Great advice I've heard before and needs repeating. Got to turn up the heat on the protagonist: chase him up a tree, then throw rocks at him, then set the tree on fire. Without trouble, there is no story.
I try to throw nothing away, and your example with this manuscript is a great lesson. I treat abandoned manuscripts like a salvage yard, where I can go back and harvest parts, or sometimes resurrect an old idea in a new form.
you*are* writing all these posts directly to me, for me, right? hahahaha Listening to you talk about how you think about writing is such a great way to learn. Narrow and intensify...and I think that works even in "historical epic," although then perhaps the narrowing and intensifying happens in the minds and energies of the characters, like Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead, or The Impossible (about EGGS!) by Belinda Bauer.
I AM writing these directly to you. Spooky eh? (OK, not really.) But you are also sending me more book recs that I can't ignore! I just looked up the Bauer book and I'm frustrated I can't get in ebook here. I'd love to read it! (As if I don't have 100 other books lined up.)
This is such a great post, Andromeda! Thank you for this. So much to think about. And I know you know this, but I'm SO EXCITED to read this book!
Great advice I've heard before and needs repeating. Got to turn up the heat on the protagonist: chase him up a tree, then throw rocks at him, then set the tree on fire. Without trouble, there is no story.
I try to throw nothing away, and your example with this manuscript is a great lesson. I treat abandoned manuscripts like a salvage yard, where I can go back and harvest parts, or sometimes resurrect an old idea in a new form.
Excellent, and you've phrased it so well! (I love to picture throwing rocks at a character in a tree. Ha!)
you*are* writing all these posts directly to me, for me, right? hahahaha Listening to you talk about how you think about writing is such a great way to learn. Narrow and intensify...and I think that works even in "historical epic," although then perhaps the narrowing and intensifying happens in the minds and energies of the characters, like Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead, or The Impossible (about EGGS!) by Belinda Bauer.
I AM writing these directly to you. Spooky eh? (OK, not really.) But you are also sending me more book recs that I can't ignore! I just looked up the Bauer book and I'm frustrated I can't get in ebook here. I'd love to read it! (As if I don't have 100 other books lined up.)