WIP Update: Keeping It Simple
Posted by annastan on August 16th, 2010. Filed under: Enchanted Inkpot, WIP.I’ve been working on my new WIP, and so far it’s been going pretty well. As I was getting my new pages ready for my writing group, however, I realized that I might have too many things going on in the story. This is something I often get myself into. In trying to raise the stakes and give the character lots of hurdles to jump through, I sometimes go overboard and pack too many things into the plot. I’m going to see what my writing group says, but I have the sneaking suspicion there’s going to be some simplifying in my WIP’s future.
How are you all doing with your WIPs? Anyone else have to remind yourself to keep things simple?
Also, if you have a minute, hop on over to my new post on the Enchanted Inkpot: Does YA Need Romance?
Happy Monday!
August 16th, 2010 at 9:32 am
I always have to keep it simple and remember to. B/c my biggest problem is complicating the plot because I’m afraid readers will be bored. But it’s finding that line b/c I also love books with a complicated plot line that reads like a puzzle. It’s def. a learning process. Good luck with the new wip!
August 16th, 2010 at 10:14 am
I’m not so sure it’s all that bad to write everything that comes, into the first draft. You want to pour everything out into that draft, don’t you? THEN revise, revise, revise. I get nervous when I find myself revising and editing in the first draft.
August 16th, 2010 at 11:14 am
Keeping it simple is probably my biggest weakness. I know I’m not very good at plot, so I give every character a backstory a mile long and then the plots becomes a crazy mess. And I’m not very good at simplifying, either. Good luck, Anna!
I’m mostly finished with the big changes on my wip, and getting into small, finicky details, rewording paragraphs and working on voice. It’s incredibly time consuming and taking more brain power than I expected too. I keep waiting for the easy part and it has yet to come. =)
August 16th, 2010 at 1:30 pm
Laura, I feel like I say this all the time, but it really is about finding that balance! I love puzzle-like plots, too, but I’m still figuring out how to create them!
Andrea, you’re right that a first draft should be about exploring, but I’ve found that if I just run with my first draft, I tend to go in completely the wrong direction. That’s why I like to get periodic feedback on my first drafts, to help keep me on the right track.
Anne, I’m starting to think there is no easy part! But as much as we hate it sometimes, we love it too, right?