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Monday, Dec. 23, 2024

3:07pm EST

Members: 917

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Writing Blog Number 2

by Santeven Quokklaus

Rated: 18+ · Book · Personal · #2311764

This is a continuation of my blogging here at WdC

This will be a blog for my writing, maybe with (too much) personal thrown in. I am hoping it will be a little more interactive, with me answering questions, helping out and whatnot. If it falls this year (2024), then I may stop the whole blogging thing, but that's all a "wait and see" scenario.

An index of topics can be found here: "Writing Blog No.2 Index"

Feel free to comment and interact.

Show Recent Comments

10 Most Recent Blog Comments:

Kåre เลียม Enga

Dec 21, 2024 at 12:34am
In response to "20241221 Kudzu Plotting"

IMO Anne McCaffrey does this well with the parallel Dragonriders of Pern and Harper Hall trilogies. Adults-with-dragons; youth with fire-dragons. Memorable world building. Wonderful characters.

Kudzu the plant... only a curse for those who don't know its uses: forage, food, fiber.

Santeven Quokklaus

Dec 19, 2024 at 7:09pm
In response to "20241219 'Misogyny' In Writing"

🐕GeminiGem🎁 - I chose Grease because it is so egregious and goes against everything Sandy had demonstrated up to that point. Dirty Dancing was set a few years later (early 60s), and, though Baby changes, it is gradual and is more a change of growing up, being true to herself. So, I think the time period can be used effectively without being so demeaning. As I see it.

🐕GeminiGem🎁

Dec 19, 2024 at 6:58pm
In response to "20241219 'Misogyny' In Writing"

I agree that when a woman changes herself to attract a man shows misogyny and is annoying...but...using the movie Grease as an example it an interesting choice. Yes, the lead female changes her appearance to appeal to the male. I think it was more because of peer pressure, but the peer pressure happened because of the pervasive misogyny of the peers. Interestingly, the male character does the exact same thing for the same reasons.

The movie is set in the 1950's, a time where the misogyny we see now is even waaaay worse. So, here is a thought. If you are writing about a time period like that and are showing social interactions of the characters, something like the pervasive misogyny is going to be true to the time and place the story takes place. Does that excuse it? No, of course not, but having present-day sensibilities in an era like that would make the story seem really off.

Kåre เลียม Enga

Dec 19, 2024 at 3:57am
In response to "20241219 'Misogyny' In Writing"

In my travels I try to connect with most everyone. I wonder what my stats would be... but many contacts have names whether human or not, whether the boss or 'servant' or guest.

In my writings...

thinking.

I do have characters without names.

SAD Holiday Potato

Dec 18, 2024 at 3:54pm
In response to "20241218 Children Characters"

As someone who is an Aunt to two children who have an age difference of four years, I can definitely tell you that they act completely different. Even though one of them is neurodivergent, the older one definitely acts more mature than the younger one.(also the older one has never tried to lick my feet.)

With very few exceptions, I've never had to tell an adult "stop eating my dress," "please don't lick me" or "stop pulling my hair," to anyone over the age of six. Yet within the last year or so I've had to tell my five year old niece these things repeatedly. She thinks this is hilarious.

Anyways, thanks for pointing out that kids aren't just miniature adults! I'll try to keep that in mind while writing.

Santeven Quokklaus

Dec 18, 2024 at 6:44am
In response to "20241218 Children Characters"

Elisa: Snowman Stik - Writing about those who are neurodivergent is not something I feel I can talk about comfortably. I am trained as a teacher of those on the spectrum, and so I would not write a character in that regard because I do not feel it is my story to tell. But, yes, that last point may not apply to a child with developmental issues.

1 Like

Elisa: Snowman Stik

Dec 18, 2024 at 6:28am
In response to "20241218 Children Characters"

I am curious if there is wiggle room for the last point for child characters with developmental disabilities. (I do recognize this kind of character presents its own set of development pitfalls in terms of depicting the disability without stereotyping. That said, I think this can be a reasonable exception to the rule when done with care.)

