Sounds like an uplifting post, doesn't it?
While, I have a few problems.
1) I am not altogether pleased with my story
That's not really a new problem...but, you know.
2) It is written in first person and "I" doesn't have a name. In a family that names kitchen knives and dead seagulls, this is especially unacceptable. He is referred to as X.
3) I only have 11, 372 words.
Considering the fact that I've been sick and I had a niece born..what's with that anyways? :-)
Alright, so I'm okay with how much I've gotten done considering the circumstances, but it still isn't enough.
4) And WORST of all- My story ended.
Yeah... I don't think I've ever finished a story yet that wasn't somehow related to school (I have no idea why I'm admitting this). This one just comes to an end 38628 words short.
I have never in my life been able to handle a short story, and here I write one by accident. It's ridiculous. I mean, Where Loyalties Lie is over 50,000 words long and I'm probably only about 1/3 through...
Bleg...I am such a failure.
But on a brighter note...
I loved writing this.
It was an idea that has been stewing for some time, but repressed because of the magnitude of my current story. I thought writing a novel in November would be the perfect opportunity. I knew 50,000 words would be stretch for the idea, but I certainly thought it would go farther than 11, 372.
I sat down to this story to just write.
I didn't go back and read anything. I just went. I didn't even use the synonym finder. I wrote what I wanted and kept going.
And now I'm anticipating some major and deep revisions and editing (if not throwing it away altogether..:-).
But I had one of the best times writing ever. I mean, writing hadn't been so much fun in a long time. It was marvelous. And even if the whole thing is a piece of junk, I think it helped me get over a hump and I'm now very refreshed.
I printed it and handed it over to my sister. She already knows the idocentric aspects of my spirit and I'm too afraid to show it to her (okay, not very afraid, anyways).
It probably has the most of me in it since I wrote about Erich, Peter, and Gabriel at their boys boarding school when I was nine. That's not really a good sign.
But I feel at peace.
But I feel at peace.
I know my sister likes me, even if I don't come across very sensible on paper. :-)
Now, the question is-
a) Do I completely bag my goal of 50,000 words?
b) Do I go back to Where Loyalties Lie and try to get 38628 words written before the end of the month?
c) Do I start another and try to make it come to about 38628 words?
My sister wants one on about a Huguenot...I've never seen myself writing historical fiction, but I do think the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre has a lot of story potential and people should certainly know about it. (All the dying would certainly fit into my general writing style...lol.)
e) Just write what I can in Where Loyalties Lie while I slog through some serious edits in this new story?
Anyways....
So, yeah. That's what's been going on in my writing life.
Thanks for listening. You're very kind.
Miss Pickwickian
I don't think you're a failure if you enjoyed the writing. I don't know what you should do because all the choices sound reasonable to me!
ReplyDeleteStill the Huguenot story sounds interesting...
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI believe in you!
ReplyDeleteAnd you should totally follow my advice about the new story idea.
At 41k, I realized my story isn't working, so I decided to throw in a few other random pieces to get to 50k. I'd say option three. A prewritten piece is a bad idea.
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of the Huguenot... ;)
ReplyDeleteI WANT TO READ THIS NEW PIECE THOUGH!!!!
Senz it to meeez peeez???
Thank you in advance.
*HINT HINT*
Love you!
Thanks for the ideas and encouragement!
ReplyDeleteAs far as the Huguenot idea, there still is no idea...for the real story line you know. That's kind of a problem.
I could always get rid of everyone during the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre. Deaths are always such tidy endings. LOL. Okay, not completely serious.
Congratulations Galadriel! You have a very impressive word count. :-)
Aisha...
I shall send it as soon as I clean up some of the spelling and punctuation and such.
That is, if your sure you want to see it. It's pretty bad. :-)
Thanks for commenting. :-) Love you back!
Thanks all! I LOVE comments!!!!! :-)
Miss Pickwickian
"(if not throwing it away altogether..:-)"...hmmmm...haven't you taken the oath to KEEP EVERYTHING you write for 15 years? I've happened upon your blog and am enjoying it. When you finish Where Loyalties Lie, it would be fun to proof it for you ;-). See you soon.
ReplyDeleteI like the Huguenot idea... hmm... I actually have a little piece of Huguenot history from the ancestors of a friend of mine that is just begging for a story. If you're interested, send me an email.
ReplyDeleteMrs. M,
ReplyDeleteOops! Got caught. I won't throw it away...even if it I feel like the garbage is the only place it belongs. :-)
That would be absolutely amazing if you had the time and inclination to proof read Where Loyalties Lie, when it's done!!!! It will certainly need some good proof reading.
I'm hoping it doesn't get TOO long. :-)
Thanks for commenting on my blog! :-)
David K,
I am ready for any ideas..especially if they have to do with actual people and events. (As long as you are okay with the fact that I may butcher it by accident...:-)
So, I'm interested, but I don't believe I have your address. I'd like to hear about it if you could email me at pickwickian(dot)forever(at)gmail(dot)com
Thanks!
Miss Pickwickian
If I were you, I'd go with B, C or E, depending on how you feel. :) I wouldn't try to force more words into your short story unless you really think it needs it. Isn't it great when stories just seem to flow onto the page? There's a lot of work involved in writing most of the time, but I guess it just makes us appreciate the fun times more.
ReplyDeleteI'm always nervous about showing things to my family for the first time, although I'm nowhere near as bad as I used to be. Oddly enough it's the stories that I personally think are my best that I'm most reluctant to share.