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What is giving you the most joy & the biggest headache in your current WIP?
So I have multiple WIP going on at the moment, but I’ll talk about the most latest story I’ve just started with 3 of my siblings, because I’m most excited about it at the moment. XD
Okay, with lots of new projects, the most exciting thing is all the new ideas and characters. One of my siblings will say one awesome idea, then another will build off of that and make it even better, and it just keeps getting better and more exciting. I also love meeting and getting to know new characters, and opening up a brand new world full of possibilities. And since this is the I think eighth year of us writing together, we’ve gotten a lot better at our process of brainstorming and outlining. (We’ve made a LOT of mistakes in those eight years). Although we have a long way to go, I feel like we’re finally finding a groove.
Biggest headache? Since we are still in the beginning stages not too much as gotten in the way yet, except for distractions and tangents while outlining.
Take last outlining session for example.
There we were… planning out our MC’s character arc. BUT THEN. We were reminded of another character from a show we just watched with an amazing character arc. And just like that, we fell down a rabbit hole and spent an hour gushing over how masterfully written that character arc was. We talked about everything under the sun about his reflection character, subtle metaphors, hidden references, foreshadowing, small actions with double meanings, dialogue dripping with subtext, heart breaking scenes and… yeah. Our whole hour blocked out for writing slipped away with zero progress. XD
Well, at least we had a jolly good time, and my cheeks even started hurting from laughing at so many inside jokes.
My solo WIP has a whole set of other excitements and headaches, but that is another story for a another time.
So what’s your biggest joy and headache with your current WIP?
My biggest joy is probably how much fun some of my characters are to write. One of them has a sort of snobbish sarcasm and masculinity that masks his inner anguish, and I have a definite attraction to characters that need redemption, so he’s cool.
My headache… is revising for what feels like the thirtieth time because i keep on spotting flaws and promptly forgetting about them.
We crazy people are the normal ones.
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@kathleenramm Now this is the question of the year for me!
The most headache: EVERYBODY. My characters have been driving me crazy, one right after the other. First it was Daisy, then it was Xavier, then it was Daisy again, then it was Keaton, then it was Daisy for the third time! I think I’ve finally gotten a firm grip on them, and my edits later on will definitely polish them up, but they have definitely given me the most headache.
The most joy: The revelation. I have had a ton of fun writing my WIP, in part because of how hilarious my characters are (when they’re not acting out), but mostly because I’ve just been learning so much more–about my writing, about my characters, about faith, about God. It’s been amazing!
@kathleenramm Headache? For my written one, I guess, my main headache is that I never plotted anything. So it feels like kinda that I’m riding down a hill on an out-of-control bike.
Biggest joy? That I’m actually getting it done. I’m glad to train my writing muscle to handle that much writing every day.
Lately, it's been on my brain
Would you mind letting me know
If hours don't turn into days- Rank: Eccentric Mentor
- Total Posts: 1379
Oh, I’m excited to answer this question since I just started a new WIP! But first, I think it’s super awesome you’re writing a book with your siblings. 🙂
My newest WIP, The Anointed, is about St. Paul’s nephew. During the three-year-course of the book, he’s only 7-10 years old. So I think what’s giving me the most joy is his unique perspective of a child. I love child narrators in young adult fiction, because I feel like they have such a fresh and honest way of looking at things. I find that my character Seth can see things that the adult characters can’t, and he is great at providing me with new ideas. So I just love writing through his eyes.
The biggest headache right now is probably just getting the book off the ground. I feel like the first chapter was just fun, but right after that I started stressing. I wrote an outline and could not figure anything out clearly, and I feel like the plot just doesn’t make sense. I decided to just write and see what happens (something I do rarely), but I struggled all day yesterday while writing. My scenes just felt flat and boring, and although I love Seth’s innocent perspective, I’m not entirely sure how to write about strong emotions/trauma in a small child.
Thank you for this interesting question!
My biggest headache in writing The Snow Warrior, has lasted for years now. I have no plot. No matter what method I try, I just can’t think of a good plot for the life of me.
My biggest joy however, is interacting with my characters. Each one has a unique position and purpose in my story and each of them have such conflicting/complimenting characteristics. It’s just so much fun to write about them.
Oh my flying flapjacks, this is a hard question. For starters, I’ll tell you about my joys of writing. I think of all of my fictional characters as my friends, so I get excited to see how all of them progress throughout the book and how every character arc unfolds. I like to see how they redeem themselves and become better people. I think about someday publishing my book, which is a motivator for me.
I also like immersing myself in my fictional world, which has become like a second home to me. I have a mental map in my head of locations, and sometimes I like to just slip away from reality for a spell. I like writing fantasy especially because hey, if I want to write about a dragon, then maybe I will.
And now for the headaches… yay.
Writing is half and half for me some days. I have so many random ideas for scenes that it can be challenging to try to arrange them in a specific order. I have about a million documents just trying to figure out where to insert certain scenes.
