Happy New Ye... damn, It's February Already
18 . Feb . 2019 Filed in: MasterClass
I promise I did not forget about the blog. Actually, I’ve been feeling very guilty about having not written one. You see, I’ve been a little stuck.
As I’ve been writing (and rewriting) Conversations with Death, I’ve picked up a few things I haven’t exactly liked about it. So I had to step back from it. I hear writers do this from time to time and move on to other projects. But instead of jumping off it completely, I’ve been going over my method or my process of writing.
To be honest, I’m still working out my process. I didn’t have a solid one to start out with. I guess that makes me a bit of a pantser when it comes to writing. I have heard (and maybe you’ve heard) writers say, “Just start writing.” All the time I’ve heard writers say this. Doesn’t exactly give you a clear place to start. But that’s what I did. I had and idea and started writing it. Anytime I’ve written, this is how I’d do it. It’s no wonder I’ve rarely finished anything.
I love Broken Road because I finished it using this style. And I thought I’d get better when I jumped into Conversations with Death. But it’s not working out the same. CwD is a much bigger project. And I needed a different approach.
Here comes a bit more honesty from me. I’ve been wanting to really sit down and do the James Patterson MasterClass, but just haven’t. So, I decided now was the time. I’m stuck. Maybe James will help get me unstuck.
It hit me when I reached the outline lessons. My outline was a train wreck. Mine was nothing like his and I had never seen it done that way. My outline had roman numerals and capital letters, small 'i's and 'v's. His was… simpler. Simplified? Easier to understand. And I immediately adopted it.
Nothing I have written has been thrown away (which he does say can happen), but the outline has definitely gotten me to refocus and structure my story way better. Yeah, you heard me, an outline.
Woke up, outline. Word of the day, outline. Breakfast, outline. Take kids to school, outline. Go to work, outline. Lunch, outline. Leave work, outline. Picked up kids from school, outline. Dinner, outline. Go to bed, outline. Dreamt of… outline.
Do you get what I’m trying to say? And in my outline (as the one above) I had left out details that were important. Like get dressed, brushed my teeth, or cleaned dishes. And with that, Conversations with Death has started to get unstuck. I'm still working on it.
I still have plenty of work to do and it’s by no means finished. But every day I do get to work on it, the closer I am to finishing it. Oh, and I still have yet to finish James’ MasterClass. Secretly, I hope I get stuck again soon, but not too soon. Now let's go write something.
As I’ve been writing (and rewriting) Conversations with Death, I’ve picked up a few things I haven’t exactly liked about it. So I had to step back from it. I hear writers do this from time to time and move on to other projects. But instead of jumping off it completely, I’ve been going over my method or my process of writing.
To be honest, I’m still working out my process. I didn’t have a solid one to start out with. I guess that makes me a bit of a pantser when it comes to writing. I have heard (and maybe you’ve heard) writers say, “Just start writing.” All the time I’ve heard writers say this. Doesn’t exactly give you a clear place to start. But that’s what I did. I had and idea and started writing it. Anytime I’ve written, this is how I’d do it. It’s no wonder I’ve rarely finished anything.
I love Broken Road because I finished it using this style. And I thought I’d get better when I jumped into Conversations with Death. But it’s not working out the same. CwD is a much bigger project. And I needed a different approach.
Here comes a bit more honesty from me. I’ve been wanting to really sit down and do the James Patterson MasterClass, but just haven’t. So, I decided now was the time. I’m stuck. Maybe James will help get me unstuck.
It hit me when I reached the outline lessons. My outline was a train wreck. Mine was nothing like his and I had never seen it done that way. My outline had roman numerals and capital letters, small 'i's and 'v's. His was… simpler. Simplified? Easier to understand. And I immediately adopted it.
Nothing I have written has been thrown away (which he does say can happen), but the outline has definitely gotten me to refocus and structure my story way better. Yeah, you heard me, an outline.
Woke up, outline. Word of the day, outline. Breakfast, outline. Take kids to school, outline. Go to work, outline. Lunch, outline. Leave work, outline. Picked up kids from school, outline. Dinner, outline. Go to bed, outline. Dreamt of… outline.
Do you get what I’m trying to say? And in my outline (as the one above) I had left out details that were important. Like get dressed, brushed my teeth, or cleaned dishes. And with that, Conversations with Death has started to get unstuck. I'm still working on it.
I still have plenty of work to do and it’s by no means finished. But every day I do get to work on it, the closer I am to finishing it. Oh, and I still have yet to finish James’ MasterClass. Secretly, I hope I get stuck again soon, but not too soon. Now let's go write something.