Favorite Enemies
- A Little Sisterly Advice
- Cheeky Reads
- DRD aka Donna's Blog
- Gunner Marnee's Blog
- J.K. Coi: Living with Immortals
- Just Janga
- Killer Fiction
- Kimberly Killion
- Maggie Robinson
- Maureen O. Betita
- Megan Kelly
- Pam Clare
- Renee Lynn Scott
- Romance Bandits
- Romance Dish
- Scapegoat's Blogspot
- Smartass Romance
- Terri Osburn Writes Romance
- Tessa Dare
- Vauxhall Vixens
Blog Archive
Powered by Blogger.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Riff-Writing
My husband got a Borders’ gift card for Christmas and it sat unused in our kitchen junk drawer for over a month. I can only imagine the collective gasp at that statement. I KNOW! I would dig through there now and again, as I think everyone only digs through their junk drawer when they have to, and I would give it the googly eyes of a teenage girl to her crush across the lunchroom.
Finally, this weekend, I cornered him about it. “Are you planning on using this Borders’ card or not?” And my tone was the same one I use about leftovers in the fridge, full of it’s-going-to-go-bad and don’t-let-it-go-to-waste.
Without even looking up from Sportscenter or whatever was on TV he says, “I just thought you were going to use it.” As if book-related things in our house were mine by default.
I’ve told you he was a smart man.
So, Monday I skipped off to Borders like I won the lottery, not just inherited a 25 dollar gift card from my husband.
I spent two hours at Borders (not only did this man give me the Borders’ card but he also offered to watch the kiddo all day so I could go use it. I KNOW! He’s up for sainthood, I swear.) I bought two books (Witch Fire by Anya Bast and The Nightkeepers by Jessica Andersen, in case you’re interested) and I bought Elizabeth Lyon’s Manuscript Makeover.
I’ve already started reading Elizabeth Lyon’s book and I’m impressed. I’ve read a lot of writing craft books, but I like her approach. I thought I’d share a few tips with you.
Not all at once, people. Relax. I’m just going to hit on things a little at a time as I go. You won’t need to take notes and there won’t be a test. Have some rum.
The first tidbit I got was called riff-writing. According to Elizabeth Lyon, “Riff-writing differs from (‘free’ writing) by being expressly applied to revising a portion of your writing…. It’s very directed. You already have your “art”, your novel or short story. Riff-writing helps you expand your imagination around a particular problem or need – to lengthen a section, to add images, or to develop more characterization.”
The idea is to find a passage in your story that feels like it could use some additional description and then just let yourself go further. Even if you delete a big chunk of it later, maybe you’ll be able to use parts of it too. It’s supposed to help turn off the inner censor, the one that tells us not to “overwrite.”
I thought I’d offer up some of mine and how I expanded…. Disclaimer: I just wrote this yesterday so
it’s rough.
The original version:
The rasp of a key forced her to scurry back, crab-style, to avoid being hit by the opening door.
The sexy Hulk from last night – Nik – stepped inside. His hair was in disarray and he looked like he’d just left his bed. Her mouth went dry and she swallowed as images of him sprawled out horizontal filled her mind. She dropped her gaze from his body and tucked her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around them.
“I need to leave,” she told him without preamble, staring at her kneecaps.
The expanded version:
The rasp of a key forced her to scurry back, crab-style, to avoid being hit by the opening door.
The sexy Hulk from last night – Nik – stepped inside. Her eyes followed the line of him, up muscular calves and thighs, past lean hips and waist, and over his flat stomach and wide shoulders.
His hair was in disarray and he looked like he’d just left his bed. Her mouth went dry and she swallowed as images of him sprawled out horizontal filled her mind. Suddenly, the visions she’d seen in his eyes last night replayed for her and her body buzzed with the memory.
His gaze swept the room before it lowered to where she sat on the floor. Heat crept up her throat and washed over her face. She dropped her gaze from his body and tucked her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around them. She swallowed again.
“I need to leave,” she told him without preamble, staring at her kneecaps.
So, I’m offering this to you. Feel free to riff some of your own stuff here. If you don’t wanna share, what do you think about these kinds of exercises? Do you think this strengthens writing or do you think that a more concise version is best? Do you have a problem with overwriting or do you go the opposite way? How do you get around these problems?
Finally, this weekend, I cornered him about it. “Are you planning on using this Borders’ card or not?” And my tone was the same one I use about leftovers in the fridge, full of it’s-going-to-go-bad and don’t-let-it-go-to-waste.
Without even looking up from Sportscenter or whatever was on TV he says, “I just thought you were going to use it.” As if book-related things in our house were mine by default.
I’ve told you he was a smart man.
So, Monday I skipped off to Borders like I won the lottery, not just inherited a 25 dollar gift card from my husband.
I spent two hours at Borders (not only did this man give me the Borders’ card but he also offered to watch the kiddo all day so I could go use it. I KNOW! He’s up for sainthood, I swear.) I bought two books (Witch Fire by Anya Bast and The Nightkeepers by Jessica Andersen, in case you’re interested) and I bought Elizabeth Lyon’s Manuscript Makeover.
I’ve already started reading Elizabeth Lyon’s book and I’m impressed. I’ve read a lot of writing craft books, but I like her approach. I thought I’d share a few tips with you.
Not all at once, people. Relax. I’m just going to hit on things a little at a time as I go. You won’t need to take notes and there won’t be a test. Have some rum.
