Plot Holes

They're mean little buggers that will pop up out of nowhere. It's the only disadvantage to writing fiction versus non-fiction. Those damn plot holes are way too easy when I'm creating something out of nothing.

The plot hole this time, started in chapter 5, and grew into a monster of a beast when I tried to start chapter 8. So, this what I'll have to do. Rewrite about half of chapter 5, make it less filler and more content. Chapter 6 will only need a couple of very minor tweaks, deleting a sentence, changing some words, nothing more. Half of chapter 7 needs to be either rewritten or replaced and moved to chapter 8. This is the weaving aspect of telling a tale. It's a lot like a jigsaw puzzle where you just can't tell where the pieces will fit until you move things around.

Chapter 5 - Rewrite
Chapter 6 - Minor tweaks
Chapter 7 - Rewrite/or move half a section
Chapter 8 - Will fall into place once all of that is done

Everyone following me? No? Well, I didn't really expect you to, and that's okay.

Some authors, and yes I've seen this happen, will write too much to overcompensate a plot hole they created, rather than going back and fixing it properly. As I'm sure you can tell, I'm not one of those authors. I couldn't care less how much work it takes to make the story flow properly again. The work is worth is because once I clean this up, I can go back to plowing until the story is finished (or until I run into another plot hole).

Back to writing...

Filler Chapters

My writing marathon the other day worked out well. I finished two chapters and I'm almost finished the next. After I finished chapter 5, I realized why it was a drag for me. It's a filler chapter, haha!

I normally plan filler chapters in advance, or at least know when a filler chapter is needed before it's written. But chapter 5 snuck up on me. As far as fillers go, it's the most interesting filler I've ever written. I'm seriously laughing about this. I was so eager to get to the fun stuff in chapter 6, I almost didn't write chapter 5. And I still didn't realize 5 is filler. Go figure.

Filler chapters are often a necessary evil. They can seem like a chore, but very much needed to maintain a consistent thread through the story. A brige between two points, if you will. I've read books where it seems the author couldn't tell the difference between filler and just making crap up. Unfortunate, because there's a huge difference.

Fillers still have a plot, or at least a reminder of the plot. It would be downright silly for me to write a chapter about something completely unrelated. Something like, a choreographed disco dance around a bonfire in the middle of a post-apocalypse story, where disco doesn't exist. Humorous, but silly and unnecessary. Might be appropriate if I was writing a parody, but I'm not.

So it is important to maintain related content in filler chapters for a novel. Graphic novels and comic books (though they're the same thing, really) can have cute fillers with a subplot. But they're still related! It might be easier in comics, because of the visual similarities, but the same principle applies to novel writing. The fillers should have a purpose - further the plot, introduce a new character, provide a moment of comedy relief, etc. This is all a part of the craft of creative writing. Every chapter, pargraph, every single word, should be there for a conscious reason.

In essence, filler chapters should read like they're not fillers at all. How an author organizes elements, and how the reader perceives these elements, two different things. In novel writing, filler is a term for the author, but never seen by the readers.

New! Exciting! Fits in your pocket!

I'm working on a monthly newsletter. It's something I've been keeping in mind for when the need arises. The need has arisen. I love this blog, and it's so easy to use, but it's starting to get clogged up with too much info.

So. I've decided to create a newsletter which will contain info you won't see anywhere else. Contests and events will now only be in the newsletter. There will also be interactive features and a poll you can participate in. All votes will remain anonymous, and results will be in the next newsletter. Your vote counts!

I plan to send out the newsletter on the 15th of each month and plan for the first newsletter to be ready by Sept. 15th. So keep checking back to this blog or my website for the subscribe link. I'll post the link on the homepage, right on top. This will be a fun newsletter, you don't want to miss out!

I'm finally rolling again with chapter 5. My muse made a liar out of me, rather predictable. I'm about half-way done. I'm starting to parallel several sub-plots, yet trying to keep it simple. I always have too many ideas at once. Call it a tragic flaw.

And I have to say, who would have thought that I, a girl, would enjoy war games so much? Seriously, I'm having the best time with this. The story definitely keeps me interested, no doubt about that.

How do you find Inspiration?

You don't. Same as trying to find enlightenment. You just don't. It's not like these things are sitting in a treasure box somewhere and you can say, "Hey everybody! I found Inspiration! And Enlightenment! They were sitting here this all time!"

Nah, doesn't work that way.