1 Like

Once in Ryan David's City

Dec 16, 2024 at 1:26am
In response to "20241216 Poor Characterisation"

There was once a variation of "compressed vice" in an original episode of Star Trek ("Who Mourns for Adonais?"), where a landing party of the usual suspects + one random never-seen-before-or-since female crew member are captured by the god Apollo and they turn the usually gruff Scotty into a simpering, love-struck puppy to try to introduce some conflict when Apollo puts the moves on her. Why they didn't just have Kirk horndogging it as usual I do not know - at least then everybody would have remained consistently in character. It looks like Scotty, it sounds like Scotty, but WTF?

1 Like

SAD Holiday Potato

Dec 14, 2024 at 3:41pm
In response to "20241214 Punk Genres"

This is interesting yet confusing. So basically it's like world building but with the word "punk" in there to make it sound cooler.
Maybe I misunderstand.

Kåre เลียม Enga

Dec 7, 2024 at 2:55am
In response to "20241207 Problems With Using Reality"

That or "to-ell-wit-it" and suffer the consequences.

Every society draws the lines differently. A traveler needs to be aware. Even words matter. The British and Thais are strict when it comes to slander.

November 23, 2024 at 4:46am

#1080367

20241123 - NaNo-23

NaNoWriMo #23

Day 23
I spent part of this morning doing jobs. Had a phone call this afternoon for an hour or so. Went out for dinner tonight, did some emails, a review on WdC… and spent the rest of the day writing.

First, though, 2 hours of this morning were spent with me and my friend doing NaNo doing a write-in together at the library. In that time, she cracked her own 50k words! After all she has been through, I’ve been really happy to be there as a support for her as she crosses this ff her bucket list. The story’s not done, though it’s close, and I know she’ll finish it by the end of the month, maybe 60-odd thousand words for her. I am stoked for her. “Write a novel” can be crossed off that bucket list. She’s in her upper 70s – not that age means much, not really – but this is one more thing off her list. Next, she is going on a cruise with her daughter. She is a wonderful inspiration.

Now, it feels almost ridiculous to be talking about me, but here we go:

My second 10k day this naNoWriMo!

The story just came out. I knew where it was going, though I did push at the end to break 10k words. Probably silly at the ending there, and I’ll rewrite that last bit tomorrow, but here is the story.

Joanne meets her mum for the first time in 21 years, an discovers she is dying of lung cancer, plus she has some other issues. She has a few months left of life. Joanne discovers some things about the beliefs of her parents. We then discover some more things about the lives of the girls in the cult Joanne is helping, and it is going to help have the father put in prison for a while. Joanne and Luke finally hook up. Love interest! Characters! Woo-hoo! And I stopped when Joanne goes to visit her mother for a second time.

So, I guess this brings up how do I write this? Do I just write a thin outline and go back later once it’s all over and flesh it out? Well, to be honest, no. I write it with way too much detail, adding everything I think I might need. No sketches, but a full-on piece of work. Then at the end of each section (either split by a section break or a sub-chapter numeral), I go back and edit. I check for spelling, for grammar, for punctuation and delete a lot of extraneous stuff. The amount of crap I repeat is insane, but it is me getting every single idea down as I write, then going back while it is still fresh and making the most obvious changes.

For this reason, I am constantly stop-starting. Sometimes I really want to just get on with the next section, but the mini-editing I do at the end of the sections means the story sits better in my memory. I’m also not struggling to remember the details because I have done that first mini-edit.

Now, I also make a list of the characters and the events as I go along. This does two things – makes sure I keep everything in order and keep everyone in order as well. No repeated names, no name changes mid-story (boy, was I bad for that!), and in this story, I needed everything to take place in a span of only 55 days. What this means is I have a calendar printed off (using MS Publisher!) and I hand write everything in, with the ending date marked already in red. I make notes of what I’ve called things (like the Unit Joanne works for), where things are, all that. Hand-written notes are the best. No scrolling back for them – a calendar with 3 months on one page, and 1 page (so far) of hand-written notes. So much easier to navigate! Computers are not the be-all and end-all, and anyone who tells you they are is plain wrong.

That is how this pantser writes his works.

Like I said, this story is really writing itself. I am looking at a good 50k words here, so a proper novel after a bunch of other writings this month. Yest again, sorry to those who sponsored me…

Words today – 10043
Total words– 127233

3 Like • Comment

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