Just wanted to let the world know I’m almost at the 100 page mark in this typing process. It’s going by faster than I expected. It’s almost like an inverted triangle. Plotting and character development take up more time than the first draft (I’m including daydreaming about scenes and time spent pondering quandries in this). The first draft goes by faster than that, but not as quickly as the revision. And the revision doesn’t go by nearly as fast as the typing. Now and then I’ll find something I want to change in my revision, but that’s usually phrasing.
Okay, sometimes I can’t read my notes so I’ll wing it, but that’s pretty rare (and incentive for me to improve my handwriting.)
It’s been an exhausting week. Next week isn’t going to be much better. Thank goodness I’ve spent so much time on laying the foundation of this story as best I can. I think all that effort is what’s made this final step go by so quickly.
Okay, that’s the quick tip for the day: know your characters and plot before you type a letter on that blank page. Know the ending. Yes, you may deviate, but by starting with a plan, one you’ve let settle into place, you’ll remain true to the heart of the story you want to tell. That’s what’s happened to this story, no matter how many changes I’ve made. The basics are still there. The characters have only gotten deeper. At least, I hope they have. We’ll see when I send it in.
Back to work.
Amy Keeley 