Discussion: Q3 Volume 38

I’m finished with my Q3. At least I won’t be subbing on the last day this time! 

Posted by: @rschibler

I’m finished with my Q3. At least I won’t be subbing on the last day this time! 

I have a long way to go.

Heh, I'm done with my Q3 entry, and I still probably won't end up submitting until the last day! ? 

Procrastinators of the world, unite!

Posted by: @derbestin

Heh, I'm done with my Q3 entry, and I still probably won't end up submitting until the last day! ? 

 

Procrastinators of the world, unite!

Last quarter I submitted early only to realize later that I had put in entry with a spelling mistake. I plan on re-reading last day regardless of how early I finish. 

Wonder twin powers activate!

After a full year of frantically finishing my stories at the last minute, I've decided that I need a better workflow, haha! Plus, I feel like I haven't been able to push my last couple of submissions to the limits of my writing abilities because I haven't given myself enough time. So, I've resolved to start my Q3 early and post occasional updates here for the motivation/accountability to stay on track.

So far this month, I've been working on a Kill Your Darlings exercise to refresh between full-length stories. I always love seeing how each iteration gets stronger despite having fewer words, and I really want to try to apply that kind of word economy to my Q3 story. Obviously it needs a bit more meat on its bones than a flash-fiction piece, but I know it's something I need to work on.

I'll do another check-in when I've completed an outline for my Q3 story. My goal is to have it done no later than the 11th.

I'm just at the stage of brainstorming. I spent a chunk of this year, committed to other goals that I needed to spend time on--as a result, now that I'm trying to think of a new story to write, I feel incredibly rusty, and not at all sure of exactly how I begin. I'm at that point of "Where exactly DID I get my other story ideas from?", and feeling like the well has somehow run dry.

Which, of course, it hasn't. I've just somehow forgotten how to operate the damn bucket. Either that, or someone replaced it with a sieve while I wasn't looking.

I figure something will strike. Fortunately, somewhere around here, I do have a scribbled set of older ideas that I was thinking about writing--so first stop will probably be visiting those, and then seeing if I can find two of them that make a natural couple. I find I rarely get very good stories from a single seed.  

Posted by: @doctorjest

I'm just at the stage of brainstorming. I spent a chunk of this year, committed to other goals that I needed to spend time on--as a result, now that I'm trying to think of a new story to write, I feel incredibly rusty, and not at all sure of exactly how I begin. I'm at that point of "Where exactly DID I get my other story ideas from?", and feeling like the well has somehow run dry.

Which, of course, it hasn't. I've just somehow forgotten how to operate the damn bucket. Either that, or someone replaced it with a sieve while I wasn't looking.

I figure something will strike. Fortunately, somewhere around here, I do have a scribbled set of older ideas that I was thinking about writing--so first stop will probably be visiting those, and then seeing if I can find two of them that make a natural couple. I find I rarely get very good stories from a single seed.  

If I'm not allowed to post suggestions for resources, I apologize to the forum gods in advance. Unpaid shill here, who would like to recommend John Brown's book Create Story Ideas That Beg to Be Written. I think it is $5 for the Kindle version. I had the pleasure of kind of beta testing his course a few years back. I feel blessed for the opportunity. Anyway, he writes genre fiction and he has a kind of brass tacks kind of view on getting ideas for it. He had a great presentation at the LTUE and some of it can (or at least could) be found on his webpage. Anyway, I tend to think about his process when I need help coming up with ideas.

Posted by: @babooher

If I'm not allowed to post suggestions for resources, I apologize to the forum gods in advance. Unpaid shill here, who would like to recommend John Brown's book Create Story Ideas That Beg to Be Written. I think it is $5 for the Kindle version. I had the pleasure of kind of beta testing his course a few years back. I feel blessed for the opportunity. Anyway, he writes genre fiction and he has a kind of brass tacks kind of view on getting ideas for it. He had a great presentation at the LTUE and some of it can (or at least could) be found on his webpage. Anyway, I tend to think about his process when I need help coming up with ideas.

Thanks for this! It sounds like something I'd like to look into at least.

I'm back with a quick update: I finished my outline on schedule!  

Next up is the first draft. I'm really excited to jump into this one--I'm going for more of a humorous tone, which I think is going to be hard for me to do, but I love the idea and really want to make it work. Anyone have any tips for writing something funny?

My goal is to be done with the first draft by the end of the month.

Posted by: @penmark

I'm back with a quick update: I finished my outline on schedule!  

Next up is the first draft. I'm really excited to jump into this one--I'm going for more of a humorous tone, which I think is going to be hard for me to do, but I love the idea and really want to make it work. Anyone have any tips for writing something funny?

My goal is to be done with the first draft by the end of the month.

Humor comes from the unexpected. (That doesn't necessarily equate to the bizarre.) Subverting expectations is the key to making people laugh--but this can be difficult, because different people have different expectations. Be sure to do some crit trades once the story is in decent form--that will help you know if the humor lands.

The tone of the narrative affects the level of humor in the piece as much as the subject matter. You can write comedy about very serious things if you can find the right tone.

