Power

Daily Writing Check-in: January 30, 2019

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Words/Time: 17 minutes finishing reading through “Pithea” for any changes that later-written stories may force in the book that started it all.

The final final draft of “Pithea” is now done, and I didn’t need to make very many large changes at all. I really did go into this thinking that other stories I’ve written since this first one would force some even small changes here and there. But there wasn’t much more than deleting a couple of scenes that fit better in “Pursuit of Power,” which was the 2nd book I wrote, so not even one of the more recent ones I thought might have caused a problem.

However, I don’t want to make too big of a deal out of calling this THE final draft, because I have pretty much decided that I need to have at least first drafts written of a couple more planned books before I call “Pithea” done enough to look into publishing again. I don’t want to cause trouble down the road or force a ret-con.

I cut my time short today, because I’ve been working heavy hours and need to go to bed early tonight. It’s possible I won’t do any work for the next few days, because it’s harder to get to it when I’m busy, and I don’t have a clear course of action. Because I’ve finished this draft and am not entirely sure what to work on next, it’s very possible I’ll put it off until I’m less busy (or if nothing else, Sunday, when I’m off work for sure).

Daily Writing Check-in: January 28, 2019

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Words/Time: 1 hour, 17 minutes reading through “Pithea” for any changes that later-written stories may force in the book that started it all.

I got through about 68 pages, getting me to page 411 out of 482. If anyone is paying attention, they may notice that the book dropped 28 total pages from yesterday to today. This was a decision I made while doing some early revision of “Pursuit of Power” recently. I decided to look at the scenes that intersected these two books and decide which one of them the scene really needed to be in, rather than show the scene in both books, but from different perspectives. It was easier to do that with some of the other scenes, especially since some of them slowed “Pursuit of Power” down quite a bit.

However, I knew that also meant that a more exciting scene that really belonged in “Pursuit of Power” more than in “Pithea” needed to be removed from the latter book, even though it’s been a part of that book since before it was written. However, it will be stronger without that scene, because what happens in it is so far removed from the rest of the theme and focus of the book.

I am now into part 4 of 4, and should be done with this final final draft in a couple days. I just don’t know where I go from there.

 

Daily Writing Check-in: January 27, 2019

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Words/Time: 57 minutes reading through “Pithea” for any changes that later-written stories may force in the book that started it all.

I got through about 55 pages, getting me to page 343 out of 510.  I just started into the 2nd to last chapter of part 3 of 4, and then I’ll be in the home stretch. This read-through has gone a lot faster than reading through “Pursuit of Power” recently, but then, I had more ongoing changes to make to “Pursuit of Power.”

When this is done, I don’t know what I will do. It will be time to evaluate anew where I should be going next with my writing.

Daily Writing Check-in: January 23, 2019

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Words/Time: 53 minutes finishing draft 3 of “Pursuit of Power,” followed by 20 minutes starting through what will hopefully be a final final draft of “Pithea.”

I got through the last 39 pages of “Pursuit of Power,” making broad changes in advance of heftier structural changes I will start on in the future. This finished goal #3 in my list of short-term writing goals that I have been working on since the end of NaNoWriMo in December, and I have already sent the draft to my friend to read. (*fingers crossed that he likes it*)

Now I am moving on to goal #4:

1. Remove NaNo fodder from 2018 NaNoNovel, put scenes into Scrivener while I still remember my ideas

2. Make Aeldrim not be dead in “Pithea”

3. Revise “Pursuit of Power” enough to be readable by a friend.

4. Even though I did declare “Pithea” finished a few years ago and sent it off to a couple of publishers, writing that I have done since then has led me to make some changes to it already. Changes like aging most of the characters up 3 years and un-killing a character (see #2 above). I think that before I can move on to more fully revising “Pursuit of Power,” I need to make sure I don’t need to make more changes to the first one. Plus, I think it’s necessary to refresh myself on the book that started it all.

Daily Writing Check-in: January 22, 2019

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Words/Time: 46 minutes minutes doing some early revision of “Pursuit of Power.”

I’m still reading through the story, making broad changes. Today I got through about 36 pages out of 433, ending on page 385. Our heroes have now joined the final battle, and there are some changes that I made here before I started reading that I’m really enjoying as additions to the story.

I’m close to the end of this draft, at which point I’ll find out if my friend still wants to read it. I mean, I know he wants to, but the question will be whether he has time to read it soon or not. I am certain he will like it, for various reasons, but I’m also hoping that, as the very first person who will have read this story at all, he will have some valuable feedback.

