Elisabeth's Manuscript Stages
Stage One - The Set Up
Chapter One -This sucks. First chapters are the worst. Hook? Hook? Gah! I hate hooks. I'm clearly hook-illiterate.
Chapter Two - Okay, maybe this isn't quite so bad. New POV, the setting works, I'm getting into the story. And wow, I sorta like my characters.
Chapter Three - What was I thinking??? This is the most contrived piece of crap ever. And melodramatic? Argh. Sounds like a bad version of Days Of Our Lives. I'll probably get sued.
Chapter Four - Push through, push through, just keep pushing.
Chapter Five - Getting into the groove. I actually like this. Okay, not so bad. This story might just work.
Chapter Six - I am the best writer on the planet! This is going to be a NY Times Best Seller! Maybe I should take a break and think about writing my RITA speech.
Stage Two - The Middle
Chapter Seven - (Right around the 125 pg mark). OMG. What was I thinking?! This is the biggest piece of drivel that was ever written! My CPs are going to laugh at me! No one's ever going to want to buy this! I'll have to PAY people to read it. Might as well take a break and go back to rework that sucky hook. I hate hooks. I suck at hooks. Argh. This book is so not going to sell.
Chapter Eight - I'm too far in to give up. I will not give up. I will NOT! Keep going. Just keep going.
Chapters Nine through Eleven - Okay, if nothing else, I like my characters. I don't have a clue where the plot is going, but the characters are strong. That's something at least.
Chapter Twelve - The hero's getting on my nerves. He needs sex. Going to have to think about where that big ol' scene fits in so he quits pestering me.
Chapter Thirteen - Oh, crap. I've passed the halfway mark and I STILL have all these plot points to get through. I'm going over my target word count, there's no way I'll get all this in here in 100K words. No way. I'm doomed.
Chapter Fourteen - Need chocolate. Must. Have. Chocolate. These two are driving me nuts. No editor's going to care if they get together or not. And the plot? How will I ever tie this all together?
Chapter Fifteen - Building to the climax. And still so much to get through. *big sigh* Okay, refocus. Time to get serious. I can do this. Really, I can. I might lose all my eyebrows in the process, but I can do this.
Part Three - The Beginning of the End
Chapter Sixteen - Tension, angst, black moment foreshadowing (and that's mostly for me, not the book)
Chapter Seventeen - Here it comes. Climax build up. Black Moment. Yes, hero, I know you hate me. Hang on with me. I won't leave you out to dry, I promise.
Chapter Eighteen - BAM. Black Moment. UGH. I'm emotionally drained. I need coffee. Or chocolate. Or coconut cream pie. Mmm...wonder if Shari's is still open...
Chapter Nineteen - Climax. My shoulders are tight. I feel like crawling out of my skin. Maybe I should kill someone just for the fun of it to ease all this stress?
Chapter Twenty - Resolution. Wrap up all the loose ends. Surprisingly, I did it! Kissy-face moment. Slobber, slobber, pant, drool all over each other. Man, I write pure sap. But it's not half-bad sap. ;)
Type T-H-E E-N-D. I should get a medal or something. Too bad no one in the house will care that I finally finished. *sigh* On to the next book...
Chapter One -This sucks. First chapters are the worst. Hook? Hook? Gah! I hate hooks. I'm clearly hook-illiterate.
Chapter Two - Okay, maybe this isn't quite so bad. New POV, the setting works, I'm getting into the story. And wow, I sorta like my characters.
Chapter Three - What was I thinking??? This is the most contrived piece of crap ever. And melodramatic? Argh. Sounds like a bad version of Days Of Our Lives. I'll probably get sued.
Chapter Four - Push through, push through, just keep pushing.
Chapter Five - Getting into the groove. I actually like this. Okay, not so bad. This story might just work.
Chapter Six - I am the best writer on the planet! This is going to be a NY Times Best Seller! Maybe I should take a break and think about writing my RITA speech.
Stage Two - The Middle
Chapter Seven - (Right around the 125 pg mark). OMG. What was I thinking?! This is the biggest piece of drivel that was ever written! My CPs are going to laugh at me! No one's ever going to want to buy this! I'll have to PAY people to read it. Might as well take a break and go back to rework that sucky hook. I hate hooks. I suck at hooks. Argh. This book is so not going to sell.
Chapter Eight - I'm too far in to give up. I will not give up. I will NOT! Keep going. Just keep going.
Chapters Nine through Eleven - Okay, if nothing else, I like my characters. I don't have a clue where the plot is going, but the characters are strong. That's something at least.
Chapter Twelve - The hero's getting on my nerves. He needs sex. Going to have to think about where that big ol' scene fits in so he quits pestering me.
Chapter Thirteen - Oh, crap. I've passed the halfway mark and I STILL have all these plot points to get through. I'm going over my target word count, there's no way I'll get all this in here in 100K words. No way. I'm doomed.
Chapter Fourteen - Need chocolate. Must. Have. Chocolate. These two are driving me nuts. No editor's going to care if they get together or not. And the plot? How will I ever tie this all together?
Chapter Fifteen - Building to the climax. And still so much to get through. *big sigh* Okay, refocus. Time to get serious. I can do this. Really, I can. I might lose all my eyebrows in the process, but I can do this.
Part Three - The Beginning of the End
Chapter Sixteen - Tension, angst, black moment foreshadowing (and that's mostly for me, not the book)
Chapter Seventeen - Here it comes. Climax build up. Black Moment. Yes, hero, I know you hate me. Hang on with me. I won't leave you out to dry, I promise.
Chapter Eighteen - BAM. Black Moment. UGH. I'm emotionally drained. I need coffee. Or chocolate. Or coconut cream pie. Mmm...wonder if Shari's is still open...
Chapter Nineteen - Climax. My shoulders are tight. I feel like crawling out of my skin. Maybe I should kill someone just for the fun of it to ease all this stress?
Chapter Twenty - Resolution. Wrap up all the loose ends. Surprisingly, I did it! Kissy-face moment. Slobber, slobber, pant, drool all over each other. Man, I write pure sap. But it's not half-bad sap. ;)
Type T-H-E E-N-D. I should get a medal or something. Too bad no one in the house will care that I finally finished. *sigh* On to the next book...
posted by Elisabeth Naughton at 10:56 AM
12Comments:
LOL, Elisabeth. I've never analysed my process that closely. I just know I love the beginning, get stuck in the middle and then do a jig all the way to the end :)
I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who is neurotic :-)
ROFL! I can't believe you are so - so, yes, neurotic! I guess that's what makes your stories so intense because you are.
But holy crap! If I went through all that angst writing, I'd give up!
That pretty much sums up my process too!
I love this. I go through something similar too. This was a lot of fun to read. Congrats on reaching The End. :)
Snort. Giggle. Cackle.
I hear you. I so hear you.
teri
LOL, so this is common then? It wasn't just me?
Nice to know that it is a NORMAL, writing process, and NOT "neurotic", in spite of what these people seem to be implying by recklessly tossing that word about. :) You hang tough, Elisabeth. You are perfectly sane, I tell you. Perfectly. :)
Eli, how did you steal my writing process? (And why would you want to?)
See Paty and Piper? I'm not totally out in left field. ;)
Glad to hear I'm not the only neurotic one out there.
I CARE that you finished! Congratulations!! You should be jumping up and down, and don't worry about everyone else in the house. They don't understand like your fellow writers do.
Yeah! I'll have a glass of champagne and toast your victory.
And you absolutely have the right idea . . . onto the next book. Yeah!
Haha! Great post! I think you should submit this to RWR. Or Romancing the Blog.
This is a great post! How true!
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