I know it's a Lady Gaga song but hey, it's just crying out to be used as a blog post title too. ;-) And hey, my writing is all crap at the moment so it's a fitting title. Anyway, I've been slack on the blog front. Mainly due to the massive plunge into 'why do I bother' territory. Been 11 weeks now since I sent off my two chapters. Not very long really (you really know you're a writer when 11 weeks becomes 'not very long'). I kind of hoped I'd hear sooner because two chapters isn't even a full partial but....well....not as the case may be. Still, I did email her to ask about the New Voices comp and whether I should enter and she did reply. Apparently the experience should be fun and I should give it a go. I don't know if will yet. Depends on how much of a masochist I am and considering my feelings about writing at the moment, I'm thinking not. But, well, you know me, up and down ALL the time so by September I may be feeling entirely differently.
Oh and the ed told I would be hearing 'very soon' about my sub.
Anyone want to take a bet on how long 'very soon' is?
In fact, I think I might run a wee sweepstake to help with the NTAI. Post how long you think 'very soon' is and the person who guesses the closest to when I hear back will win a prize. Don't know what that prize may be - probably a book or something. Oh and depending on how long 'very soon' is, you may be waiting a while to hear who wins...;-)
Note: Yes, I'm complaining. Yes, I know I should be patient. But a little vent now and then doesn't hurt. I'm even feeling better now for having done this blog post.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Demotivation
Not much happening here. Again. I'm extraordinarily demotivated today, hence the demotivator above.
Still, I started a new story - bad me - 'cause I was thinking about the New Voices competition but the ed told me not to enter the last one so I'm wondering whether it's the same deal this time round. Then again, apart from the Feel the Heat comp, I haven't had much luck with any other competitions I've entered so I'm wondering if I really need something else to depress myself with. Probably not.
On the other hand there is the brand new iPad. And can I tell you it's the perfect NTAI device. As long as you don't put it down. But that's okay cause after buying the Plants vs Zombies game, I actually haven't put it down. Or even thought about waiting. Until I realised I had to do a blog post of course. Sigh.
Been trying to be good and think of other things. Like the Aussie conference in two weeks which I will be going to for the first time. Yay! Get to meet my great non-Sister CPs and buddies Rach and Janette!! Woohoo. And then there will be the RWNZ conference that week after that which will be heaps of fun too.
And that's about the size of it. Who else is entering the competition then?
Saturday, July 24, 2010
The iPad and NTAI
I did a little post about NTAI and the iPad on the Sisters' blog if you want to know about how I'm coping with my wait on the NES. And yes, still waiting. :-)
www.sevensassysisters.com
www.sevensassysisters.com
Thursday, July 22, 2010
I Am Not a Number - Or Collection of Character Traits!
Another slow news day in Jackie land. To NTAI, I'm concentrating on thinking about the iPad which is finally being released in NZ on Friday. And yes, I'm going to get one. I'm such a gadget girl, I can't help myself. iPad wins over shoes any day in my book.
Anyway, on the writing front, after a great virtual coversation with the talented Lacey, I got to thinking about characters and character sheets. Now, the ed I'm working with sent me quite a good one that provided me with a great starting point. And not just favourite foods and things but questions like; Why is the hero the best person for the heroine? Why is he the worst? What's good about him? What's bad? What does the heroine like about him? What doesn't she like? etc etc. All good material. But there can be a problem with character sheets in that if you're not careful, you'll end up with a character who is just a bunch of traits, not an actual person.
For example, you might have given your heroine a shy trait but decided she's also going to be an actor. Now this may be what you'd plotted out for your story, but would a shy person really choose acting as a profession? And here's where you have to think deeper - perhaps they would, perhaps she's very shy and by choosing acting, she's trying to prove something to herself. What is she trying to prove? Who is she trying to prove it to? How does her shyness impact on the story? In other words, is it part of her character or have you given her that trait because it makes a scene work better?
In essence, every trait you give them is a building block constructing the kind of person they are. And all the building blocks work together, you can't treat them in isolation. I've done the old 'quick, my heroine needs to be stroppy in this scene' trick where I suddenly give my previously quiet, shy heroine a 'take no crap' trait. And then find that to get her to act like this, I have to add a whole lot of things in order to get the desired response from her. Can you say 'making my characters move to fit the plot'? :-) This is where consistency comes into it because you can't just add a character trait for one scene and then never have it appear again. For the shy heroine, you have to ask yourself is shyness part of who she is? Is it central to the story? Is it part of what she needs to change about herself? Is it really necessary for her to be shy?
