Writing – Page 6 – CicilieNilsen.Com

Ready to start notecarding!

18. August 2015
by Cicilie

2015-08-18 11.49.37 — Getting ready to start notecarding for TAO.

With the end to Memories finally in sight, I’m getting ready to start editing The Afterlife Occurrence for real. I’ve started looking at the first few chapter already, but once I finish Memories, I’ll shift all my focus to getting a second draft of TAO ready by Christmas.

Catrine and I have planned to exchange second drafts in mid-December, no matter how far along in the editing process we are. It’s a way to get some feedback early on from someone we trust, as well as giving us both a deadline in regards to the editing. Personally, I’ll be needing one of those.

The first thing I plan on doing is writing the entire plot for TAO down on notecards, scene for scene. That way, I can see what works, what doesn’t, and if anything needs to be added or removed. So I’ve got my notecards ready to go, and will probably start going through the first draft sometime this week. I will need to write the very last scene of Memories, but I am planning on doing that this weekend. I have it plotted really well, so it’s just a matter of sitting down to write!

I’m already thinking I may need to add a few scenes in regards to how Adrian handles everything that’s going on in TAO. There’s also a crazy shopping thing I don’t know if needs to happen. This was written during Nano after all, so there will be stuff that doesn’t belong. At least I don’t think there are random turtles on a beach in this one.

Writing

Saturday Snippet: August 8th

8. August 2015
by Cicilie

Saturday-Snippet

Saturday Snipped is a bi-monthly column run by Catrine, where you post a snipped from something you have written. It can be from your book, poem, or anything else you have written. Post it, link to it in her post, and check out what everyone else has posted!

This weeks snippet comes from the fantasy series again. Second book, last chapter, and I’ve tried to keep it as spoiler free as possible. Though, as this is the rough draft, who knows what might get cut once I start rewriting this.

As their prey stood in a huddle looking at whatever had been retrieved from the opening in the stone, Oize raised his hand, and let fly a knife as he sprang from the shadows.

Short and sweet. Not quite happy with the opening in the stone part of it, but since something had in fact been retrieved from an opening in the stone, I’m just gonna keep it simple and say it as it is. In other words, I can fix it later.

I’ve gotten a lot of work done today on this last chapter as well. Got through the big fight, and now I only have the aftermath left to write. We’re still talking between 2000-5000 words, but the fight was the part I was having trouble with. With that done, I should have a much easier job finishing the rest of the chapter, and with that, the book.

Writing

Writing Saturday

1. August 2015
by Cicilie

Once again I spent Saturday morning at Starbucks with Catrine, and this time it paid off. I got another 1500 words written, and am well on my way to finally finishing the last chapter of Memories! I now feel that I’ll be able to finish this book this month, which leaves me plenty of time to work on the second draft of TAO before handing that off to Catrine for some feedback this Christmas.

Since I’m planning on doing a Nano in there as well, that leaves me with less time editing that you might think. I also want to continue working on Remnants, because I like the story there, and it is good practice when it comes to writing and editing. Who knows, it might get a better title along the way as well. I mean, I like the title, but original it is not.

So, let’s do a quick count of the amounts of projects I am currently working on:

Memories first draft
TAO second draft
Remnants draft + edits for Wattpad publication
Nano in November (new untitled/unknown project)

Right. I totally have time for all of this on top of working full-time and trying to get my butt to the gym on a regular basis. Oh, who needs a social life anyway.

Writing

Saturday Snippet: July 25th

25. July 2015
by Cicilie

Saturday-Snippet

As I’ve spent the morning writing with Catrine at the local Starbucks, enjoying my caramel Frappe and writing close to a thousand words, I was planning on posting a snippet from that this week. But most of what I have written is pretty specific to the central plot in the book. And since Memories is the second book in my fantasy series, and I’m currently writing the last chapter, I figured it might be best to post from something else this week.

I decided on something I’ve been working on for the past few weeks. It’s not a new book, but more a writing exercise. I’m trying to get better at writing short stories. Or at the very least, shorter stories. I’m also writing in first person, which I normally never do. Remants is set in a post-apocalyptic science fiction universe, and this weeks snippet is from the first few paragraphs.

I have memories that aren’t my own. Of crimson rain, and burning skies. I have memories of her. With golden eyes and pitch black hair, standing at the edge, looking down onto the scorched earth. Gun in one hand, someone else’s blood running down the other. She stood then as she does now, looking at something beyond my own field of vision. Without saying a word.

I know the memories are real, but I never lived them myself. I know she didn’t just watch the chaos unfold, as an entire planet ripped itself apart, though that is in truth the only memory of it I have. I know she was the cause of the destruction, that she stayed only long enough to see the fruits of her labour before she left the planet. I know a lot of things that happened that day, despite the fact that I hadn’t even been born yet when she destroyed Cretario.

