Critique: Beginning of an idea.

Life sucks! I haven't worked on this for days. Could be awhile before I do any more. Anyway 2/3rds done, just roughly another 30,000 words to go. Sadly at the moment it might as well a couple of 100,000 as regards to getting this first draft finished.
 
Holbrook said:
Life sucks! I haven't worked on this for days. Could be awhile before I do any more. Anyway 2/3rds done, just roughly another 30,000 words to go. Sadly at the moment it might as well a couple of 100,000 as regards to getting this first draft finished.
Click to expand...

The advantage of not having a contract is not having a deadline. Take it as it comes, as long you still have the chance. Soon enough you'll be snared by the industy. You'll be using the term extension, then. :D
 
So you're frustrated because you can't work on the book when you want to. That's an excellent sign. It means you've dropped several levels from not wanting to work on the cursed thing at all. :)
 
KatG said:
So you're frustrated because you can't work on the book when you want to. That's an excellent sign. It means you've dropped several levels from not wanting to work on the cursed thing at all. :)
Click to expand...

Lol. I am getting to the stage when I want it done. There is actually not much to go action-wise, it is just a matter of getting each character to the final scene.

I have the following to write;

Finish the botched/failed robbery.

The villian finding out someone is on to him big time as well, as well as one of his team double crossing him (which leads to a brutal murder at a locale I know very well from my childhood.)

Hero trying to convince his friend, the police inspector, what is going on.

Clues to who the villian is coming from a 3rd party.

Villian after Hardy now, as he is the only one who could indentify him.

The finding of the body by the heroine and her kidnapping by the villian to use as bait to get Hardy.

Villian's hunt of Hardy turns into a hunt of him.....

Conclusion........


Sounds simple, but a lot of fitting and fiddling to get it to sound and feel right :eek: :eek: :eek: As this takes place over seven days and I have a cast of about 10 characters to thread into the action.

Now to try and write about a 1922 lorry crashing through a laurel hedge and across a lawn on a frosty winter night...
 
Holbrook said:
Now to try and write about a 1922 lorry crashing through a laurel hedge and across a lawn on a frosty winter night...
Click to expand...

Taken me over a week to get this written. Not that happy with it, not getting into the POV character very well at the moment. (I had this trouble with a couple of characters in Oracle, bit like pulling teeth) As I have decided to use only four POV's in Hand of Glory I haven't much choice. Going to go over it a bit now. The main probelm is there is a burst of action, then the villians discussing what went wrong. I also need to start the next chapter where the villian's woes are added to a bit.
 
65,000 words. Story is moving well again. I reckon I have at least three maybe four chapters to go before I hit another sticking point. (I know where the story is going, but a couple of details are bugging me at present about this section. Fate of characters, how to work it al together for the final 20,000 words or so.) So when these next chapters are finished (hopefully in the next 10 days if I keep going at this pace) would bring it to maybe about 75,000 - 80,000 words. This would be about 4/5th done!!! (Yes!!)

I am also thinking had about the name of the regiment Hardy was in. Up to now I have used a made up one. The reasons behind this was that I don't want to offend, this is a fictional story not a history. But the more I think on it and the fact that an up coming chapter will take place at the barracks that were and still are used by the two existing county regiments the more I am leaning towards using one of the "real" regiments. I don't go into any detail about the regiment/company etc. And the real regiments where in the trenches at the time I mention at the beginning of the story.
 
Congrats on the growing word count!

As for your regiment problem: think its a toss up. Will using the real regiments tie your hands regarding the story? I mean, did they do rotated R&R? Would they have been cycled out during times you have them in the trenches? Were there even cycled R&Rs then you'd have to worry about? Am not up on those details, hehe. If there is no logistical problem, then I would say go for it. If you are already using real places, names and events, why not them, too? "Artistic license" does have its uses, hehe.
 
Dazzlinkat said:
Congrats on the growing word count!

As for your regiment problem: think its a toss up. Will using the real regiments tie your hands regarding the story? I mean, did they do rotated R&R? Would they have been cycled out during times you have them in the trenches? Were there even cycled R&Rs then you'd have to worry about? Am not up on those details, hehe. If there is no logistical problem, then I would say go for it. If you are already using real places, names and events, why not them, too? "Artistic license" does have its uses, hehe.
Click to expand...

