Friday, September 24, 2010

Instant Replay...with Changes Allowed!

I've been having fun with my writing.

Let's see, on Wednesday I left my hero lying bleeding on the floor of a dilapidated shack. Poor guy. He stayed there until yesterday afternoon, when I finally rescued him. Now I'm thinking I didn't put him through enough angst, so he's going to have to go back into the battle again. If I don't finish the scene, he just might end up back on that floor bleeding and waiting...again.

Ah, writing is like instant replay, but you get to change things around!

Seriously, if you have trouble getting back to your manuscript, stop writing in the middle of a scene. It's the easiest way I've found to keep my interest high and while I'm accomplishing other necessary chores, I'm thinking about the spot I've left my hero or heroine in. Keeps the manuscript foremost in my mind and when I return to writing, I usually know exactly what to do next.

Where do you end your writing for the day?

5 comments:

Clare Revell said...

I always end mid scene or on a cliff hanger. I once left my heroine buried in an avalance for weeks while I went and did something else. But once I went back and read the lines... His heart stopped. Teh lodge was gone ... I knew exactly where to go and what to write.

Course niether hero nor heroine liked me very much for a while...Gabe decided to change his name and title at that point, necessitating a massive rewrite, but that's half the fun.

Delia Latham said...

I never know where I'm going to change the scene or stop the paragraph, but my fingers do, I guess. It just kind of happens, right when it should. I loved this post - so fun!

Carol Ann said...

Clare and Delia, thanks for sharing your thoughts. I used to try and finish a chapter and leave with a hook, but it seems to work better for me to stop mid scene where something happens to change things. It tortures my brain until I go back and finish. Sometimes I have to force myself to stop because I know it's just the perfect place to hit save and walk away.

JoAnn said...

LOL-- I stop when I run out of time.

Carol Ann said...

That's a good time to stop! LOL!!