The first tidbit I got was called riff-writing. According to Elizabeth Lyon, “Riff-writing differs from (‘free’ writing) by being expressly applied to revising a portion of your writing…. It’s very directed. You already have your “art”, your novel or short story. Riff-writing helps you expand your imagination around a particular problem or need – to lengthen a section, to add images, or to develop more characterization.”
The idea is to find a passage in your story that feels like it could use some additional description and then just let yourself go further. Even if you delete a big chunk of it later, maybe you’ll be able to use parts of it too. It’s supposed to help turn off the inner censor, the one that tells us not to “overwrite.”
I thought I’d offer up some of mine and how I expanded…. Disclaimer: I just wrote this yesterday so
it’s rough.
The original version:
The rasp of a key forced her to scurry back, crab-style, to avoid being hit by the opening door.
The sexy Hulk from last night – Nik – stepped inside. His hair was in disarray and he looked like he’d just left his bed. Her mouth went dry and she swallowed as images of him sprawled out horizontal filled her mind. She dropped her gaze from his body and tucked her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around them.
“I need to leave,” she told him without preamble, staring at her kneecaps.
The expanded version:
The rasp of a key forced her to scurry back, crab-style, to avoid being hit by the opening door.
The sexy Hulk from last night – Nik – stepped inside. Her eyes followed the line of him, up muscular calves and thighs, past lean hips and waist, and over his flat stomach and wide shoulders.
His hair was in disarray and he looked like he’d just left his bed. Her mouth went dry and she swallowed as images of him sprawled out horizontal filled her mind. Suddenly, the visions she’d seen in his eyes last night replayed for her and her body buzzed with the memory.
His gaze swept the room before it lowered to where she sat on the floor. Heat crept up her throat and washed over her face. She dropped her gaze from his body and tucked her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around them. She swallowed again.
“I need to leave,” she told him without preamble, staring at her kneecaps.
So, I’m offering this to you. Feel free to riff some of your own stuff here. If you don’t wanna share, what do you think about these kinds of exercises? Do you think this strengthens writing or do you think that a more concise version is best? Do you have a problem with overwriting or do you go the opposite way? How do you get around these problems?
Labels:
Gunner's Grumblings (Marnee)
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Books by the Crew
95 comments:
Where can I get this book?!
I seldom overwrite, so the idea of riffing to help fill in desperate gaps is fab-o.
My solution so far to the underwriting has been to read my MS over and over...and over...and selectively inserting tidbits. I like the idea of riffing because it seems to answer the need to be more free with the process, like the first draft generally is.
I 'think' this is a good thing...
Borders, eh? I'm going to check my local out tomorrow...ah, today...for that book!
Yep, I bought mine at Borders. And that's the way I was doing it too. But this is a little different. Seeing the need and then filling it in.
I got mine at my local Borders but I think you can get it online....
http://www.amazon.com/Manuscript-Makeover-Revision-Techniques-Fiction/dp/0399533958/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1235048273&sr=8-1
Great blog Marn! I like the second version better - great detail. I could definitely use this. I usually write my first drafts very fast, ignoring things like description, and go back and add all that in later. Who was it that called that layering? I think that's the best way to describe it. So this could be a perfect process for me - I'll definitely have to check out the book!
Hi Hal! Thanks! I think I usually do that too. Get the dialogue and the basic stuff down, then I try to expand. I like this though because it stresses focusing on certain spots that you notice are really tight.
The book is great, really. I think it could help anyone who wants to write.
Marnee this is awesome. I, too, have this problem. I have all these writing "shoulds" shouting at me while I'm writing. One of them is to be concise and to the point and not ramble. But I think going back in afterward to "layer", as Hal said, is a great idea.
Count me as one who likes the second version a lot better than the first. It's more visual and visceral
Irish - thanks! That was Lyon's point in the book, that when we're writing we're trying not to break any rules (overwriting, adverbs, adjectives, etc) and that it can ruin our voices.
On the other hand though, I don't think she was recommending we not follow the rules, just that we make sure we stretch when we can.
Marn! Fabulous detail in the second one. Great job!
I have the tendency to over write. Since I don't know technical terms or read writing books, I really don't have any clue at all the rules I must be breaking. LOL
I'd love to riff, but I'm swamped and have to work on training someone today. :) I'll be back if I can to riff.
I think I teeter from one extreme to the other with this. My writing is very minimalistic. A big word to say I include few details and pretty much no description. LOL! But then when I start to revise and layer stuff in, I go too far and lose the point. It can get very frustrating.
I took an ecourse when I first started writing that taught about layering. It was great and I think is the entire point of the SECOND draft. I'll see if I'm any good at it if I ever finish a FIRST draft. :)
Great blog, Marn. I like the word "riffing". Makes it sounds like a musical jam session.
Sin - Is ok, I know everyone's busy. :) I think sometimes I wish I didn't know all the writing rules. I swear, it's impossible to write anything anymore without being like, "No passive voice" and "Avoid -ing words" and "Sentence variation."
Ter - That's how Elizabeth Lyon made the connection, to a music riff. That some of the best stuff comes from when a musician is just messing around, being creative. I like the analogy.
I was writing something last night and that damn sing-songy rule about 'ing'ing started nagging me. Stupid rule. It's the first 1200-1500 words that stick me when I'm writing and then after that I get into a flow. But its each time I open up Word that the first 1200-1500 words suck. It's like my voice needs to warm up or something.
What if you riff too much?
