It seems getting older involves constantly asking, “How is it already (fill in month, season, or holiday)? Between the amazing 20Books Vegas writers’ conference and a road trip to visit my California family, November flew by. So, once again it’s time for our monthly blog hop with the Insecure Writers’ Support Group, a wonderful place to find resources and support for authors. Join us here.
Join the IWSG monthly blog hop here: http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/p/iwsg-sign-up.html
The awesome co-hosts for the December 1 posting of the IWSG are PJ Colando, Diane Burton, Louise – Fundy Blue, Natalie Aguirre, and Jacqui Murray!
This month’s question: In your writing, what stresses you the most? What delights you?Without a doubt, the mushy, messy middle of a manuscript stresses me the most. I’m a pantser at heart slowly training myself to plot, and I always reach that swampy patch in the middle of a story: I know where I want to go but have no idea how to get there. After much pulling of hair and gnashing of teeth, I eventually find my way, but it’s a toilsome time.
What delights me most is when my characters volunteer the perfect twist, a surprise gift that ties together two or more plot threads in a way I hadn’t thought of during the planning phase. Yeah, I know–it’s my own subconscious furnishing the insight, but those moments truly feel like the characters are seizing the reins.
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Back in Tacoma to care for her estranged dad over the holidays, freelance web designer Charlie Khoury braces herself for the suckiest Christmas ever. A temporary job at Bangers Tavern gives her a chance to escape Dad’s criticism and blow off some steam. But why does the hunky bartender seem to hate her?
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Thanks for reading. I wish you the merriest of holiday seasons. See you next year, IWSG!
Glad you had a busy, fun November. I get stressed too when I can’t figure something out. Like you, I don’t have my whole story planned out and figure it out as I go.
Yes, I love it when the characters take me on a detour that was better than what I originally had planned. lol And yes it does sometimes feel like a swampy part.
That’s true, the middle stresses me out too. And the ending. And the queries. And the … Happy IWSG day, Sadira.
Fellow pantser here. Oh, yeah. That middle where you get side-tracked or lost completely. LOL But the delights make up for it.
Hi,
I do enjoy when my characters jump in and give me tips about themselves and what they would or wouldn’t do. I seriously believe they would write the story without me if I let them. 🙂
Happy to hear you’re enjoying your new home and getting more and more know through book festivals.
I truly wish you all the best.
Have a Merry Christmas and a safe crossover into 2022.
Shalom aleichem,
Pat G @ EverythingMustChange
Oh, I’m all for characters working out the plot themselves… after all they got themselves into it – I just right it down!
Good luck with your holiday sale 🙂
Ah, the dreaded middle. Sometimes it flies, but sometimes, it just stands still and leers at you, and you have to prod it along with every trick in your writer’s arsenal to get it to move.
The Vegas writer’s conference sounds like so much fun, Sadira! I’m wallowing in the middle of my memoir right now ~ argh! It will all be worth it in the end! Happy holidays to you!
Hopefully you can train yourself to plot through those messy middles!
I love those moments when characters speak up for themselves, or seem to act of their own accord. I have a hard time explaining that experience to non-writers, but it is the most magical and exciting part of the process for me as well.
The mushy middle gives me fits too. I end up dumping all kinds of random junk in there that slows the pace, and then I have to clean it up and figure out how to keep the story moving. *Sigh*