I think that while character sheets are a good place to start, there comes a time when you need to look at all the traits, likes/dislikes, family background etc, and figure how they all work together in order to make this person come alive. Have you added things just for the sake of it? How will an impatient heroine act? Does this affect your story? How has her impatience affected her life? Is her impatience a flaw that may cost her the hero? Does she overcome it or learn to deal with it? Or have you just added it so she catches the bus an hour earlier and so meets the hero?
Anyway, the character sheets have been great in that they get me thinking about the character before I start writing and now I'm much better at constructing an actual person with a background instead of the cardboard cutouts I used write. But now I don't use them so much as writing a brief bio that I add to as I get to know the character better. Anyone else find them useful?
BTW: If you're wanting more insight into conflict, Kate Walker is doing a great Q&A on her blog.
Anyway, on the writing front, after a great virtual coversation with the talented Lacey, I got to thinking about characters and character sheets. Now, the ed I'm working with sent me quite a good one that provided me with a great starting point. And not just favourite foods and things but questions like; Why is the hero the best person for the heroine? Why is he the worst? What's good about him? What's bad? What does the heroine like about him? What doesn't she like? etc etc. All good material. But there can be a problem with character sheets in that if you're not careful, you'll end up with a character who is just a bunch of traits, not an actual person.
For example, you might have given your heroine a shy trait but decided she's also going to be an actor. Now this may be what you'd plotted out for your story, but would a shy person really choose acting as a profession? And here's where you have to think deeper - perhaps they would, perhaps she's very shy and by choosing acting, she's trying to prove something to herself. What is she trying to prove? Who is she trying to prove it to? How does her shyness impact on the story? In other words, is it part of her character or have you given her that trait because it makes a scene work better?
In essence, every trait you give them is a building block constructing the kind of person they are. And all the building blocks work together, you can't treat them in isolation. I've done the old 'quick, my heroine needs to be stroppy in this scene' trick where I suddenly give my previously quiet, shy heroine a 'take no crap' trait. And then find that to get her to act like this, I have to add a whole lot of things in order to get the desired response from her. Can you say 'making my characters move to fit the plot'? :-) This is where consistency comes into it because you can't just add a character trait for one scene and then never have it appear again. For the shy heroine, you have to ask yourself is shyness part of who she is? Is it central to the story? Is it part of what she needs to change about herself? Is it really necessary for her to be shy?
I think that while character sheets are a good place to start, there comes a time when you need to look at all the traits, likes/dislikes, family background etc, and figure how they all work together in order to make this person come alive. Have you added things just for the sake of it? How will an impatient heroine act? Does this affect your story? How has her impatience affected her life? Is her impatience a flaw that may cost her the hero? Does she overcome it or learn to deal with it? Or have you just added it so she catches the bus an hour earlier and so meets the hero?
Anyway, the character sheets have been great in that they get me thinking about the character before I start writing and now I'm much better at constructing an actual person with a background instead of the cardboard cutouts I used write. But now I don't use them so much as writing a brief bio that I add to as I get to know the character better. Anyone else find them useful?
BTW: If you're wanting more insight into conflict, Kate Walker is doing a great Q&A on her blog.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Oops I Did It Again
If you're here wanting a dose of Brittney, then pop back to Google again - ain't no Brittney on this blog. However, if you're here with romance writing in mind and feeling like you keep making the same mistakes over and over again then join the club 'cause that's exactly where I am now.
My soldier story, for which I have abandoned the other WIPs, is giving me gip. The first inkling I had that perhaps things were not all quiet on the Western Front was when I was brainstorming a couple of ideas to throw my hero and heroine together, one of the crit group wondered what was wrong with the lead characters thinking each other was hot and hooking up. And I thought, 'yeah, what's wrong with that?', at the same time as thinking about complex reasons for my heroine to contact the hero again. Groan.
I guess I should be glad my instincts were right - something wasn't working but I couldn't figure out what the problem was. And then after a chat with Dr Jax who is the canary in the coal mine when it comes to me overcomplicating stuff, I figured out that - yep, you guessed it - I was overcomplicating stuff. Making them too self aware. AGAIN!! Argh!!!