I've let most of the rules go while trying to write, the vomiting thing and all. But the sentence variation one still lingers. It's hard to let them all go.
When I first started writing and actually hearing about all these rules for the first time, they stopped me up completely. Trying to write was like trying to push a 2 ton boulder up a hill. Wasn't happening.
I have an unhealthy addition to "how-to-write" books, so I know way too many of the rules. I try to ignore them all for a first draft. All the -ing words and sentences starting with "she felt" can be axed later *g*
And Hal read my mind.
My philosophy is (and I know you are stunned that I have one) just write. You can edit the other shit out later.
Ter - I struggle to turn off *all* the rules to. I think the -ing word thing is the hardest for me to ignore to just write. Maybe it's because I love -ing words and am just desperate to use them!
It's funny, if I've been writing a lot on a weekend, when I get to work Monday and sit down to write (nonfiction), it's like this huge relief. I can use adverbs! -ing words! I flood my non-fiction writing with them just to get them out of my system *g*
Sin - I'd say we're on the same wave length, but I'm pretty sure I'm going to have pulled all my hair out and be found sitting under my desk with a handle of rum by the end of the day, and I'd hate for the same to happen to you...
I'm terrible with the "ing" words. I cannot write in active voice. When trying to figure it out, another writer asked if I talk that way. And I DO! Which is why I have such trouble. *sigh*
Hal - I like some of the how to books. While I was at Borders, I looked through a bunch of them and ended up with Elizabeth Lyon's book. I try to keep myself under control or I'd spend hundreds of dollars on the things. LOL!
Ter - I have a hard time with the ing words too. that's a tough one. :) I've been trying to keep it under control with this book.
Marn - I got myself hooked on the "Write Great Fiction" series. It's a great series, with a separate book for each topic (one on pov, one on plot, one of characters, etc). Which of course meant I had to buy *all* of them...grrrr. lol
I'm taking a half day today so there won't be any hair pulling from me. That was Tuesday. And Wednesday and every other day of the week for me.
I love what you did, Marn. It's such a great illustration of how the particular technique works and how it worked wonderfully well for you.
My problem is the opposite. I never say in ten words what I can say in one hundred. It's true no matter what I am writing. Poetry, fiction, blogs, articles for reference tomes--I spend as much time cutting as writing.
As for the internal editor, I think teaching English hones her skills to their sharpest. You might as well throw in the towel, Marnee. She will haunt you forever. LOL!
I think we all have weaknesses in our prose. I never realized how many "that" clauses I use until Terri caught it. Now every time I write "that," the IE rings her little bell, and I take another look at the sentence.
That should be "in THE butt". LOL!
I still can't believe I helped Janga with anything. LOL! For some unknown reason, I kicked "that" in that butt long ago. Now, if I could kick the rest of these issues to the curb. LOL!
I've also be shown that I use "it" too much. Aunty Cindy pointed that out to me in a crit she did. I must have said "it" half a dozen times in one paragraph. And I'd read over the thing a million times, not noticing "it" at all. LOL!
Riff practice: BEFORE
"This is the best bar ever!"
Adam clanged his empty beer mug on the table and marveled as a lovely young woman in a silver g-string and nothing else gyrated to some heavy-rock beat and waved her moneymaker about eight inches from his nose.
"Is there anything I can get you?" asked a new voice. Adam looked right and found his gaze exactly eye level with a pair of the most spectacular breasts he'd ever seen.
"Two more beers, please," Lucifer answered.
"And wings!" Adam chirped, his gaze charmed under the sway of such lush roundness.
"And wings," Lucifer confirmed, tucking a twenty into the woman’s panties.
Wow.
Why was he here again?
Oh, yes, his beautiful wife was shopping for a new husband. How could he forget? Well, he could shop just as well as she could. And he didn't need a credit card to do it. Just some twenties, apparently.
"Here you go." Adam looked up to see the waitress had returned with their beers. "I put in your order for the wings. They'll be about ten minutes."
"Thank you," Adam said politely, but Lucifer poked him.
"Tip her."
Oh. Adam clapped his hand down his shirt and located one of the bills Lucifer had given him earlier. "Here you go." Adam hesitated as he reached to the delicate string of her panties, then raised the bill slightly as if looking anywhere else on her person it might be more appropriate to put money. Finally, Adam cleared his throat. "Here, maybe you should just take it."
The woman's lips twitched as she took the crumpled bill from him. "Thank you. If I had more time, I might let you practice a couple times tucking it in. Being your friend seems to have had far too much practice."
"You can never have enough practice.”
Riff: AFTER
"This is the best bar ever!"
Adam clanged his empty beer mug on the table and marveled as a lovely young woman in a silver g-string and nothing else gyrated to some heavy-rock beat and waved her moneymaker about eight inches from his nose. This was even better than golf.
"Is there anything I can get you?" asked a new voice. Adam looked right and found his gaze exactly eye level with a pair of the most spectacular breasts he'd ever seen. And considering he'd gotten to see Eve's breasts, this was saying something. Eve's were perfect and round, like the size of large ripe peaches, but these were the size of mangoes at least. Full and dusky skinned, framed at the top by the silky black curls of the woman's long hair and the bottom by a narrow rib cage. He rather wondered how she kept upright.
"Two more beers, please," Lucifer answered. Lucifer was his new best friend, Adam decided. This indeed had been a brilliant idea.
