The mirror moment is their "call to adventure" - a storage room tucked away on a staff corridor, unobserved, when they almost make contact. Eliza is passive at this point, and Jackson steps away. The mirror of yesterday's scene where he instigates by leading her onto the dance floor at the wrap party, and she is the one who refuses to sneak away - they leave together in plain sight. Jackson has learned to show genuine affection openly, to risk vulnerability; Eliza is no longer the shrinking violet but a woman prepared to be seen. 497 words.
Can I just say (theatre makes you visualise things hehe) I love the mirror of closed off storage room, and wide open dance floor. Just satisfies my soul lol!
I found writing about the detective when he is stubbornly refusing to believe anything but science and forensics much easier than when he finally fully believes. I think it's because I need to write the transformation process as a journey and change the mindset as I'm going, rather than jump about chronologically. 704 words.
Really great observation. We’ll talk about next steps for those going it on their own after the challenge, and part of that will be writing from beginning to get and letting it all transform as you go…feeling into it. So that’s a great instinct that you have about that.
There are a few moments, early on in my story, where we see Casey avoid conflict and let bullies walk over her in the name of safety and conformity. I've actually already drafted these, this course has given me a bit of a boost so I've now drafted just past Casey's first transformation at the school for wolves (2nd month of transformations).
490 words this time, with minimal dialogue (could't quite write it with none, so I guess I failed that specific challenge you set me, Dr. Shelly!), but it felt better for world-building/description, but then it was something of action scene so that made it easier, I guess.
I'm exactly the same! Getting used to writing a messy first draft was forced upon me with the PhD. I could have finished my thesis so much faster if I'd just been willing to do that from that the start. It will continue to be a battle...but you will get better at just doing it and then fixing it later.
Harmony has to lead her father’s squad in a live-fire training exercise, but she can’t. She tries to get by on her own skill, not the collective ability of her team mates, and they are divided and defeated.
Haha, don't worry that you didn't get it 100% no-dialogue; you tried. Excited that it was an action scene, though. How did it feel to write such an exciting part?!
Yes I believe I am ok with the mirror moment as it's all about defining Jess's inner character and her security, self absorption and being risk averse. Even though I wrote twice as much as yesterday (1161 words) I actually found it more difficult to write. I guess that could be because in transforming our characters we have kind of transformed with them and going back to the beginning is harder.
“we transformed with them”…this gave me goosebumps! Yes, this is exactly why I have you do this in reverse, because once you’ve plotted it all, it can be hard to remember (once you start writing the book at the start) that your character hasn’t changed yet. It disrupts you a bit and resets things.
I decided to introduce her day from morning and school day and her interview with classroom teacher about her future. Her character is clear during the interview. After school she tells her mother about the interview with teacher. Throughout the day, she follows the routine and listens to rather says her thought. The lack of maturity, indecisiveness and obedience are undercurrent in her behaviour.
This is nice, because you’ve shown us how she’s more passive and deferring to authority at the start, and ready to stand on her own at the end. Well done.
My mirroring moment is that Mike is very closed and unable to talk to people at the start and at the end he opens up and can speak openly about his late wife. Today we see him literaly choking when he is asked a question, making excuses and leaving the shop. At the end he walks into the shop by his own choice and opens up. 520 words.
Literally choking is amazing! It shows a real, physical inability, and that’s so powerful. This is a really wondering mirroring that you’ve put together!
So I struggled with this one a little more than yesterday. I think because this is a moment that I was never planning to actually write. It's a moment she references. So Thalia says she never went to her mother's funeral, couldn't read the eulogy, and couldn't ever go to the grave. And her victory is when she does do that. But I guess because I had never thought about actually having that moment seen by the reader, I found it more of a struggle. I ran out of words with a minute to go. But! I did find the way I wrote her talking about it/internally discussing it where the reader reads it, it did transport us back to that moment briefly. Still didn't feel 100% about its placement, whereas what I wrote yesterday, I was happy with. So something to work on but I'm sure it will come! 844 words.
So many words!! This mirroring will work a bit better if we see her unable to do it. Is there a way to work in a flashback or something in the first part of your book so that we can see her in that moment and then see when she’s changed?
