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The Adventure of Writing my First Novel & Short Stories Progress Trhead.

dgr

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I'm glad if it helps you improve your writing. The pace of the short story is great, btw.

You need to learn the tropes and get feedback to improve, I was just pointing out how it looked from here. I've been guilty of too much "learning" and too little "doing". That's why I recognize it quickly.

Btw, you've made me realized why I'm not cut for fiction. I'm good at non-fiction and screenwriting, but doing prose is a different animal.
 
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I'm glad if it helps you improve your writing. The pace of the short story is great, btw.

You need to learn the tropes and get feedback to improve, I was just pointing out how it looked from here. I've been guilty of too much "learning" and too little "doing". That's why I recognize it quickly.

Btw, you've made me realized why I'm not cut for fiction. I'm good at non-fiction and screenwriting, but doing prose is a different animal.
I do need to learn. I gear more to action, crime/forensics, romance, historical fiction. A lot different then Screen Writing. Screen Writing helps learn the Dialogue. I used to be a photographer, so naturally, it is a future goal later on to mess around with film, cinema, and screen writing.

For writing now I still can use it in the novel in some ways. I think many novel writers do, since a novel like the Game of Thrones, because a T.V. Series. Many times if you do the work hard enough you can write a good quality novel they might pick up and then they turn some of it into a screen writing form.

The reviews get bad with some of the best writers sometimes. There was one author I was following that ended up black listed because it got out of control with another author a few years back. Then there was a third one involved.

Thanks for your suggestions.
 

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In the middle of M.J's first book a 2nd time to refresh my mind, and catch up with unscripted to get focused since I haven't read that stuff for awhile.
Two more books left to read.

I have been practicing a few short-stories.
Next week, I will probably work on schedule and plan out what I need to do until the end year and make some goals every week and month.

I ran into a problem with Kobo and not sure if I want to use them or not in the future.




The

I intruded upon your daily planner. A thick, leather, weathered cover, fringed edges, singed pages with cigarette butts used for markers, it is easy to remember the details.

By the engraved signature, the quality of the content, suggests perhaps it enlists the highest caliber of fine businessmen and women.

Scribbled out lines. Doodles in the margins. Highlighted surnames of important officials in the community. Black ink stains the page with a blotted tear of disappointment. Coffee stains dripped on the middle page from woman who sat next to you on the airplane, June 1, 2021, on the way to Chicago, just so you would remember her name and number.

The planner slipped out of your jacket this morning in my taxi. Absent minded, you were unaware of the dilemma as you rushed to exit in desperation to make your next meeting with a dash of cologne, swiped to your face, a pull of your tie, a quick glance of your client, perked with a professional smile. One flash of your business card alerted them with one tap on the shoulder, you guided them into the building without hesitation.

The planner’s pages are brittle falling out of the book binding. Did I purposely forget to remind you, you dropped it? My selfish private curiosity showed opportunity to stay in contact with you for a slight brief minute until you realize it is missing.

For a slight interruption in your busy day the inspection of a prized possession is exposed unveiling the mystery of your thoughts, the private inclination of what makes you angry, what makes you disappointed, what you believe brightens you up with colorful highlights.

Two singed fiery dragons on the last few pages are etched into the thick Ivory grained paper, an idea for a logo of your future business. A tiny fold at the top of the right margin spells out ~ Margaret~ written out in blue~ not black` ink. Who could she be?
 

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The New Beginning in 2021. I kind of took the same path as M.J. and started taking notes back in 2011 and have 150,000 words I finished in 2014. I found M.J.'s book and put it aside because I needed to go the rest of the way of going through a lot of different elements of the process to finish this book from a women's perspective of a writer. I remember when I started the forum M.J. kind of challenged me since he knew I needed to learn a lot more then what my "Ego" claimed to know at the time in thinking I could just be the "Babe Ruth" and not go through the process. He's a smart guy!

I do have to kind of chuckle because if M.J. didn't challenge me in 2014 to go through the process, I probably would have not wrote this novel the way it was intended to be written in 2021. Some people believe you just write a book. And some people do just write a book. I just feel now, I was meant to go through the process first to write a better quality book. I am a prolific writer and could write all day long, but I've learned you can just write all you want, but it has to have some value, quality, substance, structure, form, organization, and improvement every year.

I bought some books I've been reading. Right now I'm on page 274 Revising Your Novel, by Janice Hardy. There's three books in one. Amazingly there's a lot of stuff to remember and I didn't know. Ah, but the process I went through is in there as well.


