One benefit of writing this blog is that I thought it would be useful to use to look back on and chart the progress of the writing over the course — and part of the course assessment is for us to write a 2,000 word commentary on exactly that.
This has to be done by Wednesday — pretty easy I smugly thought — I’ll just cut and paste the writing-related entries into a document and edit them a bit. I just did this, along with the content of a couple of e-mails I’ve sent the tutors with my expostulations, and found the document is a mere 24,790 words long.
There’s extra stuff we need to put in the commentary as well that’s not covered in the blog (like consider in depth which authors are in our genre and who publishes them) so it looks like I’m going to have to edit 95% of the words away — probably harder than writing it from scratch. However, it’s useful to go back and have dates associated with feelings of satisfaction and frustration.
I need a blurb too…maybe I’ll post that on here to see if anyone might think it sells the novel.
I have been through the same process this weekend Mike -re the blog forming the foundation material for my Commentary Essay. What I decided to do was to cut and paste a selection of blog entries – each reflecting a particular point I want to make in my Commentary essay about the novel writing process and then only use the bit/s that are relevant. Its made for very interesting reading however, especially since much of my writing has been done whilst travelling abroad.
BG
Yes. Same approach here. I WAS going to try and do the whole lot just with selected bits of blog but found that it wasn’t going to address the list of points we were asked to discuss so I’ll have to use it as evidence.
In the end it’s probably more palaver than just writing 2,000 words from scratch but it’s good to go back and get evidence — themes that have been there right from the start.
It’s also interesting that there was only one reading out of the five I did that I thought was well received by the group. I was licking my wounds after four of the five.
I havnt completed my redrafts post feedback of my chapters 2-4 yet – so I ve brought all the feedback on all the scripts in a black binliner(how apt- I hope NOT) up to Aldeburgh to plow through..I know Julie is going as Chpter two but some of her from that original chapter will appear in the new chapter two – which was basically my original chapter 3. Chapter 3(new) will be Julies fourth visit to Almir(four weeks later) …I didnt workshop this but tutorialed it with Alison…and chapter four will be Roland(the chapter I am workshooping on 5th July with City) but which I’ve already workshopped in Vicky Gruts Novelists club and got positive thumbs up…I have another chapter- with Almir visiting Elyes at the internet cafe…which could be chpater three..chronologically it fits more or less–again, my fellow City students haven’t seen this chapter but I did tutorial it with Alison (last Monday and she thought it was very good….so perhaps I might use that instead – then incase she and the rest of City peers hate the Roland Chapter…anyhow , plenty to chew on this week!!!
BG
How was your commentary BG?
I ended up using quite a bit of the blog — made it far less academic and analytical but quite a lot more chatty and contemporary — and personal.
In the end I thought the whole effect was quite pleasing, although I was up until 3am doing it.
Hey Mike…my commentary essay took me ages aswell…I did it in the end in chunks over the course of a few days. Yes, I thought too, in the end a useful and pleasing excersize.
By the way – good luck for Wednesday’s reading!
BG