There are three parts to this bloghop:
Day 1 (May 3rd) - Post a 1-2 sentence pitch.
Day 2 (May 5th) - Post a 300-350 word excerpt.
Day 3 (today) - Post what you learned from this manuscript.
I picked my sci-fi dystopian romance called Toe-suckers. The title is horrible, but it's not what you-- Okay. It's totally what you think. The aliens have reproductive organs that resemble human toes and feet. "Toe-sucker" is a great insult when used by people who hate the aliens.
What I learned from this manuscript:
1) I learned I liked to write science-fiction. It was my first novel with aliens, and though the aliens aren't the primary characters, it was a lot of fun to create a race of beings.
2) I used adverbs too much. I know what a mistake that is now, but I was too in love with using the "-ly" words.
3) I slipped out of my protagonist's POV too often. It made for some confusing parts. I was also writing from Zegg's POV, and I rarely write novels from the male POV. Zegg was a gutter rat and a thief. He wasn't an alpha male. I think I did an okay job with him, but I learned I best stick with a female protagonist.
4) I wrote too many long paragraphs of description. I use to write thick descriptions like you'd see in big fantasy books. The scenes that worked best in Toe-suckers were the faster paced ones, the ones with less description. I've really cut down on my descriptions over the years. I know better how to show rather than tell. I also have more faith in the intelligence and imagination of my readers. They don't need every little thing described.
5) This manuscript taught me how much I love being a pantser. I have no idea where I was going with this story. I only had an idea of toe-sucking aliens. It led to an unusual, quirky, and dark story with which I had tons of fun.
Excellent lessons, some of which I've recently learned/ am learning myself.
ReplyDeletePoints two and four especially resonated with me, and are things I need to work on.
Thanks. Yes, it took a long time for me to learn that less is better. The important thing is to keep learning as you go along.
DeleteWould love to do this, maybe another time, if I don't complete my chn's sequel they will be grandmother's before it is published....
ReplyDeleteIt was a fun bloghop. Hopefully they'll do it again next year! :) Good luck with your story.
DeleteVery useful lessons learned!
ReplyDeleteGreat lessons. This has been such a great bloghop. It's so cool to see everyone's growth. (And get tips for things I'm still learning!)
ReplyDeleteThanks! It has been a fabulous bloghop. :)
DeleteThis is such a great list, and I love that as I read I was like, yep, me too. Oh yep, I did that too. Lol! Christine, thanks for sharing your story with us!! :D
ReplyDeleteA big thank you to you and Theresa for hosting the bloghop! I've really enjoyed it. :)
DeleteI hear you about the long passages of description. I think a lot of modern writers have forgotten that you can have description, but it shouldn't be description just for description's sake. I tended to skip over the flowery descriptive passages when I read Victorian-era books in my teens.
ReplyDeleteI do the same thing. I like fantasy, but sometimes fantasy writers feel the need to describe too much in their world building. I skim over those long descriptions. Thanks for popping by!
DeleteAwesome list of things you learned, Christine! And I give such huge props to all sci-fi writers... it takes a brilliant mind to come up with what you do!
ReplyDeleteThank you! I wish I had more ideas for sci-fi stories. My mind goes more often down the paranormal romance track. :)
DeleteI love seeing how your writing has changed over the years. :)
ReplyDeleteIt's neat to see how we've evolved as writers.
DeleteGreat learnings... I would add some of those to my learnings since I wrote some of my earlier stories:)
ReplyDeleteThanks! And we're still always learning. :)
DeleteI've never done sci fi/fantasy, but it'd be fun to try something really different.
ReplyDeleteI like being a pantser too, although I'm trying my hand at plotting with my current WIP. I think I'll end up somewhere inbetween.
It is fun to try something out of your genre. I don't do it often, but it makes for a great challenge. I've been trying to be more of a plotter lately, but it's not working!
DeleteI'm a total panster. The only outlining I do is a few random thoughts on post it notes. I couldn't imagine it any other way. The few times I have tried to outline, my characters basically tok over and were like yeah we're going to go in this direction instead and we don't care what you think. lol.
ReplyDeleteI actually really love the title and thought your pitch was great. Thanks for hopping with us :)
That's about the only outlining I do too. I just let the story takes me as it wants! Thank you for hosting the bloghop. It was so much fun! :)
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