"And wings!" Adam chirped, his gaze charmed under the sway of such lush roundness. Yes, women should go around naked more often. That should be a law somewhere.
"And wings," Lucifer confirmed. Then in a movement that held Adam's undivided attention and awe, Lucifer tucked a twenty-dollar bill in the woman's miniscule underwear. Andrew Jackson's face was bigger than the swatch of cloth that covered the Holy Land.
Wow.
Why was he here again?
Oh, yes, Oh, yes, his beautiful wife was shopping for a new husband. How could he forget? Well, he could shop just as well as she could. And he didn't need a credit card to do it. Just some twenties, apparently.
"Here you go." Adam looked up to see the waitress had returned with their beers. "I put in your order for the wings. They'll be about ten minutes."
"Thank you," Adam said politely, but Lucifer poked him.
"Tip her."
Oh. Adam clapped his hand down his shirt and located one of the bills Lucifer had given him earlier. The bills that kept the waitresses visiting them as religiously as Mecca. "Here you go." Adam hesitated as he reached to the delicate string of her panties, then raised the bill slightly as if looking anywhere else on her person it might be more appropriate to put money. Finally, feeling as embarrassed as one of his own sons caught in mischief, Adam cleared his throat. "Here, maybe you should just take it."
The woman's lips twitched as she took the crumpled bill from him. "Thank you. If I had more time, I might let you practice a couple times tucking it in." She cast Lucifer a rueful look. "Being your friend seems to have had far too much practice."
"You can never have enough practice," Lucifer reassured. "He's a little nervous. Just got divorced from his childhood sweetheart, you know."
The woman flashed Adam a sympathetic look, which Adam surmised he should probably feel a little guilty about receiving. Or embarrassed. But really what he was thinking was just how sympathetic she might be. He had enough of a buzz and self-pity going on that he was pretty sure he would not be above a pity fuck.
The woman winked and gave a half-turned smile. "Well, don't worry. With your good looks, you're going to have plenty of practice before the night's out."
Clearly she thought he wasn't above a pity fuck either.
You know what's tragic? I have this book somewhere in my apartment. I could swear I boxed up the damned thing and moved it, but I can't find it. WHERE the devil is this book? Gah. Damn, damn, damn.
I find rules terribly confining to the actual creative process. It's hard to noodle when the rules are hammering away at the creator. I know you got to know them... Otherwise it's like being creative in the kitchen, and making cocoa krispie pancakes or something that sounds good but just doesn't work!
One of the reasons I am stympied in the kitchen!
It happens with singing, also. If I don't know the words, I won't open my mouth. If I can't get it right, I won't let my voice free. It's horrible to shut it all down like that. No one gets it right from the starting point. I can't run a marathon without learning to walk!
At least I don't do it with writing... Working on the rest!
Hellion... nice re-riff! Er...riffer? Riffalong... Hmmmm...riff-after?
I like how Adam loses track of why he's there but appreciative nevertheless...
LOL. I love the pity fuck.
Wonderful blog and great information! Thanks!
I tend to overwrite. (Hush, Hellion and Sin!) And when I do that it's more on the character's emotional side, forgetting descriptions sometimes and setting, so I could still use the riff techinique. Trouble is, finding ONLY places to riff--I feel like I need it so much!!
And your hubby isn't so crazy. I've held onto a Borders card for almost a year before.
Andie!--how can you hold onto a card so long? Saving it for a rainy day or something? I mean, unless I've got a book in mind further in the year I need to spend it on, I need to spend it RIGHT NOW. On something. Or several things. Whatever.
Hellion that was awesome! I like the second version better on yours also.
2nd Chance - I think you sort of put my whole stymied creative process in a nutshell. If I can't get it right I don't do it. Or at least that's how it used to be - I'm trying to learn and vomit (as Terri would say!) LOL
Irish - At least I'm not encouraging you to drink until you vomit. *passes over some rum*
:)
Nice riff, Captain. The pity fuck is always a favorite. LOL! And appreciated....
I can't keep a gift card of any kind. Must spend IMMEDIATELY!
I used to have that mentality. Thinking I had to get it right the first time I put the words to the paper..err...screen. That epiphany about vomiting it out and just getting the damn story down was SO helpful. Now I need the "get your ass in the chair and open the flippin' file" epiphany.
I once had a B&N card for three months. I say it's because I forgot I had it. It's not like I didn't spend money in there in those three months. LOL
I would hoard cards all the time. It was like gold and I didn't want to spend indescriminately (I never realized I used so many big words I can't spell before. LOL!). Now I'm out the door before the seal's broken. I still buy the books at B&N and Borders that I know I won't find at Walmart (for 25% less), though.
Then someone told me about a year ago some retailers started taking value off of cards that were over a year old. Now I'm afraid if I save up I'll lose out!
Reading this left me in shock thinking that the captain had suddenly got married.
That would have explained the change in writing style.
Then I read some posts!
I have one golden rule for this. Before riff writing, ask yourself what exactly you are trying to add, and has it already been said or implied elsewhere in the text. When I read stories that contain much repetition or boring and uninteresting detail, then I bin them, remembering not to buy anymore.
Its hard to judge the above example without knowledge of the rest of the text, but somehow I have faith in your powers to surprise me Marnee. And I am never bored at this site.
Will try and return later!
That's just crazy. Considering the rate of inflation, that card will buy less goods than it would have a year ago. So they actually make out better when you wait. AND, they got the money on the card when it was purchased without losing inventory. Gah!
