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Jennifer Lauck's avatar

🐦‍⬛ Week Two, Day Seven:

Health info shared.

Excerpts from our writing.

Victory/challenge sum up and I simply loved this true admission from Jill: " I'm so into my story that even when not writing, I am writing in my head and making notes on my phone."

You guys are "in it" and I'm with you (as you'll see from my slight health overshare with Laura).

Don't forget our AM meeting TOMORROW, nine AM and a new page will be up at midnight: https://lu.ma/s6xxws8z

I'm at 104,000 words and about to take on the hardest aspect of this story which is where a character I love gets hurt. This is the last 1/4 of the book. Decisions have to be made and the most important one is this: WHAT IS IT ABOUT? On the surface it's about two siblings who flee an abusive home, grow up and then grow separate ways, and then come back together. One is changed by sufferings that seem unbearable and understands something about the nature of reality that the other does not. Her final act is one of sacrifice for her brother and in that act, his own bubble of fantasy is popped and he learns that vital lesson as well. It's about trust in divine providence and it's a lesson I've only learned this last year (so, of course, I couldn't write it) but here it is and I'm all weep writing it to you guys. But I see it and will push myself to write into the great sorrows today. 🤞🏼

Note: Instead of writing I've been shopping on line for garden statues and replacing old mascara and basically doing anything I can but write this! STOP STALLING, Lauck," I keep saying and now I have to answer back, "Okay! Fine. I'm going. I'm writing...I'm gone."

See you all live in the morning.

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Jennifer Lauck's avatar

🐦‍⬛ Week Two, Day Three: On the road yesterday and today, got 2500 in yesterday, none today but I am reading (listening to) five chapters on the drive. Helpful. I hear so much fat that I can cut. That kind of counts.

Great moment of insight from Jill below. How does a conflict avoider writer conflict that sounds realistic. 1) Write the talk first, get the back and forth going as an "innocent" bystander. Words flying at one another is a skeleton and allow it to get ugly. 2) set the talking aside and go back and set up the moment in time via the SRCard and then write to the moment the words fly. Do not forget the weather which is always active and changing, and that includes natural world (birds, bugs, cats, dogs, whatever) 3) Now make sure you have your characters well described. Show us what they are wearing, carrying, and how they fiddle and gesture. Is one holding a drink, a menu, opening straw, straightening her necklace that gets tangled in her hair. Have all these options available for the moments between the words. Those moments of pause between the words are your work then, 5) and thread the dialogue into your scene.

All creative writing is rather strategic and your job is to take it nice and slow, using the tools at your disposal! Hopefully that's helpful.

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