13 Things I've Learnt in a Year of Writing.

Hello internet people,

I'm not exactly sure when I started seriously writing. A year ago I was probably in the midst of outlining Girl of the Rumours. I believe I started actually writing in the end of June. I had also been dabbling for over a year before that.

Anyway I've learnt quite a bit in that year. These are of course just my experience and you may find things work differently. But I also thought these little bits of knowledge could be quite useful. I thought I had a dozen, but I found I had miscounted and had an extra one. But I'm a baker so that's okay.

1. It's important to know where the story is headed from the beginning


I got stuck in a major way when I realized that the climax I had planned didn't actually work as a climax. The story would have needed on the wrong note. So I tried adding other stuff on afterwards.


2. I need my outline to be loose

The further along in the story I was, the more the more it differed from what I had originally planned. I was still headed on roughly the same direction, but the details changed. When I actually get to a point in the story I can see clearer what the character would do. Also I discover things that don't really make sense. My outline wasn't very tight, and I don't think I ever will outline tightly. I also found it can be good to outline roughly and then add more detail as I approach it.


3. It's okay to go back and rewrite before continuing

I know it is recommended not to edit the first draft. I'm not talking about editing though. I'm talking about when you realize that what you just wrote was all wrong. Go back and write what the story needs. It will help keep the story on the right course.


4. It's also okay to just rewrite it in your head

Sometimes I realized that some of the earlier event of the book happened differently. I even removed a character who did appear quite a bit in the beginning. But since it was back a long way and I knew where I was going, despite the changes. I just made few notes and didn't actually rewrite it at the time. That means that my idea of the story and what I actually have written are different. Also I now know that I would have still had to make even more changes.


5. It's okay to summarize

There were times when I was little bored with a bit, or just couldn't quite figure it out. Instead trying to push through it I just put in some vague place holder test such as, "Aydel does something awesome to escape," or "They got back safely."


6. Or write badly

I did a lot of this. Sometimes I just let dialogue ramble on stupidly. Sometimes I left out dialogue tags, Sometimes there was no description or someone contradicted what they just said. And sometime I just plain didn't like it. It kept me going. I'm just going to be rewriting the whole thing anyway, so it would have been a waste to make it beautiful


7. Or write out of order

I didn't do a lot of this. But there where times when I was stuck but had an idea of what might happen later, or I realized that I had missed an important scene. Sometime I wasn't even quite sure what order it should go in. I wrote it anyway.


8. It's possible to write when you don't know what's going to happen next

I know I said I needed to know where the story was headed. Well one time id really had very little idea. I knew that Leisa had to warn the others about danger, but I didn't know what the danger was. At the very last minute I figured it out. And then I still didn't know what was really happening in my climax. But it was all right. I survived. It's a dreadful mess, but I did finish it.


9. Continuing to write is often the best way to sort things out

This has really already been covered, but if you're stuck keep trying to write. Even if you end up writing about your story instead, I t can help. You're bungling along, and then suddenly you know the answer, or at least something that looks like an answer and will do for now.


10. Ideas aren't always brilliant as they first seem

This is sad a but very true. I found the perfect answer that was going to solve my plot problems many times. Then I actually stated thinking about the plot again and realized things weren't any better. It will happen and there's not really anything you can do about it. But sometime an idea really will be good and sound. It may be one that come slowly, a little bit at a time.


11. Main characters must have a consistent goal

This was my biggest problem and the key to solving my story. Since I had added more onto the end, it didn't all fit consistently together. Aydel's actions were inconsistent or at times rather stupid. Just a couple of weeks ago I realized what goal would try everything together. And then all I had to do was figure out how everything else interacted with that. Insert a few other little ideas and her actions mostly make sense.


12. Characters need to have the right name

I wasn't completely happy with the name of one of my main characters. He also had very little personality. He wasn't charming enough, or smart enough, or at all intriguing. His name made him sound stupid. Once I had the right name everything snapped into place. I've had the same experience with other characters on a smaller scale. Names do dictate our impressions, even when we make them up ourselves. So if you have trouble with a character consider changing at least part of his name.


13. I need some kind of daily or monthly goal

When I don't have a goal, I don't get as much done; it's as simple as that. Even though I do love my story and am excited about it, there are so many other thing that take up my life. The goal give me something to work towards, and forces me to make time for writing. But I do find that high goals stress me, so I try to avoid that.

Did any of you gain anything useful from that? Should I make more lists like this? Comment and let me know. My next post will probably be the Beautiful People link-up and I'm going to tell you about a sweet red-head girl named Mim.