Okay, I totally am with Q. I sat there and thought about how I could have had no clue Helli was married.lol. Especially after we discussed making pathetic-single-girl T-shirts for V-Day!lol. And I also wondered how she'd already had a kid. Luckily the 'voice' was distinctly Marnee's.
Marn, your husband is a genius and quite possibly the most perfect husband on the planet(other than my Dad, of course, who does wonderful things for my mom ALL the time).lol.
I have Elizabeth Lyons' Manuscript Makeover. I haven't read much but her advice is invaluable! That was a great example of riffing.:) I think I'm going to try it out! Couldn't hurt.
PS: I forgot to mention that I think these exercises definitely strengthen MY writing. But I have no clue about others.Maybe it's different for everybody?(Also, I haven't read the preceding posts so I probably am missing several examples of how this does or doesn't work for others.*g*)
I was 11k under my word-count-by-plot goal ("by this point in the plot I need to have 25k words or this is going to end up a novella") a couple weeks ago, so I made myself stop and basically "riff" everything from chapter 4-6 until I added the requisite word count--brought in a lot of interesting developments, actually, new plot details, etc. And it helped me get deeper into descriptions, which is great for this book because there's a ton of fake wedding planning in this book (real planning, fake engagement) and what's wedding planning without 2000 words on the dress? ;)
Now at almost 50k words, I've started to do this a bit more automatically--look for opportunities for new scenes, abandoned/underdeveloped characters/plot threads/settings/sensory info (which reminds me, I still need more setting I think).
When I'm done with this book, though, I think I'll be done with these characters for a while. Love 'em, of course, but it'll be time to move on--and I've probably put them through enough anyway ;) .
I didn't even realize it said the Captain wrote it. I fixed it. :)
Jordan - Now what are you going to do if you get to the end and have 50K too many words?
*ducking and running*
Oh, I wish. I'm afraid I'll get to the end and have 75k words total, and it'll be 50k too many ;)
Oh, and I did let myself move on in the plot once I hit 22k words. I'm now ~3/4s way through the timeline and ~2/3s way to 75k (setting my sights low here for total word count).
This is something I've never been able to do. I never think of a story in number of pages. I know we have to and should, but I can't imagine how many pages a story will take. It just takes as many as it takes. LOL! Another defect in my brain for this writing thing.
I did write a short story that had to stay under a certain word count. I approached it by keeping the timeframe the story covered to a minimum. Then came in well under the number, but mostly because I ran out of time.
I'm always amazed when I read a book and realize it was all done in less than a week, timewise. And they fill the word requirements! How the hell did they do that? Without it sounding like a list of daily chores and mundane activities? I tend to write real time and in real time, it takes longer than a week for things to develop!
Christie is a good example of this...a whole book, taking place in less than a week...wow.
But it impresses the hell out of me and I'm going to give it a try one of these days. Just to see if I can do it.
Hmmm. So, in Christie's world, Hellion could have found a husband and a kid in less than a week!
So, how 'bout a riffle? A re-write using the riff becomes a riffle. And a new excuse to drink! Riffles, anyone?
Kelly, Q: you guys would know if I got married. Hell would freeze over. And me, BREED? Do you know how frightening that is? Not that they wouldn't be cute. I had that Turkish student who told me repeatedly that I'd make beautiful babies...and offered to help, but I was not interested.
Though it might be amusing to have a little mini-pirate like the one who was trick-or-treating at the house one year, and he purposely took TWO pieces instead of one and then leapt from the top step to the ground, waving his sword and screaming, "I got it! I got TWO!" I mean, I have a feeling if I had one--that's what he'd do--but like ALL THE TIME. And I need sleep. You don't want to deal with me without sleep.
And the married thing again. Dude, the married thing usually involves like a wedding planning thing--and I just refuse. I went to lunch Tuesday, shuddering about wedding plans BELONGING TO SOMEONE ELSE and saying I never want to do that--and I could tell my best friend was trying not to be offended because I've only been involved in one other wedding: HERS.
Now I'm hearing that old chip jingle - Riffles have ridges...
My 13K word story covered about 24 hours. But it was Erotic Romance so you can what made up most of the words. ;)
I think it's harder to make the HEA believable if the book only covers a week. Unless the H/H have a long history of some sort. Not that it can't be done or isn't done all the time, just seems like it would be an added challenge to make the HEA stick.
Chance - Do you never skip time? Like skip over a few weeks or months even?
As I said, Terrio, Christie Craig does it. It's really amazing...though there usually is a short period where you aren't really dealing with the day to day stuff...but she just glosses over it. I'd sit there and agonize how to make sure the reader knows the time has passed...she washed her hair, walked the dog, cleaned the kitchen, made a report to the boss...ad naseum. (Oooh! Doesn't that sound educated? I probably spelled it wrong though!)
Do me riffle have ridges? 'Course! After six or so, don't they all?
Hel - What 'bout a pirate weddin'? We all dress up and raid the reception, sail off wit' the gifts... Could be fun! I want ta do that fer me 30th anniversary, in 2010...
We be crossin' lines!
Yeah, I skip, but I agonize over how ta do it gracefully. And I get a timeline in me head and get all paranoid 'bout followin' it...
Ya know the trick...a horse travels only so far each day, but suddenly that 200 miles is done in 2 days...yeah. Superhorse! I made me Caribbean smaller so the sailin' times were crunched in me pirate novels. (I love alternate universes!)