I do love the book Collaborative Worldbuilding for Writers And Gamers. Absolutely love how it talks in depth about building your society, culture, economics, races, and gets into detail the full dynamics of creating just about everything we do in our own world, but transforming it into fiction or fantasy. I'm on page 82, and is written by Trent Hergenrader. It's very technical though so not like your average writers book.

I also have three books, Creative Writing Student's Handbook by Catherine Hartigan Margaret James
The Short Story Writers Workbook.
The Novelists Workbook
These are all from the U.K.
I have read them, and found them to be quite useful and informative. They even give some references and resources to sell your writing.


Creating Short-Fiction ~ Damon Knight. I would recommend this one as well. Quite detailed.

How to Write Dialogue That Sparkles ~ Jim Driver. Something to be worked on is dialogue, since it is important to make the voice stand out for characters. Although Screen Writing and Scripts gives you a lot of detail with dialogue. I know to read these already.

Mastering Suspense, Structure, & Plot. ~ J.K. Cleland. I really love this one as well, it is very detailed.

The not read yet list pile sitting next to me.

Stephen King On Writing.
Save the Cat Writes a Novel, Jessica Brody
Writing a Killer Thriller, Jodie Renner
Understanding Conflict, Janice Hardy
The RPG Character Backstory Guide
Plotting Your Novel Workbook, Janice Hardy.

I read fast, but I know to slow down, because there's so much information there. Obviously, I need to apply it, practice it, and hone the skills. Which probably will be quite transforming getting into a different niche, writing style, and applying the Psychology skills I already have.

A new process for 2021. I'm sure there will be some growth. I'm sure I need to learn copy writing as well as M.J. says.

Challenges may be switching from non-fiction psychology writing into show and not tell. I'm very descriptive, visual, colorful, and may want to describe too much.

I do need to sharpen up on my grammar and editing. I do have enough to read here first.
 
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Reading Unscripted . I just want to note. Fifty Shades of Gray and to not focus on eyes and hair for the entire book. I did have to laugh.

Brings up the point to have quality standards in writing a novel that is not wasting the readers time and will get black listed. Not to mention making the reader "Suffer."

Which reminds me to look back at research on different generations of reviews I did in the past of what they were complaining about reading in different novels.
 

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On Chapter 34 of Unscripted today. Nothing like M.J. kicking you butt! I see the what I've already been doing right and what I've been doing wrong. I see the error of my ways.
 

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On Chapter 34 of Unscripted today. Nothing like M.J. kicking you butt! I see the what I've already been doing right and what I've been doing wrong. I see the error of my ways.
Finished Unscripted . After reading Unscripted , I was listening to some music video's from a movie and was thinking my novel needed to transform in a different direction. I was also focused on the wrong genre the whole time. Weird how this just kind of became clear what the main focal point was about all along as I wrote it.

I need to do some searching on statistics for this genre and find out what other people are writing since I was focused entirely in the wrong place.
 
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Mattie

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Finished Unscripted . After reading Unscripted , I was listening to some music video's from a movie and was thinking my novel needed to transform in a different direction. I was also focused on the wrong genre the whole time. Weird how this just kind of became clear what the main focal point was about all along as I wrote it.

I need to do some searching on statistics for this genre and find out what other people are writing since I was focused entirely in the wrong place.

Finished Unscripted . After reading Unscripted , I was listening to some music video's from a movie and was thinking my novel needed to transform in a different direction. I was also focused on the wrong genre the whole time. Weird how this just kind of became clear what the main focal point was about all along as I wrote it.

I need to do some searching on statistics for this genre and find out what other people are writing since I was focused entirely in the wrong place.
Sifted through some of this thread on copy writing for my novel. Will have to learn how this applies to pitches, advertising, and website.

 

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Sifted through some of this thread on copy writing for my novel. Will have to learn how this applies to pitches, advertising, and website.

Read 17 Chapters of Escape the Rat Race.
Did some research on some other stuff for Novel.
 

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Page 204 of Rat Race 53.
There are many things to be digested. Several things need to be implemented into application and practice. Points out some things that need to be addressed in certain situations to direct things on a new course.

Light bulb flashes.

More butt kicking from M.J. in this book. The book does bring clarity in certain areas I may have been trying to figure out, but lacked direction.
 
