Progress so far

Short stories are all done, and on top of that, I also wrote a new short for an anthology. If the anthology takes my short story, that will be my very first published short story (crossing fingers).

The "progress tracker" is working great. Not only does it keep track of my daily word count and words per hour, it's also keeping track of how many minutes I devote on each process. Since I'm good at fiddling around an excel spreadsheet (it's part of my day job), I've created a formula where it tells me how many hours I spend in writing, revising and line editing. I think this is helpful because it gives me an idea on what areas I need improving on.

Along with the "progress tracker," I've also created a "submission tracker." I had one previously, but I made the mistake of creating a sheet per story. Now, I'm putting it all on one sheet and using auto-filters to sort through the submissions and rejects and what-not. It looks like a mess at first glance, but with some finagling and spreadsheet wizardry, I can make it sing.

Finally, I've also created a "rejection rant free-writing" file for myself. It's my habit to free-write for five minutes before writing or editing my manuscript. I'm listening to a podcast called "Creative Penn Podcast," and on the episode where the host interviewed the author of DIY MFA, she mentioned something about an angst jar. This spawned an idea in my head and then took it for myself. Instead of an angst jar, I will have the rejection rant doc file.

Since creating the rejection rant file, I've submitted six of my short stories to publications. I've yet to fill my rejection rant file since I'm still waiting for a response (which are most likely rejections).

Anyway, those are my progress so far. Since I'm done with my short stories, I'm prepping for the final edit on my novel. With the rate of how I edit (thanks to the data from my progress tracker), I'll be finished with the line edits in two months. As always, my goalpost is my birthday. So long as I finish my novel before that, then I'm good.

Compass (A Rough Outline Method)

I have an idea for a rough outline that’s tailored for discovery writers. I’m no expert (and not a published author yet) so this is a system devised by a budding author.

I thought of this rough outline based on advice, how-tos, interviews and lectures from different authors. This also borrows concepts from “Story Grid” by Shawn Coyne and “Take off Your Pants” by Libbi Hawker.

A bit of background on myself. I am finishing the 3rd draft of my novel which began as a short story, which mutated into a novel. The 1st draft was written by the seat of my pants. I didn’t have an outline nor did I have any guides to where I was going. I just wrote and wrote until I reached the ending.

I liked my story, but 80% of it needed to be rewritten. Although time is never wasted when you’re having fun, I still feel I could have saved time for myself.

An outline was off the table. I had used outlines before, and I don’t like it. Pages upon pages of bullet points felt like a chore rather than a journey. So I looked for other solutions, a compromise between a pantser and a plotter.

“The Story Grid” had a concept called “Foolscap Method.” You can search it up and see for yourself. Basically, it is a one-sheet that delineates your three acts, and in each act, you list five essential scenes that ends with a bang. I grew interested with this concept, but the details it required was daunting and felt like outlining. What I liked about it, however, was its restriction of keeping it on one page.

The next one was Libbi Hawker’s quick outline. In there she asks you to list your main character their flaw, their goal, their ally, the antagonist, the ending and theme. Good points to keep in mind, but she then asks you to outline some essential scenes.

With those in mind, I borrowed some of their concepts and created my own system. I call it a compass because it’s only four items, and it will be limited to only one page.

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Here are the items:

• What If Statement
• Inciting Incident
• Protagonist’s Weaknesses/Flaws
• Potential Climaxes/Endings

With these, you have enough to cook up a novel and enough room to play and discovery write.

WHAT IF STATEMENT

The What If statement captures the uniqueness of your story and the enthusiasm you have towards it. It is something akin to a mission statement. Almost all stories can be captured in a what if statement (What if we’re inside a pedophile’s mind? What if people are used as batteries for robots? What if you woke up one day as a cockroach?)

INCITING INCIDENT

This is the event that pushes the protagonist out of his comfort zone, the moment when their problem begins. The inciting incident is not necessarily the first scene of your story. It could be a scene or two until the fun begins.

Write down the inciting incident. You can be terse by writing one sentence that begins with When (example, When the power dies in Jurassic Park; when Humbert meets Lolita; when Neo meets Trinity).

