The Blog
Writing, Editing, and Publishing process for 2021-22 Fellows Project
I created a new section of my website: The Story. Here, you can find plot and character developments, as well as a pdf of the short story that I wrote for Mr. FC's Honors English 10 class. My novel is based on that short story and it is a great way to get a broad idea of what my book will be centered around. Some key changes I will be making are the overall tone of the novel as well as new characters: such as Shelby (the best friend). Neverland will be portrayed as a dark and dangerous place and each location on the map poses a new challenge for them. Whether that is sirens, fairies, or pirates.
I have completed chapter 2 and am working on chapter 3. I've come across my first complication with the writing process. I just received my Summer homework for Creative Writing and APES. I now have to read 17 short stories, one book, and write 250 words per short story. I haven't even looked at what I have to do for Environmental Science yet. I have taken a brief pause in writing so I could begin my English Summer Homework. My tactic is to get it out of the way so I can focus solely on the writing.
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I have completed my character outlines! I have found them super useful throughout the writing process and a great way to keep organized. I continue to add more details as I write so I can come back to it later in the story and make important connections. I completed outlines for Dani, James, Dad, and Shelby: the main protagonists. Once I get further in the story, I will most likely create a new one for Jezebel, the villain.
As you can see in the screenshot of my scrivener window, I separate my chapters into scenes. So far, I have only had a need for one scene per chapter, but it is a helpful tool nonetheless. On the side of my window is a notes column. I use this to organize my thoughts and ensure that I include those key details when I'm writing. In fact, those notes on the screenshot were from when I was brainstorming Shelby's and James' characters. To brainstorm, I ask someone (in this case my Mom) if I can spitball to them so my thoughts can flow freely. I find this super helpful and I have had some great ideas by doing this. For example, this time my Mom and I worked out that Shelby, the protagonist's best friend, will double cross Dani because someone really close to them both is being threatened by the villain, Jezebel. In addition, James, the love interest, will seem to be untrustworthy, but is really trying to save Neverland. I'm really excited about our new ideas and I can't wait to get them on paper. To make sure that I don't forget any of the details of our conversation, I put them all down on a section of Scrivener, that I will return to for inspiration. I am so grateful for Mr. FC's recommendation to use Scrivener and it has been such a helpful tool so far. It was 49$ and I plan to fill out a Check Reimbursement Form in the future. However, it is definitely a worthwhile investment, and I plan to use this software for future writing projects. It has been my goal to write 2,000 words a day. I got started on the initial writing process last week. I spent most of the time before that brainstorming ideas and writing them in my journal. I am definitely adjusting to the rigorous schedule I have planned for myself. With work and training taking up a lot of my time, I've decided that it is important to pick a specific time of the day for writing. Therefore, I will write early in the morning before work, so I am done for the day.
So far, I have completed Chapter One, and I am in the middle of Chapter Two. I definitely need to pick up the pace if I am going to have most of it written by the time school starts. I am struggling to understand how many words should be in a chapter, how many pages I have written, and how many chapters should be in my book. But I will try to aim for a minimum of 3,000 words per chapter. I did research online that said 3,000 words is a mid-sized chapter. Though, my story has been named My Neverland, I do not intend on keeping that title for the final product. That is definitely a place holder. For fun, my family and I spitballed some names, and I came up with Hooked. So far, this is my favorite, and it has potential for different names throughout the series. Although, I am sure that the name will change as I write and inspiration strikes. I did some research on helpful tips for new writers and started a new page of my website: Tips & Tricks. Here, you can find my notes on some very helpful research. I cite each of the websites I use, and give credit to the original authors. There isn't much planning or organizing left to do this Summer. I just need to sit down and write the book. Hopefully, by the end of the summer I will have between 100,000-200,000 words. |