LMAO. I read Chance's comment and said, "WTF! When have I ever done anything within a week" and got further down and realized it was the real Christie who actually writes. LMAO
Geez, now that I've had a heart attack I'm going to go run. Adios wenches. I'll be back later.
Did Sin just say something about running? Is someone chasing her? I can't think of any reason other than that to run....
I've only read one of Christie's books and I do think it was pretty quick like that. Wedding Can Be Murder. That book covered no time at all. And I think that was one of the fastest paced books I've ever read. She's a master at that. And I totally believed the HEA.
I didn't think of that kind of skipping time. LOL! I just skip from like Sunday night to Friday evening or something like that. My story will cover about three or four months. Knowing what to skip is almost as hard as knowing what to include.
I can just see us all dressed as pirates for a wedding. LOL! Hey, if you invite us, it'll give me a chance to come back and check out California again. LOL!
Okay, Helli, that story is hysterical about your friend.lol. She has to know that wedding stuff is boring and not worth the bother AND expense. People these days spend more time *planning* the wedding than they actually spend *being* married.lol.
And I can totally visualize that as your kid.lol. I can see why you'd want to put the procreation process off.hahahahaha
Also, if you did get married would you have to give up Jack? I think if the hubby says give him up, that's a deal breaker.lol.
THANKYOU! That's what I went off about! I said, "I'm so tired of brides saying, 'it was the best day of my life'--I mean, REALLY? That's just SAD. It should not be the BEST day of your life. It should be the beginning of some of the best days of your life." (Since clearly you can't have a best day everyday for the rest of your life. Nobody is that happy.) I just don't think it should be your best day. And you're so wore out, trying to control freak every moment of it--How can you possibly enjoy any of it?
It just seems...pointless. I get the dress and the pictures (I mean, I'd want documentation someone married my cranky ass, definitely)--but some of it is just ridiculous. Like 90% of it.
And some of it is so cheesy and CINDERELLA. I kinda throw up in my mouth a little at some of the things that brides want. "I want doves to fly out of a cake as we exit the church!" WHAT? I mean, that's a America's Funniest Videos moment just dying to happen right there.
Ter - "Knowing what to skip is almost as hard as knowing what to include." - Amen! That was really hard for me to figure out. One day it just hit me, "Oh, I can start the next scene, like, a week later. Oh!" LOL! I think a big part of figuring out how to skip time is how to start and stop scenes. I find my scenes running on and on with mundane details, then have to go back and chop so it ends on a hook and the next one can start on the next hook.
My last MS covered a week, and it was a HUGE pain to make the HEA feel un-contrived after that short of time. I only went as far as having them move in together - no marriage after a week. lol. This current one spans one weekend. Yikes! But the h/h have been married for 12 years, so it works.
Hells - I had the big girly weeding (well, no doves flying out of a cake, but I did have the big poofy dress and tiara....yes, a tiara). And 90% of it was definitely ridiculous. My friends still make fun of me :)
See, the H/H have a history. Totally doable. LOL!
Yeah, I was trying to write every second and when I finally realized I didn't have to tell the reader everytime my heroine took a pee or sneezed or the hero scratched himself (not that I would include these things unless necessary...lol) it got much easier.
I haven't got that end on a hook thing quite down yet. Another thing to work on in the second draft. :)
I had the big dress (no tiara...I don't think) with the train and the reception with dinner and DJ. And yesterday I realized that I've now been divorced longer than I was married. LOL! That was definitely NOT the best day of my life.
The only thing I'll tell you about weddings is that it's nice to have your friends and family there. If that's at the JP's office, at a chapel in Vegas or in your backyard, doesn't matter. Just having the people you care about to share it with is the only thing I'd say don't compromise on.
That's what I tell every bride who asks me for advice (I used to run a business making wedding invitations - got out of it when I finally caught on that brides are freakin insane). If there's family, friends, music, and a bar, it'll be a good time. You don't need anything else, and you'll never remember anything else. Just throw a party and move on with your life.
I mean, I hand-made menus for each guest. Seriously. What was I thinking? They couldn't just walk to the buffet and see what the choices were? LOL!
Hal, I have a tiara, but I've never been married. I would never deny a girl a tiara--we all need one. But my friend would ask my opinion on things that I was just so ILL EQUIPPED to answer. I was the DUMBEST girl ever. I don't know what colors go together; or what flowers are best. I don't know. I really don't. And on top of it, she didn't care for my taste--we don't have the same taste in things! Which is fine. That's normal.
It was the fact that when I'd give my opinion on something, she'd wrinkle her nose a bit since clearly I gave the wrong answer, the OTHER bridesmaid would leap in with the answer that I was supposed to go with (how was I to know?), and they'd both agree the OTHER choice (MY choice) was TACKY.
I mean, I realize I have some tacky ass taste, but I got really sick of having it pointed out for 6 months. I was postively postal by the time it came to wedding day time. I was an AWFUL maid of honor. AWFUL. To top it off, the best man came up to me on the day of the wedding and tugged up my bridesmaid dress because it was falling down.
Elopement. That's what I recommend. ELOPE. Take your tiara with you.
I once came *this* close to becoming a wedding consultant. And then I returned to the world of the sane.
I can't watch that Bridezillas show. I just want to beat the crap out of those chicks.
Do we know this best man?
LMAO!!!
Hells - oh god! That sounds terrible! Everyone has different taste but no one wants their nose rubbed in for six months!
