@NaraMoore Guns do kill, which is why we’re at fault for not eradicating them. People have used the forerunner of so-called AI for a long while every time they text and accept suggestions. We become outraged, then normalize. In the end, it’s about human weakness and not doing the right thing. Ban guns. Restrict AI. Quit blaming anything and everything else for our failings.
Time to finish Chapter 73. I was dragging yesterday after an awful night’s sleep. This morning, I feel refreshed and eager to attack whatever comes my way.
Owing to drafting Book-2 while gravely ill in late 2016, the story is a patchwork of chapters added at various times. This chapter, the latest, was added 14-months ago.
@NaraMoore@crcollins My fast-written first drafts are well organized, with one exception, but subtext is often absent and the overall depth is lacking. Missed opportunities abound that I pick up on when I edit and have a more considering perspective.
Spring has sprung here, though it’s supposed to cool off tomorrow. It doesn’t matter, the trees are budding, including beloved Birchy (yes, I name the trees on my walk).
Yesterday, I finished the targeted edit on Trust in the Forgotten as planned. That’s a huge milestone.
This is the day I’ll setup Medicare Part D to start in May with the rest. Last month, the state took Medicaid away so, which wasn’t ideal. 😆
Romance has so many! Two that I adore are enemies-to-lovers (This Is How Immortals Die put a bit of a spin on it, while Book 3 is a more classic example) and friends-to-lovers (Book 2) - combining both can be amazing too (my #Ashrah fics).
If slow-burn is a trope, then I use that 99% of the time. I avoid love triangle like the plague; Book 4 will feature a polyamory, but none of the triangle bullshit.
The whole series is kind of a take on the forbidden love trope, too!
@Ink_Soul For me, if it isn't slow-burn, then it's like having a meal where all the courses were cooked on HIGH. Kind of like, your toast is ready when the room has filled with smoke. 😆
@Ink_Soul I know it’s the demi in me. I’m coincidentally editing the scene today where my primary couple finally make their way to one another—but they’ve taken too long and now life is about to have its way with them.
@NaraMoore@Ink_Soul Like you, I’m sure I have patterns. I’m okay with that. I also have romance, but I don’t actually write romances except for a few novellas. E
#WritersCoffeeClub 16: How much do you edit as you write, and how much do you leave until the 2nd draft?
Editing while writing has proven to be boring and inefficient, so I've trained myself to follow the mindset that the most important thing is to put the story down on paper.
It doesn't matter if the words are clumsy or the scene isn't working as I expected: I have draft 2 (and beyond) to polish the story and how I tell it.
And I like noting down Ideas for improvements on a separate file.
@crcollins@Ink_Soul I don't find editing boring at all. It is how I spend 80% of my writing time, after all. I just can't mix them together. Like you say, it's individual approach that matters.
To me, editing is where the real magic happens. Many of the best elements in my stories come later, though the basic story never changes.
My narrative outline is the blueprint. The framed house is my rough draft. Absolutely everything after that is editing. The walls, roof, paint, siding, landscaping, decoration, and so on.
@NaraMoore@CA_Hawthorne@Jtmoriartywriter@crcollins@Ink_Soul I absolutely love to read my drafts—after they’re complete. To get in the zone, all I have to do is sit down, have a hot drink, and put on the appropriate music. That’s it. Everyone is different, and that’s great. It’s what makes art art.
When I casually read my work while, for example, being on holiday, I take notes on my e-reader, but I can sometimes find an error I can not tolerate and have to fix it as soon as possible.
I can't think of anything else until I do.
Now, is that just me, or have you ever had to drop everything to fix an error in your writing as soon as possible?
@Ink_Soul@HeliaXyana Because I'm writing from a narrative outline, I already know the basic story works. There's no mistake I could make that would undermine the rest of the book.
Therefore, if I think of an issue or a change I'd like to make, I take a minute to write a note and move on.
@HeliaXyana@Ink_Soul My first draft is actually all about mania. Then, yes, there's calm.
That said, no, I don't pants. It's hard to believe now, but I used to pants books, but finished nothing. In my desperation, I searched for a different approach that evolved into MY process.
If you have your process, no matter how beautiful or ugly, as long as it works, that's all that matters.
Trans fems of the Fediverse, what does femininity mean to you?
Over the years, I've seen many folk talking about their relationship with femininity and how it relates to their transition and to their sense of identity, of who they are.
I've never understood it though. I don't feel like I have a relationship with femininity, or at least, nothing beyond pragmatic necessity. It doesn't relate to my sense of identity or who I am. In many ways, it feels like an obligation, rather than a source of empowerment or self understanding.
So, I’m curious how it works for other folk who find empowerment in it. What does it mean to you? How did it help you find yourself? How do you relate to femininity now vs earlier in your life?
@ada It was always my guiding force, even before I knew who "me" was, and it goes much deeper than stereotypical views of femininity.
I view it as possessing a great many strengths that masculinity doesn't possess, though many view it as a dirty word, the lesser of two halves. They can have their definition. I was so glad to leave that world behind.