Fact is they don't need complicated reasons to hook up with each other. Okay, so they don't want a relationship, they don't want to fall in love, but falling in love and relationships are not the first thing they think of when they meet. All they're thinking is 'hey, you're hot, I want to see you again'. It doesn't matter if there aren't concrete reasons for them to do so, as long as the characters can justify it to themselves. The reader knows the real reason - they're attracted to each other. So my heroine Niamh doesn't need heaps of external conflict in order to get her to ask the hero to be her date, all she needs is to be able to justify it to herself. She may not want to acknowledge the real reason, that she's attracted to him and wants to spend time with him, but she can tell herself she's asking him because she hates going alone to these things. Or that his presence will stop someone hitting on her or whatever. As long as her justifications are within keeping of her character, then that's all you need.
Sigh. I don't know why I keep doing this. I guess my problem is that subconsciously I'm thinking that being attracted to someone is waaaay too simple a reason and so I have to add all these other reasons in there. In the same way I overcomplicate my conflict because I think that falling in love is too simplistic a way to solve all their problems. Thing is, it doesn't solve everything. But this is category and for the characters, in that moment in time, it does solve the the conflict that you've given them. There simply isn't the word space to explore other tangents or strands to the conflict.
Ah well, at least I've sorted it out now before I've written more than two chapters. Anyone else have mistakes they keep making? I hope I'm not the only one!
My soldier story, for which I have abandoned the other WIPs, is giving me gip. The first inkling I had that perhaps things were not all quiet on the Western Front was when I was brainstorming a couple of ideas to throw my hero and heroine together, one of the crit group wondered what was wrong with the lead characters thinking each other was hot and hooking up. And I thought, 'yeah, what's wrong with that?', at the same time as thinking about complex reasons for my heroine to contact the hero again. Groan.
I guess I should be glad my instincts were right - something wasn't working but I couldn't figure out what the problem was. And then after a chat with Dr Jax who is the canary in the coal mine when it comes to me overcomplicating stuff, I figured out that - yep, you guessed it - I was overcomplicating stuff. Making them too self aware. AGAIN!! Argh!!!
Fact is they don't need complicated reasons to hook up with each other. Okay, so they don't want a relationship, they don't want to fall in love, but falling in love and relationships are not the first thing they think of when they meet. All they're thinking is 'hey, you're hot, I want to see you again'. It doesn't matter if there aren't concrete reasons for them to do so, as long as the characters can justify it to themselves. The reader knows the real reason - they're attracted to each other. So my heroine Niamh doesn't need heaps of external conflict in order to get her to ask the hero to be her date, all she needs is to be able to justify it to herself. She may not want to acknowledge the real reason, that she's attracted to him and wants to spend time with him, but she can tell herself she's asking him because she hates going alone to these things. Or that his presence will stop someone hitting on her or whatever. As long as her justifications are within keeping of her character, then that's all you need.
Sigh. I don't know why I keep doing this. I guess my problem is that subconsciously I'm thinking that being attracted to someone is waaaay too simple a reason and so I have to add all these other reasons in there. In the same way I overcomplicate my conflict because I think that falling in love is too simplistic a way to solve all their problems. Thing is, it doesn't solve everything. But this is category and for the characters, in that moment in time, it does solve the the conflict that you've given them. There simply isn't the word space to explore other tangents or strands to the conflict.
Ah well, at least I've sorted it out now before I've written more than two chapters. Anyone else have mistakes they keep making? I hope I'm not the only one!
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
The Glory of the 80s
I'm over at the Sisters blog today with my very own Peek of the Week. It's a theme so prepare yourselves for...
Peeks of the 80s!
It's a festival of hair folks so you have been warned.
Here's a Johnny Depp teaser anyway...
Peeks of the 80s!
It's a festival of hair folks so you have been warned.
Here's a Johnny Depp teaser anyway...
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Don't Call Me Baby
Well, feeling very jealous about all the conference stuff going on. What with RNA and then RWA, little ole NZ is feeling very far away from everything! Luckily next month there will be the RWAus Conference in Sydney, which I am attending for the first time. Be so cool to see my CPs Rach and Janette in real life instead of just via email. I'll probably get all tongue tied and won't know what to say! Anyway, the week after that we have the RWNZ Conference here in Auckland and that will be way cool too. So I guess I shouldn't feel left out. Anyway, will be blog stalking for gossip from those who attended RNA so I hope some of you guys will be posting updates!