You don't find Inspiration, you achieve it. You earn it. If you've put yourself in a conductive environment, Inspiration will come to you. This is why many authors over the years consider Inspiration to be a real entity. It's also called "muse."

So, where the hell is my muse?

I'm not in the best state of mind. I need to adjust to new meds and I haven't been sleeping well. Last night was a bit better than the night before, but I'm a little out of it.

I spent most of yesterday thinking about chapter 5, plotting things and making notes. That process is usually a lot faster for me, I'm a tad slow. Which is probably an understatement.

Whenever my muse comes to me, it often makes a liar out of me. That's why I posted all of the above. Go on, Muse, make a liar out of me! I dare you!

On another note, I've been recommended Circalit to upload my screenplay. The admin just got back to me and sent a link to a document detailing the advantages to Ciralit. No copying of text, printing, etc, allowed. I can adjust who I want to view this screenplay. Lot of safety features.

So I'm feeling less paranoid about this. I'm thinking about uploading the opening scene, which isn't in the manuscript (novel) that I have in circulation. That way, the manuscript is still never seen before (a strict rule for traditional publishing) and just the opening scene doesn't give anything away for either the manuscript or the screenplay. I guess this would be a tease of sorts, but I just want to share with all of you :)

I'll keep you updated ;)

Where's YOUR entry?

It's September 1st, are you getting your entries ready for the Halloween Contest? Remember, you only have until Oct. 30! Get your entries ready :D

I'm looking into possibly posting my screenplay online. The idea makes me VERY nervous, but I'm being brave and looking into it. What I'm thinking is posting an excerpt only, maybe keep the title hidden, or use a generic title. "Screenplay" by Lily. Something like that. I would really like some feedback, but the question for me is, at what cost? Feedback is wonderful, but theft sucks royally, and eliminating chances of having this script picked up sucks even more. I'm just not sure. Well, I'm looking into it.

In the meantime, I've gotten back to work on chapter 5. Can you believe it? I'm already on chapter 5! That's so cool. I love the fact I can write fast and I'm not the type to take years just to produce a single chapter. If I were that type, I would get so frustrated with myself. I love writing fast :)

Since I've gotten far enough with this one, I'm finding it's the same case as chapter 4. Too much for one chapter, move on to next chapter. More than likely, at this point, it would be best to just keep writing regardless of chapter number.

And here I go, diving back into the story...

(Don't forget to get your entries ready and submitted to the Halloween Contest by Oct 30).

Good Thing I have a Graphic Design Degree

I ran into a snag for chapter 5. All events are planned out, no problems there. But I was confusing myself. It dawned me I needed to design a map. I mean, if even *I* don't know where everything is, the readers are going to be bloody confused.

So I'm taking a bit of time off from writing to do some graphic design work. No, this won't be a line art rendering, similar to Lord of the Rings. I'm thinking 3D. We'll see how it goes.

I'll post the map when I'm finished here. I don't see the harm, I'll just make sure there's no text (could cause a copyright problem) and make sure there's a great big watermark. Copyright me, blah blah whatever. I just want to share this with all of you.

So off I go, wearing a different hat, and design a map. I'll let you know when I'm done... to be continued.

The Cup Spills Over

I've finished chapter 4. (Yay!) Apparently I had planned too much for this chapter, so it spilled over into chapter 5. Maybe someday I'll gain enough writing experience to tell in advance when I have too much for one chapter, who knows. For the meantime, I usually can't tell until I reach a naturally conclusion or end, that's the only time I'll realize, oh, that's it for this chapter, time to move on to the next.

The good news is I have a lot of material for chapter 5, so I'm hoping that means it won't take me long at all. Also, although I discovered a lot of new things while writing chapter 4, only 2 minor tweaks were needed for chapter 1 and 2. Apparently chapter 3 is fine as is. I'm definitely rolling now with this story.

When authors give the advice of 'keep writing,' what they're talking about is this creative process I've been describing since the prologue. I know a lot of aspiring authors find that statement frustrating because it's like, how do I keep writing? Where do I get started? What do I write about? What are the guidelines?

And this is why I often remind people that creative writing is not a job, it's craft. Same as taking a ball of yarn and keep knitting until you have a finished scarf. Some people like to knit while watching TV. Some like to knit in the living room during family time. Some people prefer to knit alone. It's up to the individual. And here's the best news of all. Because writing is a craft, it's up to the individual to answer all questions for themselves. You are in control. It's your writing. Do what you want.

Other than spelling and grammar, there really aren't any rules. It's creative writing. The sky's the limit. And just keep writing ;)