What are you writing about now?

david_wendelken said:

Well, it turns out my wife caught COVID-19 on the trip. I'm in the clear so far. I guess I'm now happy that the guest room and dorm we stayed in on our trip had small and separate beds. It didn't seem like a blessing at the time. We're all vaccinated and boosted, so this will likely just be a nuisance illness. Here's hoping that's true!

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I hope it doesn't hit your wife too badly :'] It was okay when I had it, rather like a bad cold, but it's always nice to be healthy!

Spent some time this morning replacing adverbs with stronger verbs that were more apt to my intended meaning.

Rather than go through the entire document from top to bottom, fixing all adverbs as I find them, I decided to do all instances of the same adverb in a row. Why?
The report tells me how often each adverb is used, so I know which ones to focus on first. I'll build up a list of options for that adverb and lock them down in my mind by the repetition. Plus, it's more efficient that way because by the time I get to the 15th usage of the same adverb, I'll already know some good replacements.

I'm happier with the changes, too!

david_wendelken said:

I'm happier with the changes, too!

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The key point.

Programs can improve us, or consume us. Programs can enhance our work, or submerge our work into the program.
The point is for the writer to use the program. and not let the program use the writer, the writer getting lost to 'the rules of the program.'
I'm sure all of us are writer enough to use them, and not get lost to them.

Be sure to use programs to enhance your 'voice', unless you're still seeking your 'voice' or intentionally trying to change it. Each writer has their own voice.

I'm still looking forward to getting started with one, when the time comes.

Yesterday, in nooks and crannies of time, I extirpated the adverb "closely" from volume I.

I'm trying to work on "gently" today, but I now have covid and my brain and body are tired. I don't expect to make much progress on that front until I get better. It takes brainpower to learn to make those kinds of changes and that's exactly what I don't have at the moment.

Maybe I'll try writing something new. Or just take a nap.

Well, today was a banner day. Just swell.

Confirmed I have covid, too. Had to cancel my trip to the upcoming enameller's conference. Scheduled a colonoscopy for next month.

On the plus side, I managed to get 43 "Gently" usages replaced with better word choices, and decided to keep one of them. 22 to go.

I'm liking the improvements enough that I'm willing to re-open volume II to editing to take a look at the 1482 adverb usages in it. I'll wager quite a few of them need to be improved.

Maybe tomorrow.

All but 2 "gently" usages are gone from Volume I. I didn't work on it much today, just a few here and there throughout the day.

Today, I took a few lessons on developmental editing from AutoCrit. They contained some good advice and demonstrated features for planning stories I didn't know the product had. I started filling out a story plan for the product for Volume III. I think it will be helpful.
The product supports several different "beat sheet" story outlines.

Definition: "A beat sheet is a scene-by-scene narrative breakdown that maps the major story beats in a screenplay or novel1. It outlines the significant plot points and serves as a skeleton for the narrative2. Beats are the key moments that structure the story into acts and propel the action forward."

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An interesting feature the product has is an AI generator for the different beats. I'm not interested in having a computer plot out my book but I was interested to see what it did, so I gave it a whirl. I found that I could copy and clear out a beat and generate again and get a different response, so I generated three different answers for a couple of beats. The results were a bit formulaic (which is NOT a problem for some genres; instead, it is a real plus). However, there were snippets of good ideas scattered throughout the generated ideas. I'll mine those and record them for later consideration (just like I do every time I witness or participate in social interactions).

Tracking important items makes sure that we provide close details for actually get used and their lifecycle in the story is complete. Otherwise, many readers may assume the item is detailed as part of Foreshadowing and get annoyed when it isn't ever mentioned again - unless it's a Red Herring

Foreshadowing means you provide info the item or situation exists and some hint of its importance (and why it is) before your characters use the item. Otherwise, it just appears to the reader that you made up some stuff on the spur of the moment to get the characters out of a mess. Instead, readers like it when it appears you made stuff up with planning ahead of time!

