How to make every chapter interesting

So, I had another not-so-original epiphany today. I've only completed one novel to date and it was hard going. I think it was so hard because I had no clear division in the story, other than scene-to-scene. Today the thought occurred to me that it might be easier to get through that first draft if I wrote by chapter, instead of by scene.

I know this is nothing new to the writing community in general, but I've never tried it before. Not only did I not write by chapter in my first book, but I didn't write chronologically either; I literally wrote scenes in random order as they developed in my imagination. This is NOT a good writing strategy: you have to figure out where each scene fits best, reconcile slight differences in plot or detail, and then go back and figure out where chapter breaks should go. It's a nightmare! So, I'm going to take a leaf out of the books of several writers and create a new Word doc for each chapter (incidentally, it was my good friend Shallee that got me thinking about this suggestion again, if in a round-about way; she mentioned doing more intensive outlining in her post the other day).

Now, here's the (hopefully) brilliant part of my epiphany: the way to make each chapter more fun to read (and write) is to structure each one as a complete mini-story as much as possible. What I mean is try to make every chapter have a clear conflict and plot structure of its own. That way, in addition to supporting or advancing the overarching plot, each chapter helps keep the readers attention/interest and gives the reader mini-doses of the reaction he/she gets from an entire book. If I can make this work, it will make my writing infinitely more interesting.

Now, I'm sure it's going to be about 8 billion times harder than it sounds, and will require a heck of a lot of outlining (again, thank you, Shallee), so I hope you all will be sending good vibes my way.

What do you like to do to make each chapter interesting and engaging?

Logistical Solutions and Old Problems

Hi everyone! I'm sure you've noticed my posts over the last few months have been a bit sporadic. The problem is that most of my ideas come during the day, while I'm at work. At my old job this wasn't a problem because I literally had no work to do (one of the reasons I quit); unfortunately, now that I've actually got work to do, it would look really bad if I were blogging in the middle of the day. Thankfully, today I cam up with a (not so) novel solution: I have a notepad on my desk, and whenever I come up with an idea I jot it down really quick so I can post it really quick when I get home. I know that's not exactly a new idea, but what can I say...

Now, on to something actually related to novel writing! I've been pulling my hair out over the last couple of weeks; I found I've fallen into the same old trap I always end up in. A few weeks ago, I decided I was going to buckle down and knock out a first draft of Dathan the Sorcerer. I managed to make a little headway, but as always, I was derailed by two things: 1) I reached a certain point and can't figure out what comes next (a HUGE apology to Tanya, my CP, but it might be a while before I send her any more), and 2) I've been distracted by a veritable deluge of ideas for one of my other stories (none of which I can afford to ignore because I intend to write that story later). GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

Anyway, I've (hopefully) solved one writing problem and will be posting more regularly. As for my other problem, I'd welcome any advice you guys might have. I'm at my wits' end.

Speaking of which, what's the biggest obstacle in your writing process? Maybe we can give you some ideas!

Choosing a POV character

Yesterday I realized something about my writing style: I don't like to write from the hero's perspective, at least not much. I much prefer to write from the point of view of another character observing the hero. The funny thing is I'm not entirely sure why.

The problem is that it's a lot harder to characterize a person and show his/her thoughts and emotions when you can't get inside his/her head. You have to rely on other characters noticing certain things (e.g. facial expressions, nervous ticks, tone of voice, etc.). And there's also the problem of those times when the hero does something courageous, virtuous, selfless, or ... well, heroic, but there's no one around to see it or report on it. Those are about the only times I can bring myself to write from the hero's POV.

What do you all think? What are the advantages and disadvantages of my little quirk? Do you have any particular preferences (rational or otherwise) in POVs?

Belated Meme response

My apologies  for the long silence. Between my recent illness and an approaching deadline at work, I've had next to no time for anything other than panic and exhaustion. Things are starting to calm down a little bit, so I'm hoping to get back to that quasi normal thing that almost resembles a blog schedule.

Also, I want to thank everyone for your prayers and well-wishes over the last few weeks. It means a lot that you guys are thinking of me. And as an update, I'm almost back to normal these days: I'm out of danger from the blood clot in my leg (though it's still there, it is no longer growing or likely to break off and become another embolism), and I can walk/move around normally again. I'm still on blood thinners and will be for the next six months, which means no contact sports/anything that might cause lacerations, major abrasions, or internal trauma...so my career as an NFL linebacker is pretty much over ;) (see my profile picture if you don't get this joke). Restrictions not withstanding, I'm feeling really good and I'm glad to be getting back to life as usual. Now, on to my real post!

So, a few weeks ago, Rosie, over at East for Green Eyes, tagged me in a meme. To be honest, I don't even know what a meme is, but I figure it can't hurt to respond/pass it on. Besides, I think this is kind of fun!

If you could go back in time and relive one moment, what would it be?

Well, I would have to say I'd like to relive my honeymoon... What can I say? It is still one of the happiest times in my entire life. Although, this time around, I'd make sure my wife and I both remembered to bring our hiking stuff...

