I know I started seriously on my new WIP - I've written down words and everything. This is a big step for me because I didn't have a first line. Without the first line I have no idea who's narrating, what tense I'm working with, or the tone I'm going to achieve. I know... the life of a pantser is a strange and exciting one!
As it is, I've ended up changing the POV. I started from the sensible POV of the guy who's still definitely going to be alive at the end of the story. But his voice wasn't quite right, and I really wanted to know more about another character, who may not be alive at the end of the story, although that's still up in the air at the moment. But she has more of a story - she's left her home town, got married, got divorced and returned to her home town. While the guy has always just been there. You can see that her story is much more interesting.
But unfortunately it will leave me with some problems later on - either I'll have to switch POV for the last parts, or have outer body experiences. (Though, I some of you can probably guess which way I'm swaying at the moment!)
Other things I've done this week have included:
- the Back to School shop
- buying the paint for our hall (but not having the courage to start - it's a BIG hall)
- taking the dog for a walk, getting drenched after 5 minutes and ending up having our clothes tumble-dried at my in-laws house
- working
- seeing Hubby play at a great venue in Exeter
Hmm, okay, so I do seem to have done quite a lot - no wonder I haven't had time to blog!
Also, this week, I won a £10 Amazon voucher as part of Kyra Lennon's Game On Tour Finale - which was such a lovely surprise because usually I don't win anything. I checked through my TBB (to be bought) list, and can't decide what I want - they all look so good. I'd love to hear some suggestions please!
Congratulations!
ReplyDeleteWhat does your husband play again?
I always know the point of view, but that first line usually kills me.
Yes, those pesky first lines can be a killer!
DeleteHubby is a singer/songwriter who also plays the guitar, Alex. Here's a link to him playing on a balcony in Germany, if you're interested :-) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pxz2BiIKv0
Details about your new WIP are a bit cryptic! :P Good to hear it's moving, though!
ReplyDeleteMost of the books on my TBR list are YA, so I don't think I can help you there, sorry!
Yes, I love being cryptic ;-)
DeleteAnd, you are right - I'm not a huge fan of YA.
(On a different note, I realised my publisher has put Cat and The Dreamer under contemporary/new adult... so my admission that I didn't know what NA is seems rather silly, because apparently I write it lol)
Are you writing in first person or third? I don't see a big problem if you're writing in a close third POV of a character who dies and then switch to the other character. I think it would be a big surprise for the reader.
ReplyDeleteI'm writing in third, which is not my favourite, but fits the story. Thanks for the advice.
DeleteCongrats on your new WIP!
ReplyDeleteSounds like you had a great week. Hope your weekend is fun!
Thanks Dana :-) Have a great weekend too.
DeleteYou could write in 3rdthe person past tensr and switch character views with the chapters. It's a little tricky, but you can pull it off!
ReplyDeleteI have never tried to swap POV. It might be an interesting exercise.
DeleteGreat news on your WIP! Could you maybe alternate pov - one chapter from hers, the next from his? I've changed my pov from first to third and I have alternating ones. Eek!
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean about your TBB list - I always have the worst trouble deciding. I finally just take the plunge and pick something. :)
Like I said above, I've never tried switching POV. I might attempt it, to see if I can, but I think this is going to be another novella-length story, so that might just be too cluttered for the word count.
DeleteCongrats on the WIP. Changing the POV to one who might die? That is brave.
ReplyDeleteYou say brave, I say stupid. But I'm pretty easy going about using non-traditional narrators.
DeleteI never know the POV I'm going to use till I've written those first few lines either! I let the character 'talk'to me. Good luck and have a great bank holiday weekend.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad it's not just me, sometimes my methods seem a little flaky, even to me!
DeleteCongrats on the voucher -- hope you get something swimmy.
ReplyDeleteI'm still considering! I'm thinking it might have to be something off the Booker longlist though, there are some great titles this year, and 4 first time novelists - I really should support them!
