So, in the previous post I only got as far as the introduction in my summary of the McKee Thriller day. Here is part 2, in which the crime is committed and the protagonist victimised . . . Antagonist is key When writing crime stories, it turns out you always start by creating the perfect … Continue reading Robert McKee Thriller Day – part 2
Robert McKee Thriller day – part 1
It was almost a month ago now, but I've finally gotten around to posting about the Robert McKee Thriller day. There is quite a deal to summarise, so I've decided to divide it into a few sections for ease of digestion. This is part 1. First off, I should say that I decided to attend … Continue reading Robert McKee Thriller day – part 1
Rough draft or solid opening?
After a fairly solid month of writing, I've produced an opening chunk of the new novel project. It's rather rough in parts (as previously noted), but I'm starting to feel the story take shape. The decision now is whether to keep going with a literally rough draft, or whether to dive back into the opening … Continue reading Rough draft or solid opening?
WriMoFoFo wrap-up
I learnt some things about my writing process over the past 30 days of the WriMoFoFo challenge. The first is that I can actually push myself to let the story come out and 'write badly' if I put my mind to it. I kept telling myself that it didn't matter if the dialogue was bad, … Continue reading WriMoFoFo wrap-up
Why I keep a Writing Journal
When I started writing my current novel manuscript back at the beginning of June, I also started keeping a writing journal. On the first few pages I scribbled down the basic premise and broad story overview, a preliminary list of major turning points, and a list of major characters. After that, I started keeping almost daily … Continue reading Why I keep a Writing Journal
Wine and chocolate
With just one more week to go of the WriMoFoFo writing challenge, I have had the following epiphany: I cannot get through this coming week without wine and chocolate. I have been trying to abstain from both of late, but have now chucked that resolve out the window. Today I have ground my way to my word quota (a … Continue reading Wine and chocolate
Why research is important
Anyone who knows anything about astronomy knows that comets tend to arrive in our skies for several weeks, sometimes months. This is certainly the case with Halley's Comet, which I remember seeing on a wonderful clear morning (~4am) in March 1986, while on a school hiking expedition in the Victorian high country near Mt Bogong. The viewing … Continue reading Why research is important
Waffle or bones?
When I push myself to write quickly, I tend to waffle. It's as though I throw anything onto the page in the hope that out of the chaos will emerge the odd little gem that can be extracted and polished. This means that on a subsequent much-needed editing/revision pass, I invariably lose a heap of … Continue reading Waffle or bones?
Quality versus quantity
At the moment I'm a bit obsessed with wordcount. That's what happens when you embark upon a writing challenge such as WriMoFoFo, which comes complete with a Nifty Spreadsheet (its creator should patent it!) to keep track of words produced, owing, and averaged. What's good about this: It makes me keep going and going and going … Continue reading Quality versus quantity
WriMoFoFo writing challenge
The SuperNOVA writers group is undertaking a writing challenge at the moment. It's inspired by the well-known NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), when writers attempt to splurt out a 50,000 word novel during the 30 days of November. But since this is just, well, CRAZY, we've evened out the odds a little. Our WriMoFoFo (Write … Continue reading WriMoFoFo writing challenge
Ellen Gregory 