Job Searching, Writing, and Sometimes Revision

Page two of my own ELEVEN revision notes.
(Picture intentionally blurry!)

Hello everybody!

As you may or may not know, I recently moved to California. I came out here to follow my dreams and to become a big name! (Just kidding. I moved here because I needed to get out of Illinois and my sister lives here with my brother-in-law.)

I thought I was ready for the real world when I was still in school, but now that I'm in it, I'm pretty much falling apart. Okay, well, I wouldn't say that, but I am stressed! I've applied to so many jobs, I've lost count! Because of all the time I've been working on applying to jobs, my writing has taken a back seat. Now, that doesn't meant I've stopped writing! I am definitely still writing! It's just not as much as I'd like to be.

I recently beta-ed my second Nano book to a friend. When I got it back, I had SEVEN single-spaced pages of revision notes. That's not including all the comments actually made ON the manuscript. After reading through them, I agreed with almost all of the notes/suggests/please-change-this-now's. So that's what I've been working on. It's not going to be done as fast as I had originally hoped, but it's coming along.

What's nice, and interesting, about another person looking at your work is, it bring a whole new light to your story. I realized things about my characters I wasn't even aware of. I fixed melodramatic story elements, that originally, I thought were perfect.

For instance, the ending of my manuscript ended in a HUGE way. In fact, it was the original thing I thought up in my mind that my story was based around. (Let's say it involves a crash and public transportation.) It was melodramatic and over the top, but it was the first thing I had ever thought up for this story.

When my friend read it, the only note she put was "Are you serious?" and I knew, deep down, that it was no longer right for the story I was trying to tell. Yes, my entire story grew around this incident, but there was something I hadn't noticed. My story had outgrown it. My story was so much more than that incident now.

So I cut it.

And my story has never looked better.

World War Z and Changing Your Story

World War Z. I just saw the movie the other day with the boyfriend and let me tell you, it was great. I literally jumped out of my seat multiple times and I was scared! I'm pretty easily scared at scary movies though, but not what I expected from this. I will say that it was different than the book, but anyone that's read the book knows it can't really be the same because the book doesn't have a main character! But this isn't a movie review blog, so I'll move on.

After watching almost every single movie, I go onto IMDB and read the Trivia section for said movie. If you've never done this before, I recommend it. You can find out really cool things about the movie that you didn't know before. They often put who was originally cast for a role, if it has changed, and who else was considered for roles. It's fun to imagine someone else in the movie!

While looking up the World War Z trivia, one of them really stuck out to me. The original script called for a much more dark ending. However, the studio wanted a different end so the entire third act was rewritten to fit the new ending they wanted. Now this wasn't an early on decision either. This decision was made so late in the game (figure of speech, don't get confused!) that it caused the release date to get pushed back.

In my current work in progress I made the same decision a couple of weeks ago. I'm rewriting the entire last two or three chapters and changing the ending. I'm doing this because, while I'm planning a trilogy, I want to write it so that it can be sold stand alone. I have read lots of articles, and direct advice from agents, that a lot of them are weary about signing on a new writer to a trilogy when they don't know how the first will do. So I'm changing my ending.

This just goes to show how fluid writing really is. It also shows how much power, as writers, we really have. We have the power to shift a story and completely change it if we decide. Sometimes it's required, and sometime we just want to. We can kill, or save, characters. We are in control, and if you aren't happy with what's going on in your writing, you can change it. You can make it what you want it to be.

Minecraft and Living in Your Own World!

Hello all! As you can see above I do enjoy playing some Minecraft. In fact, I've been doing it quite a bit while reading at the same time. It's a skill I've learned that not many can posses ;). One thing that I find really fun about Minecraft is that I can create things that I'm writing in my story. Buildings, areas, etc. I read on absolutewrite that apparently a lot of people build their characters and what not on Sims, which I ALSO love, but I have yet to try that! It's really fun to be able to walk through a place that I've only made in my head. Seeing it also comes in handy when writing. It's just a really fun way to help my writing, and be a distraction when I need it! I think it'd be really awesome to do it in Second Life, but I don't have that either.

Anyway, I've been editing my WIP progress lately and it's turning out a lot better than I expected! I've added on about twelve pages and I'm not even half way through. The best part is that this is just my first read through so that I can change it from past to present. In case I didn't say specify in my my old post about past or present, I'm going with present. The story just reads so much better now that I've made the decision and I'm really happy with how it's turning out.