PROTAGONIST’S WEAKNESSES/FLAWS

When you start with your discovery writing, you don’t want to have a cardboard cutout of your protagonist. You might already have a character sketched in your head, have a certain trait or quirk in mind, but writing down their weaknesses or flaws would help limiting them.

Here you will list possible weaknesses and flaws for your protagonist. You could put one or more, but don’t go crazy. Their weaknesses or flaws must be pertinent to the story. Positive traits can be a weakness or a flaw.

POTENTIAL CLIMAXES/ENDINGS

This is your target, your destination. I labeled it as “potential” because you might discover a better ending as you write your novel. Having a potential climax or ending gives you direction for your story, preventing you from snaking around or writing endlessly.

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There you have it. Four points, just like a compass. Anything between, from inciting incident to the ending, will be discovery-written.
This is just a tool, a simple one at that. If you have any questions or feedback, please post below. It is a work in progress that I’m trying out myself.

EXAMPLE
What If...

• What if humans had lost a war against robots? Then they were enslaved and then used as batteries to keep them alive?

Inciting Incident

• When Neo meets Trinity

Weaknesses/Flaws

• Inexperienced. Neo is new to everything and is still fresh from being awakened from the matrix.
• Self-Doubt. Neo does not believe he is the chosen one despite people telling him otherwise

Potential Climaxes/Endings

• Neo becomes the ONE and destroys Agent Smith
• Neo doesn’t become the ONE, but still destroys Agent Smith
• Neo dies, but returns to become the ONE, then destroys Agent Smith

Color of all, Color of Heaven

By Jon Mayo

Colors of all
Colors of heaven

Violet passions keep the world turning
And our song remains on its axis
Entranced hearts surrendering to a universal beat
The desperate plugging their ears

Colors of all
Colors of heaven

Blue souls at the corner of the floor
Take our hand and take a dance
Gyrating souls in their god given grove
Garden of ethereal essence
In sync with the beat

Colors of all
Colors of heaven

Indigo lights flashing up above
The BPMs pulsing with the nation
We light fires that fuels the night
Here comes the flame warming the cold world

Colors of all
Colors of heaven

Green they are
Green with envy
Green for what we are
What we believe
What we stand
for, what we love
Who we love

Colors of all
Colors of heaven

Yellow belly beasts
Bitter pill they cannot consume
Assimilate hate instead
Nourished with nothing but fear

Colors of all
Colors of heaven

Orange afternoon our rage comes not
Not on the edge of midnight
For the restless breath in the morning
Ready to take pride and to fight for tomorrow

Colors of all
Colors of heaven

Red spilled red promises
Let the tears spill but keep our fists clenched
Our numbers fall but our love never will
Writ in stone our history is

Colors of all
Colors of heaven

Title Change

So I've decided on the title of my WIP: No Heroes.

Previously, it was titled as Bond. I chose that because of the protagonists' power. The twins can transfer injuries to one another when they incur it, but they can't give that injury back. But as the story evolves and gets refined, I honed in on the theme which is "no good deed goes unpunished." And in this universe, "all heroics gets punished." Therefore the new title matches the inherent theme. It also hints at the universe as to why there are no heroes.

February Update

The 3rd draft is in progress. No hiccups so far. I've been working two hours a day, consistently hammering out about 1,200 words. I thought of increasing my word count by adding another hour or a half, but I decided against it because for fear of burning out. I don't want to burn out. Like a drug addict, I shouldn't OD.

The pacing is fine for me. I estimate that the book will be finished by May or June. After that I have to at least try sending this out to agents or publishers, just to get my feet wet, while writing my next book. I find that would be a challenge since I'm already having that trouble with my short stories in circulation. I love writing, but I hate the administrative aspect of it: the sending out and the waiting. I think I need to discipline myself to succeed in this. At least now I don't feel angry or depressed when I receive rejections (well, a little bit, but it passes in a sec).

Baby steps. Or as what Anne Lamott said, "Bird by bird."