Good points Dazz, I have on purpose kept it vague with regards to when and where Hardy was in the trenches, save for a general time and location. It is not that important to the story, what happened to him is.

The two local reqiments were on that front at that time, but as they rotated 3-5 days in the front line , then the same in reserve then the same numbers of days further back R & R, the only way I can find out is by going deep into regimental records. That I don't want to do.

I am at present going with a fictional Regiment and using the real barracks. It would make sense that a third country regiment would go through the main county barracks and that their records would be held there. It is also for the best I think as certain elements/actions taken by one of my characters did happen, and I don't doubt still do happen to some extent during war, I feel happier with the regiment being a fictional one.
 
Should hit 75,000 words today.

6 chapters to go. Another 25,000 words or so. Not much if I say it fast. Scenes densely plotted, but still the odd curveball coming in as my characters insist on going left when I want them to go right...

I just need to get this done soon.
 
It's getting there at a snail's pace. Least I am getting logical reasoning behind why my characters are doing things in this lol....

Hopefully if I get a good week at this, this time next week I should be final stretch... I am aiming to have it done first draft by the end of July.....
 
Dazzlinkat said:
wow, nice! looks like you been burning the midnight keyboard lately :D
Click to expand...

Morning keyboard lol. I write better in the morning.

Just finishing off the murder scene. Gone better than I expected.

The next scene is the discovery of the bodies. One problem, I am going to have to have a small section at the beginning of the chapter where I will have to use the narrator's voice, rather than the character POV. I have used a light narrator's voice in sections all the way through, but here I need to describe something only I, the writer/narrator know for I feel the reader's benefit. I hope it works out.

Anyway, another chapter soon to be started.
 
I should hit 80,000 words soon. Got to the point where writing this feels like wading in treacle!:eek: I am only managing short bursts of writing, sometimes only a couple of hundred words a day, sometimes none! I am also hating the damn thing so much I could scream each time I open the document. It will only be my stubborness that will get me to the end of the first draft.

I just need this out of my system, been researching and trying to write this thing for 12 months now. I will be glad when it is done, then I can take my revenge during the editing.

As to the story itself, I have six chapters to write. I am using four character view points in this story. Of the remaining six, two are from my female lead, two from my male, one from a main supporting male character and thankfully only one from the villian. The latter is the hardest to write. His thoughts, words and ideas are expressed in a watered down version of the local accent/speech patterns, he is also based a lot on the men of my father's/grandfather's generations. I have to shift a mental gear to write this character, and it is damn hard.

Anyway, I have most of the afternoon today to ponder and write.
 
At Level 6, eh? I'm at Level 4 at the moment and making far less progress than you, so don't lose heart.

Once you're done, don't forget to send me the rest of the chapters, if you will.
 
KatG said:
At Level 6, eh? I'm at Level 4 at the moment and making far less progress than you, so don't lose heart.

Once you're done, don't forget to send me the rest of the chapters, if you will.
Click to expand...

At level 7 does my head implode??;) Feels like it.

Been at this a good part of the afternoon and, wait for it..... 1560 words! Horrible progress for a scene I have had in my head for over a week!!! Had a break while cooked the evening meal and am going to give it another go...

I haven't forgotten, will send you the first draft the moment I type end..., though I feel the last third of the story will need a lot of polish, I am not back tracking at all now, just slogging on. The continuity of the final section will need a lot of work... Never written a thriller/crime type story before....
 
Happy slogging! Just keep in mind how much you will enjoy your editing revenge against those characters.
 
Ah, I wish I had the time to read it! (Still haven't read Hatman, though I want to.) I'll ask, though, when it's finished.

Some scenes are... tenacious. They seem to resist paper (or bits'n'bytes, as it is). :cool:
 
No worries Dawnstorm :D

Four chapters to go after this one, though it most likely will take me most of this week to finish the one I am working on. Things are falling into place now, or at least seem to. Still a number of kinks to sort out with regards to the final three scenes, but the one I am working on at present ,and the next are fairly well clear in my mind...

Word total 78,000, the chapter I am working on should take it over the 80,000. Looks like being between 90,000 and 95,000 when I write finish in this first draft.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Sponsors


We try to keep the forum as free of ads as possible, please consider supporting SFFWorld on Patreon


Your ad here.
Back
Top