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I have been away forever, I know. There is a reason. Firstly, I was on hiatus for Sex in Teen Lit Month on Once Upon a Bookcase, and then I went on holiday. And then I realised that my antagonist problem just wasn't resolving itself. Researching wasn't helping, and I just didn't know how I could continue. There needs to be an antagonist, and I just couldn't find him/her.
But then, after I finished a book last week, I wasn't thinking about my own story. I may not have posted in a while, but my story is always there in the back of my mind, and other scenes/dialogue/characters keep making an appearance. More on that later. So yeah, I was thinking about my story after the book I had just finished, and it was kind of like "that wouldn't happen in my book because..." and the thought continued and continued, and then suddenly, POOF! There was my antagonist, standing right in front of my eyes, as clear as anything! God, is he evil! With his arrival came some other realisations. Reasons for things changed. A few blog posts ago, I mentioned that the main male character got kicked out of college/uni. He didn't. He just stopped going. Why? Because he was so mentally effected by something he saw, that he's kind of shut down. He's not a vegetable, he still does stuff (get up, go to work, etc), but he's practically dead inside. What did he see? I don't know exactly what, but he did see the villain!
So things are working out. I don't know the villians name, what he wants, what he's doing, why. So I still have some holes, BUT I know more now than I did before. I had started writing my first chapter months back, but I now need to re-write, because things happen differently. That's fine though, this new beginning is right. And I'm excited to get it down on paper!
Because I can now write the first part of my book. I had a brainstorming session with my Dad yesterday, where he would ask questions which would make me think of answers I didn't know yet. I can thread some of my scenes and dialogue together, and the bits in between, and get to a certain point where villain needs to show me more. I'm hoping when I get to that point, I'll know what the villain is up to!
I mentioned earlier that new characters have shown themselves to me. One of them is Lexie's brother. I already knew about him, but he has become more rounded as he's shown himself in my head. The guy is HILARIOUS! Seriously, he has me in fits. I just hope I can do him justice when I write him. Fingers crossed!
You should be hearing from me a lot more often from now on. Things are looking good!
Ohh, before I go, I have a question. Beta readers; do writers really need one? What do they do? If you can tell me any info, I would be grateful. I want to work out if I need/want one. Cheers!
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Hi Jo! Whoohoo for progress! Welcome to the world of writing. Your life will never be the same again :D
ReplyDeleteWhat you will find is that although you have ideas, once you put thoughts to paper/screen, things turn out quite differently. It's really cool when the story unravels as you write/type, I hope you get many moments like that.
As for your main question of beta readers - I couldn't do without mine. As a writer, what I think I write, and what I actually write can be two different things. My beta reader firmly told me what did and didn't work. My beta reader repeated over and over (so many times that any other person might have given up with me or gone blue inthe face) where all my writing faults lie (passive writing is but one of them).
I can only speak of my experience of a beta. A beta bashes me over the head when I've put in an easy get out clause for a character. A beta puts forwards questions about characters/scenarios, the thoughts of which lead to greater changes in the wip.
A beta is also there to cheer me on. The setnences which worked well were commented on, and these kept me going through the marsh of Termion.
I give all credit to my beta for improving my writing in the short span of a few months. Yes, I no longer zoom through a version of a wip. But the toil I put in is worth it, especially after my beta telling me I've improved and I'vce made progress.
Sum up: betas are necessary. It varies from writer to writer how many you have have, and when to use them. I hope to have mine for a long time yet.
On the other side of the coin I'm a beta for a few writers, and there is so much joy in watching them take on board some of the comments, rewrite a chapter and present in such a way that my breath gets taken away.
Thanks for all the info, Jess! I shall look into getting my own beta reader. Cheers!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the progress =D
ReplyDeleteWhat exactly is a beta?
Thank you!
ReplyDeleteAs I understand it, someone who reads over your WIP and critiques it for you, advises you how to improve, etc. Like a critique partner.
Congrats on the way things are coming along!
ReplyDeleteCheers honey!
ReplyDeleteThis was an exciting post to read.... I ave always wanted to write, have dabbled and given up becomes things didn't seem clear. What you are talking about here - the character development actually coming before you and pretty much saying, "no, no... you got it all wrong... it went like this..."
ReplyDeleteWell that is beyond exciting for me and I have been inspired to write because of your post. Thank you
Oh, I am so glad! To be perfectly honest, life has got so busy, there hasn't been much progress since this post, but I'm glad you'll be giving writing another go!
ReplyDeleteSounds like you're making progress in your writing. As for betas, I would definitely recommend it--but try to find betas who would be your target audience. It will help you get an idea of what works and maybe what doesn't, but trust your instincts on their responses.
ReplyDelete