The 3rd draft is in progress. No hiccups so far. I've been working two hours a day, consistently hammering out about 1,200 words. I thought of increasing my word count by adding another hour or a half, but I decided against it because for fear of burning out. I don't want to burn out. Like a drug addict, I shouldn't OD.

The pacing is fine for me. I estimate that the book will be finished by May or June. After that I have to at least try sending this out to agents or publishers, just to get my feet wet, while writing my next book. I find that would be a challenge since I'm already having that trouble with my short stories in circulation. I love writing, but I hate the administrative aspect of it: the sending out and the waiting. I think I need to discipline myself to succeed in this. At least now I don't feel angry or depressed when I receive rejections (well, a little bit, but it passes in a sec).

Baby steps. Or as what Anne Lamott said, "Bird by bird."

The 3rd draft is in progress. No hiccups so far. I've been working two hours a day, consistently hammering out about 1,200 words. I thought of increasing my word count by adding another hour or a half, but I decided against it because for fear of burning out. I don't want to burn out. Like a drug addict, I shouldn't OD.

The pacing is fine for me. I estimate that the book will be finished by May or June. After that I have to at least try sending this out to agents or publishers, just to get my feet wet, while writing my next book. I find that would be a challenge since I'm already having that trouble with my short stories in circulation. I love writing, but I hate the administrative aspect of it: the sending out and the waiting. I think I need to discipline myself to succeed in this. At least now I don't feel angry or depressed when I receive rejections (well, a little bit, but it passes in a sec).

Baby steps. Or as what Anne Lamott said, "Bird by bird."

Snow Day

Like stars
The melted ice glows
On the knitted surface
Underneath
Synapses spark like bursts of nova
A galaxy cradled
And kept warm
By a five dollar winter cap.

On Spreadsheets and Planning

Itching to write, but I'm still in the outlining and planning phase for my third draft. Currently on Scene 49, half-way through my second draft. At this rate, I think I have 98 scenes by the end of everything.

I've also updated my outlining and planning processes. Along with the scene list, I also added a spreadsheet that tracks turning points and questions raised.

Turning points is borrowed from Coyne's Story Grid and Scofield's The Scene Book. Basically, they are events that changes the mood or the fortune of a specific scene. Things either go from good to bad and vice versa. Or it can go from bad to worse and so on. I think it's beneficial to keep track of these so you can see if a scene is stagnant.

Questions raised came up as an idea and also from years of learning. Previously, I never kept track of potential questions that readers might raise while reading my stories. So in the spreadsheet, I will write up a question that could be raised such as "who is the man in black?" Next, there would be two columns: Answered/Hinted at Scenes and Unanswered.

With the example question "who is the man in black?" that could be answered or hinted at in a future scene. If it's answered in scene 12, then I enter the scene number under that column. Sometimes, you just want to give hints rather than answer a question directly. So in the example, we can sprinkles hints throughout the story. I will then enter the related scene numbers under the column (example: Hints in scene 12, 18, 20).

Other times, you might not want to answer the questions raised just to give your reader a sense of mystery. I think this works only if it is not crucial to the plot. Also, the question might be answered in another book; just not in the one you're working on. In this column, I will write down the answer as a convenience to myself and as a reference. With the same question from above, I can write an answer for myself, stating that the man in black is a magician who orchestrated a disaster (something like that).

Itching to write, but I'm still in the outlining and planning phase for my third draft. Currently on Scene 49, half-way through my second draft. At this rate, I think I have 98 scenes by the end of everything.

I've also updated my outlining and planning processes. Along with the scene list, I also added a spreadsheet that tracks turning points and questions raised.

Turning points is borrowed from Coyne's Story Grid and Scofield's The Scene Book. Basically, they are events that changes the mood or the fortune of a specific scene. Things either go from good to bad and vice versa. Or it can go from bad to worse and so on. I think it's beneficial to keep track of these so you can see if a scene is stagnant.

Questions raised came up as an idea and also from years of learning. Previously, I never kept track of potential questions that readers might raise while reading my stories. So in the spreadsheet, I will write up a question that could be raised such as "who is the man in black?" Next, there would be two columns: Answered/Hinted at Scenes and Unanswered.

