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To dither or not to dither

  • Nov. 6th, 2009 at 2:09 PM
zombie
I have to admit, I'm just a little bit afraid to start this book. My normal process, which involves writing tens of thousands of words that take the story off in wrong directions and must be deleted and replaced by tens of thousands of new words, is getting a bit old. It's also a waste of time, and I foresee a 2010 in which I'll have to get more work done in a shorter span. So, I want to get this book right the first time. More right, anyway. Pretty right, at least. Less wrong.

I've got by far the most detailed outline I've ever begun a book with, but it's still an incomplete map, and I could easily justify spending another month playing around with it. But it's starting to feel like dithering now. Dithering is something I'm trying to eradicate from my life as much as possible, and if writing is an expression of living, then avoiding dithering in my writing seems worth the risk of getting lost a few weeks or months down the road.

So, okay. Time to light 'er up.

From Lost

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( 15 comments — Leave a comment )
[info]michaeljasper wrote:
Nov. 6th, 2009 10:30 pm (UTC)
This sentence makes ME happy (tho probably not Greg): "I foresee a 2010 in which I'll have to get more work done in a shorter span."

More Greg Stuff coming to bookstores is a Good Thing.

I've gotta have an outline, even if I don't follow it once I dive into the drafting. Just go where the story takes ya, and consult the map every now and then to make sure you don't end up missing that turn at Albuquerque.

And yeah, let's ALL avoid dithering. Words to live by.
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[info]gregvaneekhout wrote:
Nov. 6th, 2009 11:46 pm (UTC)
In the past I've had about 100 pages worth of outline and an ending. Guess where things predictably start go awry?

2010, dude. Let's crank it.
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[info]bogwitch64 wrote:
Nov. 6th, 2009 10:32 pm (UTC)
If you're afraid you're dithering, you probably are. You're pretty smart that way. You're also psyching yourself out! DON'T! So there.
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[info]gregvaneekhout wrote:
Nov. 6th, 2009 11:47 pm (UTC)
You know what? You're so right. When I'm afraid I'm doing something, it means I'm almost certainly doing it, and wondering if I'm doing it is just another form of doing it. Onward.
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[info]bogwitch64 wrote:
Nov. 6th, 2009 11:50 pm (UTC)
:)
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[info]_stranger_here wrote:
Nov. 6th, 2009 10:54 pm (UTC)
Is this a middle-grade book? If so, will it help to know you have an eager soon-to-be-nine year old reader here who is going to love it? And his mom will too, of course. Smoke 'em if you got 'em!
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[info]gregvaneekhout wrote:
Nov. 6th, 2009 11:48 pm (UTC)
Yep, it MG, and I cannot WAIT for you and J to read it. But this one is scheduled for a summer 2011 release, so hopefully J tastes won't have outgrown it by then.
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[info]jennreese wrote:
Nov. 6th, 2009 11:17 pm (UTC)
Is the dithering just dithering, is there a real hole in the plot that you don't know how to fix? Big difference, imo. If you're hesitating because something doesn't feel right, or something is missing, then I don't think another few days or weeks figuring it out would hurt.

I guess I approach it like a software project -- the more work I put into figuring it out before I start, the easier and faster it will be once I do start.

On the other hand, you already have a kick-ass opening and an editor-approved synopsis, so I don't think you're going to commit those unusable words anyway.
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[info]gregvaneekhout wrote:
Nov. 6th, 2009 11:54 pm (UTC)
I don't think I have any holes. Just uncertainty about whether the pieces are enough, and if there's enough story, as opposed to things that happen. I dove in and started writing after I posted this entry, and I still don't know if I'm starting too early, but it sure feels good to write. :-)
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[info]jennreese wrote:
Nov. 6th, 2009 11:57 pm (UTC)
Sounds like you're good to go!

For me, it's usually that something isn't working. :-D
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[info]birdhousefrog wrote:
Nov. 6th, 2009 11:35 pm (UTC)
Go, go, go. With a couple of PUBLISHED, FINISHED books under your belt, you know what to do and what to avoid and no, no dithering allowed. Eat, drink, type.

Oz
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[info]gregvaneekhout wrote:
Nov. 6th, 2009 11:55 pm (UTC)
"Eat, drink, type." I need to put that on a T-shirt.
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[info]kameron_hurley wrote:
Nov. 7th, 2009 01:03 am (UTC)
I would so love to be able to write a book without writing 50-80K of bizarro crap that needs to be cut/retooled, but I think I'm at least 3-4 books away from being that efficient.
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[info]sarah_prineas wrote:
Nov. 7th, 2009 02:33 am (UTC)
Go, go, go!! Pyrotechnics!! Boom!

(and as always, if you need another eye on it I'm...um...wearing my glasses.)
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[info]kellysarah wrote:
Nov. 7th, 2009 04:49 pm (UTC)
Write on! That's a lot of outline. I'll bet you'll see how to deal with the issues and fill holes you're seeing once you start fleshing out the world and its characters.
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( 15 comments — Leave a comment )