But news on the writing front? Nada. I am instead working on my next sub which is, I have to say, one of my favourite stories. Yes, it's been in a constant state of rewriting ever since I first wrote it for NaNo in 2008, but it finally is starting to look more and more like the story it should have been in the first place. That doesn't mean, of course, that it'll be accepted, but I really hope it will be! I've also started another story and I have to say, I've forsaken my other wips for this one because I LOVE my hero. He's an ex-soldier and woah is he hot. At least I think so. He's alpha (natch), very protective, and - on the surface - laid back. But of course the heroine is going to get under his skin something chronic and then it'll be no more Mr Nice Guy. Hehe.
Now all I have to do is think up a plot!
Anyway - the real point of my post guys - in my blog perambulations recently, I came across a post about pet-names (can't remember where sorry!). It was really interesting seeing what people's favourites were and what were their irritants. Interesting because I've realised that in every one of my stories, my hero has a pet name for the heroine. Now, I'm a fan because they can be very useful, epsecially for the purposes of riling said heroine. They can be first used ironically, if it's that kind of story, or they can be used to expose deeper feeling in quite a subtle way, ie the hero calling her by an endearment can reveal quite a lot about their feelings for each other - especially if this is unspoken in most other ways. Even more interestingly, I've realised that my heroines don't reciprocate. Which I'm going to remedy for my soldier hero - have the perfect name for him. One he won't like at all. Heehee!
So pet names: love 'em? Hate 'em? What don't you like?? For myself, I'm not a fan of baby or babe. I don't know why, it just feels too casual. It's not even about the infantilising aspect of it either, because I read a great story by Trish Wylie where the hero calls the heroine 'little girl' and I found that very sexy!
*the book is One Night with the Rebel Billionaire and it's great!
But news on the writing front? Nada. I am instead working on my next sub which is, I have to say, one of my favourite stories. Yes, it's been in a constant state of rewriting ever since I first wrote it for NaNo in 2008, but it finally is starting to look more and more like the story it should have been in the first place. That doesn't mean, of course, that it'll be accepted, but I really hope it will be! I've also started another story and I have to say, I've forsaken my other wips for this one because I LOVE my hero. He's an ex-soldier and woah is he hot. At least I think so. He's alpha (natch), very protective, and - on the surface - laid back. But of course the heroine is going to get under his skin something chronic and then it'll be no more Mr Nice Guy. Hehe.
Now all I have to do is think up a plot!
Anyway - the real point of my post guys - in my blog perambulations recently, I came across a post about pet-names (can't remember where sorry!). It was really interesting seeing what people's favourites were and what were their irritants. Interesting because I've realised that in every one of my stories, my hero has a pet name for the heroine. Now, I'm a fan because they can be very useful, epsecially for the purposes of riling said heroine. They can be first used ironically, if it's that kind of story, or they can be used to expose deeper feeling in quite a subtle way, ie the hero calling her by an endearment can reveal quite a lot about their feelings for each other - especially if this is unspoken in most other ways. Even more interestingly, I've realised that my heroines don't reciprocate. Which I'm going to remedy for my soldier hero - have the perfect name for him. One he won't like at all. Heehee!
So pet names: love 'em? Hate 'em? What don't you like?? For myself, I'm not a fan of baby or babe. I don't know why, it just feels too casual. It's not even about the infantilising aspect of it either, because I read a great story by Trish Wylie where the hero calls the heroine 'little girl' and I found that very sexy!
*the book is One Night with the Rebel Billionaire and it's great!
Friday, July 9, 2010
Drama Queen Gets Well Deserved Slap Round the Head
Ahem. Have to apologise for the whine-fest that was the last post. My only excuse is that I was feeling particularly low and was kind of daring the universe to see what would happen if I gave up. And the universe responded with a stop whining, pull yourself together and get on with it message. Thanks heaps guys. This blog and all the people who read it (lurkers and commenters alike) plays a huge part in keeping me going when things get difficult (CPs too!). Those comments help me put things in persepective, get me out of the hole. And yeah, tough love is GOOD (thank you Julie Cohen!). I need tough. Because this is hard and no place for wusses. It's like a never ending World Cup tournament where you're North Korea, playing every team in creation, in the hope of getting through to the finals. And where every game ends with penalty shoot-outs! (sorry, blame the World Cup madness for that particular analogy!). Oh and as for the trying for two years comment - PATHETIC!! Some people have been trying for 20!!