The mirror moment is their "call to adventure" - a storage room tucked away on a staff corridor, unobserved, when they almost make contact. Eliza is passive at this point, and Jackson steps away. The mirror of yesterday's scene where he instigates by leading her onto the dance floor at the wrap party, and she is the one who refuses to sneak away - they leave together in plain sight. Jackson has learned to show genuine affection openly, to risk vulnerability; Eliza is no longer the shrinking violet but a woman prepared to be seen. 497 words.
Can I just say (theatre makes you visualise things hehe) I love the mirror of closed off storage room, and wide open dance floor. Just satisfies my soul lol!
I love that walking plays a role in both of these! And that’s a lot of words! You should be proud of that!
I found writing about the detective when he is stubbornly refusing to believe anything but science and forensics much easier than when he finally fully believes. I think it's because I need to write the transformation process as a journey and change the mindset as I'm going, rather than jump about chronologically. 704 words.
Really great observation. We’ll talk about next steps for those going it on their own after the challenge, and part of that will be writing from beginning to get and letting it all transform as you go…feeling into it. So that’s a great instinct that you have about that.
There are a few moments, early on in my story, where we see Casey avoid conflict and let bullies walk over her in the name of safety and conformity. I've actually already drafted these, this course has given me a bit of a boost so I've now drafted just past Casey's first transformation at the school for wolves (2nd month of transformations).
Fantastic that you’re drafting!! We’ll keep that momentum up and ensure that you can keep going after the challenge!
490 words this time, with minimal dialogue (could't quite write it with none, so I guess I failed that specific challenge you set me, Dr. Shelly!), but it felt better for world-building/description, but then it was something of action scene so that made it easier, I guess.
Like it needed editing! My great weakness - wanting to be a perfectionist and write amazing prose first time, like a tap of perfect creativity!
I'm exactly the same! Getting used to writing a messy first draft was forced upon me with the PhD. I could have finished my thesis so much faster if I'd just been willing to do that from that the start. It will continue to be a battle...but you will get better at just doing it and then fixing it later.
Harmony has to lead her father’s squad in a live-fire training exercise, but she can’t. She tries to get by on her own skill, not the collective ability of her team mates, and they are divided and defeated.
Haha, don't worry that you didn't get it 100% no-dialogue; you tried. Excited that it was an action scene, though. How did it feel to write such an exciting part?!
Yes I believe I am ok with the mirror moment as it's all about defining Jess's inner character and her security, self absorption and being risk averse. Even though I wrote twice as much as yesterday (1161 words) I actually found it more difficult to write. I guess that could be because in transforming our characters we have kind of transformed with them and going back to the beginning is harder.
“we transformed with them”…this gave me goosebumps! Yes, this is exactly why I have you do this in reverse, because once you’ve plotted it all, it can be hard to remember (once you start writing the book at the start) that your character hasn’t changed yet. It disrupts you a bit and resets things.
I decided to introduce her day from morning and school day and her interview with classroom teacher about her future. Her character is clear during the interview. After school she tells her mother about the interview with teacher. Throughout the day, she follows the routine and listens to rather says her thought. The lack of maturity, indecisiveness and obedience are undercurrent in her behaviour.
This is nice, because you’ve shown us how she’s more passive and deferring to authority at the start, and ready to stand on her own at the end. Well done.
My mirroring moment is that Mike is very closed and unable to talk to people at the start and at the end he opens up and can speak openly about his late wife. Today we see him literaly choking when he is asked a question, making excuses and leaving the shop. At the end he walks into the shop by his own choice and opens up. 520 words.
Literally choking is amazing! It shows a real, physical inability, and that’s so powerful. This is a really wondering mirroring that you’ve put together!
So I struggled with this one a little more than yesterday. I think because this is a moment that I was never planning to actually write. It's a moment she references. So Thalia says she never went to her mother's funeral, couldn't read the eulogy, and couldn't ever go to the grave. And her victory is when she does do that. But I guess because I had never thought about actually having that moment seen by the reader, I found it more of a struggle. I ran out of words with a minute to go. But! I did find the way I wrote her talking about it/internally discussing it where the reader reads it, it did transport us back to that moment briefly. Still didn't feel 100% about its placement, whereas what I wrote yesterday, I was happy with. So something to work on but I'm sure it will come! 844 words.
So many words!! This mirroring will work a bit better if we see her unable to do it. Is there a way to work in a flashback or something in the first part of your book so that we can see her in that moment and then see when she’s changed?
Possibly! I'll have to ponder some more about how that could come about.