Make Something Happen

This week, we’re starting a new experiment. I’m going to review some old blog posts and see how they hold up after the years since I wrote them in light of all I’ve learned in writing and publishing. The first lesson we’ll look at below is based on the adage “make something happen.” We’ll get into the details later.

One note on the Blog page, I went through old Blog Series from the old website and categorized them as a Blog Series as well as the title of the Series. Now you can jump back to all the associated posts for advice from Kurt Vonnegut or my writing arsenal “Tools of the Trade.” Feel free to have a poke around. Let me know if anything feels funky about it.

Drawing from the Well

I continue writing the “patch” chapters to give Book III the breathing room it needed in some areas. I completed another two chapters this week, bringing the remainder count down to seven. These are going to get harder, so I’ll either slow down or get tougher. I’ll let you know how it shakes out next week.

Pages 312
160,976/175,422 Words

Filling the Well

The new job is pulling so much of my focus that it’s hard to listen to audiobooks during work. I’m still striving to hit my goal, but I’m also still behind. I finished two books this week, so I held the line. Books 6 and 7 in the Penric and Desdemona series did not disappoint, even if they didn’t excite. I’m listening to the eighth book in the series now and it’s very interesting. It digs a lot more into Penric’s skills as opposed to his interpersonal relationships. I’m digging it.

Full List

90/105 for #ProjectBookworm2023

Well Chat

This week, I’m starting a series where I revisit some of the insights I had years ago. We’ll move from a very old post forward until we hit the new website from last year. First up, we’re revisiting my Work in the Way post from October 6, 2015. The big takeaway from this was “Make something happen in every chapter!” So how does this advice hold up?

First off, let’s cover the details of the original post. The root of it is really the quote above. I came upon this idea while reading a YA novel: Darkness Brutal. It seemed like every chapter was moving the plot forward. It made the pace feel quick, the prose energetic. I immediately took the lesson and tried to incorporate it into my work. To an extent, it worked. My plot started moving forward more quickly and the story felt more interesting, even as I continued to seed world building and character development along the way.

Do I still feel this way? Well, no.

I’ve learned a lot about writing since I learned this lesson. Although something should happen in every chapter, it doesn’t strictly have to be plot development. That’s a lesson I’ve recently RE-learned due to my difficulties with Book III. I focused so much on leanly getting through the plot that I developed a breakneck pace. It was no good, hence the current fluffing attempt. So something should happen in every chapter, but it doesn’t have to be plot or action. Some of the most meaningful moments in print or cinema for me have been the quiet ones where we learn about the characters through their interactions with each other and reactions to events. Those moments are important to make characters feel real.

This advice holds up, but only when it’s expanded on. Action in every chapter can get exhausting without breaks in between. I need to remember that. I hope you do.

What do you think of this advice? What about this new Revisited series? Sound off in the comments and on social media. Have a great week.