Anyway, I'm a Kiwi and Kiwis are bl**dy tough. Wussy talk about giving up is NOT the Kiwi way (thank you Kerrin!). Real Kiwis stop complaining, put their big girl panties on, and get stuck in. So that's what I'm going to do. I'll stop obsessing over the NES (Natalie, I'm trying to forget about it!) and get stuck in with finishing all the WIPs I've got lying around.
So, to get the positive vibes rolling, I'm going to ignore the things I have problems with in my writing, and list two good things about it:
1. I write kick-ass dialogue.
2. I can write smoking hot love scenes.
What about you guys? Tell me two good things that you're good at - and it's writing here folks. I don't want to hear about how great you are at vacuuming.
Note: I'm not giving up whining forever though, okay? I still reserve the right to whine a little when the occasion demands. All those who aren't comfortable with it, look away. ;-)
Anyway, I'm a Kiwi and Kiwis are bl**dy tough. Wussy talk about giving up is NOT the Kiwi way (thank you Kerrin!). Real Kiwis stop complaining, put their big girl panties on, and get stuck in. So that's what I'm going to do. I'll stop obsessing over the NES (Natalie, I'm trying to forget about it!) and get stuck in with finishing all the WIPs I've got lying around.
So, to get the positive vibes rolling, I'm going to ignore the things I have problems with in my writing, and list two good things about it:
1. I write kick-ass dialogue.
2. I can write smoking hot love scenes.
What about you guys? Tell me two good things that you're good at - and it's writing here folks. I don't want to hear about how great you are at vacuuming.
Note: I'm not giving up whining forever though, okay? I still reserve the right to whine a little when the occasion demands. All those who aren't comfortable with it, look away. ;-)
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
One Percent
Another slow news day in Jackie land. Or should I say another day of stressing out about the NES (Never Ending Story). I should be consoling myself with another WIP but that well seems to have dried up. I've hit the wall in other words. And as such, the question needs to be asked - how long do I keep going?I haven't been submitting long (or at least, not long in this business) - over two years. I'm on my 6th submission, including 2 contest entries. I have lots of ideas still and lots of mss that need finishing. But I'm not sure how much emotional energy I have left. And that's the killer really. A nice analogy that I've heard from Dr Jax is what they say about anaesthetists - the job is 99% boredom, 1% sheer terror. That sums up for me quite nicely what happens with unpublished writers too. A large percentage of the time is waiting and then there's that horrible moment when you can see the email in your inbox - that's the 1% of sheer terror right there.
I've tried to explain that 1% to Dr Jax and he hasn't really understood. Until last night. He's a Dutch supporter for the World Cup and was stressing about the semi-final big time. And so I told him that that's how I feel EVERY morning I download my email. He said, "God, how you do stand it?" And you know what? I don't know how I stand it. Cause it's getting pretty boring feeling like that I can tell you.
I don't know what I'll do if this ms is rejected. I have another ready to go but at this stage, I'm not sure I have enough emotional reserves left to bear the sub process all over again. And this isn't just me I'm thinking about here either, this includes the family and friends and CPs who have to deal with me during this process. I'm not easy to say the least. Think the Incredible Hulk - you wouldn't like me when I'm waiting on a submission. :-)
Well, I always knew this was hard and maybe if I hadn't had all that early success, I may have been better equipped for the long haul. There's definitely something to be said for a slow building success. I started out with a blaze of glory, only to fizzle out. Which is when you start to question yourself and everything you do.
So what do you do when you hit the wall? What will be your limit? When will you say enough's enough? I always thought my answer will be never. But never is looking like an awfully long time right now.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
The Never Ending Story
It would have been nice to start the weekend off with some news - but I don't have any news. Sigh. I guess me having to update the synopsis has put a spanner in the works. I was really, really hoping that it wouldn't but maybe the day she'd set aside for my partial was the day she didn't have the updated synopsis and so chapters 2 - 3 remain unread. Deeper sigh.
