Background

The novel has gotten out of control. I find myself spending all day every day reading background, doing library searches, doing internet searches, checking out a particular point here or there. I go through stacks of books scanning the indexes to find the answer to background questions that I will probably never use. I go to bed thinking about the story and wake up in the middle of night with it on my mind. And I awake with it or some part of it rattling around in my head.

Besides computer files I have started a binder with pictures, notes, and calculations about ships. When I try to get away from it by leaving the house, I find myself at the lake watching sail boats, estimating distances to them, and wondering about the distance to the horizon.

The good rough for chapter one is done. It was about as polished as I could get it, but readers have found areas where improvements can be made. Now that they point it out, it is clear they are right and I wonder how did I let that slip by.

My plan will be to write chapter two up to my best level, then take a break from the story.

Slowed Down

The novel is being untangled. Often one chapter would take a turn that didn't lead to the next very well. Also names and numbers would be changed. So am going back and grouping chapters together, putting two or three in one document so it is easier to fix on the computer.

The novel is moving forward, but more in the editing mode than in the creative mode.

Novel progress

Progress on the novel is getting more difficult. The story was divided into thirty 'chapters' and then each day I would tackle about 500 words. The following day I would move to the next chapter. I worked my way though to the end and then started again at one where I had left off. I'm back to chapter twenty on the second time around.

Until a couple of chapters ago this system worked well for me. With well defined start and finish, it slowed me down to look around. One of my greatest weaknesses is to rush through too fast and this really helped. In the chapters that I had written a lot more than a 500 word start, the story wants to  turn away from or around where it needs to go to meet the next chapter.

For now will just write and let it go where it wants. Later will delete, shuffle the chapter order, or unite.

Indiana Review

Seven months ago submitted to Indiana Review and today received their form rejection, hand trimmed to envelope size.

Work on the novel progresses well. Each day I write part of a specific chapter. Have worked through the thirty chapters once and am back to about number seven. Try it. It is a fun way to write.

Novel

Into a good daily writing habit now. It certainly makes writing easier. Not posting to blogs as much but the main reason for me to write a blog was to write. Now the novel has taken over.

After getting to know my main characters by putting them in various situations and seeing what happens, I am better able to see them and to answer questions about them. I have tried to fill out a page of questions about my characters when I had a story idea in mind but no characters formed although their function already in mind. It didn't work. But after writing a page or so about them and how they reacted in a given situation, I start to know them, to feel them, and to see them in my mind's eye.

After writing several possible scenes, the story idea took a more concrete form in my mind. I was able to make a list of thirty chapters that would get the story told. So each day I write as much as comfortable on one chapter. The next day, I take up the next chapter. Eventually I will come back to chapter one and link it up with chapter two. It seems to work so far. I expect that the final version of this story will be greatly different from this first one.