At this meet-up we:
Writing obstacles we are facing:
-Think of your action scenes as dosing a reader. You want each dose (action scene) to have maximum impact so you're not numbing your reader. A break in the action not only preserves its potency, but allows the writer to pursue the MC's internal journey's and struggles which give the reader an "in" to connect with the protagonist and understand his or her fears/weaknesses/motivations.
-Perhaps sending to more readers doesn't ensure more feedback. In previous Beta reading cycles, writer had six readers and got six sets of feedback. This round, more than tripled the number of readers yet still only got six sets of feedback. If you've got a good range of readers that consistently provide quality input, adding more people may not yield better results.
And in victories, Sabine finished the first draft of her novel! Woo hoo!
Some suggestions for future meet-ups:
- discussed challenges we are facing with regards to our writing, and shared updates on our works-in-progress.
- talked about what topics we would like to see addressed or that various individuals might lead a discussion about.
Writing obstacles we are facing:
- Getting from action scene to actions scene. The antagonist is a doer and not prone to introspection, yet the character and plot both require a moment of reflection to take stock and maintain the pacing. How to keep this from dragging and being boring?
-Think of your action scenes as dosing a reader. You want each dose (action scene) to have maximum impact so you're not numbing your reader. A break in the action not only preserves its potency, but allows the writer to pursue the MC's internal journey's and struggles which give the reader an "in" to connect with the protagonist and understand his or her fears/weaknesses/motivations.
- Getting feedback from Beta readers.
-Perhaps sending to more readers doesn't ensure more feedback. In previous Beta reading cycles, writer had six readers and got six sets of feedback. This round, more than tripled the number of readers yet still only got six sets of feedback. If you've got a good range of readers that consistently provide quality input, adding more people may not yield better results.
- There was a general feeling that many writers would benefit from group writing sessions, to have accountability and the benefit of peer pressure to write and not... not-write.
And in victories, Sabine finished the first draft of her novel! Woo hoo!
Some suggestions for future meet-ups:
- All read a short story and have one person present on a particular story element
- All write to a prompt and then share the results
- A discussion or presentation on outlining and structuring, and the various approaches (painter/sculpter, plotter/pantser)
- Pick a format and discuss its mechanics: long story, short short, poem, essay
- Discuss/present on detail accuracy and how much research, explanation, description is required
- How nonfiction writing works and how much fiction and fictional elements play into this genre
- Scene setting during action scenes: providing context and a clear sense of space and movement while maintaining the intensity
- Protagonists and Antagonists
