Word Maze - what I'm learning about writing
The second season of Word Maze is all about writing fiction. Join Pilar during NaNoWriMo. Writing, struggling, reading (favourite mode of procrastination) and podcasting her journey. Happy 50k if you're also Nanoing!
Episodes
The last episode of the current season!
Pilar talks about what she's gained from taking part in previous NaNoWriMo s and encourages anyone who's been thinking of writing a novel to try it too.
What is NaNoWriMo https://nanowrimo.org/
Community aspect
You commit for a month, that might be easier
You discover the story
I learned to sit and write - at least to sit and start
Learn what works, what doesn't
Helps you to talk about wri...
In today's episode, Pilar talks about:
Why she's stuck.
How the story's changed once she got writing, and how the idea can develop.
What's she learned from Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
What's she's incorporated from Scott King's Story Pitch
Here's the link to exporting synopses from Scrivener https://www.scrivenervirgin.com/2018/05/file-compile-export-synopsis/
She also mentions Austin Kleon's clarificat...
Pilar has realised that all her character was doing was living in the past, but she has a couple of things she's going to try to make the character more active.
Following feedback from her writing coach, she now needs to almost go back to the drawing board, but this presents plenty of opportunities to make the piece richer.
Plus: Thinking Remote: Inspiration for leaders of distributed teams is now out in audiobook format.
You'd think it's obvious, but it's taken Pilar quite a while to realise the main difference between writing a non-fiction book and writing a novel.
Pilar recommends Anne Janzer’s excellent book on writing non-fiction, "Writing to Be Understood: What Works and Why".
A little bit of progress on Pilar's own editing the novel.
Check out the Trello board for book recommendations https://trello.com/b/3LUWiqsc/pilars-board-on-writin...
Why do we write? I struggled so much during the re-write that I almost threw it all away and gave up this "I want to write fiction" thing.
Why I didn't:
- I hate dropping stuff before giving it a proper go - that's why I went to drama school
- I'm learning a lot
- I know that what I'm doing is hard, so if I get through it, or almost there, it will be amazing
- I'm paying for the process!
- I still don't know why we write / create art
Pilar updates listeners on her writing retreat and how it's difficult to explain to people who don't write that writing is not driven by inspiration.
She shares her struggle with technique and the bad writing habits she's discovered.
This episode's wisdom is on using dialogue as exposition, borrowed from Into the Woods by John Yorke.
For book recommendations:
https://trello.com/b/3LUWiqsc/pilars-board-on-writing-for-word-maze-...
I've finally received some feedback, at a micro and macro level.
Lots to think about regarding character, supporting characters and the level of trauma the character is carrying with her at the beginning of the story, and what's triggered by the inciting incident.
I recommend episode 456 of the Helping Writers become Authors podcast. https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/podcasts/
For book recommendations:
https://trello.c...
Today I share how I'm struggled to write a scene which was hard for the character to go through.
The writing journal has been very useful in identifying where I need to pay attention to next in the story.
How shall I incorporate all the subplots into the ending?
Check out all the books I talk about in my Trello board
https://trello.com/b/3LUWiqsc/pilars-board-on-writing-for-word-maze-podcast
And get in touch through www.pilarw...
Having never "journaled" before, Pilar has started a writing journal to help her identify the bits that need fixing.
She came across this idea when listening to the podcast How do you write? with Rachel Herron
Connect with Pilar over at www.pilarwrites.com
For more book recommendations, check out Pilar's Trello board for this show: https://trello.com/b/3LUWiqsc/pilars-board-on-writing-for-word-maze-podcast
Pilar has started working with a coach, and so now the hard work begins!
She talks about how she's made some changes after considering the character's point of view.
Recommended book: On Editing. How to edit your novel the professional way by Helen Corner-Bryant and Kathryn Price (again!)
For more book recommendations, check out https://trello.com/b/3LUWiqsc/pilars-board-on-writing-for-word-maze-podcast
In this episode, Pilar talks about how she's working on the structure of her novel and the holes she's identified.
She recommends the book On Editing. How to edit your novel the professional way by Helen Corner-Bryant and Kathryn Price
For more books, check out the Trello board https://trello.com/b/3LUWiqsc/pilars-board-on-writing-for-word-maze-podcast
And to check out Pilar's books and other podcasts, head over to www.pilarwr...
I'm back with Season 3 - after a month of struggling to build the story for the current novel, I've dug out a piece from a year ago and decided to work on that instead, hopefully with an editor...
In this episode, Pilar talks about her fiction plans, recommends Being a Writer by Dorothea Brander (again!) and she refers to Neil Gaiman's class in Masterclass.com
You can check out other book recommendations over at her Trello board ht...
In this episode, Pilar reflects on something she read in Becoming a Writer about paying attention to the kind of style you like writing in.
She comes back to the lack of need of describing a character's physical appearance, after listening to episode 154 of the Bestselling Experiment podcast, with guest Mark Billingham.
Finally, she shares what she's learned from working with a copy editor for the first time, on her non-fiction ...
In today's episode:
Pilar shares how to get into the habit of writing, and how to be aware of the context that helps you to do your best writing. Advice from Becoming a Writer by Dorothea Brand
She's heard some wonderful advice over at the Story Grid podcast on how to pick up a book you're writing after being away from it for a while.
Finally, Pilar shares what she liked stylistically from Nick Hornby's 'Juliet, Naked'. (By the...
Another short episode:
Pilar mentions a device she quite liked from Duel en Ville
How she's started working with an editor through reedsy.com
She recommends Nick Hornby's novel 'Juliet Naked'.
Link to books on writing:https://trello.com/b/3LUWiqsc/pilars-nanowrimo2018-learning-and-podcasting-board
Pilar's site: https://pilarwrites.com/
The book Pilar and Maya are working on: Thinking Remote, inspiration for leaders of distribute...
When writer's block comes from not wanting to dive into the emotional world I'm trying to create...
There is of course the voice that whispers, will they believe the superhero story you're trying to create? Actually, it doesn't matter that much, as I've seen watching Contact, a French TV series.
I've changed the plot because my character was way too passive - much more interesting if she's driving the story; I've been able to do ...
Well, I really wish my characters had a life of their own and were destroying my plot, but, it's not really happening - though, as I was recording for this episode, I realised that yes, one of them has thrown in something unexpected.
Today's quoted books:
Plotting and Writing Suspense Fiction by Patricia Highsmith
Fiction Attack! Insider Secrets for Writing and Selling Your Novels & Stories by James Scott Bell
And if you're th...
I've discovered some of the reasons why it's been so hard to get writing today - I hope it's of some use to you too!
But it's not all about how difficult I'm finding it, I also have some advice about when to use dialogue - or what to look out for when you're editing.
I mention the book Write a Novel and Get it Published by Nigel Watts and Stephen May
To see the other books, check out my Trello board: https://trello.com/b/3LUWiq...
I've decided to abandon NaNoWriMo and I briefly explain why. However, I'm not abandoning my story, or this podcast, as it's all great fun. I also explain why.
If you want to have a look at what I'm learning, check out my Trello board
https://trello.com/b/3LUWiqsc/pilars-nanowrimo2018-learning-and-podcasting-board
In this episode I refer to Lisa Jewell's The House We Grew Up In, which I'm really enjoying reading and learning a lo...
I've discovered a new feature in the Remarkable tablet, thanks to the NaNoWriMo forum!
I talk about that and also about finding the truth in your story, your characters and painfully, in your villain.
How much are you willing to go through for your story?
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