A MacGuffin is an item that provides motivation to characters to act despite being relatively insignificant to the total story.

A Red Herring is an intentionally misleading clue.

One way is to search for the item in your editor of choice and review how the item is introduced to the readers and what happens to it. The advice they gave was to create bookmarks where it was mentioned and add in comments about it there to help in your review. I'm on the fence on that last part unless the fix is complicated or not yet clear.

Developmental Editing vs Line Editing

The overall story is the focus of Developmental Editing. The intent is to make sure the story makes sense, has all the elements and scenes it needs (and no more), there aren't any plot holes, and character actions and emotions make sense based on where they started and what's happened to them, foreshadowed things came out of the shadows and red herrings were exposed as such. Whew! That's a lot.

Line Editing is focused on:

• clarity of expression (did you say what you meant and can others understand you correctly),
• the flow (ease of reading),
• immersion (the writing immerses the reader in the world of the story and doesn't distract them or expel them from it)
• economy (use the words you need and don't be overly lengthy to get to the point)

Steps taken in line editing:

1) Remove lots of adverbs, particularly with the -ly endings. Adverbs rely on weak verbs and modify them. Instead of "He walked quickly", one could say, "He ran, galloped, bolted, raced, or sprinted." Quote from Stephen King: "The road to hell is paved with adverbs." Also avoid attaching adverbs to dialog tags, such as:
"Don't you walk away from me!" he shouted angrily. It's either obvious to the reader or you need to make it so.

2) Dialogue tags. He said, he asked, for example. Use others sparingly unless they really fit the situation. Why? Said and asked just blend in unless you are using them when they aren't needed. (If it's just two characters speaking back and forth, you don't need to identify each speaker all the time.)

3) Filler words. "Every word has to earn its place on the page." Tighten the sentences so they are lean, clear and free of fluff, while still flowing and communicating your message well. Words like "that, just, even, seem, very or really" are examples of filler words. For example, before line editing, Vol II in my series had 1583 usages of the word "that", right at 1% of all words in the book! I now have 507. With my now improved editing skills, I could probably cut that another 20-50%, and probably will. Readers notice, like, when a filler word, like, crops up, like, too often.

There are more, I'll cover them tomorrow. It's been a good lesson so far.

This does sound very useful. Thank you for sharing it :]

I've gone thru volume I and worked on usages of "closely", "gently" and "silently".
Closely and silently have been extirpated, gently only has two usages remaining.

I sure used silently foolishly. "He nodded silently." Yeah, it goes without saying. That's how people generally nod. Now, if I nod, I might need to write, "He nodded, but the creaking and crackling in his neck bones drowned out his words." But that's the unusual case!

Here's to ridding my prose of yet more badly used adverbs! I'm now convinced it's best for me to re-open the editing of Volume II and clean up the adverbs in it.

All of these “lessons” are fascinating and very helpful! However, it makes my process of writing all the more tedious because now my brain is constantly going back and rereading long-already written parts to see how I can apply what I’ve learned. 😅 I’m often thinking about how I can better express a sentence or paragraph or the character’s thoughts and actions, but my mind hyperfocuses on the finer “line editing” before I can even finish writing the entire scene as a rough draft, and then it literally takes me months to work on one post. Any advice?

Personally, I advise you to write it out first. Anything you cannot help editing, do on the way, and then edit only once you've finished. If it helps, try writing "first edition" or something like that(someone else suggested "dumbest version", but I don't care for that myself). It helps me know what I'm putting down will be edited later, even if that later is a while from now.

(Also, keep some memorandum or record or bookmark to keep the tips you've received. A Pinterest board works as well as anything else and is decently convenient.)

Fingon_Findekáno said:

All of these “lessons” are fascinating and very helpful! However, it makes my process of writing all the more tedious because now my brain is constantly going back and rereading long-already written parts to see how I can apply what I’ve learned. 😅 I’m often thinking about how I can better express a sentence or paragraph or the character’s thoughts and actions, but my mind hyperfocuses on the finer “line editing” before I can even finish writing the entire scene as a rough draft, and then it literally takes me months to work on one post. Any advice?

