Last weekend I started participating in Scribophile.com, an online critique group for aspiring writers. To date, I've received two critiques on the first draft of Chapter 1 of my novel in progress.
I didnt' agree with everything in the feedback, but I appreciate those who took the time to read my effort and comment about it.
Sometimes I am too personally connected to my work to look at it objectively. I am hoping that Scribophile.com will help in that regard, and give my writing (and revisions) the swift kick in the backside that it needs.
After power washing the driveway to complete the first "honey do" item on my wife's vacation list, I spent some time with my novel yesterday. Today I'm going to prepare some barbecue brisket, which should afford some more time to work on the novel.
I am on vacation this coming week. I'm spending it at home alone, so it's time to get back to working on my novel. After all, it won't write itself. All the time in world spent thinking about doing it doesn't put words down on paper.
I've been hoping for some divine inspiration - some type of "awe ha" moment where the light bulb clicks on and everything becomes clear on how my story finishes. After piddling around for several months I've concluded that novels are not written that way. Novels become novels because someone constructs them.
My late college professor had Raymond Carver as a student many years ago. They became friends and traded phone calls and letters regularly for the next twenty years. The professor often told us that Mr. Carver's writing process usually involved large quantities of alcohol. Mr. Carver got it in his head that he needed the alcohol to improve his writing.
I don't drink, nor do I have any other self-destructive habits (unless you count an undeniable addiction to iced tea), but by golly I'm going to write a novel.
Wish me luck.
Don't worry. I'm now painfuly aware that luck has little to do with it.
This past weekend I spent some time updating my work in progress. If you haven't visited my new novel blog, now is as good time as any to visit. The basic outline for the first 11 chapters was 5,000 words and, after some work this weekend, it's has grown to 6,500 words.
My biggest challenge is to get the general ideas formed and written down. I'm finding that I can always go back and add depth later on. I don't like outlines, but using a blog has helped a lot with discipline. Somehow having it out there for everyone to see adds a sense of urgency and helps stoke the motivational fires.
I discovered this online novel blog by Mark Alexander today. It's his second blog novel. I didn't read the first one titled The Satan Maneuver, but applaud his efforts.
Between those two novels, Alexander has written 150 chapters worth of novel prose. I haven't read them all, but based on the first few chapters, they look promising.
Three cheers for Mark Alexander.
My online novel has outgrown the Novel Blog, so I've moved it to a new location.
Please visit the new novel blog here.
Mummy's Boy by Bill Liversidge
The novel is a work in progress, but the author has posted 17 chapters online.
Pebble Beach by James G. Mason
A novel of 150,000 words that explores relationships, violence, and corruption.
The Jesus Game
And, if none of these interest you, here's an index to several others.
