I didn’t post my current word count yesterday because I didn’t want my big announcement to get lost in the midst of the Behler Publications interview. As you can tell by the title of this post, my work in progress is no longer called The Devil’s Playground. The new title is Mija (that’s the name of my MC).
The name change was necessary because the focus of the book changed. Well, I don’t know if that’s completely accurate because The Devil’s Playground never had a clear focus. All I know is that the title Mija suits the book at this time.
Who knows, the title may change again as I continue writing. For now, I’m really excited about the new name. There’s an authenticity in the title that was missing before.
Word count for the week: 2,900
30709 / 90000 words. 34% done!
Click HERE to learn more about The Devil’s Playground
Slowly I’m realizing that my new perspective is changing the story more than I thought it would. In fact, it’s turning into a completely different story. In some ways that is good, in others not so much.Total word count for the week: 2347
My writing is coming along. I like the new direction I’m taking. Actually, “like” isn’t a strong enough word. I LOVE the new direction. However, I have a sneaky suspicion those who have read parts of the novel so far will wonder aloud why I decided to make the change. The best answer I can come up with is because “it feels right.” I’m crossing my fingers that it will “read right.”
Click HERE to read more about The Devil’s Playground.
Emotionally I was fine with the writing I completed last week. Not overly enthusiastic but content. Saturday came along and everything changed. I worked on a scene that turned out to be too technical. Of course, instead of moving on I obsessed about it into Sunday.
I’ve mentioned several times that I like to write simply. No hard words readers need to figure out. No overly explained descriptions of settings. No analogies or metaphors. Just plain old language…that’s what I want to capture.
I now realize that is the reason my MC took on a southern twang. Books where the characters are from the South are written in a virgin-like voice (I just made that term up). I like that.I also believe this is the reason my MC is young. Children are straightforward and from time to time make insightful comments.
Most of the writing I’ve produced is 10% my voice and 90% what I think others expect to read. Trusting my voice 100% will require that I break from conventional writing. Not a little but a lot. It will affect the overall tone of the book and the structure. That isn’t necessarily a negative, but I wonder whether I’m a skilled enough writer to pull it off.
There’s only one way to find out. This week I’ll write my way without concerning myself with the expectations of others.
Total word count for the week: 3863Click HERE to read previous posts regarding The Devil’s Playground
I’m writing out of sequence. This is a move I’m regretting. The book is unorganized. I’m not referring to the writing itself, but the scenes aren’t in order. So when I begin to edit I’m going to have a hell of a time putting the book together.
From now on I’m going to write in sequence. By the time I finished writing that sentence, I changed my mind. Back to square one.
Okay, I got it. Maybe I’ll work on one subplot and only move on to the next when it’s completed.
I have one subplot that I like very much. I enjoy how the characters are developing. Unlike my MC, I have full reign on these particular characters.The other subplot is underdeveloped because what the character gains in the end is intangible. Since it’s intangible, I’m telling instead of showing. That makes for a boring read. I realize that I’m telling because I’m not respecting readers to “get it.” So I lay it out -
I’m getting anxious writing about the second subplot. So I’m going to stop writing about it in midstream and move on to my next thought. Maybe I shouldn’t move on. Maybe I should work through the anxiety. Perhaps I’ll have a break through. Running away isn’t going to make the subplot go away. Why do I insist on running? It’s time to face this issue head on. Breathe. Breathe. Just work through it. Okay here it goes.
I spell out all the –
Nah, forget it. I’m not ready to meet this issue head on. I’m outta here.
Last Monday I didn’t post my word count for The Devil’s Playground. Not because I didn’t reach my word count, I did. But because I took the day off my blogging. In the past two weeks I wrote 12,148 words. I purposely wrote more than my goal to make up for the week I lagged behind. I’m still behind my overall goal by over 2,000 words.
One thing that I have noticed during the past two weeks is that my MC has taken on a southern twang. She is using words such as “fretting” and “minding.” I’m not sure why she has decided to do this, but I’m not going to fight her on it. I’ll let her be. I’m curious to see how she will evolve.
This year I went to Paris. While there, I visited the Pablo Picasso Museum. His work is extraordinary – from his paintings to his sculptures. My favorite quote from him is, “My mother wanted me to become a doctor. Instead, I became Picasso.”
Picasso was born in Spain. As a result, his name has twenty one words - Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Clito Ruiz y Picasso. Puerto Ricans and Spaniards share the tradition of giving their children the surname of both parents. This custom preserves the mothers surname in future generations.
As I develop characters, one will be known by his full name (twenty one names in honor of Picasso). That’s all I know about this particular character. I’m curious to see how he will come alive based on this one and only fun fact.