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Mattie

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I thought this might be useful for new fiction authors if they have the book Save the Cat since she goes through a playlist she made to help authors work with the book and adapt it to the novel your writing.

I have the book myself.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9avA_1t6lvs&list=PL3IFBPbxQRypHCkpYqFT9DGxBzXtIn-o0
 
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Mattie

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The last three days gathering all the research I have been collecting on different subjects and , refreshing and reviewing , and recalling the memory to create the characters I had in mind for the novel.

Then gather new research for updates on certain characters. with current research, technology, gadgets, science, and transforming the old ideas with new ideas.

In the Writing Workshop they did mention that research was important because the facts have to be true to the characters, the details, since readers who may be experts in certain fields or history will point out those errors if you don't do the research.


I have been getting things organized and just make cheat sheets so I can look at them fast and pull them up with ease while writing.

A lot of ideas coming to mind what I can do in a series, and contemplating how to split it up into three parts.
 
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Mattie

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i thought maybe some one could use this template for deadlines.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6diVd9bzu4E
The only comment I have about this plan is i have the Graphic Artist background myself and it's easy to make book covers myself with Canva. I personally have already learned a lot of stuff where I don't need to rely on other people and save time. I believe this comes down to whether you want to wait around for other people to do certain tasks. Some things you do want like Beta readers and editors, but then a book cover is subjective if you want to take the time yourself or outsource it to others.

This depends on quality or professionalism as well and presentation.
 
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I spent the last week learning new software and formatting for publishing since when I read M.J.s physical books it pushed me to upgrade. I did figure it out the main part. I just need to figure out how to make it look certain ways and detailed from the Graphic Arts perspective.
 

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New books to read.
The Song Writers Idea book.
The Science of Screenwriting.
Quentin Tarantino , The Iconic Filmmaker and His Work.
Screenwriting Tricks for Authors Stealing Hollywood

I did get some poetry books published and still have more to go because there are so many and not sure how to launch them since usually you don't have so many.

Then also working on another non-fiction book.

Then decided to investigate some of the Lyric writing since basically is poetry.
I have been talking someone back home that is a Musician and writes their own music and found out there's a bunch of them i didn't know and Boomers. You can always count on them teaching you something. It is kind of fun looking at some of their work and listening to it. Which there's some Gen X too musicians back home I know, but haven't really talked to them yet. Pondering on this for about a month talking to the one and here and there.


 

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I decided to take a Graphic Design course to upgrade my old skills for book covers today. Also for marketing and advertising purposes. It points out different automation systems on social media as well as different sites to get different elements of photographs, artwork, etc.
 
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I decided to take a Graphic Design course to upgrade my old skills for book covers today. Also for marketing and advertising purposes. It points out different automation systems on social media as well as different sites to get different elements of photographs, artwork, etc.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChMtoU4-u-4

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0umo-FZeVU

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZskipfnlJg
 
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Mattie

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View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChMtoU4-u-4

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0umo-FZeVU

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZskipfnlJg
 

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What I'm noticing is that i have some opportunities here. Since I am Gen X, I know in the past, they used to have Science fiction magazines with short stories back in the day. Which if I remember right back home in the bookstores I also remember seeing they still had magazines. I would just have to d some research and see what is selling and not selling.

Then because I do non-fiction as well, I could actually start my own magazine. As I had some ideas back in 2006, I did in the physical world, but did not have the opportunity as much as I do now to expand on those ideas.

Then of course the Novel and Screen Writing. This would be some goals to reach for the next few years since I can only work on one project at a time or a few in the same direction.

Then adding all my gifts together with photography, graphic arts, writing, and working towards the goals. This is really is limitless options.
 
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What I'm noticing is that i have some opportunities here. Since I am Gen X, I know in the past, they used to have Science fiction magazines with short stories back in the day. Which if I remember right back home in the bookstores I also remember seeing they still had magazines. I would just have to d some research and see what is selling and not selling.

Then because I do non-fiction as well, I could actually start my own magazine. As I had some ideas back in 2006, I did in the physical world, but did not have the opportunity as much as I do now to expand on those ideas.

Then of course the Novel and Screen Writing. This would be some goals to reach for the next few years since I can only work on one project at a time or a few in the same direction.

Then adding all my gifts together with photography, graphic arts, writing, and working towards the goals. This is really is limitless options.
Creating a Trailer using book Brush
As a poet I am going to love this one.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAwyO81thII
 

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