Daily Writing Check-in: January 21, 2019

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Words/Time: 1 hour, 12 minutes minutes doing some early revision of “Pursuit of Power.”

I continued to read through the story, making broad changes. Today I got through about 54 pages out of 436, ending on page 349. That’s a better pace than yesterday, and I’m approaching the battle that leads to the climax. I’m happier than I thought I’d be with the book as it is. It still needs some overhauls, but I expected to come away from this read-through with a lot of notes of bigger things that need fixed, besides what I already know about.

I realized recently that I haven’t shared my goal tracker yet this month. I don’t want to only share it when I’m doing well, so here it is, showing how far behind I fell from my goal this month. I’m almost caught up, and again, if I don’t make a monthly goal, it’s okay. But it’s still nice to have something to shoot for.

goal tracker 18-1-21

I also realized too late today that another Monday has gone by, without a Monday Moment post. The first few weeks went by mostly because I’ve been sick in various ways, but this one just snuck up on me. I need to get a handle on this.

Daily Writing Check-in: January 20, 2019

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Words/Time: 1 hour, 55 minutes doing some early revision of “Pursuit of Power.” Most of that was done early this morning, before I went to bed. The beauty of the challenge I’m doing is that I don’t have to make up for lost days this month, but that doesn’t mean that sometimes I don’t just really want to spend a lot of time on it.

DailyTime-30min-DebbieOhi-200

I continued to read through more of the story, making broad changes. Today I got through about 82 pages of 436, ending on page 295. That’s definitely a lot of pages, but for almost 2 hours work, not quite the pace I would hope for. Still, I’m almost 3/4 of the way through, which is great! After I’m done reading, unless I have any notes to address (and I don’t so far), I’ll be done with this goal.

Daily Writing Check-in: January 19, 2019

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Words/Time: 36 minutes minutes doing some early revision of “Pursuit of Power.”

I continued to read through more of the story, making broad changes. Today I only got through about 24 pages of 436, ending on page 213. A huge piece of the puzzle was revealed in today’s section, but I had to do a little tweaking to make sure that it was revealed correctly. And of course, like any good, long-term mystery, many more new questions came up as well as that piece to the puzzle. I’m really looking forward to when this all finally comes together, way in the future!

Daily Writing Check-in: January 18, 2019

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Words/Time: 46 minutes minutes doing some early revision of “Pursuit of Power.”

I continued to read through more of the story, making broad changes. Today I only got through about 9 pages of 436, ending on page 189. However, approximately 4 pages (about 660 words) of that was writing a new scene that has been needed badly since the first draft.

When I wrote the first draft of this story, the first few lines of my outline basically just had the main character, Alexander, learning about and falling in love with Power while growing up a little. With no real details planned, I ended up spawning a new character, named Garend, almost immediately, someone who could be a childhood friend for Alexander (well, they were 15 when they met, but both in need of a friend).

But then by halfway through the book, when the story turns a lot more dangerous and serious, and Alexander and the secondary main character Leahna are in their twenties, Garend just…disappears.

After the first draft was finished, I realized this huge, gaping hole, and brainstormed some ideas for how to get Garend to exit more gracefully (and realistically), because I knew I couldn’t keep him as a close friend of Alexander’s later in the story, with how complicated things get.

The resulting story arc is one I am very happy with, because it fits very well in the long-term story that this is part of, but I still had to make it work. Today was the pivotal scene for that story arc, which is why it took a while to write. But I’m pretty content with it for now, and will be moving on to swifter revisions now.

Daily Writing Check-in: January 17, 2019

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Words/Time: 1 hour, 4 minutes minutes doing some early revision of “Pursuit of Power.”

After 5 days of absence from working on this, it felt great to be back to it today. Most of my absence was due to being sick (again), but I have to admit that the 1st missed day was due to working late, and the 2nd missed day was…because I forgot. Still, this break isn’t as long as some in the past have been, and I’m confident I’m back to it (even though I’m still sneezing and headachey…back to it!).

I read through more of the story, making broad changes, to get the story ready to be read by a friend, before heavier revision starts. Today I got through about 41 pages of 434, ending on page 189. Today I redid some important parts and thought processes of the MC and am heading into a section that will likely require some new writing.

I’m suddenly very excited to get this done, even though it’s been a while since my friend said he wanted to read anything I was ready for him to read. So he may be unable to get to it for a while when I finally get it done, but I’m still glad to be making progress on revision anyway.