paragraph-by-paragraph slog.
There’s deciding (or figuring out) what happened. Then there’s figuring out (or deciding) which character on scene did which part of it (some of them were cooperating, amazingly enough) and what they said and so on. Then there’s the technical side again: putting down the words that make what you just figured out (or decided) happened believable.
And graceful. And emotionally satisfying. And smoothly intersecting the plot without the least sense of bumping abruptly from pavement to broken rock.
That last bit will come (surely!!) in later drafts. At the moment, the transition is more like hitting the side of a barn at high speed.
However, the baseline of what happened is finally (finally!) down on the page (in the computer, at least) and I have a better grasp of what it’s going to take to make it work. What makes this particular set of scenes so difficult is the same as with others–the transitions have to work not only within Book IV, but within other volumes in the Paksworld groups.
As I’ve hinted before in posts that involve the craft of writing, there are some things not to do in your first books…let the skills build up. Too many POV characters…flashbacks (especially complicated flashbacks) with their double transitions…etc. When you first get on a horse, you should not gallop into a ring full of complicated jumps and go for the triple no-stride…same with writing. I’m glad I have some experience under my belt on this one.
And the total is now over 128,000.
Comment by ellen — August 17, 2011 @ 2:33 am
always knew it: chocolate’s good for you!
Comment by Jenn — August 17, 2011 @ 2:46 pm
I have discovered that sunflower seeds are an excellent addition to Choc Chip cookies.
Good luck on refining the typing. I wish I knew what it was all about but that I guess will have to wait for 2013!!! Sigh!
Comment by iphinome — August 18, 2011 @ 6:30 am
Am I correct in thinking that Torre is only one syllable? There’s a stalwart Girdish paladin asking me about it.
Comment by elizabeth — August 18, 2011 @ 7:43 am
No…Torre has two syllables. TOR-eh. (Sorry.)
Comment by iphinome — August 18, 2011 @ 8:24 am
Darn, losing that couplet hurts. But mustn’t get sentimental.
Thank you.
Comment by Laura BurgandyIce — August 18, 2011 @ 10:08 am
the craft of writing…
Sometimes I feel like I’m sitting on the floor, close to wherever you’re writing, hoping you’ll drop hints regarding the craft of writing. It’s really fun to hear how you tackle stuff & I can totally imagine how chocolate would help.
Comment by elizabeth — August 18, 2011 @ 10:24 am
Laura, the difficulty with writing about craft is that so much of it is individual, and the general is so…general. I can talk about my writing history–even when I learned certain things–but that’s one person’s view. I know writers I admire whose way of working isn’t like mine at all. I can give some hints–things to consider, things to try–but no guarantee they’ll work for everyone. I’ve read some of the books others recommend (after I’d been writing a long time) and most of them didn’t help me…though I know they’ve helped others.
Have you found the writing-craft essays on my main website? These are adapted from online posts elsewhere and from material written for workshops I’ve taught. Those might be helpful. At the moment I’m wishing I hadn’t dug a very deep hole that I’m now having to write my way out of…when I next have time, I will have some suggestions for avoiding some problems in writing multi-volume story arcs.
Comment by Laura BurgandyIce — August 18, 2011 @ 6:11 pm
Hmm… yes, thank you. I found them once, but had lost them again already. I recognize the individuality of writing. Your perspective is especially helpful because you are thorough and open, plus, I think randomly. Sporadically. It’s funny (and fun) to happen upon something that really makes sense regarding the craft.