Ter - I can't watch those shows either. Seriously, someone needs to punch those girls in the nose. A year from now, when they're no longer bridezilla, they're going to be so embarrassed (hopefully, unless they're like that in real life...yikes!)
Hal, really brides are insane? No. You jest. What did they want? Doves to fly out of the invitations?
Hellie - I loved your expanded version. :) Great job!! And I also think that Andie is nuts. I could barely tolerate the card in my house unused for a month and a half.
Chance - Cocoa Krispie pancakes! Why didn't I think of that?
Yeah, I'm afraid we all know the best man. *LOL*
Think Ben.
Hal - I think they're like that in real life. Which makes me wonder how THESE women can find men to marry them, yet so many normal (relative term I know) women I know are still single. It boggles the mind.
Hell - I thought so. LOL!
OH, and my tacky taste was also pointed out for 6 months by the gay guy I'd been dating PRIOR to the 6 months of this wedding stuff. So basically for a year, I was told I was tacky. My friends inadverently reinforced everything the gay ex-boyfriend had been telling me.
Anne - I think that I tend to go overboard sometimes too. Emotional places as well. Never descriptive. I'm the sort to write all this emotion in a white room.
Q - you're absolutely right about the repetition. It has to be controlled riffing. I think that was one of her points. That it was to keep it focused. And thanks for the vote of confidence.
Sounds like him, doesn't it? *LOL* My friend was NOT pleased when he did that. I think the family gossiped and it set off more brouhaha. You know how family loves gossip.
Kel and Q: So I sounded like Hells today? I'll take that as a compliment. And Kel, the book is great, really. Check it out.
*LOL* Marn, actually K&Q could tell my voice was different...clearly not hopped up on smack as usual. I probably sounded mature and it totally threw them off. *LOL* Along with the new husband and kid. *LOL*
I second the recommendation to get the book. I might buy it a second time if I fail to locate my original copy. GAH.
And I do think that wedding planning can get out of control fast. I'm not really one to freak out about anything though, so I remember just being like, "wear your hair how you like" and "here's nail polish but if you hate it, don't use it."
I'm pretty low key. I did calligraphy my invitations though.
Nah. My friend didn't care how we wore our hair. She did prefer we didn't dye our hair in a clashing color to the dresses though, if at all possible. (I was constantly dying my hair red, some shade or another--and it didn't look overly great with the burgundy color--but it could have been worse.) Burgundy was something we both looked good in. (Pastels would have been bad.)
If I had to do it all again, knowing what I know now, I think I would have attempted to be more: "Which ONE do you like best? WHY do you like it?"--you know, the therapist approach, instead of, "For God's sake, I don't know. And I don't care." I definitely think that would be better. Ah, well, you live and learn.
As my friend said, it's like building/decorating a house together. If you can get to the end of hte project and not have killed each other, it was a victory. Your friendship is better for it. And she's right. Though I have to say the therapy helped too.
2nd: how did I miss this? You can get married in Vegas on a pirate ship. I also believe you can do this in Grand Cayman (they have a pirate ship parked in their bay.) Pirate ship wedding would be cool. I wouldn't be against a Gretna Green wedding either. Small, elopement group of people.
I'm with Hal. Tie the knot, then come back and throw a big party and get everyone drunk. That's the best part.
The wedding planning in my WIP is mostly for comical effect—the h/h (FBI agents) are trying to get in with a suspected terrorist who was a family friend of the heroine. The suspected terrorist is a total control freak about the wedding planning and despite being a virtual stranger, she takes over the whole show within a week. Tears result.
k, now I have to share a minor Bridezilla story (and the bride in this case later apologized and admitted she went Bridezilla on me).
I was helping to decorate the reception site and there was one wall with nails for hanging pictures on it (we'd taken down the pictures). We were hanging a piece of fabric in front of the nails, and on top of that we were going to hang a huge wedding-colored wreath.
The bride asked me to gather the bottom of fabric and tie it with a ribbon. While (I now admit) this looked better than just leaving it hanging straight, it also exposed some of the nails, and kind of defeated the purpose of hanging it there. We went back and forth over this for a minute before BZ shouts, "I DIDN'T DO THIS AT YOUR WEDDING!!"
To which I responded "I DIDN'T DO THIS AT MY WEDDING EITHER!" And then I went into the bathroom to sob uncontrollably for 20 minutes. (I was pregnant.)
You know, I went to a wedding once where they passed out bubbles so we could blow bubbles as they left the church and the air would be full of majestically flowing bubbles...Ha! Not even close.Maybe one of the bubbles made it up in the air. I guess it was better than pigeons swallowing rice and exploding though...
*LOL* I think both the bride and me wanted to sob uncontrollably at different times during this wedding. I'm glad to know it's not just me. And honestly, my friend is not a BRIDEZILLA person. She cares about people's feelings about things. She cares about people's feelings she's never met. So it was never "DO THIS WAY BECAUSE IT'S MY DAY!" It was always more, "WILL YOU STOP EMBARRASSING ME IN FRONT MY FAMILY WHO IS DYING TO GOSSIP ABOUT THIS" sort of thing. With the other bridesmaid popping up at her shoulder and saying, "Yeah, stop being so TACKY."
There are a LOT of expectations pinned on approximately 2 hours of one day. *sighs*
I think it's funny now (and I hope the bride does, too—her wedding was wonderful and exposed nails didn't ruin it—and she's kind of part of my family, but she'll continue to remain anonymous).
