Glare Report: 6/9/05: Playing with marshmallows

[pegkerr]

I read a chapter and did one exercise from Sound of Paper. Then I opened the book file and glanced through it in disfavor. I have a number of incomplete scenes, and am stuck on all of them. With my old method (write from beginning to end) I could get stuck only in one place (wherever I was). With this patchwork quilt method, I can be stuck in ten places at once, which perhaps makes me feel ten times as incompetent.

So I opened a blank page and threw out a few tentative words on a new scene. I had written a partial scene earlier where Jack and Solveig were collaborating on the ice palace design and it's late and they're getting a little punchy. Jack starts fooling around with building a design with stale leftover donuts left in the conference room. They talk about how the design has to be playful (this is something I picked up from interviewing the architect of the 2003-2004 palace; they wanted something that would evoke a sense of play).

So i started a new scene where Solveig is at home, thinking about what Jack said about playing, and realizing that she hasn't thought of her work in those terms much lately. She's fooling around with mini marshmallows as building blocks for a model palace and Ingrid joins her. Solveig gives Ingrid the marshmallows to see what she'll come up with. This also usefully plants the marshmallows for later use in the ice fishing scene.

New words: 153
Total words (once I add them to the book): 16432
Stopping because: I'm tired. I'm stuck. Again. I'm very short on sleep. I'm finding it difficult to concentrate because I had a lousy 5 oz. of wine at dinner, and it just about put me under the table. I'm a cheap drunk.
Mood: mixed. Words! New ones! But so few, it's downright embarrassing. Yet another unfinished scene which means another quagmire of stuck-ness.

Comments

[wildflower150.livejournal.com]

This comment doesn't really have anything to do with your writing - but I just felt the need to tell you that I have two cousins and they are named Sloveig and Ingrid. My family is of Norwegian background (last name Nilson). Anyhow that of course is not really related to your writing I just find it funny and chuckle to myself about your name choices everytime I see them.

Keep up the writing - I know you get frustrated at times but I am certain that you will succeed and create a wonderful novel!

[dormouse-in-tea.livejournal.com]

But they sound like WONDERFUL words. I can't express how much I like that scene just from your summary. An illustration of Solvieg's character without needing to use exposition, a cute-kid-scene, AND a beautiful example of making sure plot devices don't feel contrived later....

[jonquil.livejournal.com]

With my old method (write from beginning to end) I could get stuck only in one place (wherever I was). With this patchwork quilt method, I can be stuck in ten places at once, which perhaps makes me feel ten times as incompetent.

I tried the patchwork method because a trusted friend recommended it -- "write the fun bits first, then write as little connective tissue as you can.". It doesn't work for me; when I work beginning to end, the plot unrolls itself with a deliberate inevitability. When I write islands, they stubbornly refuse to connect.