If you could go back in time and change one thing, what would it be?

I would change my career path from technical writer/XML editor to SFF editor. Even though I like my job, I constantly find myself wishing I could just get back to reading whatever book I'm in the middle of at the moment. And to have someone pay me to do it would be the best thing EVER.

What movie/tv character do you most resemble in personality?

To be completely honest, I really can't think of one. I even asked my wife and she couldn't think of one either. However, there are a few characters that I almost come close to resembling/wish I resembled:

1. Wedge Antilles (if you don't know him, there's no use explaining)
2. Marshal Erickson (How I Met Your Mother)
3. John Crichton (Farscape)

If you could push one person off a cliff and get away with it, who would it be?

Yeah, I couldn't do that. Mostly because I'd be waaaaaaaaaaaay too terrified of falling to get close enough to push someone. Now my dirty secret is out.

Name one habit you want to change in yourself.

Laziness. I really think this is a habit. We get comfortable in routine. After my father died in 2008, I didn't do ANYTHING. I watched lots of TV. I sat on my butt. And it's been really hard to break those habits since then.

Describe yourself in one word.

Geeky

Describe the person who named you in this meme in one word.

Spunky!

Why do you blog? Answer in one sentence.

I blog because it lets me share what I'm learning about writing (and occasionally vent about writing) with people who I know have the same interests and problems as I do. It's almost therapeutic at times.

Who am I tagging? 

Shallee McArthur

Michelle Merrill

Sarah (Glissades and Gabble)

Teralyn Rose Pilgrim

Chantele Sedgwick

Unforseen Difficulties

Hi everyone,

So, last week I promised everyone that I would be putting up some fun and exciting posts soon. Obviously, I haven't done anything yet, but for good reason. On Friday I was diagnosed with a blood clot in my left leg...then on Sunday I was diagnosed with two pulmonary embolisms on Sunday (i.e. a couple pieces of the clot broke off and migrated to my lungs). So, I've been in the hospital for the last couple of days.

The good news:

They should let me go home sometime tomorrow. My doctor says the embolisms are small enough that they shouldn't cause any major problems, but they want me to stay here in the hospital until my medication kicks in (it takes a few days). Hopefully this isn't due to some previously unknown blood disorder (if it is I'll have to be on blood thinners for the rest of my life). I'll keep you all posted.

What's the Score blogfest

Hi everyone!

So, this is my first ever blogfest. I'm kind of excited! The whole point behind the What's the Score blogfest is to create playlists/soundtracks (or share ones you've already made) for your WIP. This was SUPER easy for me because that's what I do anyway to help myself get in the right mindset for a particular scene/chapter. So, without further ado, I present my soundtrack for Dathan the Sorcerer (my current WIP):

From Richard Einhorn's Voices of Light:

1. Interrogation
2. Pater Noster
3. Torture
4. Sacrament

From Nobuo Uematsu's Final Fantasy 5 & 6 scores:

1. Into the Darkness (FF5)
2. Omen (FF6)
3. Kefka
4. Cyan's Theme
5. The Inforgiven (sic)
6. The Esper World
7. Terra's Theme
8. Relm's Theme
9. The Fanatics
10. The Mystic Forest

By Enya:

1. Fallen Embers
2. Tempus Vernum

From Mitch Leigh's Man of La Mancha:

1. The Impossible Dream (the Quest)

By Loreena McKennitt:

1. Ancient Pines
2. The Mummers' Dance

From Gladiator:

1. The Battle 
2. Now We Are Free 

From the Chrono Trigger soundtrack:

1. Frog's Theme

I expect most of you have never heard several of these. Go look them up! If you listen to these, you'll have a basic idea of the tone/mood of Dathan the Sorcerer. Also, I know I've been slacking the last few weeks, but I'm going to make it up. I just finished an amazing book and plan to post a review soon, there's another blogfest I'm interested in (though that's not until June 20), and a meme I need to respond to. So keep your eyes open for those posts in the next few days!

Conscientious Usage: Anxious vs. Eager

For some reason I've been noticing something a lot more recently (don't get me wrong, people have been doing this for decades, but I've started noticing it EVERYWHERE): people say 'anxious' when they mean 'eager.'

Anxiety is generally considered a bad thing, as illustrated by Merriam-Webster:

1 a : painful or apprehensive uneasiness of mind usually over an impending or anticipated ill

   b : fearful concern or interest

 

Eagerness, on the other hand, is a positive anticipation (again, thank you Merriam-Webster):

2 : marked by enthusiastic or impatient desire or interest

And before anyone calls me on it: I'm aware that this is the second entry, but the first was labeled 'archaic' and 'obsolete'. Ergo, I used the current definition.

You know the most horrifying thing? I've even caught myself making this mistake! So, I've been trying hard to correct myself. And even though you probably shouldn't go around correcting people who say this (trust me, they don't like it), you can now rest easy in the knowledge that you are using correct diction (or intentionally using incorrect diction, if you like).

So, do you have any linguistic pet peeves? What are they? Do you point it out to people or let it slide (even though it's driving you insane on the inside)?