Tag Archives: first draft

My Daughter’s Giant Stocking (and Issues of Gauge)

Posted on December 22, 2011 by

Knitters are supposed to check their gauge before starting a project. That means knitting a little swatch, counting the stitches per inch, and seeing if the result matches up with the pattern requirements. If so, great. If not, it’s necessary … Continue reading →

Posted in Knitting, Revision, Writing | Tagged , , , , , | 9 Comments

It’s Critique Day!

Posted on November 14, 2011 by

I’ve been waiting for this day. In September, I submitted two-thirds of my historical novel, LOST NOTES, to my intrepid writing colleagues. We’re going to get together this evening to talk about the manuscript. Our discussions generally last for a … Continue reading →

Posted in Community, Fiction, Revision, Writing | Tagged , | 16 Comments

My WIP’s Anniversary

Posted on November 3, 2011 by

Last August, after finishing my literary novel BODY COPY, I started writing a new one. Aptly, I titled the folder “new novel.” It was about two kids from music-box collecting families. I wrote some first-draft scenes. I jotted down notes … Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction, Revision, Writing | Tagged , , | 17 Comments

Giving Myself Permission to Revise

Posted on October 21, 2011 by

Once again I’m preparing to break the sacred first-draft rule: Don’t revise. I break this all the time, but don’t always admit to it. When I blogged about submitting my first draft to my critique group in mid-September, Jody Moller … Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction, Plot, Revision, Writing | Tagged , , | 20 Comments

The Barbie Jeep Method of First Drafts

Posted on October 5, 2011 by

My 4-year-old is obsessed with a hand-me-down Barbie Jeep that actually runs. She floors it and races across our back yard, then drops her foot off the pedal at the last possible moment. By last possible moment, I mean she … Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction, Plot, Revision, Writing | Tagged , , | 31 Comments

Hitting the Send Button

Posted on September 14, 2011 by

I just submitted the first 85,000 words of my novel, LOST NOTES, to my trusty critique group. Now the waiting begins–two months’ worth, in this case. We’ll meet in mid-November for my critique. In the meantime, I’ll be working on … Continue reading →

Posted in Plot, Revision, Writing | Tagged , , | 32 Comments

What I Learned at the Writing Retreat

Posted on August 16, 2011 by

I’m back home, but my brain is still on vacation. The past week, living in a bunkhouse in the woods in southern Oregon, taking long walks and waking each morning to a full day of writing, has refreshed me and … Continue reading →

Posted in Community, Fiction, Writing | Tagged , , , | 13 Comments

The Three-Fourths Theory of First Drafts

Posted on July 8, 2011 by

I call my work-in-progress my third novel, but really it’s number four. And in terms of books, it’s number five due to a nonfiction jazz band biography I wrote in 2000-01. But that’s another story. What those numbers mean is … Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction, Revision, Writing | Tagged , , , | 18 Comments

Prostitution, Or Writing What I Don’t Know

Posted on June 15, 2011 by

It’s time for another status update on my work-in-progress. As I’ve mentioned before, the first draft of my new novel, LOST NOTES, has taken me into many unknown places, both in terms of subject matter and setting. I’ve never written historical … Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction, Plot, Revision, Writing | Tagged , , | 38 Comments

Let Your Story Grow

Posted on May 31, 2011 by

Let’s face it. As writers, there are times we need a little extra encouragement. (Or a hug.) Sometimes it’s so hard to escape into a story world when there are other, more visible tasks pressing for attention. It takes a … Continue reading →

Posted in Community, Writing | Tagged , , , | 8 Comments