Deletesounds like you had a great week, with a lot done and plenty ahead. Enjoy
ReplyDeleteThanks Joanne. And hopefully, with all the chores done last week, I'll be able to enjoy next week! Have a great week yourself :-)
DeleteA busy week - the Back to School shop brings back memories!
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the WIP and POV - did you get the first sentence sorted yet?
I've actually got TWO first lines at the moment - the MC is either lying in bed or standing on a railway platform!
DeleteGood luck with the changes. Have you thought of having more than one POV character? I have 4 in my WIP.
ReplyDelete4? Wow. I think I'd confuse myself writing too many characters.
DeleteSounds like a busy time. Good luck with the new WIP. I almost did the same thing, switching POV at the last moment but I found a way to may it work. Good Luck!
ReplyDeleteAt least I'm swapping at the early stages, so it's pretty easy. The thought of doing it later is a huge task - so I'm glad you didn't have to in the end!
DeleteBest on the new WIP. Maybe you can switch POv's so the alive person has the last chapter. Shrug. I haven't managed to do anything like that yet. But I may give it a go one of these days.
ReplyDeleteI suppose, if I did it that way, it would almost become an epilogue. Hmmm... *thinks hard and rushes off for notepad* :-)
DeleteAah, the dreaded back to school shop. A total nightmare! You have really achieved a lot this week, even if that was the only thing you did!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you got started on the writing. I always think starting is the most difficult bit.
Yes, it felt like we'd achieved a lot, carting all those bags back home. Who knew kids could need so much stuff!!!
DeleteI'm quite relieved I got started too - I always have a wobble when I'm between projects that I'll never write anything ever again...
Oh you have been doing lots. Congrats on starting your new story. As a pantser, I'll just say you don't worry about problems later on just yet. You'll have it figured out by the time you get there. :-)
ReplyDeleteThings are starting to take shape already - it's been useful to read all these comments.
DeleteI tried to leave a comment on your blog today. My comment was: I hope you feel better soon!
I reckon the solution will come to you - but if you're worried maybe the idea of 2 POVs would ease the problem! On the 'what to do with the Amazon voucher' problem, I just really, really enjoyed 'Pear Shaped' by Stella Newman. It made me laugh out loud and that doesn't often happen! (Another that made me laugh out loud was 'Harnessing Peacocks' by Jojo Moyes - if you haven't read it, it might be up your street!)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the book suggestions Linda. I'll check them out. This might be the longest book-buying session ever :-)
DeleteOops - just realised Harnessing Peacocks is by Bella Pollen. I saw a peacock today and it just jumped into my head (the author, not the peacock)
DeleteThanks for letting me know :-) Also, I'm glad peacocks aren't attacking you!
DeletePOV can be very tricky. Sometimes I start in one pov which I am fairly sure about, only to find later that it doesn't allow me to tell the story like it should be told. Sometimes, in frustration, I too have used multiple viewpoints and it seems to have worked out okay...
ReplyDeleteLuckily I've only just started, so changing and playing about are easy. My notebook is a mess, though!
DeleteHeya, I know how you feel! I haven't gone AWOL from my blog (not exactly) but I have been MIA on the blogs I follow. *Guilt*
ReplyDeleteAhh, back to school... *Shudders* I just went back this week.
Congrats on the new WIP! You raise some good points with the characters. I've seen a few complainers who don't like a story from the POV of someone who doesn't feel as vital to others in the story. But I'm sure whatever you decide to do it'll be all good! (:
Yes, I've been missing from a lot of the blogs I follow too. The more I follow, the harder it is to keep up. I hate the thought of culling, because I know how bad I feel if I lose a follower and don't know why.
DeleteBoth characters are vital to the story, but I think the girl has more to say... isn't that always the case!?
Good to hear you are working on a new WIP, I'm another panster. It might take us longer to work things out, but it adds to the fun. It'll come to you soon. Then you can decide who is telling the story.
ReplyDeleteI like to read stories where two viewpoints, alternate between chapters, I'm trying it out in my own WIP at the moment.
It not easy being a writer is it? ;-)
Not easy, but great fun! I think I'm getting there - my first draft tends to just be a huge deluge of words on a page that eventually becomes a story!
