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Destination Publication: Post #02 - Thomas brother #2 (Leyton & Angelica's story) - progress report, writing goals & editing update



Novel/novella: Thomas brother #1 (working title - basically Leyton & Angelica's story)

Last Week's Goal 

A1.1 Need to decide if handwritten pages are typed or edited on paper  Done - so it's all on typed up and ready to be edited. 
A1.1.1   smoothen transitions to make it fit the rest of the manuscript Not done.
A1.2 Outline a plan for practicing grammar - this is mainly to polish the draft. Done
A1.3 Outline a plan to revise plotting and setting lessons so I can apply Done
A1.4 Read HL's next editing lesson. Done
A2.1 Write a difficult reveal scene, I'll probably need to write this from two different view points. Done


How did last week (of 21th April 2019) goals go 

It went rather well though I didn't manage to smoothen the transitions in the manuscript. The Holly Lisle lesson was great on paper but rather complex to apply so I struggled with that. It was to do with conflict and action so though I understood the theory it would take a little more time to apply.

I outlined the plans for craft issues such as grammar, plotting and setting but realised I was going to be overwhelmed doing many things with little gain so I'm just focusing on a craft book called Writing Tools by Roy Peter Clark. Once I've completed this, I'll look into doing the next craft book called Spell Binding Sentences - this is for the grammar bit.

I'll need to figure out when to start the plotting and setting lessons.  I also wrote the difficult scene but only from one point of view. 

Editing/writing goals for week -  28th April 2019

A1.1 Write a synopsis for the novella.

A1.2 Work through Writing Tools by Clark - Part Three. Ideally it's one chapter a day but some chapters are non-applicable or offer me little value at this stage of editing. So 16 chapters will give me 16 days and I'm aiming for 7 chapters - note it could be less.



A1.2 Read HL's next editing lesson  week 14- it should be on timelines so looking forward to that. This week is from her website. 

IN LESSON FOURTEEN: You will work with simple time.

This week, you’ll learn and master the basics of controlling the timeline of your story events.
You’ll set up your events timeline, evaluate your use of story time, test alternate story and time orders to find improved conflict possibilities, and learn when and why you may want to alter the presentation order of story events.

As with everything else in revision, because your story is unique, the things will help you make it better and the things that will cause you to break it will also be unique.  And because you created it, the only person in the universe who can figure the use of time that will make your manuscript the truest and best version of your vision of what it could be and should be is you.

But the tools I’ll teach you will make these decisions is simple and straightforward.  And the results you get from using them will give you everything from a gripping thriller to a deep, rich literary tapestry to a side-splitting comedy to an edgy SF thinker.

Basically the lesson is about ensuring the story happens on the right timeline, and this is something I need to consider so it's very useful. Also because I've extended the story with the new part which takes over two weeks, I need it. I'm thinking the story is over three months but that seems rushed so maybe six months. I'll see. So very useful, and I think the lesson application drought is over. However as I said to get my story done on time, I can't solely rely on this course.

My lettering 

A- means action, then the number after that is in order of priority. So A1.1 A1.1 A2.1 - Action One (top action then the numbering), A2.1 - means Action Two - as high as action one but there is also an ordering.

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