Writing progress

Time for my weekly(ish) progress report.



Piper on the Hill remains in stasis while I mull over ways to liven up the plot. I still like the overall concept (who didn't like the game version?), but the weakness in the way I was telling the story needs to be addressed.



Imperfect Hope is beginning to pick up steam, I'm finding my voice and have a better sense of who's telling the story, point of view, and twists. Still, I need to pick up the pace of my first draft grinding, and stop letting the inner critic attack my work before I finish the first draft. I'm just about done with the first chapter, with 3 1/4 scenes drafted out. One thing I'm probably going to do is jump around, since I've a pretty well mapped out outline, I can jump ahead to write whatever scene interests me. I'm planning on finishing scene 4,chapter 1 tonight and then I'll pick something fun.....



I"ve done a fair amount of at-work brainstorming on Light House, Light Home. Still looks like a short story project, but one that could easily be expanded into a novel later if the idea proves out. For now, though, the story line is pretty rough.



Writing practice last week, besides this blog, included a paragraph on setting using some semi-random ideas. I'm going to practice rewriting it, as a way of practicing for my rewrites of chapters and novels in the future. I need to work on dialogue and description, I'll probably dig up some work book ideas to practice while on break at the FAA. Let's see if 30 minutes is enough time to turn off the air traffic control mind, be creative for a few paragraphs, and then turn on that atc brain again. progress reports to follow.



The thought for the day:

To fulfill a dream, to be allowed to sweat over lonely labor, to be given the chance to create, is the meat and potatoes of life. The money is the gravy. As everyone else, I love to dunk my crust in it. But alone, it is not a diet designed to keep body and soul together.
Bette Davis (1908 - 1989), The Lonely Life, 1962

This needs some thought.....

TTFN,
Jim