With the example question "who is the man in black?" that could be answered or hinted at in a future scene. If it's answered in scene 12, then I enter the scene number under that column. Sometimes, you just want to give hints rather than answer a question directly. So in the example, we can sprinkles hints throughout the story. I will then enter the related scene numbers under the column (example: Hints in scene 12, 18, 20).

Other times, you might not want to answer the questions raised just to give your reader a sense of mystery. I think this works only if it is not crucial to the plot. Also, the question might be answered in another book; just not in the one you're working on. In this column, I will write down the answer as a convenience to myself and as a reference. With the same question from above, I can write an answer for myself, stating that the man in black is a magician who orchestrated a disaster (something like that).

Itching to write, but I'm still in the outlining and planning phase for my third draft. Currently on Scene 49, half-way through my second draft. At this rate, I think I have 98 scenes by the end of everything.

I've also updated my outlining and planning processes. Along with the scene list, I also added a spreadsheet that tracks turning points and questions raised.

Turning points is borrowed from Coyne's Story Grid and Scofield's The Scene Book. Basically, they are events that changes the mood or the fortune of a specific scene. Things either go from good to bad and vice versa. Or it can go from bad to worse and so on. I think it's beneficial to keep track of these so you can see if a scene is stagnant.

Questions raised came up as an idea and also from years of learning. Previously, I never kept track of potential questions that readers might raise while reading my stories. So in the spreadsheet, I will write up a question that could be raised such as "who is the man in black?" Next, there would be two columns: Answered/Hinted at Scenes and Unanswered.

With the example question "who is the man in black?" that could be answered or hinted at in a future scene. If it's answered in scene 12, then I enter the scene number under that column. Sometimes, you just want to give hints rather than answer a question directly. So in the example, we can sprinkles hints throughout the story. I will then enter the related scene numbers under the column (example: Hints in scene 12, 18, 20).

Other times, you might not want to answer the questions raised just to give your reader a sense of mystery. I think this works only if it is not crucial to the plot. Also, the question might be answered in another book; just not in the one you're working on. In this column, I will write down the answer as a convenience to myself and as a reference. With the same question from above, I can write an answer for myself, stating that the man in black is a magician who orchestrated a disaster (something like that).

Learning As I Go

I'm one-third in my manuscript, but still writing the scene outline for the 3rd draft. Most of my scenes had to be killed off or consolidated with other scenes. Lately I've been reading up on Story Grid by Shawn Coyne and Make A Scene by Jordan Rosenfeld. These resources are helping me out greatly in planning out my scenes: they help point out my weaknesses and flaws. One thing I noticed was most of my scenes didn't have a turning points and proper scene launches.

I've learned that turning points are crucial to make a scene work. Each scene needs a turning point so it doesn't come across as dull. This was mentioned by Shawn Coyne and also Sandra Scofield in her book The Scene Book (what a humdrum title). Coyne, however, has a complex method with regards to turning points; he talks about Value Shifts, Polarity Shifts and Turning Point (see here: http://www.storygrid.com/tracking-the-scene). As for Scofield, she calls it the Focal Point, a moment where the momentum shifts, where things change from good to bad and vice-verse.

And going through my draft, I've noticed that my narrative summaries were all over the place. I've since planned them out and placed them in strategic scenes where they could elicit the best drama for the novel.

I'm learning as I go, and it's great. When I started this novel early last year, I told myself that the time I spent on it was my "tuition fee." Hope I graduate this year with a complete manuscript.

I'm one-third in my manuscript, but still writing the scene outline for the 3rd draft. Most of my scenes had to be killed off or consolidated with other scenes. Lately I've been reading up on Story Grid by Shawn Coyne and Make A Scene by Jordan Rosenfeld. These resources are helping me out greatly in planning out my scenes; they help point out my weaknesses and flaws. One thing I noticed was most of my scenes didn't have a turning points and proper scene launches.