On a different note, I'm going to be applying to Grad school soon, EEK! I'm really nervous about this and my sister keeps telling me I need to work on my writing sample, which I know I do, but it's a really scary thought! I can't believe that it's coming so soon! My senior year of college is going to go by so fast I won't know what hit me. Before long, I'll know whether or not I'm in an MFA program and my entire life is going to change. I'm just a wee bit stressed here!

What's going on with your life out there? Inform me! Distract me! I like hearing from others! =]

Long time, no see!

Oh, hey!

I know it's been a long time since I've posted, but please, don't start sharpening the pitchforks and gathering the townsfolk! I have a legitimate reason! I recently moved into my apartment with my boyfriend! Moving is not easy, as I'm sure a lot of you know. It took a lot out of us and the reason why I have not been updating is because we are still without internet. I will be getting it on Wednesday though and I plan to go back to every Friday posting as before.

Because I have not had internet, or cable for that matter, I have managed to get quite a bit of reading done. I finished three books in four days! I mean, it wasn't like I was reading some super intellectual, heavy stuff, but reading is reading. And I managed to edit a chapter of my WIP in those four days so that was nice also. I am very excited about all the stuff I will be talking about coming up so make sure you check in on Friday, and possibly on Wednesday depending on what the Road Trip Wednesday is.

How have all of you out there been doing? Swell I hope!

Revision Hell

picture by photosteve101

Hey all!

I know it's technically Saturday because it's past midnight, but I'm doing it!

I have been busy the last few days trying to revise and work on my story. I've been going over some beta comments, which have been EXTREMELY helpful, and I've been going back through and changing it all from past to present! The story definitely flows better now that it is in present and I'm really excited to have it all done!

I've even come up with some new scenes to add in, something I told myself I didn't think I'd be able to do, and I'm very excited about them! Have to keep them under wraps for now though, because I'm not sure how they'll turn out, so who knows, I may not even keep them! Revising is a fun and scary time for my writing, but I'm trudging through it!

I'm really excited to just have a finished manuscript (and I say finished lightly as I know if it ever gets picked up it will be changed again). I mean I guess I have a finished one, but not a polished one! Okay, now I'm rambling.

In other words, I'm having one of my good friends recommission my cover, and yes I understand that if I get picked up they'll make their own cover, but it's just fun and exciting to have a cover! I know I have a past cover, and you can see it in THIS blog post, and I appreciate every minute that was put into making it, but I feel like it no longer fits my story, as I have changed it and somewhat matured it.

Another dilemma I've been facing lately is the name of my novel. I originally named it Divided We Fall, and I also feel it has outgrown this name. Now I'm faced with trying to think of something that will do it justice.

Anyone out there have suggestions on book title brainstorming?

Revisions According to Skaggs

I have a professor who is my all time favorite professor of all time. Her name is Alberta Skaggs and she's an amazing mentor when it comes to my writing. She knows when to help me and when to let me fly freely. So today my post is going to be about revisions and just random thoughts on them.

So I sit here listening to Joe Tex and Sufjan Stevens, drinking peppermint tea staring at my short story that she has marked up and down with her quick scrawl of writing. When I first saw it I wasn't sure what to think. I mean there's a ton of writing on it! But we got to talking and she told me what is wrong, surprise surprise, it's not a short list of things. (It's actually one thing I tend to do over and over again.)

In the past I used to think the best part of writing was getting it out, and when I was really young, I assumed everything that came out of me was good enough to end up next to Hemingway and Steinbeck. I have since realized that, hell no I'm not as good as they are!

Now, I absolutely love revising my stories. (I would highly recommend, if you do not, to let someone read them and tell you what's wrong with them, it helps to have a second pair of eyes.) I sit down and I stare at my story, hoping it'll magically get better. Spoiler alert: it never does. I feel like a lot of writers are either in my mind set of when I was younger, everything's perfect I am awesome, or they get done writing and don't want to edit.

Here's my advice to you, from one unpublished writer to another, to be an author, you need revision.

But if you really work on that story, and you give it the time it deserves, it will get better.

Sorry I'm all over the place again today! If you have any questions, comments, concerns, feel free to blow up this page with your thoughts.