Writing – Page 10 – Writing Wrongs

Weekly writing check-in: in search of a title

I’m making progress on episode two on everything but a title.

Generally, my Coffee and Ghost titles are ghost-related plays on words and puns. You know, like Ghost in the Coffee Machine or Nothing but the Ghosts (a play on the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth).

And yes, clearly, I’m often the only one who finds them amusing.

I’m stuck on what to call this particular episode because the only thing I want to call it is:

Misty Sandborne and the Vampire Husband

Which is really quite literal for me (and the story in question). So I’m pondering how to work ghosts into the title (because there will be more than vampire husbands in this episode, absolutely).

I’m sure something will occur to me sometime before I’m ready to format this thing. Otherwise, I may just go with:

Misty Sandborne and the Vampire Husband Plus Some Ghosts

Weekly writing check-in: April-ish

I did swim this week, oddly enough. True, episode two still doesn’t have a title. But it has a framework (i.e., outline), and I’ve started the actual writing. I’m pleased. I’m very pleased because I wasn’t sure I’d make it this far.

In other news, it’s very April-ish around here. It’s spring! No, it’s still winter! Wait, here’s spring. Ha, fooled you, pull on your wool coat.

I expect by the end of the month, things will have settled down.

In other news, I’m still missing the classic editor. I won’t tell you how long it took me to write out this post, but suffice to say: too long.

Weekly writing check-in: The Haunting of Whiskers and Willow

I finished the short story I was working on. It will be part of the Coffee & Ghosts world. It clocked in at 4,600 words (give or take), and I’ll be sending it out to my newsletter as part of the launch of Season Four.

Mind you, I don’t plan on straining any muscles launching Season Four. I’ll get it out there into the world and then carry on with something else.

So now I turn my attention to episode 2, which doesn’t have a name and only the barest whispers of a plot. But I’m printing off all my notes and diving in.

I’ll let you know if I sink or swim.

Weekly writing check-in: Hello, April! Farewell, classic editor.

The very latest update to WordPress has removed the classic editor I loved so much. True, there’s a kind of/sort of version of it that I’m using right now, but it’s not the same.

I’m not sure how I feel about this.

In other news, we’ve had a lovely Easter weekend, unseasonably warm and lots of sunshine.

I also did some work on a short story that may be part of the Coffee & Ghosts world, a mini-episode between 1 & 2 of Season Four.

But … I’m not sure how I feel about that either.

Weekly writing check-in: tree be gone

I’m sure everyone’s been waiting with bated breath about our tree issue. I’m happy to report that our friendly neighborhood tree service had it safely down in less than twenty-four hours (along with another nearly-dead pine, and they limbed some of our oak branches as well–trees, we have lots of trees).

In writing news, I compiled all my notes into one (searchable) document. I’m feeling pretty good about the overall worldbuilding for the last season. It still feels like I’m going painfully slow. However, I’m truly wrapping up the series with this season. There are so many threads, large and small, to consider. Not to mention those 230,000 words that came before.

That’s a lot.

I didn’t work on the framework for episode two, but I did do some work on a short story that comes in between episode one and two, something that I think will be mostly stand-alone. Or so I hope.

So for the coming week, my plan is to work on that.

Weekly writing check-in: we have a tree problem

We have a tree problem. And yes, before anyone asks, we’ve called the power company. Also, the tree isn’t actually resting on the power lines … yet. With the wind we’ve been having, it could happen.

In writing rather than tree news, I spent this week tagging all my longhand notes with post-its with labels like backstory, episode 2, episode 3, and so on. Now I’m compiling it (and expanding on it) in a document. Once I have all that completed, I’ll start the framework for episode 2. In fact, I just had a brainstorm on episode 2 this morning, and I’m so glad I was waffling on starting on it.

Sometimes, procrastination is productive and creative.

For this coming week, I hope to get all the notes together and complete a framework for episode 2. I’m calling it a framework rather than an outline because it is more like an idea of the story than a lockstep list of everything that happens.

I will report back on trees and writing next week.

Weekly writing check-in: quickly, quickly today

So this week, I somehow finished up episode 1–well, the draft anyway.

But yes, all the way to the end. I’m pleased, a little tired, and peering into episodes 2 and 3.

One down, two to go.

I have some thoughts about my pandemic year, but I think I’ll save those for a separate post.

For now, I’m going to go stretch my legs and commence with the plotting.

Weekly writing check-in: in like a lamb

March is unusually mellow so far this year. We may even hit 60 degrees later today or tomorrow. I suspect we’ll get the usual mid-month basketball tournament snowfall, but for now, I’m not complaining. The sun is out, the snow is melting, and it’s nice to walk outside and not have my face hurt.

This week, I continued my longhand brainstorming and note-taking–I have pages upon pages of notes, but I think I also have the worldbuilding and structure for not only episode 1 but the rest of this season as well.

Fingers crossed.

Not a lot of actual writing, but I hope to start that this week.

I also did the taxes, so there’s that, too—all in all, a fairly productive week.

Weekly writing check-in: before you start that prequel

There’s a terrific article over on Tor.com this week: Is There Such a Thing as a Necessary Prequel?

The comments are worth a read too. Yes, I know. Generally speaking, you shouldn’t read the comments. The ones at Tor.com are thoughtful and insightful.

This is a timely thing for writers to think about. So often, the advice gets tossed around to “write a prequel” as a loss leader or a reader magnet for a newsletter. But … should you?

I tend to fall into the “no” camp. Honestly, if those events in the prequel were important and compelling, I would’ve started the story there. Likewise, I have similar feelings about sequels. This may surprise you since I’m working on Coffee and Ghosts Season Four.

However, I’ve been thinking about it for nearly three years now. Not just: is there a plot and new things to explore in the C&G world? But also: can the characters still change and grow?

I’m hoping the answer is yes to both those questions. Even though the series is meant to be fun and light, it’s not necessarily a light undertaking.

And speaking of which, after the last two weeks on a writing tear, I’ve slowed down. I’m pondering some worldbuilding questions that not only affect this episode but the rest of season four.

So this week was spent pondering questions with lots of longhand notes.