DeleteHow are you finding the dual POV in your WIP?
Challenging! The main character is female, then I have two male characters who feature heavily in the novel, but you will only hear thoughts from one. I can't quite pull off one POV, so I have gone with the two...I certainly didn't want the confusion of three!
DeleteI know some people like to head hop several characters, but the 'all seeing all knowing' isn't for me. I can barely hold everything in my head as it is...
Yes, I can see how three would just be far too complicated if you're not used to it. Good luck with it.
DeleteThank you, same to you...
DeleteCongrats on your new WIP! I'm usually a plotter but the one time I tried pantsing I found it liberating and terrifying! But what I learned from it is that you can just write and not know stuff about where it's going and you can come up with some great stuff. The not-so-great is what editing's all about, right? :-)
ReplyDeleteSome Dark Romantic
Absolutely. In my case it's not so much editing, but totally re-writing several times. But it's my method, so I stick with it. I'm too far along to change the way I write, even though I sometimes sound like I'm complaining about it :-)
Deletethere's always 3rd person. perfectly fine, especially in a thriller...then you can start in her perspective.
ReplyDeleteand sounds like you've gotten a lot done!
good luck w/the first line, i usually go back and work on that later anyway...
I'm not so good at writing in 3rd person, but I think I'm doing all right at the moment.. The first line is usually the one thing that stays!
DeleteSince I unfortunately don't have a job, I rejoice to hear you've had a week filled with work stuff :). I wish you inspiration for the WIP and have a great week lovely lady.
ReplyDeleteBest of luck on the job front. WIP is slowly taking shape but I am currently being side-tracked by The Big bang Theory!
DeleteWell done on your new WIP and congrats on the voucher:) I love book shopping... but like you I wouldn't know what to get. So many books I want. I just started writing a new story with dual POV - something I've never done before, and it's easier than I thought. Best thing to do is just jump in:)
ReplyDeleteI think I'll let the story decide whether I need two POVs. Best of luck with yours :-)
DeleteLooks like your week has been quite busy.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to hear you're working on a new WIP. There's nothing better than writing ;)
Except chocolate, you mean?? :-)
DeleteYou walked your dog? I am impressed with you and ashamed of myself. My poor pooch just gets empty promises.
ReplyDeleteIt's not a common occurrence because he has 'issues' with other dogs, and gets very anxious about being walked. We try to avoid heavily doggy places because it's not a fun experience for any of us :-(
DeleteSounds like you're having fun with the new WIP. I love that "discovery" phase when it's all about acquainting yourself with the characters.
ReplyDeleteI often get to the end of the week and feel like I haven't really accomplished anything. Making lists proves otherwise though, which is always good for morale ;)
I prefer the next stage - where I take all my random scenes and put them into some kind of order. At the first draft stage I find I end up writing the same scene, in different notebooks, in completely different ways!
DeleteOooh, I love that part, as a pantser, where you arrive at the first sentence and start establishing the story and characters. I'm itching to get back to my WIP, but have so much else I need to do first. Sounds like you did plenty this week!
ReplyDeleteI hope you get back to your WIP soon. It's hard to leave something half-completed. Forget all the other stuff Shannon, go and write :-)
DeleteI'm hoping to fit some writing time in today. Back to school is all consuming, but we are two weeks in, so I'm hopeful things will settle down. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteI find as soon as I'm settled back into routine it's Christmas! (Oops, that's my first mention of the C word, and I don't like it...)
DeleteHey Annalisa. Sounds like you have your hands full! I've been putting off taking all three of my girls back to school/clothes shopping. I know I'm running out of time and can't dodge that bullet for much longer though. LOL
ReplyDeleteYour new WIP sounds very interesting. I am also contemplating changing a POV in a story I'm working on. I'm not a fan of third person POV either, as it doesn't flow as naturally for me, but sometimes, it needs to happen for the story to work. Good luck with yours!
My theory on the shopping was the sooner I do it, the sooner I don't have to think about it. It's the first - and probably one - time I've been so organised!
DeleteGood luck with your WIP too :-)