Writing Report July 21, 2023

Yowza!  It’s been almost a year since my last formal writing report!

Not that I haven’t written on the topic of writing, just that I haven’t posted an official here-is-where-I-am report since then.

Since September 16, 2022 I have completed another book length manuscript, got started on another novel, have begun the editing process on two completed first drafts, posted an average of two blog posts a week, launched Cheeky as a Kindle Vella serial, plus have run amok on various social media sites.

Not to mention gardening (there I’ve posted more reports), family affairs, and other mundane things that occupy our time.

I’ve decided to give up submitting short stories to magazines and online sites.  The rise of AI makes wading through the slush piles even harder, and on top of that I’m already an established pro in my 70th year.

Let some newcomers who need the exposure get those slots.

You’ll probably see a few of my short stories on this blog in coming months, not to mention the factoids (a.k.a. flash fiction) I post every Tuesday.

The new novel I’m working on…well, I like playing it close to the vest until I’m ready to go public, so I won’t say much about it except it’s another social satire along the lines of Cheeky (only a bit edgier, if I say so myself).

I’m over 12,000 words into it as of this writing, having started on July 1.

We’ve discussed how to plot longer works before.  Sometimes -- say for mysteries or time travel stories -- you need to work your plot out in great detail before getting started.

Other times it’s enough to know the main characters, the setting, and the general arc of the story.  Once I had a beginning / middle / end for my story written down (about 600+ words), I started putting pen to paper -- er, keyboard to pixel.

The first thing that happened was three of my main characters promptly introduced me to their families, people I vaguely knew must exist for my story, but about whom I had no clear ideas.

In many cases, they were surprises -- I had no idea two of my characters have older brothers, or the details about the protagonist’s stepmom that will figure heavily in the dénouement of the book.

And as I kept writing, the cast of characters opened up.  One of the older brothers has a girlfriend who will figure quite promptly into the story -- she and the female antagonist have already met and recognized each other for what they truly are.

My location/s also work into the story.  Originally I saw most of the story taking place at one location, but once I understood the family dynamics of the female antagonist, I realized the action I planned for her house needed to occur elsewhere.

Well, sunnuvagun, there is a place where logically she and the protagonist can be, and even better, a room full of props that will help tell the story.

Every time I sit down to write more of this story, new and better ideas present themselves.

The lesson here is stay loose, I guess.

You never know where your ideas might take you.

© Buzz Dixon