Category Archives: Course Chatter

Why note the non-sucky parts of a first draft?
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The first week of How to Revise Your Novel is one of many weeks of triage.  In addition to finding and noting passages that disappoint in terms of character and plot, the reviser is required to find and note passages that perform well.

What?  Why bother to make a note of the good stuff?

Why, indeed?  Sounds like nothing but busywork.

Still, there must be a reason, because Holly included it.  Turns out, there are more reasons than you might think.

HTRYN members, log in and go here to see and respond to this discussion.

Are you a thin drafter or a thick one?
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Some writers blaze through a first draft, setting up dialogue and action, barely noting scenery or emotion, while others mosey through their first draft, paying close attention to everything.

Both have to hit specific word counts for the genre they’re writing in.

The ones who write thin have to add words during the revision, while the ones who write thick have to turn loose of same.

Which is the more efficient process? Can you switch your draft process just because the other way looks easier?

HTRYN members, log in and go here to join the discussion.

Creating Character
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Dark hair cropped short, or long golden tresses.

Drives a Mazzerati, or a classic Chevy, or a rusted out Dodge.

Athletic. Bookish. Tall. Short. Conservative. Or flashy and extravagant.

However you visualize your character, that vision needs to stay consistent. Many writers use character boards to help them keep their focus while they’re writing. In this thread, one student suggests a unique approach to keeping her character’s visuals in mind. All members are welcome to join the conversation to share their own tips.

 

Could vs. Should and the Price of Your Dreams
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Holly’s short course (not that short–it’s 210 pages) Mugging the Muse: Writing Fiction for Fun and Profit, Second Edition, requires the writer to dig deep into his own motives and priorities before he can even say for sure that he wants to be a writer.

Really wants to be a writer.

Really, really wants to be a writer.

Wants it enough to sacrifice other desires.  Sacrifice?

Members, go here to read the question, then study the chapter.  Think it over, then muse on it and get the answers.  Share, because sharing helps everyone.

How to Create a Plausible Timeline
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This writer of YA fiction plans her story to occur at the end of the school year and start of the summer.   This is a busy time for the high school set, and deeply emotional.

So, how precisely detailed and accurate does this writer’s timeline need to be?  How does she find out or figure out when to schedule prom, finals, and graduation?

Log in and go here to help discuss this topic.

Writing from the Perspective of the Opposite Gender
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One of our members posed an interesting problem:

She wants her main character to be a boy.

She isn’t a boy and doesn’t trust herself to create a believable male character.  How can a female writer let the reader see through the eyes of a real boy?  How do boys think, anyway?

This sparked discussion from both male and female writers, with some great perspectives on potential pitfalls – or the lack of them. Log in and come take a look here.  You might be able to add something unique to the conversation.

Professional Plot Outline Course Getting Underway
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Are you working through Holly’s Professional Plot Outline course?  It’s a quick, clean process for pulling a plot out of almost thin air.  Lesson 1 requires the writer to analyze his main character in a specific way.  From this, everything flows.

It’s not too late to join the group.  Honestly, wouldn’t you like to have a story plotted and ready to write by the first of June?  Even if your life is crazy busy?

Log in and go here to join the party.  Yeah, it kind of feels like a party.

Using small goals for big breakthroughs in writing your novel
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This student of HTTS had hit a wall in the same place twice in the process of writing her novel.   She seemed to be making no progress.

Then she worked out a series of small, attainable goals for herself–and this time, the wall came tumbling down.  Read here how she re-engineered her process.  Hey, something like this might blast down some of your walls, too.

This conversation is in the How to Think Sideways Eureka! forum, so everyone can partake.