Sunday, February 27, 2011

ROW 80, by a nose.....or a foot.

Something.  Anyway, after one week of the trials/tribulations of feet in tennies, no compression sock, and various and sundry gadgets invading our house, the story is as follows.

1000 words on the WIP, barely.  And, all tonight.

No poetry, some major time spent giggling my bottom off at the below post/link - Food Network reviewers with an ax to grind getting their funny pens out...

I've written the basics of some key scenes - there is major word-vomit - oodles of words - probably too many by a third.  However, anyone who decries this story will do so for reasons other than a 'paucity of detail.'  My main and supporting character have bonded, a few plot pieces make more sense, and I may have answered as many questions as I've engendered.

But, I didn't let anyone get amputated in tonight's session.  I've hinted at things darkly, and grimly, but nope.  No stray feet tonight.

If I had to guess what is "left" to write in the story, I would guess that it's between 5 and 8 k more.  That puts me at about halfway.  I also would guess there are at least 1000 useless words to pull out (is there a find-and-replace function that covers crap dialogue??) and some stuff that may just have to be re-written, just because it may not make sense. 

And then it has to be edited.  Harshly - with the red pen of doom.  And then, and only then, can I let a few fearless friends read it and tell me where I need to remove more crap dialogue, what is pointless telling-not- showing, and what is too much scene setting, what is exciting but TOTALLY chaotic, and what is undoubtedly (ahem) Duller than dishwater!

There we have it.  That's where we stand on my Very. First. Short. Story.  Which, as a very first short story, is undoubtedly crap.  And may never be more than slightly polished crap, but it will be FINISHED.  And then these annoying little brats in my head will be gone and I can go back to the slightly saner world of poetry.

Now there's a sentence you don't read every day.....


Share the love with my fellow ROW 80 challeng-ers....Check out what they are doing.  Chances are good you'll run into someone you may really want to read!!! I know I do!


6 comments:

  1. If you find that 'find-and-replace function that covers crap dialogue', please share! I need it desperately.

    Sounds like you're making great progress. Best wishes for this week.

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  2. I think we are all looking for that function.
    Keep up the progress, cause it sounds like you had a pretty good week.

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  3. me too - I need that button!

    good work this week and I'll borrow the editing pen after you if I may

    glad no body parts!

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  4. Hello again Cathryn - will send it your way as soon as there's "an App for that". I Promise ;-)

    Thanks for coming by, Linda! I am thinking I probably have to be able to "FIND" the crap dialogue before the App runs correctly ;-) Will keep ya posted - thank you for your encouragement - I have to check in with your update - and everyone's today - seems like folks are getting on top of their pace so far, and it's great to see!

    Hey Alberta, I am happy you are cruising through editing now - I'll be very happy when I finally get there! Yes, btw, it's great to have writing sessions sans gore. ;-)

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  5. LOL Shari, you always make me smile. I'm sure the very first short story is not crap, it definitely won't be once it succumbs to a red pen attack.

    I can't ever guess at how many words might be left - I'm always freakishly way off.

    Well done on the words so far and best of luck on the words to come.

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  6. Good morning, Claire - good grief, why are you commenting at 2:30 am? ;-) It's so nice to have you come by, but, um, I need my beauty sleep!!

    Actually, i think it's a truism that the first Anything by a writer is going to have a measure of crap. Hopefully Draft ONE gets mostly 'de-crapified' by Draft TWO - which does Not have the handy excuse of 'but it's the first one!!!"

    So, yes, plowing through draft one motivates by me to GET to draft two....I'm sure you've felt that way, once or twice. And, thanks for the reminder that word count-wise I could be So far off the mark! ;-)

    As always, thanks for bringing the encouragement. If I didn't have so much danged story left to write, I'd be starting my red-pen-attack-party early.....when I do, yer all invited ;-)

    Take care, see ya tomorrow!

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