So what have I done today?

[apocalypsos]

-- Organized my story notes.

-- Went through my stories and realized I have three finished manuscripts (two of which are only first drafts), one story that's two-thirds of the way done (although it's in present tense and multiple first-person POVs and is generally ridiculous), two that are halfway done, one that's a quarter of the way done, one with three chapters done, one with one chapter done, one with nothing written yet, and about thirty random story ideas I've just saved but done nothing with, not counting the last seven books of the Books of Boggs.

Uh ... heh.

-- Went out and got some sun for a while so I don't look so much like one of those cave fish that are translucent so that their neon livers can light their way or whatever.

EDIT: Oh, and also I'm down to 146 pounds. It's got to be the exercise, since I've kept that up but knocked back a bag of Cheetos over the last few days and a liter of Pepsi today. Heh.

Comments

[laurelin-kit.livejournal.com]

Along diet talk, I've fallen totally in love with Slimfast. Or rather, storebrand Slimfast. It's great, sufficiently filling, keeps you from getting insane cravings for HOURS. Which is super because some of my medication gives me an insane appetite.

[faithintheboys.livejournal.com]

May I just ask how you get motivated to write? I have a lot of story ideas and I just can't seem to pick which one I would rather write because I get ideas for different stories at the same time. I really wish I could finish a chapter let alone a manuscript. I admire your process.

[apocalypsos.livejournal.com]

Oh, I tend to write down everything. Every weird cracked-out idea I get goes down in a notebook somewhere. Even if I'm not excited about it now, I never know if I might be later, so I tuck them away for safe-keeping. Sometimes that comes in handy, too, because occasionally I'll throw one or two story ideas together and they'll click and that'll turn into a novel.

Also, I find that if I have an idea that's interesting but that I can't start writing to save my life, I'll write down every single possible idea that comes to mind to flesh out the story and doing that helps develop the story. Like, casting the characters with actors or models or whoever usually helps me picture them, and putting my MP3 player on shuffle, closing my eyes, and trying to picture it as the soundtrack to the trailer for the story actually helps me come up with stuff I know I want to see or need to have in the novel.

And something as simple as talking it out on my LJ can spark enthusiasm in a new story idea for me. Even if nobody responds to the post, just putting the idea down and saying where I want to go and what I want to do with it gives me a chance to vent any problems or stoke my interest in parts that are going well.

Ooo, ooo, and then there's writing the ending first so I know where I want to go, or letting the characters talk in my head and writing down what they're saying to flesh out by writing the action around it later, or bouncing around to write the stuff I really want to write first as opposed to writing in order. That's all the stuff I can think of off the top of my head. :)

[faithintheboys.livejournal.com]

Thanks! Writing the ending is hard for me sometimes because then I'm usually stuck and I have no idea how to get there.