Be mindful of the feelings you want the reader to walk away with--just like with any other type of story, it's important for the ending to keep the promises made in the beginning.

Thanks so much, DisgruntledPeony! I wasn't thinking about humor in those terms, but you're absolutely right about it being unexpected and subverting expectations. You've given me a lot of good stuff to keep in mind as I'm writing, and I will definitely do some crit trades with this story. I've only done a few of those before, but they've always been super helpful, and I want to make the most of this quarter.

Thanks again!

All plotted and I've finally started writing though my first covid jab at the weekend is still making me want to fall asleep. 

@penmark

Read anything by Terry Pratchett and study how he turns everything on it’s head. He’s like Gary Larson cartoons, but in prose. But to write funny, you must have funny in you. If you don’t make people laugh in real life, you will fail on the page.

Posted by: @wulfmoon

He’s like Gary Larson cartoons, but in prose. 

That might be the most compelling sales pitch I've ever heard, haha! I've been hearing more and more about Pratchett recently, so I think it's finally time to read something of his. Thanks for the tips!

@penmark

Enjoy. I think I've read everything he's written, except the collaborations late in his life. GOING POSTAL is a fun one, and has a plot. Not all of his novels do, but they're still fun to read for his play on words. And anything featuring Death (yeah, he's a character) or Granny Weatherwax will be hilarious. A great study for satire and humor! 

I am at 3K words of first draft. Even if no one else loves this story, I do. I just hope I can find some beta readers that can tell me if I captured to protagonist in a believable way.

@craydimensional

That's great, Cray. I think my strongest pieces come from when I stop caring whether anyone else will like it, when I just want to write the story. Not caring what others think can also help to build the flow instead of agonizing over every word choice.

I've got like 3 ideas thumping around in my head that I want to work on, but I can't decide which one to focus on for my Q3. I'm probably gonna sit down tomorrow on my day off and plot out all 3, then decide which one would make the most compelling story.

I've finished drafting and ars-deep in revision. I'm trying really really hard to keep in under 5k words. 1st draft was about 8k. ? 

I'm finally rattling some things around in such a way as they'll fit together. The story I have this time started with a series of scenes in my head, the foundation of an opening I like, but with no real reason for them, or a definite direction beyond--so I just wrote them and hoped they'd flow into something. It's worked before, but no dice this time. After days of it sitting and getting nowhere, I spent some time tonight just brainstorming possibilities, and I think I'm finding the heart of a story I like.

In related news, I seem to be hell-bent on finding stories that I'll find difficult to write well, lately. But they are rewarding when I finally get the edges to stick together.

Posted by: @henckel

I've finished drafting and ars-deep in revision. I'm trying really really hard to keep in under 5k words. 1st draft was about 8k. ? 

Chris, 

Any reason to keep it that length? Under 5k seems short, especially coming from 8k. Or did you feel like the 8 was wordy?

Posted by: @axeminister

Posted by: @henckel

I've finished drafting and ars-deep in revision. I'm trying really really hard to keep in under 5k words. 1st draft was about 8k. ? 

Chris, 

Any reason to keep it that length? Under 5k seems short, especially coming from 8k. Or did you feel like the 8 was wordy?

I can't speak for henckel, but doesn't 5k tend to add to a story's marketability?

As to length, story determines length. Always. But here’s some info to take note of if you’re shooting to win WotF. The sweet spot seems to be 6k to 8k.

Just FYI for reference. https://writersofthefuture.com/forum/the-contest-quarterly-topics-and-other-items/wulf-moons-super-secrets-workshop-challenge/paged/45/#post-26825

Got feedback from my beta readers, made what felt like final tweaks, and spontaneously decided the story isn't going to get any better/I didn't want to over-write. So I'm in!

I swear, my goal lately is to have three stories tied up at WotF as often as is humanly possible.  

@disgruntledpeony Your farther than I am. I am at 4.3K words of first draft.

@craydimensional I promise, I'm farther than most sane people would be. It's mostly because I was editing a story I'd already finished as opposed to writing something new.

Well I finished drafting, and I guess I will start my revisions tomorrow.

A reminder to all in the Forum.

This Saturday we have a special event happening in the WotF Forum. It's an Ask Me Anything AMA event with bestselling writer extraordinaire, TIM POWERS. If you don't know that name, go get a copy of ANUBIS GATES. Or ON STRANGER TIDES, my personal favorite. Tim is one of the most literary writers in speculative fiction. He's also funny and one of the most intellectually stimulating of persons to hang out with. The event will be held here Saturday, April 24th, from 1 pm to 3 pm PST, on this Forum, in the Writers of the Future Online Workshop Topic. 

Don't miss out! Tim Powers is a judge of this Contest and in my opinion, one of the most creative writers alive today! 

Bring good questions about the Contest, about writing, and about stories Tim has written that you've enjoyed! It's an AMA!

See you there!

Wulf Moon
Forum Moderator

I’m in the waiting mode now for critique and contest results. Think I’ll get back to the draft of a novel I feel I will never finish.

Hello, everyone! I'm new to the forum. Currently, working on my Q3 story. Hoping to get it to my critique group in the next couple of weeks.