Tag Archives: work in progress
My Poor Neglected Back-Burner Story
I started writing the rough draft for my Hansel and Gretel inspired young adult book back in February 2010. I’ve worked on it off and on throughout the years – although most of 2014 past without me even opening the file – but my progress keeps getting interrupted by different projects, like in 2012 when …
Do’s and Don’ts From Dorlana’s Writing Desk
Over the years I’ve developed habits while writing, some good and some bad. Here are a few of my personal do’s and don’ts when writing/editing. Do email myself a copy of the draft I’m working on everyday. Not only does this save a file in case my computer crashes (I’ve lost 50 pages before) it …
Two Years of my Writing Journey
It seems crazy but it’s been a little over two years since I started this blog. My first blog was aimed mostly towards using fairy tales as inspiration for stories, but when I started this blog I wanted it to be more about my adventures in writing as a whole – which doesn’t always include fairy …
I Forgot to “Save the Cat”
After getting comments back on my work-in-progress from a critique partner, it was clear that she hated my main character to the core. Of course, I defended my reasons as to why I had given her a Scrooge personality. For one, she is actually the antagonist in the first book so I had to stay true …
How to Defeat Writer’s Block with Lies and Deceit
There is no secret as to how you finish a novel, you just steadily work on it: page by page, chapter by chapter, day by day. I write 4-5 days a week. And I pretty much follow the same ritual. I write in the mornings when it’s quiet. I drink 1-2 cups of very strong …
Writing in Silence
As everyone is writing this month either for NaNoWriMo, or like me, working on a work-in-progress, I’m curious as to if you must write in silence, listen to music, or need a noisy coffee shop in order to write. I’m a silent writer: no people, no television, no music. There are a couple of reasons …
Rough Draft: the Good, the Fair, and the Ugly
After reading through and making notes to the rough draft of my novel, I scored each chapter on how well I believed it flowed and how much work was still needed. Right now, I’m on chapter 6 (Fair) and I really like how this tiny bit of information has helped me as I approach each …