Had a lot going on in the past two days, delaying my plans on revising my cyberpunk noir novella. But I did write out and organize a list of Ryn's leads.

I was going to arrange it the way I figured they would (and still might, for funsies), but it's more important to focus on the plot right now.

There's smaller details I want to add in as well, mostly fleshed out descriptions and some world building.

#SciFi #SapphicBooks #cyborgs #EarlyAdopter #revising

#Revising is hard work, but every now and then you come across a passage where you don't want to change a single word.
#writing #writingCommunity #ThreeKindsofNorth #sequel #TheSunderingWall

I wrote over 5k today. Which has Chapter 2 questioning whether this is a revision or a rewrite. Chapter 2 sort of has a point.

https://andybrokaw.blogspot.com/2023/05/chapter-2-has-concerns.html

#writing #revising #writinglife

I'm plotting my first rounds of revisions and my Acts are a little nervous about their upcoming makeovers.
http://andybrokaw.blogspot.com/2023/04/time-for-makeover.html

#writerlife #revising

@StephZihms I am a #fiction writer and use #Scrivener on Mac, iPhone, and iPad.

• If you use multiple computers or devices, set up a free Dropbox account if you don't have one and set up syncing. Ensure you wait until Dropbox has said it sync'd before you close your computer!

• Learn to use snapshots (Mac and Windows only) and how to compare (diff) changes. Snapshots are how you have multiple versions around and you compare what you've written over time.

• If you get a sync error (bound to happen if multi-device), you make a snapshot on the conflict document, then select-all and copy-paste your last good document the conflict refers to over the conflict document, then compare with the snapshot. The diff will show you what did not get properly sync'd.

• Learn how to search not only the current document, but all documents in a scrivener project.

• Learn how to use the regex search to find multiple things at one time. Oh, and you can save your search strings, so learn how to do that. (I save searches of dozen of words that I know I need to remove like about, just, maybe, perhaps, sometimes, etc.)

• Use the Literature & Latte discussion website to ask questions. Users respond faster than the developers ever will.

#writing #writers #author #writingcommunity #revising #writersOfMastodon

Working on Out of Ashes. :mortyscream: #writing #revising #screaming

I am suddenly overwhelmed by the feeling that everything I have written is absolute garbage, and the only way that anything will make any sense is if I scrap all 52,000 words and start over.

My logical brain recognizes the lie.
My feelings heart is breaking down into tears.
My muscles are suddenly both tense and exhausted.
My stomach is turning over like an octopus.

Probably a good time to wrap up.

#AmWriting #Revising #WritingCommunity

I don't think I've ever worked so hard in my whole life on such a short article. I spent two #days off and on #revising, #editing, #drawing, and finding animations that I thought could help #readers understand these deep concepts.

If you've ever wondered how the #universe was made or why from a #taoist point of view, here is the latest in my series...

A Beginner's Guide to #Taoism: Ten Thousand Things and the #Creation of the #Universe

https://thetaoist.online/a-beginners-guide-to-taoism-ten-thousand-things-and-the-creation-of-the-universe-2408164a1a83?source=friends_link&sk=632318f3c460ad96bbe8d3ce31ba7303

(presented for free using this link in #Mastodon because you are all SO awesome!)

#tao #dao #writing #blog #reading @writing@.gup.pe @writers

"Inside the house, just past the open door, outside quiet gave way to chaos as Aaron Harker pivoted on the ridiculously ornate parquet floor, arms windmilling as he tried to keep his balance without losing sight of his prey, a grey-green figure the size of a cat and the shape of a frog, if a frog were to rise up on two feet and scurry like a ferret."

#Revising and fine-turning, as I read the book out loud to Max (who is a terrible audience, as she's audibly snoring).

#Huntsmen

#Writephant Q3:

What is your revision process?
Eg, how long do you set your first draft aside for?
Do you get readers (and what do you call them? Ex. "ideal," "alpha," "beta," "first," etc)? If so, at what stage?

Did you have to learn a revision process or did it come to you naturally?

#writingCommunity #writinglife #writing #revising #editing #amediting #amrevising

Just received notes on a revised draft of a short story I've submitted for publication. I'll likely be going through a few more R&R cycles before a final decision is made about the piece. Outcome aside, this is going to be a good learning opportunity for me as I work with the magazine editor.

#writer #writing #revising #sciencefiction #fantasy #shortstory #shortfiction

@erinbowlen In-between scenes are hard for everyone, I think. They affect pacing. I'll share this experience with you, however. Keep in mind that concision and ellipsis are my biggest in-writing fails and may not be of use to you. I am not criticizing.

My publisher informed me that in their opinion bridge scenes are often not necessary. You simply imply what has/will happen, or discreetly fill in an important detail in the next on-stage. The reader will actually figure it out. Foreshadowing and important details must, of course, go in main chapter scenes, otherwise you might infodump.

That caused me to cut a 100,000 words from the galley. Food for thought.

#writing #revision #revising #writer #author #writingcommmunity

#BoostingIsSharing

"It's like a muscle," Alice said with a faux cheerfulness Liara had learned to recognize concealed bitterness, "The more you work it out, the more it -- hurts?"

"I would like to not be crushed by a mid-century ranch house," Aurvandil said, "What an embarrassing end that would be."

"Ranch houses don't normally have two floors," Erik said.

"Oh, yes, that's terribly important."

Liara sighed. "Can the two of you just not?"

#revising

"I wish I knew how to not be afraid like Aya does." Liara admitted, "Or even Aurvandil. Or that I could make jokes like you."

"Jokes only postpone the emotion," Alice shrugged, "You still have to deal with it. I lie awake at night, scared, wondering if we're only delaying the inevitable. Was there something else I could have done? Like, to save Vivian. To make any of this right. Sometimes..."

"You saved us. Twice, in my case."

"That's what friends do."

#revising

Still #revising this novella and cut out about 8300 words, 6000 of which have been replaced. Hopefully I'm amping up the action in the middle. Cross your fingers. #amwriting #writing #writingcommunity #scifi

Their circumstances were different; though patriarchy was patriarchy everywhere, apparently.

Was the only difference that she chose pain over rage?

How did she feel now, knowing the Five were responsible for everything wrong with her life?

She had been happy, whole once. Before she was tortured again and again to satiate a similar rage inside of Jenny.

Was there something monstrous at the bottom of them all?

Alice did not want to believe it. She refused.

#revising

She set fire to the living room curtains when she was nine. They pulled her from the burning room, whooping for joy.

She cut the legs off an insect to watch it struggle. Not maliciously, only curiosity.

She wanted to feel ashamed of it. She thought she should.

But she didn't.

Why didn't she feel anything most of the time? What compelled her to do these things? She wanted to feel sad about it, even angry.

She could not even do that.

There was nothing wrong with her, she thought.

#revising

On the rare occasion it snowed in Texas, Alice would gather a handful and put it in the freezer to preserve it, or the memory of it.

She was sometimes considered peculiar for caring about things more than people.

But then again, her life was strangely devoid of people and most of the ones who were there were assholes.

#revising

A person who doesn't want to do the work of #Writing, #Rewriting, #Submitting, and #Revising simply isn't a #Writer.

My plans to get together with friends today were cancelled when one of them came down with covid. So I've spent another day revising my first draft. Added in about 1000 words or so today in the process.
#Writing #Revising