My life has been crazy. Who has not had lots of wild and crazy right now?

The loss of my stepdad (he was in hospice for the end of nano) has been very hard. And still feels surreal. I know it will only keep flooding back in and reminding all of us over and over again.

On a side note, I don’t like being crazy emotional. I hate crying.  So, I won’t go into the dramas of the other things that have been bothering me. Life. So, for writing life… (which is actually the least crazy part of my life now) …

For writing, Camp Nano was intense this year. I had 15k words into my rewritten draft two but needed this draft to be more like 65k. So I decided to shoot for the 50k more during Camp Nano.

So, now I am going to order “designer” books- a formatted fake cover and print-out sample book from Barnes and Noble Press for an editing copy, which is actually neat. 

I’m not anywhere near sending it out…It may not be ‘fixable’. But it is improving, from draft one. And I’m trying to learn the process and have fun 🙂
I also have been reading stuff about Story Grid, listening to their podcast too. It’s really analytical and a little psychological- I love it! I’m trying to see how the process will work for my book. I’ll have to update on that.

For now, I am going to try and focus on writing for fun, if time, wait for my printed draft two to arrive, read books I love if I can- and just focus on self-care. Please also keep my mom and family in your prayers during this time. Much love!

Until next time

Filtering.
It’s …. She saw the sparrow fly overhead vs. A sparrow flew overhead.
It’s… He realized he made a mistake; she wasn’t coming back.
Vs. He made a mistake; she wasn’t coming back.

(Using filters creates psychic distance- pulling your reader out of your story. )

It’s She held the teacup in her hand vs. She held the teacup. (Where else would she have it if she was holding it?)
Or She turned the doorknob  (OMIT) with her hand

Filtering is a TELL!!  … remember that old rule – Show don’t tell?
Or the frequently cited quote on this… “Don’t tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.” -Anton Chekhov

In first person, you don’t have to say What a pain, she thought. If you write what a pain, we know the MC is thinking it.
In third person limited, it’s the same. You don’t need to tell us the person is thinking or realizing, just put it into the narrative and reader will realize its your POV character (or narrator in omniscient) coloring the story.

To me, this concept has given me a lot to work on, but it made my writing clearer. I am still learning to use this idea and apply it to my writing. Maybe it can help you too??
Tip: google “writing and filter words” for a list of these. See what it can do for you!!!

Disclaimer: You don’t need to get rid of all the filters, just play and see which ones you need.