|
Post by deathlynx on Mar 27, 2009 15:36:52 GMT -5
Not really sure Miki...if you feel that a chapter's too long, and there's a reasonable place to break the flow then go for it...If it doesn't feel comfortable, then keep it as a chapter...
I gave up trying to mention anything about my writing to my wife...although initially I was writing the short stories for her, and she was eating them up, at some point she just stopped reading them, so I stopped telling her about things because she would just gloss over...
|
|
|
Post by Vicki Pettersson on Mar 29, 2009 14:58:43 GMT -5
Miki,
Hm. I hate to say that it comes with experience - I can just _feel_ when a chapter is supposed to end and start, and I don't have problems with chapter hook and cliffhangers. That's part of the work that actually comes easy to me. Printing it out and taking the material on as a reader helps. Read it aloud. Oh - and I do recall laying the whole beast out on the floor and checking for chapters and length. Also look at/for white space. That reads much faster than description. If you have long chapters full of description, that might signal a problem.
Help at all?
|
|
|
Post by nat on Mar 29, 2009 15:07:12 GMT -5
I got another question, Miss Vic.
When you write, do you write your stories in order? Or do you write whatever ideas come to mind seperately, and at the end connect everything together?
|
|
|
Post by Vicki Pettersson on Mar 29, 2009 15:08:58 GMT -5
I got another question, Miss Vic. When you write, do you write your stories in order? Or do you write whatever ideas come to mind seperately, and at the end connect everything together? I've done both, Nat. Whatever is working at the time. The key is being able to switch up quickly if something isn't working, and move on to what does. And different things work at different times. Help?
|
|
|
Post by nat on Mar 29, 2009 15:20:51 GMT -5
Yes, thank you! I'm usually one of those people who can't stay focused on one thing and my brain tends to wander way too much, so I have all kinds of ideas piling up and I wasn't sure if I should write them down or try to have the story unfold in order and then see if those other ideas fit into the mix. Hope what I just said makes some kind of sense lol)
|
|
|
Post by miki on Apr 1, 2009 10:59:36 GMT -5
Hey, Vick~yes, that DID help. I actually do print and read the story out loud already but I've not tried laying it out and looking at it. What a cool tip! I did end up breaking some of the longer chapters up but I'll go back and do the layout thing. Of course NOW I'll have two projects to work on... Thanks so much! Thanks for your input too, DL. Every bit helps. Nat, I used to try and write from start to end and would stress when I came up on something difficult and couldn't get past it. But with this story I had things pop into my head out of sequence and had the wits to write the stuff down and it helped tremendously with the flow of the writing process. *I know this is the "Ask Vicki" thread but thought I'd add that.
|
|
|
Post by Vicki Pettersson on Apr 1, 2009 21:46:21 GMT -5
Mik,
No, that's great advice. The ability to switch easily between different methods is crucial to keeping your forward motion!
|
|
|
Post by nat on Apr 2, 2009 12:42:23 GMT -5
Good to know that it's not just because I'm completely disorganized lol Thanks Miki and Vic ;D
|
|
|
Post by Vicki Pettersson on Apr 3, 2009 21:45:45 GMT -5
OR you could be completely disorganized. {eg}
|
|
|
Post by nat on Apr 4, 2009 8:42:06 GMT -5
LOL totally am, it's quite sad actually but at least that not the only reason for it ;D
|
|