If that peaked your interest (fingers crossed) you’ll be glad to hear I am planning on posting this to Wattpad at some point this year.

Writing

Plans for the weekend

23. July 201525. July 2015
by Cicilie

I’ve got big plans for the weekend. On Saturday I’ll head on over to Starbucks again to write with Catrine. And on Sunday we were thinking of meeting to write as well.

In other words, this weekend I will finish the first draft of Memories. No excuses! The tables at Starbucks are perfekt for writing, has a power outlet right there, and I can buy all the caffeine I need. So I’ve got no excuses!

Of course, this all depends on our ability to keep the talking to a minimum. Which is a lot harder that you might think. I do have a good feeling though, as I finally feel like this final chapter is coming together in my head. A few hours of writing should be all it takes.

Writing

Saturday Snippet: July 18th

18. July 201518. July 2015
by Cicilie

Saturday-Snippet

Saturday Snipped is a new bi-monthly column run by Catrine, where you post a snipped from something you are currently working on. It can be from your book, poem, or anything else you have written.

For this first time, my snippet comes from the end of the second book in the fantasy series. And it is, to my knowledge, probably the first time I am sharing anything from this book.

A comfortable silence fell over them as they walked. Aydan caught himself looking around him at the buildings that lined the road, empty and dark, abandoned for centuries.

I’m not going to share much about who else is there, where they are, or what is going on. Mostly because that would spoil about two books. But I will say that I am getting closer to the end on this book, and by the end of the month, I hope to have the final chapter over and done with. Out of my head and down on a digital page at last.

To check out other snippets, or link to your own, head on over to Catrine’s blog.

Writing

Camp Nano in July

30. June 2015
by Cicilie

With the last chapter of Memories still refusing to leave my head and enter the digital age, I’ve decided to take part in yet another Camp Nano this year. I’ve set a low goal for myself this time around, only 10,000 words, which should be more than enough to finish the last chapter.

I’ve also got this crazy idea in my head for a science fiction short story, which I may try to write this coming month as well. Of course, I know from experience my short stories tend to turn into long novels, so we’ll just have to see how this goes once I start writing. If nothing else, it will be a good writing exercise. And one can never have enough of those.

Site

Resources and the home stretch

15. June 2015
by Cicilie

I’ve added a few new worldbuilding resources to the Resource page, and also decided to organize that a bit better. As I continue to find new ones, or old ones that I lot when my computer crashed a few years back, I’ll be adding to that list. It is looking a bit short right now, but it will get better. Recommendations are more than welcome, feel free to email me or just comment with your go-to guides for all things fantasy.

In writing news, I am on the very last chapter of Memories!! I had hoped to finish that before I go off on vacation on Thursday, but I don’t know if I’ll be able to. It’s a massive thing, written from three different points of view, or possibly four or five. I’ll have to see what works best for the story. It’s planned out in detail, and in my head it’s perfect.

Now I just gotta get it typed up and looking nicely in Scrivener. Then I can devote my summer to worldbuilding for the series, as well as finishing my second draft of TAO. On top of that I just started a new fulltime job, and will be working most of the summer. Gonna be hard to fit everything in there, but I will find a way.

Writing

Eurovision + Writing = Success

23. May 2015
by Cicilie

Yesterday, Catrine and I took another stab at Mission: Write! Damnit! and this time some actual writing got done. Score! Today, I am watching Eurovision 2015, and suddenly found it was the perfect background music to write to. 1500 words later, Scrivener it telling me my manuscript for “Memories” is at 150,000 words exactly!

Considering where I am in the story, wrapping things up nicely, I think I’ll have this finished in another five to ten thousand words. My goal is to finish by the end of the month, so I can spend June editing TAO, getting that second draft ready.

As voting commences in Eurovision, I’ll see if I can get another thousand words written.

Writing

Finding time to write

16. May 2015
by Cicilie

It’s not easy to find the time to write sometimes. Yesterday I met up with Catrine to get some writing done at the local Starbucks. That did not go according to plan. We spent more time talking that we did writing. Which means Mission: Write! Damnit! was kind of a bust. We did challenge ourselves to write at least 2000 words this weekend, as well as do some worldbuilding. A challenge I plan on winning by a mile. Or, like at least five hundred words or something.

The worldbuilding I plan on getting done is mainly the continent maps. I’ve got two large continents I need good maps for my fantasy series, and this weekend is as good as any to get it done. The Norwegian national day is tomorrow, but since the weather is going to be horrid I’m planning on staying inside and being creative. Which means writing, worldbuilding and maybe some reading (I want to finish Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett this weekend). Then a good movie in the evening.

Now I just gotta find my tablet, to make digitizing the map so much easier.

Category: Writing