Digging the Hole Deeper

8 Comments

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  Harvey

  April 20, 2018 at 4:18 am

  I admire your tenacity, Dean. It has to be difficult too having your life partner physically so far away. The phone and computer connections are there, but it isn’t the same as having the energy of the person. Plus you’re going through a major trauma, moving out of the house you’ve been in so long. Plus all the other things you have going on. That’s a lot. Hang in there. I’m sure a lot of fans and students are pulling for you.

  • 

    dwsmith

    April 20, 2018 at 10:02 am

    Thanks, Harvey. Appreciate the kind thoughts. The hard part is that the last week was so intense with work stuff. That is easing and I feel like I got a shot at this. I might be nuts, usually am, but still… (grin)

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  Philip

  April 20, 2018 at 9:46 am

  Many of us haven’t written 15 stories in a YEAR! My money is on you succeeding in the challenge.

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  JM

  April 20, 2018 at 9:47 am

  You’ve mentioned how Kris is your first reader and, frequently, how she will tell you that a story works, even when you’re not sure of it yourself. Are there any stories these days where she says it doesn’t? Or have you practiced enough that it never happens any more?

  If she does tell you a story doesn’t work, do you ever try to fix it (obviously, if you disagree, you’ll keep it the way it is)? Or toss it and rewrite it? Or just toss it (because you’ve also mentioned how bored you get looking at the same story again)?

  • 

    dwsmith

    April 20, 2018 at 10:08 am

    Yup, all of the above. (grin) Our rule is that we won’t let a story out of the house that will embarrass. Sometimes a story doesn’t work exactly the way we would hoped, but it’s all right as it stands.

    It has been a long, long time for either of us since we completely killed a story on first read. So long I can’t honestly remember, but that comes from the years of writing and our skill levels. The used to say that Stephen King could write down his laundry list and it would sell. Well, yes, because if he did write it down, it would be a fascinating and maybe horrifying story. Story is so engrained after decades that it is tough to not write a decent story. People might not like it, but it will still work at its core as a story.

    I often don’t listen to Kris about some details and she doesn’t listen to me about some things either because they are our stories, not our first reader’s story. So we have that in perspective.

    So most things go out for both of us, with typos and nits fixed.

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  Scott Gordon

  April 20, 2018 at 10:51 am

  I hadn’t planned on it, but I guess I’m doing the challenge with you.

  For the past three days, I’ve been averaging at least 4,200 words. This doesn’t mean that my stories are exactly 4,200 words–the combined total must break this number. My goal is to do this for an entire month, along with using the principles of Writing into the Dark and Heinlein’s Rules.

  Today’s story worked out to 2,868 without cycling back. I tend not to cycle because it disrupts my rhythm. I guess I’m more of a “fix draft” kind of guy. I cycle over the whole work after it’s out of me; otherwise, it feels like I’m letting the editor out of the box too early. I try to keep it all in creative voice, but it still feels like my mind switches over to semi-editing mode when I cycle frequently. Every once in a while is fine, though. I’m not strictly adhering to the principles, but I’m implementing them the best I can. It’s all about practice at this point and showing up to the page.

  To get started, I simply want to write. I’ve chosen humor as my springboard because it’s one of my great loves, but I understand that my humor isn’t for everyone. Little by little, I’ll gravitate to more serious works of fiction. But for now, why not have fun with it? And that’s what I’m doing.

  So far I have:

  Wednesday: Short work about writing + Author’s Note (4,200 words/complete)
  Thursday: Added 2,300+ words to a humorous WIP + 2 sections/2,000 words of a humorous book about writing (a different WIP) / Neither are complete yet
  Friday: Humorous story (2,868 words/complete) + Author’s Note (434 words) + 1 section of a humorous book about writing (385 words)

  I just need approximately 600 words to hit my goal for the day.

  One observation: It’s nice to have these longer works in progress that I can continue to add to as I try to hit my word count each day. Occasionally, I’ll hit the desired length or exceed it with a new story. If I come up short, I can always extend the lines of the longer Works in Progress (WIP) which are simply too big to tackle in one day.

  And yes, I realize that some individuals are against strict word counts. For me, my goal is to get a certain amount of practice each day, regardless of the obstacles. I want the reps, and I feel that the most honest way to do this is to set a word count goal. I’ve found that if I set the bar lower, I’ll get less, and my stories will be shorter because some days, “I just want to get it over with.” This is me keeping myself honest. If there’s a better way to do this, I’m open to suggestions, but it’s working for now.

  • 

    dwsmith

    April 21, 2018 at 2:29 am

    Scott, way cool! Sounds like it is going great. No suggestions when something is working. The key is to keep it fun.

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  Scott Gordon

  April 21, 2018 at 6:12 am

  BTW, I just wanted to add that I hit my goal and wound up with about 4,500 words. I could have done more, so if I have the opportunity again, I’ll push past 5,000 as long as it doesn’t drain me.

  Thanks for taking the time to respond to my comments, Dean. I realize you’re busy and appreciate a few moments of your time.