I've learned that turning points are crucial to make a scene work. This was mentioned by Shawn Coyne and also Sandra Scofield in her book The Scene Book (what a humdrum title). Coyne, however, has a complex method with regards to turning points; he talks about Value Shifts, Polarity Shifts and Turning Point (see here: http://www.storygrid.com/tracking-the-scene). As for Scofield, she calls it the Focal Point, a moment where the momentum shifts, where things change from good to bad and vice-verse. Each scene needs a turning point so it doesn't come across as dull.

And going through my draft, I've noticed that my narrative summaries were all over the place. I've since planned them out and placed them in strategic scenes where they could elicit the best drama for the novel.

I'm learning as I go, and it's great. When I started this novel early last year, I told myself that the time I spent on it was my "tuition fee." Hope I graduate this year with a complete manuscript.

I'm one-third in my manuscript, but still writing the scene outline for the 3rd draft. Most of my scenes had to be killed off or consolidated with other scenes. Lately I've been reading up on Story Grid by Shawn Coyne and Make A Scene by Jordan Rosenfeld. These resources are helping me out greatly in planning out my scenes; they help point out my weaknesses and flaws. One thing I noticed was most of my scenes didn't have a turning points and proper scene launches.

I've learned that turning points are crucial to make a scene work. This was mentioned by Shawn Coyne and also Sandra Scofield in her book The Scene Book (what a humdrum title). Coyne, however, has a complex method with regards to turning points; he talks about Value Shifts, Polarity Shifts and Turning Point (see here: http://www.storygrid.com/tracking-the-scene). As for Scofield, she calls it the Focal Point, a moment where the momentum shifts, where things change from good to bad and vice-verse. Each scene needs a turning point so it doesn't come across as dull.

And going through my draft, I've noticed that my narrative summaries were all over the place. I've since planned them out and placed them in strategic scenes where they could elicit the best drama for the novel.

I'm learning as I go, and it's great. When I started this novel early last year, I told myself that the time I spent on it was my "tuition fee." Hope I graduate this year with a complete manuscript.

Here we go...

2nd Draft manuscript... yikes.

I've already begun the revision process. Basically, I'm curating my scenes, making sure they have a function and purpose, and not just there as filler or fluff.

The first three chapters were garbage, but I've planned how to revise them. Hopefully they'll look good when I do fix them. After those chapters, the writing and the structure got better compared to the garbage, which somehow surprised me. I hope it still true on the next chapters. Really psyched on how everything will pan out.


My initial estimates of finishing this thing by March might not be feasible, but we'll see. Two days in already, and I've gone through 50 pages, but that's only reading it and creating the outline for the scenes. Actual edits have not happened yet. 

Anyway, I wanted to share to you guys how I organize my scene:

START--LOGLINE--Narrator talking about superhero origins.

Ezra IS BORED because the batteries in his Gameboy dies. He THINKS about climbing the tree in their backyard. Aries ASKS if he wants to play with his action figures and OFFERS his toy Wolverine.

Ezra WANTS TO CLIMB the tree because he had always wanted to. Ezra STARTS for the tree, BUT Aries tells him to stop.

SUCCESS--Ezra is climbing the tree, BUT as he goes further up, his foothold breaks under him.

Aries IS CONCERNED for his twin brother; Ezra IS AFRAID that he’ll land on Aries (clue on how their powers work). Ezra FALLS with his right arm outstretched. It BREAKS and then HEALS immediately. Aries IS CRYING. Ezra DISCOVERS that Aries’ arm is broken. The neighbors FIND the boys in this situation and TELLS Ezra to wake his mother up.

Ezra NEEDS TO WAKE his mother up, BUT Gracie is drunk, high or both. (SHOW the inside of the living room: bottles, pills, cigarettes). Ezra SHAKES and SCREAMS at her, BUT she’s barely stiring.

SUCCESS--Ezra SLAPS her awake.

END--VISUAL DESCRIPTION--Gracie freaks out and argues with the EMTs; the neighbor offers Gracie and Ezra a ride to the hospital; Ezra appears worried; Ezra scratches his arm.​