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Katieeee
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Book in progress

Post by Katieeee »

I have been working on a book for a while now, I have the entire outline of the plot. I just have to write the rest of it now. Tips and other help are encouraged. :D
Moray_001
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Post by Moray_001 »

What genre is it?
ChaosofaMadHatter
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Post by ChaosofaMadHatter »

A schedule. For instance, dedicate five to ten minutes on Monday to just gush. Write it all, all at once. Don't think, just do a stream of consciousness writing. On Wednesday, take fifteen to twenty five minutes to craft a scene you've been mulling over, even if it doesn't fit perfectly right now, save it separately so it's already written. On Friday or Saturday, spend thirty minutes to an hour doing careful writing based on your outline. Trudge through, have your snacks and drinks set up ahead of time, turn off your phone, and just focus for that time period. Every other Sunday, sit down and revise what's happened since. Do your best not to revise outside of that Sunday time slot, or you can get stuck in perpetual revision mode. That's what helped me double down and finally get things done.
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RS Nikhil9
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Post by RS Nikhil9 »

Since you've got the plot outlined (which is a good start, btw) it's time now to think about scenes. Think of scenes as smaller stories within your larger plot. Each scene should have a start, middle and an end.

I personally prefer to take the story scene by scene. This makes the whole process of writing (which is huge!) and breaks it down into smaller portions.

And before you pen down you scene it would help if you can picture the scene inside your head. Do this a couple of times, refining all the while till you can clearly see every bit of the scene, the characters, their dialogue, the setting they're place in, the point of tension, the conflict that is driving the scene, etc...

Write down what you see... No editing!

Just write it out, you can always edit later. And you MUST edit only later. Your first draft--keep it yourself. Let it be raw and dirty and scattered... think of your first draft as a collecting sand in a bucket, you can build a castle out of it later on, but you gotta collect all the sand particles first without any judgement.

Hope that helps!
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Louanne Piccolo
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Post by Louanne Piccolo »

Advice? Sit down and write it now. It's not going to write itself! Jump in with both feet and start. That's always the hardest bit.
It's likely I will die next to a pile of things I was meaning to read - Lemony Snicket
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authzuniga
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Post by authzuniga »

A word on dialog. For myself, I always write the dialog between the people conversing with JUST the dialog. Then, I read it aloud. Does it sound like real conversation - edit until it does. Then, go back, and inbetween the bits of conversation, add tidbits about what the people are doing as they talk, what is going on in the background, what are their expressions, what are they doing with their hands, their eyes, their faces? What are they thinking - can you make plain what they are thinking just using expressions and gestures? Or do you need to get inside their head and show their thoughts? I do all of that after the conversation is already written.
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wordslinger42
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Post by wordslinger42 »

Congrats on how much you've gotten done!! I've written a Christian fantasy novel and I'm currently editing the second draft. NaNoWriMo really helped me buckle down and stick with the project. I find that having a balance between a schedule and allowing space for ideas to form is really good. I will create a schedule, but if a chapter takes longer than expected, I don't get stressed out about it. I'm not sure what type of book you're writing, but I do have a manuscript critique/workshop service and I work with Christian fiction/non-fiction. Again, not sure what your genre is, but if that fits with what you're doing, I'd love to help :) The website is: www.towateragarden.com Best of luck with your writing!!
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nooregano
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Post by nooregano »

Don't begin editing until you're done! It becomes so discouraging. Write it out and the carve your masterpiece once you have the material to work with!
"I speak only one language, and it is not my own." - Jacques Derrida
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Post by TLWoodliff »

I agree with RS! Once the outline is sharp, look at scenes in detail. Lay hints of what is to come with purpose.

Set aside a chapter for three days before review (while you work on the next ones.) Mistakes, word flow, tension and story arc stand out better when it's not fresh.

Good luckď
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eastandalchemy
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Post by eastandalchemy »

My tip would be to surround yourself with other writers or book lovers when you're not physically writing. This often helps keep me motivated and inspired to keep going since it's easy to get distracted by everything else going on in your daily life. Since I live rather remotely on an island most of the year, taking mini writing classes or workshops online (like skillshare or youtube) really helps me stay on track.
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WhiteLotus
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Post by WhiteLotus »

Congratulations on getting the plot done! It goes a long way into not getting stuck (which I do, because I'm a pantser XD).
My only tip is to just sit down and write. Sometimes we get too hung up on perfecting an outline or all the other things (marketing, design, etc), and don't actually just... write the book. So get it started!
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