Well, not precisely “none”. They’re all still there, those 35,000-plus words in the latest writing project. However, as I was cranking them out, letting them lead me, I got wrapped up in the story and the characters. Then, as happens all too often, I got sidelined for a very long time. Nearly a year, in…
Category: The Craft
Partners in Crime trailer – new BBC Agatha Christie series
▶ Partners in Crime trailer – coming soon to BBC One – YouTube. What mystery writer (or reader, for that matter) is not an Agatha Christie fan? BBC’s new Christie series, starring Tommy and Tuppence, is coming soon! Its title is Partners in Crime: appropriate, if not all that imaginative. Still, I am hoping to…
I’m Not Dead Yet
I’m back here now, because I am doing better, and my intentions are to open up that blasted file again in Scrivener, read through everything I’d written back in November, and finally finish that draft. I’m just under half-way done with the story itself, with a great big sign hanging over the file that says, “Some Assembly Required”.
The Ending Scene From Today
So, today was the fifth day of NaNoWriMo. I’ve just topped 12.000 words, so am a bit ahead of schedule and it feels good. Today was crazy. I thought I would have a lot of writing time, but a series of interruptions, some actual paying work that came up, and an infected (is it? I…
Here, Kitty, Kitty
One question writers are often asked is, “How do you get your ideas?” Well, I can’t speak for all writers, of course, but in my case, it’s the ideas that seem to get me. My problem is not finding ideas to write about. My problem is that I have so many story ideas that there aren’t enough days in…
It’s Not Over When It’s Over
I’m sure new writers, people with stars in their eyes and ideas in their heads, probably think that the wisdom of the King of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland actually holds true:
“Begin at the beginning, “the King said gravely, “and go on till you come to the end: then stop.”
While these words might work well for a portion of the process, getting to the end of a book most certainly isn’t the time to call it “done”. As a matter of fact, books don’t even usually begin at the beginning. Before you can even start the actual writing of your story, there is plotting, character development, outlining, research, and more to be done.
Then, you write “The End” … and you start all over again.
Gayle Nastasi 