First, an update or two:
1. You can see that I changed the blog design a little again. You can now find all my stories along the left sidebar. Each picture has a link, so just click it and it will take you to the fanfiction page with the story. I think they look rather nice, don't you?
2. I'm working on Promises ASAP (or in other words...as soon as I finish this blog post), so hopefully a new chapter will be up sometime this week.
3. I've also been working on a new chapter to Repairs...although that's just in the writing stage at the moment...which I'll describe later in this post.
4. My laptop is still dead and I have yet to get a new one...but I've been replying and updating things as often as possible through a school computer, my phone and my desktop at home, when I have time to get on it.
5. I was wondering if you guys would be interested in reading one of my non-fanfiction short stories...so you can comment on that here or send me a message or whatever you like. I'll mention it on the next chapter of Promises as well.
6. I think that's it...but I just felt like putting another number.
The real point of today's post is for you guys to get a glimpse into what I generally go through when writing a chapter, story or update to any of my works. It's quite the interesting process, and I figured that while I'm without a computer and have been doing everything by hand, it'd be a good time to show you guys what I do.
If you remember correctly, I do all of my own editing, meaning I don't have a beta-reader. While generally I spend quite a bit of time on my laptop, I don't always read it over before I post it, so there are often errors...but when I write in my notebook it doesn't work that way. I read each bit of writing several times before it ever makes it's appearance on the internet...and then I often have to go back and re-read it later again to make sure everything connects together properly. So here's what I generally have been doing. Everything here will relate to the process I go through for my large arc stories that started with 40 Days, so in other words...Promises.
Step -1: Ideas
Yes, -1 because it doesn't really have to do with the chapter. Before I did anything with Promises, I made a list of ideas that I'd been saving up for what I wanted to include in the entire story. I often go back later and add to the list (so for instance the other day I added an idea that was sparked by a book I read). I didn't include a picture here though because I don't want to give anything away, obviously. But I suggest carrying around a little notebook and writing ideas down when you get them...or even a document on your phone or something works well. Just something so you don't forget the idea.
Step 0: Reread Previous Chapter(s)
It's always a good idea to reread the previous chapter, at least, before continuing onward. I find that I can't really come up with a solid plan for the chapter if I don't reread, and as you'll see later, I have notes for each chapter that I can refer back to that tell me the main points and any plotline that I want to expand continuing onward.
Step 1: Start Writing with a loose idea of where it's going
Now I can include pictures, and yes, you'll be getting a bit of a sneak preview of the next chapter of Promises. I basically just start writing, and since my laptop is MIA, right now I am writing everything in my notebook. It takes a lot more time, but it works. I do write out a lot of pens though.
Step 2: Write until you have a word count you're satisfied with
I personally try to make every chapter I write around 3,000 words. This isn't always the same though, as there are a few in 40 Days that are as short as 2,000 something, and as long as 4,000 something...but it's my general rule of thumb, and after a while, I've come to find that I write until I get to about that length and automatically stop. It works pretty well. It is not, on the other hand, nice to have to hand count all my words...
Step 3: Type it up
After deciding on a fair wording for the chapter, currently I then type it up. If I have my laptop or I start the writing on the computer, I can obviously skip this step, but at the moment I can't. I use the same formatting for all of my chapters and documents (although this will likely change when I get a new laptop and format my files differently). I may also put a passcode on pretty much all my documents...at least those that aren't on my laptop, which I only have access to.
Step 4: Print & Edit
I have been doing all of my editing by hand recently. I'll change things when I type it up, but then I go back, print it and edit it all by hand, making little notes for myself. Here's a teaser for the next chapter that I'm sure you'll enjoy...
Step 5: Make the changes and Do a final reading
By this point it's pretty obvious how to finish. I do one final read, add in the last formatting (I've been doing all of Chewie's talking, for instance, like
[this], so I put in all of that bold and formatting ahead of time. It saves time later once I upload.
Step 6: Upload, add notes and publish
I upload, add in the notes and publish. Honestly I felt this one was pretty self-explanatory.
Step 7: Add notes to the journal
When I'm all finished with a chapter and it's published, I then go back and reread and write up the important notes for the chapter for later reference. Also included here, I sometimes have to go and do outside research on a topic...for instance, as seen below, high command. It's important to me to get as many things correct in the galaxy of Star Wars as possible...although there are certainly times I go off track. For instance, although it is said that Han is 10 years older than Leia, I prefer to go by Harrison and Carrie's real ages...so I mention in 40 Days that they are 15 years apart.
I also sometimes leave myself little notes:
So there you have it, a glimpse into what I do for all of my writing, at least on the longer stories like Promises. If I am creating a new story there's an extra step in there just before uploading though, to create a cover for it...but that's a topic for another post.
