Tag: writing about writing

Finally Time To Get Back To The Novel

by Shelton Bumgarner
@bumgarls

I’ve waited long enough. Nothing is going to happen to change my life for the better. Nothing of note is going to happen any time soon and the only option I have in the near term is to go back to working on my novel. I have a solid concept for the novel, it’s just a matter of putting the work into it.

So that’s what I’m going to do today. I’m going to put some thought into characters and plot and begin, yet again, to work towards actually writing a novel. This isn’t to say I’m not going to get distracted now and then, that’s just my nature. But I’ve finally decided to get back into the writing a novel mindset.

Writing a novel is a lot of work. An enormous amount of work. And I’m going to have to do some serious pondering. I have the general concept down pat, but the specifics of a novel that I hope will be around 100,000 words is an enormous task for a first time writer. I have an enormous ego, so I am shooting the moon as they say.

But that’s today’s task. Today’s task is to start to take working on the novel seriously again. I have absolutely nothing else going on in my life and I love to write, so why not?

Of #Trump, #Art & #Immigration In The Context Of The #Screenplay I’m #Writing

by Shelton Bumgarner
@bumgarls

It’s interesting how the more I think about it, the more this screenplay I’m developing is about, in real terms, immigration in the Trump era. Humanity — and specifically the United States — is given the greatest opportunity in human history and the screenplay asks out loud if because of political dysfunction if anyone would be willing or able to take advantage of it.

At least, that’s my vision of the concept. I see my efforts as a stepping off point. If I’m able to finish something, anything, I can pitch it to others who might be able to make it better. I’m sure I’m going about this all wrong, but, then, I never do anything right.

The key is, of course, to simply finish something, anything, instead of screwing around and daydreaming. I have produce “paper” as they call it so I can prove that I’m actually serious about all of this. But the process itself is fun. A lot of fun. And I believe I’ve come up with a really, really unique take on the First Contact cliche. But only time will tell. Maybe I’ll grow bored of this like I have everything else.

I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

Some Idle Thoughts On #Writing A #Novel

by Shelton Bumgarner
@bumgarls

The concept I have for a novel is pretty strong. It’s interesting and has a great built-in hook. Having said that, it’s a lot harder than I expected to get out of the outline stage. At one point, I was writing the outline out in longhand, but that kind of burned me out.

So, now I’m using a new laptop to write the outline and the story keeps evolving. But I see that as a good thing. Once I do finally get out of the outline stage, I think I’m going to just write a first draft that’s just something to get the story down pat.

The second draft I will write a lot slower. In between the first and second draft I also think I may do some character studies as well as pay someone to look over the first draft and give me suggestions as to how to improve it. Maybe. I really believe in this novel concept and I’m willing to do put my money where my mouth is. But that is a little bit down the road. We’ll see.

But, in general, I’m enjoying the process of writing a novel if nothing else. I am very much more about producing media as opposed to consuming it and I’ve been looking for a big project that would keep me occupied. Writing a novel, at least for the time being, is it.

V-Log: The Progress I’m Making With My Novel About The Trump Era Is Cool

by Shelton Bumgarner
@bumgarls

I’m not claiming that my novel will have any serious literary merit, but I’m finally figuring out how to write it. It’s a lot of fun. I’m just working on the outline now, but for once the light at the end of the tunnel isn’t a train. The novel will be so cinematic in nature, that there is always a .000000000000000000000000000000000001 chance that maybe it will be a success and a movie of some sort will be made out of it.

Talk To Me Internet: The Novel’s Outline Is Flowing Well, & This Could Be A Movie

by Shelton Bumgarner
@bumgarls

I continue to write a lot on the first draft outline of the novel I’m working on. Things are flowing quite easily and what I’m putting down on the page as I write — in longhand — the story has the makings of an eventual movie. It really is that good. But I have to write the novel first. But I could see how this novel could be turned into a screenplay pretty easily under the right hand. I doubt it will be me if it does happen, but it’s fun to write and daydream as I go along, regardless.

I really like Ilana Glazer and I keep trying to figure out ways to make one of the major characters based on her in some way. Things are still kind of up in the air, so I don’t know exactly how it’s going to work out. But I’m trying to just let things flow out of my head without getting too worked up about the specifics at this point. Just getting things down and being able to work with them later is what’s important.

Talk To Me Internet: Babbling About The Novel I’m Writing About The Trump Era

by Shelton Bumgarner
@bumgarls

I am writing a speculative fiction satire of sorts about the Trump era. The book I would compare it to the closest is Fahrenheit 451. It’s definitely got that kind of vibe to it. It’s funny and yet sort of serious at the same time. That’s my goal in writing it, at least.

But I’m just in the outline writing stage at this point. It’s going to be a while before I finish it. It could be a year or more before I get to the point where I’m comfortable trying to send it to a publisher or whatever.

Talk To Me Internet: Some Mulling Out-loud About My Novel Of The Trump Era

by Shelton Bumgarner
@bumgarls

I am hard at work on a novel about this strange era we live in. It’s going faster than usual for once. But it is going to take time for me to actually finish it. I expect it will be about two years from the moment I actually get the plot straightened out.

Write What You Know

by Shelton Bumgarner
@bumgarls

I am struggling to write a mildly satirical speculative fiction novel about this crazy era we live in. I am writing my outline out in long hand because that seems to work the best for me. It’s a struggle though, for several different reasons.

I keep screwing up — at least in my own mind — and I start from scratch over and over and over again. I am trying to draw upon my personal experiences in Seoul about 10 years ago to give myself a plot, but even that’s difficult. I am juggling several different things in my head at the same time. The general crazy — if strong — high concept and then the more specific plot of what happened in Seoul.

So, I don’t know. I am trying to fuse the two things together as best I can, but it may take a lot longer — and require a lot more thought — than I ever imagined.

It’s fun, though. It’s fun to see if I can pull it off. I find myself doing a lot of pondering of both my high concept and what happened to me in Seoul. Only time will tell, I guess

The Struggle Is Real Redux, Yet More Mulling A Novel

by Shelton Bumgarner
@bumgarls

I am now struggling directly to tell the story of the high concept speculative fiction satire I’ve come up with and the specific story of ROKon Magazine. The only reason why ROKon Magazine’s story is important is, well, it’s the only plot I have.

So, I don’t know. I know the more I tell the ROKon Magazine story literally, the easier it is to write the novel. But the more I do that, the more muddled the high concept aspect of the novel becomes. So, there is a balance I have to strike.

But I am really passionate about both aspects of the story, so I am willing to do the work needed to integrate them. It is going to take a while, though. It is going to require some real fancy footwork writing-wise on my part.

The Struggle Is Real: Writing A Novel Is Hard

by Shelton Bumgarner
@bumgarls

I find myself looking at my blank page, struggling to write an outline. I know the general story I want to tell, but the individual scenes are difficult. I have stumbled across a pretty good system for writing an outline — I do it in longhand with a Sharpie — so it’s just a matter, really, of taking the risks needed to get the story down.

As I have written before, I have pretty much only one plot to my name. The rise, and fall, and rise of the magazine I started 10 years ago with a young lady named Annie Shapiro. It has taken me about 10 years to figure out that I probably can’t literally tell the story of the magazine.

But we’ll see. It seems the closer to get to telling the literal story of ROKon Magazine, the easier it will be to tell the story overall. But I have to give it all a huge amount of thought. I have to figure out how to take something that happened on a very small scale and how to make it huge and epic so people will be interested.

It is going to take a lot of thinking, regardless.