Tag Archives: writing strategy

The Edits

Posted on April 24, 2013 by Graham Strong

As I mentioned in my last post, I’m currently editing what I have so far, and locking it away in a separate file marked “Your Eyes Only” — which will mean anyone’s eyes but mine. It is time to get … Continue reading →

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Unsnagging the Line – Day 328

Posted on August 2, 2011 by Graham Strong

I didn’t get Part 2 done on the weekend for various reasons, one of which was the fact that two plot lines got hopelessly tangled. For one line, I needed a certain event to happen now. For another plot line, … Continue reading →

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What Norman Mailer and I Have In Common – Day 154

Posted on February 7, 2011 by Graham Strong

As you can see on the right, I’m currently reading The Gang That Wouldn’t Write Straight about the “New Journalism” writers. It’s early reading still, but I’m enjoying it so far. I came across this quote from Norman Mailer in … Continue reading →

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Drafting Success – Day 148

Posted on January 31, 2011 by Graham Strong

Found myself lost in a double-entrendre this weekend. As I was rewriting, I literally got the feeling of “drafting”, i.e. being pulled along by the vehicle in front. So instead of banging out, say 1,500 words in an hour, I … Continue reading →

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Is Self-Publishing the Answer for New Writers? – Day 140

Posted on January 24, 2011 by Graham Strong

JA (Joe) Konrath is a crime fiction writer who has changed 100% to ebooks (well, I believe he still has some copies in print — let’s say his new sales are ebooks). He has several compelling arguments for doing this, … Continue reading →

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Day 132 – Outline or Just Write? Why Co-Dependency is Working For Me

Posted on January 16, 2011 by Graham Strong

Decided today to throw in the towel with the whole outlining thing. I’m getting nowhere but hemmed in. It’s just not working for me. At least, not in its current form. (Maybe I’m a feckless fool after all…!) Okay, I’m … Continue reading →

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Day 95 – Red Red Wine

Posted on December 11, 2010 by Graham Strong

Awesome writing session today. I actually wrote this morning – working with a fresh mind seemed to make all the difference. I laid down the scene I struggled with last night. It’s sharp and funny (I think) and really helps set the tone of the book. There will probably be changes to some of the details, but overall loving the scene.
I think I’ll be writing little scenes like that for the next few days.
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Day 52 – The Tell-Tale Heart

Posted on October 29, 2010 by Graham Strong

About 30 hours without power. Over 48 hours without phone or Internet. As I said to several people once contact had been re-established, going off the grid is great when it’s planned and you are taking a little vay-cay. It sucks though when you still have work on the go on said grid, yet you can’t quite reach it… Continue reading →

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Day 28 – Ramble On

Posted on October 4, 2010 by Graham Strong

42Played with the idea of skipping today in recognition of my birthday, but thought hey, what better way to spend part of the day creating something? Besides, it’s basically a force of habit now, which I think is a good thing. I thought I heard somewhere that if you did something everyday for 21 days, it would automatically become habit. When I hit Day 21, I looked that up and found that although there was some truth to it, the number “21” was an urban myth. It could take three days, it could take 546 days. It depended on the activity as well as the type of person you are… Continue reading →

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Day 27 – Let It Be

Posted on October 3, 2010 by Graham Strong

Another divergence today — and another step forward, I think. I’m realizing that my storyline is running a little flat — not enough conflict. Not that everything’s daisies, mind you, but there is room for a knife fight here and there (at least figuratively). So I’m adding a few of those in.

I think in the second draft, once I know the structure of the story, I’ll be in a better position to really draw the tension together. Still, not a bad idea to try to build it in as I go along. Besides, it’s good exercise… Continue reading →

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