This story is something I really wondering if I'm doing myself any favours with. It all started back in October 2009 when I suggested I send the ed the synopsis for approval first. This was for a story I'd initially written (twice) in 2008. She agreed and so I spent a week trying to get it right. Rewrote the synopsis 6 times. Sent it in. Ed said 'back to the drawing board I'm afraid'. This is now November. She suggested I send her some character bios. So I did. December she said they looked good, could she now see the first three chapters and a synopsis. Happy me. I wrote them and sent them at the very beginning of January. Cue four months waiting. April, the ed suggested substantial rewriting. Big wahs from me. Then she suggested she look at my first chapter first. Slightly happier me. I rewrote the partial but after having had it critiqued, realised I'd done a crap job so I rewrote it again (5th time all up). Sent in my first chapter. Ed liked it! Very, very happy me. Send the other two, she said. So I did. Six weeks later she'll get back to me by the end of this week. Um, story is different now, says I. Would you like an updated synopsis? Yes, indeed, says the ed. Tears, tantrums, loud complaints of giving up, wailings and gnashings of teeth later, I rewrote the synopsis (number 7). Thumbs down after a critique. More wailings, tearings of hair, blood on the keyboard. Rewrite again (number 8) and sent it.
Silence.
So there you have it, the story of the of the Never Ending Story. Have I been an idiot for pushing this story so hard? Should I have told the ed to forget it in April and sent her something new? Will I even get to send the rest after nine months of it sitting at the partial stage? Am I, in fact, any good at writing at all or am I deluding myself that I can do this?
Sigh. I am pushing it I guess because I want to show them I can rewrite if necessary. Or maybe all I've shown them is what a huge mess I've made of it.
I guess the problem has been that I have a strong voice that needs to be reined in sometimes. And the other - I've finally figured out - is that I am trying to fit single title conflict into a category book. What I mean by that is that I overcomplicate by conflicts. They never just have one strand, they're always multi-faceted. Not good for a category length novel. I've also realised that the reason I give them complex conflict is that I feel that falling in love solving their problems makes it too simple. So I give them more problems. And so overcomplicate. Does that make sense?
Yeah, I know, these are love stories. Fantasies. Of course falling in love doesn't solve all their problems. At least, it may not solve all of them, just the main one you've given them at the beginning of the book. Ah well, at least I know now.
Alright, so seeing as I have no news on the Never Ending Story, does anyone have any good goss instead?
This story is something I really wondering if I'm doing myself any favours with. It all started back in October 2009 when I suggested I send the ed the synopsis for approval first. This was for a story I'd initially written (twice) in 2008. She agreed and so I spent a week trying to get it right. Rewrote the synopsis 6 times. Sent it in. Ed said 'back to the drawing board I'm afraid'. This is now November. She suggested I send her some character bios. So I did. December she said they looked good, could she now see the first three chapters and a synopsis. Happy me. I wrote them and sent them at the very beginning of January. Cue four months waiting. April, the ed suggested substantial rewriting. Big wahs from me. Then she suggested she look at my first chapter first. Slightly happier me. I rewrote the partial but after having had it critiqued, realised I'd done a crap job so I rewrote it again (5th time all up). Sent in my first chapter. Ed liked it! Very, very happy me. Send the other two, she said. So I did. Six weeks later she'll get back to me by the end of this week. Um, story is different now, says I. Would you like an updated synopsis? Yes, indeed, says the ed. Tears, tantrums, loud complaints of giving up, wailings and gnashings of teeth later, I rewrote the synopsis (number 7). Thumbs down after a critique. More wailings, tearings of hair, blood on the keyboard. Rewrite again (number 8) and sent it.
Silence.
So there you have it, the story of the of the Never Ending Story. Have I been an idiot for pushing this story so hard? Should I have told the ed to forget it in April and sent her something new? Will I even get to send the rest after nine months of it sitting at the partial stage? Am I, in fact, any good at writing at all or am I deluding myself that I can do this?
Sigh. I am pushing it I guess because I want to show them I can rewrite if necessary. Or maybe all I've shown them is what a huge mess I've made of it.
I guess the problem has been that I have a strong voice that needs to be reined in sometimes. And the other - I've finally figured out - is that I am trying to fit single title conflict into a category book. What I mean by that is that I overcomplicate by conflicts. They never just have one strand, they're always multi-faceted. Not good for a category length novel. I've also realised that the reason I give them complex conflict is that I feel that falling in love solving their problems makes it too simple. So I give them more problems. And so overcomplicate. Does that make sense?
Yeah, I know, these are love stories. Fantasies. Of course falling in love doesn't solve all their problems. At least, it may not solve all of them, just the main one you've given them at the beginning of the book. Ah well, at least I know now.
Alright, so seeing as I have no news on the Never Ending Story, does anyone have any good goss instead?
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