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I know I have different standards for myself depending on what I'm writing. For writing that I can take my time over, or is very important to me, (e.g. my own stories), I rework each sentence a few times and make sure it fits well with the rest of what I've written, until I'm satisfied that it works as intended.
This is kind of an intuitive process: I just stop editing when I suddenly get a sense of 'I've got it! that's the effect I was going for'. This is no doubt subconsciously informed by all the reading I have done in the past. My brain probably picked up patterns of what worked and what didn't.

I do the same thing with 'quicker' writing (e.g. roleplay posts), but I don't spend so much time over it. Generally, if there aren't any continuity errors, and the meaning of what I've written is clear (so the reader understands what I'm talking about), then I say 'good enough' and just post it. If I'm going to be writing a lot of these, it's best to save my energy.

Remember, every writer is different.
Some write the story 'for distance' first - i.e. 'get it down', then 'go back.'
Some edit as they go.

The process of editing takes care of ALL the issues, whenever you do it along your way, because it helps you focus on all the individual aspects "in their time, singly, and separately", in the end.

So far I've seen us talk about words and story - but little about 'structure' - a whole different issue in some arenas as well.

So... let yourself be who YOU are as a writer - and enable the editing process consistent with your own best methods.

(In my last editing work, I restructured sentences, paragraphs, sections, and even entire chapters and their location, to improve the delivery.)

There is simply 'no right way,' and only one 'wrong' way.

The 'wrong' way, is not to edit. And many authors even leave that to others... they just write. (I doubt many of our 'serial writers' could crank out as many books as they do each year, if they were handling their own editing..!! Though I daresay, some of the editing isn't so good, sometimes.)

Fingon_Findekáno said:

All of these “lessons” are fascinating and very helpful! However, it makes my process of writing all the more tedious because now my brain is constantly going back and rereading long-already written parts to see how I can apply what I’ve learned. 😅 I’m often thinking about how I can better express a sentence or paragraph or the character’s thoughts and actions, but my mind hyperfocuses on the finer “line editing” before I can even finish writing the entire scene as a rough draft, and then it literally takes me months to work on one post. Any advice?

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I don't worry about all this stuff when I'm writing the first draft. My focus then is on "getting what happened in the story down on paper". That's it. Perfect phrasing is unimportant. I make no attempt to achieve it. Now, if an absolutely stunning phrase pops in my head I'll plop an @TODO: marker in the text along wit the awesome phrase and carry on with "getting what happened in the story down on paper".

All the editing comes later. I don't worry about getting the verb tenses right, or the POV accurate, etc.

Here's how all the editing later helps with new writing. After you go thru your story and clean up 30-1583 occurrences in a row of the same poorly used word, you start to develop some mind-muscle memory for how to do it right the first time. So you're far more likely to automagically pick a better choice when you write something new afterwards.

That's been my experience.

Here are some sample @todo: markers I put in my text.

@todo: Have miri tell this story over a campfire? Or have Beleg tell it to the Pure Heart League?
Above used when I realize I'm not happy with the pov I'm currently writing in, but want to carry with the writing.

@todo: Have Beleg read the letter to her in astonishment. She interrupts him after the first sentence with her «translation».
Used when I realize a better way to handle the scene I just wrote, but I don't want to stop writing the followup scene because that's flowing out nicely.

@todo: reconcile the corrected chapter dates and fix the timeline.
I put dates in a special font just under the chapter title as a way to orient the reader. In this case, I realize the dates don't make sense in the overall timeline, but I'm not sure what needs to be adjusted. I don't want to stop the flow of what I'm writing to puzzle this out.

@todo: change pov to Annarael
I've been writing this section in 3rd person omniscient POV and realized it will be much better from this character's pov. But I don't want to stop the flow of new material I'm writing now, so I record that intent and carry on with the flow.

