Wednesday in Progress: My Complications to My MC

I've been reading Roz Morris' Nail Your Novel, well her book actually. Trying to get things in my own novel sorted out from her examples. One thing I noticed right away is that I don't nearly have enough plot/subplots to float the entire story arc. I have the main one covered and a few minor ones, but I'm now noticing how hollow it is - there's just not enough meat.

In fact, her post on Sunday was exactly about this topic. She brings up the insanely wonderful website TV Tropes and you best be careful because you can lose days just going from link to link! It's dangerous time-suckage if you don't stay focused on why you're there in the first place. Visitor beware!

So now I've managed to take out some extraneous stuff regarding my main character, Gillian, and decided that she really needed a bully. In fact, it was the realisation/creation of the bully that helped further clarify what she looks like/how she dresses. I guess I'm taking the scenic route, but I'm learning that my characters can't possibly be boring. Real life is boring enough. If I want my reader invested, I really have to pull them into the world I have in my head.

There are other things I'm quickly learning about my characters and I'm trying not to overwhelm my novel with too many characters. However, that's what I say this week. Next week I could totally figure out that I have too few characters and need to make a few more. The joys of creating. Good times.

Still optimistic about this story, despite finding more problems with the story in general. I think the reason for my optimism is that I'm also finding solutions instead of just feeling like I'm drowning in quicksand. I can see a way out of this, even if it's not entirely clear. I have hope. I just have to complicate things for my characters a bit more so there's a fuller story. I may care for these fictional people because I have all this in my head, so I know them better - but if I don't share that with the rest of you, why would you?

Your turn! After writing your drafts, did you realise that your characters didn't suffer enough? Have you read stories where you just didn't care about those people in it? Have you done a Joss*? Do you aim to do a Joss?

*The reference is to Joss Whedon - brilliant writer/director who is notorious for killing off his characters in the most horrific ways and when you think all is safe, he ruins it by killing off more. He's an evil bastard and I wish my brain worked like his. I'm hoping "do/doing/done a Joss" will become A Thing.

Wednesday In Progress: Excuses...Oooh Shiny!

our kitchen, our hell

This week has started off less than stellar. After our personal kitchen nightmare (water heater rusted completely out, manager of our apartment complex refused to do anything about it until 5 months after the fact - where our floor was about as thin as paper in some parts), the past 2 weeks most of our kitchen is sitting in our living room. I work in our living room, now surrounded by kitchen appliances and animals, all freaking out that there are strangers in our space, making crazy noise and we can't cook/live properly.

At least we didn't have dry rot or mold (which is what you fear here in Oregon).

One of our ancient cats seems to have caught the sniffles (worried since we can't afford to get her to a vet, either). To say that I've been distracted with household stuff is an understatement. Our I'm also dealing with a laptop that's given me trouble since Monday night. The plan is to get this looked at, but that won't happen until Saturday and the kitchen won't be sorted out until the end of this week (I hope).

So I'm really not sure what I will do for writing this week and I don't know how much I care. I'm sort of annoyed with myself for that, but there we are. Of course, this is also why I'm writing this blog post in the dead of night (when I really should be asleep). I finally have some peace and quiet.

I think I've done about two lines of text for my WIP this week, but I've started working on a short story that I had been thinking about for a while. I don't know how short it will be necessarily, but I know I don't want to drag it out for too long. I'd like to have it ready for viewing soon-ish, warts an' all. We'll see.

Right now, I'd just like to get my kitchen done and people out of my space!

I'm having a mini-meltdown, excuse me.

Your turn! How do you deal with outside/non-writing distractions? What do you do to keep writing/focused - or do you?

Wednesday In Progress: Soppy Over Scrivener

(...And no, this isn't a paid ad or endorsement of anything. These are my own observations and opinions - and photos - as always. Take from it all what you will.)

A while back, I mentioned how I was always late to the party. I really am.

Books probably not written using Scrivener - pity!

After years and years of hearing about this supposedly "awesome program for writers" called Scrivener, I finally downloaded a 30-day trial. Yesterday. I think not having my own laptop, my virtual writing and research space (if we want to get fancy) contributed to my hesitation to try this out, but yesterday - in the middle of my utter frustration with my straight job dealings, the copious notes I have littering not only my trusty never-leave-home-without-it-notebook, this laptop (several Word documents, a few Notepad files and I also use Open Office), I decided I really need to consolidate this mess.

I can't remember who it was on my Twitter feed, but someone mentioned how well they were able to organise themselves with Scrivener and bang out their story. Well, being that me without an outline is akin to me walking around town without pants (comfortable, though not appropriate and completely useless and distracting), I figured another tool in my writing arsenal wouldn't be a bad thing.

So, I downloaded the trial version (30 nonconsecutive days of usage) and even though I've only used it for a few hours thus far, I think I'm in love. I have webpages of info, character sheets and snippets of story all in their variously useful places - and I can drag and drop if I find them a better place! I have house plans! Actual images so I don't have to remember or pour through my notes/text as to whether or not I put the kitchen in the south or west of the house (not that it will matter to my readers, but just in case). I still need to have faith with the importing of documents, though. I'm so used to things not working between programs (though advertised as if it were as easy as Scrivener makes it).

I have 30 days to test everything out (but I'm probably going to buy it this Friday).

Your turn! Have you tried Scrivener? Like it? Hate it? Found something better? What writing tool can you not live without?