Are You Writing Now?

*This is not the final cover.

So I'd say that by this point, it's safe for me to assume that most of you know I am writing a novel. Well, the rough draft has been done for some time now, and I am finally done setting up my notes for my first round of revisions. I am about to start looking at those and figuring out what needs to happen to make this story click.

The trouble, of course, is that I've been done writing the rough draft of Moon Dance since the middle of last July. Clearly I am stalling. Admittedly, I have made some progress in the last couple weeks, but I still think that getting involved in something like Are You Writing Now? might help me finish this. (Read: quit procrastinating for fear that it won't be perfect. There's no such thing as perfect -- the best I can hope for is to capture the truth of my characters' story the best that I can...)

My Goals Right Now

The things I am aiming for in this round of revision are:

1. Making sure that any major changes I want to make to my plot are written, decided and finalized. I know, for instance, that I want to tighten up the way that the climax works. My opening needs a re-write. A couple key characters have had major motivation changes that will alter the way I originally wrote some middle scenes. The major villain of the series needs to be made more active in this book so that her importance in those that follow will be more expected.

2. Making sure that my characters' motivations, reactions and interactions are consistent with who they are, and believable. This can be hard sometimes. One of my character likes to lie a lot. Another has varying personality quirks depending on who is around. Most of my story people have imperfections, quirks and issues -- they're certainly not a straight forward lot. But if I cannot convince the reader to connect with them, none of that will matter.

3. Making sure that the world building needed to make my story make sense is present. I have a *ton* of compiled information on the societies, cultures, religions, etc. that effect my non-human characters. I also know that it's not smart to just dump all of that in. But making sure that the parts that are important to the story get sprinkled in where (and when) they are needed is vital. Otherwise, people will be confused.

4. Ultimately, ending up with a draft that is solid in regards to all of the basics of good story telling. Fine tuning such as strengthening dialogue, checking spelling and grammar, etc. is for the next round. Why? Because there is no point in fine tuning what is here until I know it is staying, isn't shifting or doesn't need to be re-written. I feel that getting the story right *first* is vital. The technical stuff can be dealt with after.

Are you a writer looking for some encouragement to place butt in chair and actually do something? Click here to find out more about Are You Writing Now? and add yourself to the linky.