I use them for plot holes I've noticed, things that will take thought and concentration to fix later, stuff I realize I need to write but don't know how or don't want to stop what I'm writing now for, etc. They serve two purposes: (1) So I don't forget to do them later and (2) so I get back to the first draft of what I'm actively writing now with a minimum of distraction.

Hope that helps!

This is a much more fun @todo: marker. I used it to record AN IDEA that came to me. I haven't made much progress in improving my drawing skills this year. I still want to make lots of illustrations for my book but I don't have the skill to do them and likely won't for several more years.

And then THE IDEA popped into my head. One of the things I admire in life is when someone takes a real weakness and jiu jitsu's it into a real strength. So, since I don't draw well and I want to make progress on my illustrations, how could I achieve that?

@todo: consider using a tapestry-like graphic for the “master chapter” pages, or even all the chapters? Or all illustrations in the books? Create “fabric” background pattern to print first, then overprint with drawing. Use “embroidery stitches” instead of “drawn lines”? Give it a Bayeaux Tapestry feel, but more Elvish?

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I could draw this well when I was in 3rd grade! (And with a bit of work I could get back to that level of skill!) I think I'll have her elf friend, the headmaster of the orphanage she founded, receive a copy of the history written about her (volume I) and have the children make a tapestry to honour their founder's life. It's in character for him to do so and having the kids make it not only excuses my poor drawing skills, it makes them essential!

You can get a better idea of the texture I'm talking about if you click on the images.

What do you think?

That's a unique idea! I wish you the best with it :]

More Line Editing steps:

4) Generic Descriptors. Generic descriptors are words like nice, great, good, pretty, really, big, very. Find and replace with clear descriptors that add vibrancy and/or mood.

5) Repetition. Look for passages that have the same word used too frequently too close together. Use synonyms or unique descriptions to eliminate unnecessary repetition. Or, one can look for words or phrases that are used too often. Of course, repetition can be used for humour, character traits, or emphasis.

6) Showing vs Telling. Show, don't Tell. Dramatize, Don't Summarize. Showing uses description and action to help the reader experience the story. Telling has the author summarize or just tells the reader what is happening.

Also, filtering, which is using sensory verbs like saw, heard, felt, watched, noticed, to describe the experience of your POV character. Usually hangs around with pronouns. "Sequences that are heavily filtered edge on passivity. They lack a sense of immediacy and weight." Oof! I'm pretty guilty of this one. Need to re-open Volume II and fix this, too.

7) Passive Voice. Using passive instead of active voice. A tip they gave is if you can add "by zombies" to the end of the sentence and it still makes sense, it is likely to be in passive voice. I hope to find this tip very helpful, because the passive indicator report in autocrit also picks up when I'm writing about things that took place in the past. I'll have to take a look and see!

8) Consistency. (1) Are your verb tenses consistent, or do they switch around randomly like I used to do all the time? (2) POV consistency. Same switching problem can happen with this topic, too.

With covid, I have low brain and body energy. But I still want to make progress! I've been alternating between two tasks.

1) Cleaning up an excessive use of some adverbs. Boy, howdy! It appears I have about a half-dozen adverbs that I overuse to excess! Aside from the monotony once in reading once one becomes aware of it, it's lazy writing. There are usually more vibrant and/or correct options that can be used.

2) I had forgotten these features, but MS Word and AutoCrit both have the ability to read text aloud in two or more voices. MS Word will just keep reading from wherever you start it off (until you stop it or the file ends, of course). AutoCrit requires you to select the text you want it to read, and can only handle about a screen's worth at a time. So, MS Word takes less effort and attention. But AutoCrit has a wider selection of voices to choose from, including one I like much better than the others, and does a better job of pronouncing words - even Middle-earth ones. I've been listening to work in Volume I that's reached first draft stage (or better). My ear has caught quite a few mistakes that my eyes had missed, plus I can tell whether the words scan well.

What are you all up to?