I should have seen it coming, though, when she pulled me aside to kvetch four months before the wedding, "I am not like the rest of this family [ie laid back/2000 miles away for all the wedding planning]!" I like being the good listener in the family, but WOW—did she temporarily forget I was in said family?
Weddings, ah. I did the whole Catholic Mass thing. The best man tried to shake the priest's hand when he was blessing the rings... The priest mispronounced my groom's name... And a tiny little aunt of the groom invited 20 people to cut in front of her at the buffet line. In front of my brother...
Memories! But all in all, no biggie. It was nice, a nice day...but Hel's right, it's the days after that really matter. Which is why I like the renewal to be a full-blown pirate party... Maybe at the Northern California Renaissance Faire, pirate invasion day...
These shows that celebrate the bridal insanity just push others to be as crazy. Nothing like starting your married life out $20,000 in debt!
I did the screaming at a bridesmaid thing. But it was my sister and she was whining about having to wear her hair up. I pulled the "YOU'LL WEAR IT UP BECAUSE THIS IS MY DAY AND I SAID WEAR IT UP!" thing. LOL!
I had the Catholic wedding but didn't do the full mass. During my service, a bee decided to attack me and the priest killed it. With his prayer book. LOL! And I had the little bubbles. They worked great. I have pictures of the entire area filled with little bubbles.
Well, Ter, aren't you just the lucky girl that your bubbles worked.Aren't you just so special and perfect and everything always goes right for you-including other people's hairstyles.LOL!
If you can harsh on my reticence*snort*(More specifically, my LACK of reticence.lol) Then I can harsh all over you, MS.Perfect! With your rose colored sunglasses and candy coated world.lol.
Well, at least the prayer book got used for a good purpose...I hope that's not disrespectful to God!:(
Ah! But the bee... Might have been a reincarnated distant relative, come to witness... Oh, well.
Pardon for the blog back and forth, in case anyone noticed...trying to be ready for tomorrow and thoroughly screwing up!
Chance - That's what my maid of honor said. My grandmother passed the year before and she said it was her in the bee. Which made the whole smooshing thing even worse. LOL!
Well, teach her to come back as a bee, I guess!
Course if it were me grandmother I'd chase 'er about the church and take 'er down personally. She were a mean woman.
I've never been involved in a wedding where some things didn't go wrong. At my sister's wedding, I, with my bouquet and hers in my hands, watched in horror when her veil caught fire during the unity candle thing. I tell her now that she should have seen that as a sign that she had made a bad choice.:)
My favorite wedding disaster is the friend whose wedding was turned into the biggest scandal in her tiny hometown when the groomsmen poured a bottle of vodka in the Baptist punch and all the little old grandmothers and great-aunts and cousin marthas got tipsy.
I had the best time at my wedding. I danced and ate and carried on with everyone. I was the calmest bride I've ever seen. I was helping my girls get dressed. It was hard to yank up pantyhose with nail extensions, lol. That's why I don't get those nasty Bridezillas. I'd dump them in a heartbeat.
This is a great blog, Marnee. Just today I decided to actually read the three tomes I have on writing. Donald Maas's 'How To Write The Breadkout Novel'. Chris Vogler's (sp) on character archtypes. And Stephen King's 'On Writing'. Stephen is new to the crowd but I've had the other two for years.
This riffing thing makes alot of sense. I do have to say that I haven't gone through any of my writing looking for 'that', -ings or adverbs. Sigh. I'm too chicken. I'm afraid it would be a de-riffing and I'd end up with no word count at all, lol.
OMG! Janga, that is hysterical!! I keep imagining my granny liquored up. Bwahahaha! Ah, how the gossips in my small town would play!
I'm loving these wedding stories! What a hotbed of story ideas. The worst thing that happened at mine was it rained!
I had the big Catholic wedding (250 guests), big dress (on sale - $199), reception in a hall where the outside looked like a castle (got a deal on this too cause it just opened). Very cool! I wasn't really laid back - pretty controlling as a matter of fact, but I really could care less what the bridesmaids wore or did with their hair. I think I was more into making sure we threw a really awesome party for all of our friends and relatives. I think we succeeded - they still talk about it.
My nieces and nephews are starting to get married and I'm blown away by how expensive and extensive this whole wedding thing is becoming - wedding planners, cigar rooms, fireworks, etc. I think I went all out but at least I didn't go into debt.
That's what I don't get either. Hell, my entire wedding ran about $800! And that include the $300 for the crochet yarn my sister made my wedding dress out of!
Hello all--I love you guys just from reading the thread here. Thanks for finding my book--Manuscript Makeover. I'm thrilled that you're trying out riffing. It has been the most liberating thing I've done with my own creative writing.
Your discussion on weddings was fun. Brought back memories (that I had suppressed) of my second wedding. He was raising two kids as was I, so we were paupers. I got a real wedding gown (first wedding didn't fulfill this fantasy) at a 2nd hand store. We used the rec room in my folks' 55+ manufactured home park (my kids, then teens, were SO embarrassed--I mean, an old people's home!), and friends stretched our $100 budget to feed the 60 guests--and it was great food!
Alas we didn't survive the blended family hell--4 teens with problems.
I figure the whole wedding cost $300.
Write on!
Elizabeth in Springfield, Oregon
Elizabeth - thank you so much for stopping by! I'm absolutely loving your book. It's been so helpful to me.
And I think $300 for a wedding is a great price tag.
Post a Comment