A bit of gibberish here before I launch into the morning serious writing project, which should produce the desired minimum of 500 words. Yesterday was the real beginning of this effort and I wrote 545 with no big problem. In fact, I have so much information at hand that I could probably do 5,000 words a day if I wanted to fight it and try to prove something. But I don't. I plan to take it slow and easy and get it right.
Having too much information can be more of a pain in the ass than not having enough. With too much, there's the problem of determining what to tackle next and getting it in the right order. You have to watch out for redundancy as things gather and build, too, because sometimes a bit of information can fit in several places. And indeed, can be properly used in more than one spot, though the wording must be changed.
This is the kind of tale that won't be written straight through from beginning to end. Indeed, I didn't even use that technique with Parallel Blues, but instead wrote it in chapters here and there and then determined how they fit together. A few places I had to come up with transitions to make it work. And I did write the last three or four chapters in sequence.
With the vampire novel just finished, I started on the first line and went straight through to the end. I found that worked real well and I'll probably write the next novel the same way, unless it's too complex to do so. The vamp thing has a limited number of characters and settings, thus it wasn't hard to keep from getting confused. And, I'm using Rough Draft instead of Word for the initial draft. It has a nice note column to the right side that's handy for including bits that you will need to refer to later.
But with this non-fiction thing, that approach won't work as well for me going in and I know it. I've already finished a segment dealing with a subpoena I received in an attempt to compel me to testify to sources for a news story I had written that turned out to be wrong. That won't come into play in the very early part of the book, but I'll know where to insert it when the time comes.
I began with the idea of doing it in named chapters, but have just about decided to do it in parts -- maybe three of them. The murder, the trials, the aftermath and what has happened since. I may do a rough outline once I get past this early writing, when the chronology is very obvious and necessary to properly build the story. And I've already written the "hook," a little foreword briefly detailing the occurrences and designed to grab the reader and keep them turning pages. Learning the necessity of such things is another benefit to having worked in journalism, where you have to grab the reader by the collar immediately before their eyes flicker off to the next headline and opening paragraph.
Hell, I've done my 500 words today already. Unfortunately, they are right here, which doesn't contribute to the cause. So, I shall can the chatter and get my ass in the wind, do some writing that counts. Later.
Having too much information can be more of a pain in the ass than not having enough. With too much, there's the problem of determining what to tackle next and getting it in the right order. You have to watch out for redundancy as things gather and build, too, because sometimes a bit of information can fit in several places. And indeed, can be properly used in more than one spot, though the wording must be changed.
This is the kind of tale that won't be written straight through from beginning to end. Indeed, I didn't even use that technique with Parallel Blues, but instead wrote it in chapters here and there and then determined how they fit together. A few places I had to come up with transitions to make it work. And I did write the last three or four chapters in sequence.
With the vampire novel just finished, I started on the first line and went straight through to the end. I found that worked real well and I'll probably write the next novel the same way, unless it's too complex to do so. The vamp thing has a limited number of characters and settings, thus it wasn't hard to keep from getting confused. And, I'm using Rough Draft instead of Word for the initial draft. It has a nice note column to the right side that's handy for including bits that you will need to refer to later.
But with this non-fiction thing, that approach won't work as well for me going in and I know it. I've already finished a segment dealing with a subpoena I received in an attempt to compel me to testify to sources for a news story I had written that turned out to be wrong. That won't come into play in the very early part of the book, but I'll know where to insert it when the time comes.
I began with the idea of doing it in named chapters, but have just about decided to do it in parts -- maybe three of them. The murder, the trials, the aftermath and what has happened since. I may do a rough outline once I get past this early writing, when the chronology is very obvious and necessary to properly build the story. And I've already written the "hook," a little foreword briefly detailing the occurrences and designed to grab the reader and keep them turning pages. Learning the necessity of such things is another benefit to having worked in journalism, where you have to grab the reader by the collar immediately before their eyes flicker off to the next headline and opening paragraph.
Hell, I've done my 500 words today already. Unfortunately, they are right here, which doesn't contribute to the cause. So, I shall can the chatter and get my ass in the wind, do some writing that counts. Later.
1 comment:
Well, got 502 today, which is good enough. Now, must get ready to get out into the megalopolis of McKenzie, wheeeeeee, what a thrill!
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