And also PACING. Ugh, pacing is my archnemesis, let me tell you. I feel like the beginning of my book is slow (but necessary), and then other times I feel like it’s too quick. I love writing deep, heartfelt conversations between characters, but then I just feel like my pacing is slow and boring. But if I write too quickly, then I don’t give the readers enough time to bond with my characters and appreciate them. How do you balance slow, emotional scenes with action-packed ones? Slow is necessary for character development, but it can be boring, and action-packed is necessary for keeping readers’ attention, but there’s the possibility of rushing it. Maybe I’m just overthinking it, but these are some of the issues I’ve had to endure whilst writing.
Honestly….I feel as of right now my biggest headache is drafting lol. I know some ppl say it’s their fav part (and with my personality you’d think it’d be mine too) but I’m hoping I like editing more because I’ll get to see it coming together as what I want it to be. Rn I’m just like “I wanna get this done so I can make it better” XD
As for biggest joy, it’s probably my imagining it in the future, and my excitement at getting it where I want it, making the cover, and all that jazz lol!
I do love my story (but as of drafting it just isn’t the way I’d like it lol) so yea.
#IfMarcelDiesIRiot
#ProtectMarcel
#ProtectSebCharacters are the best right? Do you have a favorite character in your current WIP?
@gracie-j
I’m so happy for you! (Besides the part with your characters acting up). I love it when I have a “Breakthrough” moment with my writing. Although they don’t usually last long, they are what remind me that I really do in fact love writing, which I can sometimes forget when I’m in the middle of my first draft and it feels like nothing is working the way it should. XD
What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned with your current WIP?
So are you entirely pantsing your current WIP? Have you ever written a story without plotting it before?
@joy-caroline
That’s really cool that your writing through the eyes of a child! But I can definitely see why it can be really difficult especially when dealing with trauma. What inspired you to write the story?
I can totally relate to your situation. Having an imaginative world and a set of compelling characters, but having no idea what to do with them. XD Have you ever tried just writing a couple of chapters from the POV of the MC and following him/her? I found what helped me in that situation, was going in without a plan, and instead of getting inside the head and heart of the character and following where their desires and fears lead them. Then after a couple of chapters, I start to get an idea of a interesting story that the character could go on.
Don’t get me started on pacing. It has been the unsolved mystery of my writing life. XD So I’ve come to the conclusion to trust the process of much practice and lots of honest feedback.
I love redemption arcs! It’s probably what I spend the most time thinking about. That is one thing I don’t care if I overthink. XD Do you have a favorite character in your WIP?
Yeah, I get you. I know some people think that editing is the hardest part of writing but honestly, that’s my favorite part along with plotting. Drafting though… it can either be super fun or frustrating to the point of pulling your hair out. XD How far are you in drafting?
Yikes… I’m sorry to hear you have the same problem! 🙁 Pacing is a mystery, that’s for sure 😀
Oh, I know, right? Character arcs in general are wonderful, but redemption arcs? Even better. I like them so much that I included it for one of my characters, Newton.
I’d have to say that my favorite character is either my MC, Caira Watson, or her former enemy/current love interest, Newton. I like Caira because she’s basically my best friend (she’s been in my head for years) and of how much I can relate to her. And I like Newton because he has a huge character/redemption arc. I also like Caira’s twin brother, but my favorite is probably Caira 🙂
Thank you so much! I really appreciate your advice, it is really helpful:)
- Rank: Eccentric Mentor
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Thank you! It is difficult, but a fun challenge for me. 🙂
I decided to write The Anointed because I just loved Seth’s character from the first time he appeared in The Apostle’s Sister. He became one of the main characters, and one of the most significant parts of the story. Without him TAS would not be what it is. And I realized that being such an important character, his story never got the attention it needed. I left so many gaps in his story that I’m sure would keep a reader wondering, “What happened?” I even wondered that myself, so I decided to write a novel for Seth to see if I could answer those questions.
@kathleenramm I’d say that I pants most of my works to a certain degree, but this is the one I definitely went the least with plotting on. When I started it I literally went, “I dunno what’s happening. Let’s find out.”
Lately, it's been on my brain
Would you mind letting me know
If hours don't turn into days- Rank: Eccentric Mentor
- Total Posts: 1789
@kathleenramm Lesson about writing or about life? The biggest writing lesson I’ve learned is probably just to be acceptive of what I write–I can always go back and edit…or, as I’m finding, it’s not as bad as I think. I’ve learned to take a step back and get perspective, to savor the good scenes and to enjoy the not-so-good ones.
The biggest faith/life lesson I’ve learned is about grace. I’ve yet to come to a point where I need that particular lesson, but I’ve really learned about the application of grace, true salvation, and what faith really means. I’ve written a few blog posts about my moments of revelation in writing…
I don’t know who is my MOST favorite in this WIP, but I know that Marian, Fabian and Jade definitely are among the higher ranking ones… but some for differing reasons.
- Marian, because she came from my elf-craze when I was eleven and has floated in and out of stories like a homeless woman until now.
- Jade, because I enjoy his type of bad-but-turns-good character (sorry about the spoiler! But at least you and I don’t exactly know how he will eventually come to his senses!)
- Fabian, because his heroic-ness combined with timidity and intellect just make him pop.
We crazy people are the normal ones.
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