Update Archives - Page 13 of 15 - SUSAN TIPPETT BRAITHWAITE

Working the Asset – Update 27 July

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Time for a quick update on Working the Asset. My goal for July was to complete Pass #3 (Premise). Amazingly enough, I managed to achieve that on Saturday–a whole week ahead of what looked like a tight schedule!

So, this morning, I started work on Pass #4 (Deepening Audience Delight) and am 7% of the way through.

The story is starting to come alive. I love Elle and Adam and their enemies-to-lovers journey. And, I’m not ashamed to admit, I have a soft spot for Trevor, their Big Bad–he’s so much fun to work with.

Until next time, thanks for reading, and take care.

Working the Asset – Update 23 July

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I had zero plans of posting a progress update on Working the Asset until Sunday. In my last post, I said that I had the foolish goal of finishing the second editorial pass of the outline by Sunday. Well, it’s Thursday, and I’ve done it! The second pass is complete. Woohoo!

Here’s how the last few days went:

Tuesday
Wednesday
Today!

I can’t wait to get back on it tomorrow where I’ll start work on the third editorial pass. The focus of this pass is on the premise (Act IIa). This is where I’ll work to ensure that Adam and Elle (my co-protagonists) are taking action on their story goals, that the adventure, suspense, and romance elements fulfil/exceed genre expectations, and that I’ve not inadvertently created an escalation problem.

Ah canny wait!

Thanks for reading, and take care.

Working the Asset – Update 20 July

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It’s been a few weeks since I last updated on my progress on Working the Asset. As I mentioned in a previous update, I’m writing my outline with my non-dominant hand (lefty) owing to CRPS in the right one.

Fast-forward 27,000 words, a stack of index cards with writing so small only a fruit fly can read it, and a terrifying amount of coffee and this is what you get:

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Writing Update and A Wee Bit on CRPS

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Last week I posted about getting stuck into adding some meat to Working the Asset‘s story skeleton. I’d fantasized that I’d have posted that I’d gotten that done by now and was on the way to editorial pass #2…I may have bitten off more than I could chew for the time I had allowed for it.

Some Background (The CRPS Bit)

For most writers, physically writing on those index cards (or anything) is so easy and effortless that the only thought required to fill them out is what happens in the scene.

For me, there’s a lot more involved. For the last twenty years, I’ve suffered from a chronic pain condition called Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS). It affects my right hand and arm. Take a guess to which hand is my dominant one. Yep, you got it! 😬

Very long story short, the CRPS was caused by an injury sustained while serving in the Navy, and it eventually ended my career. And any prospects of ever having one.

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Hi all! Our internet went on a major go slow, like slow-slow. I spent the better part of today getting it back up to speed, and thankfully it’s running smoothly now. Yay! On the non-yay front, I’ve run out of time in my workday and haven’t had the time to work on this week’s Genre Scribes.
Never fear, Amy and Kelvin will be back tomorrow.
Till then, stay awesome.

Working the Asset – Update 2 June

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I’ve had my head down this week, getting more of the outline for Deniable Unit 1: Working the Asset fine-tuned. I’m now 80% done with the editorial pass for the plot (1 of 7 passes)!

happy dance

With every action step I complete, the outline transforms into a better, stronger, and more cohesive story. I can’t wait to see it fully formed and in stores!

If you’re wondering what I mean by “action steps,” they’re from H. R. D’Costa’s Sparkling Story Drafts (affiliate link)–it’s a fantastic series on outlining screenplays and novels.

Writing Update!

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It’s been a while (a really long while) since I’ve done an update post for my writing progress. That’s mainly been down to life getting in the way of writing.

In the last month or so, I’ve taken steps to remedy that—pretty much bahookie in chair and head down kind of steps.

What I’m Working On:

I’m back to working on the outline for Deniable Unit #1. Also, I finally have a working title for DU1: Working the Asset.

Outlining Method

The outlining method I’m using is called Iterative Outlining, a method created by H. R. D’Costa.

A quick reminder of what iterative outlining is: it’s like doing all the developmental editing that usually happens after the story is written, but at the outlining stage—in three phases.

There’s a lot of work upfront, and it seems like it’s neverending, but it’s worth it. So far, I’ve saved a whole lot of time by fixing a plot issue I hadn’t even noticed was there. One that would have cost far more time editing at the end.

The Final Stage

At last, I’m on the final stage of iterative outlining, called the working outline. This one consists of seven editorial passes:

Plot
Structure
Premise
Delight
Four Workhorses
Character
Odds and Ends

Progress

As of today, I’m 70% of the way through the editorial pass for the plot. Woohoo!

My progress will pick up steam as I work through all the passes, and I’ll share how it’s going here on the blog.

Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you’ll join me as I get ever closer to typing THE END.

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I went a wee bit nuts making face masks (Jez has the details of how to make them on his post)

As it’s Jez’s last day of holiday before we go back to the craziness of his work schedule tomorrow, there won’t be a Genre Scribes: Friday Fiction post today. But, as I’ll be up nice and early (some would say it’s still night-time), I plan on getting the post up tomorrow. Until then, stay safe 🤗

Deniable Unit 2 Progress Update: Oct 2

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Progress Update

I’m now at 12% on my outline for Deniable Unit 2!

Well, it’s been a while since I posted an update on my current work-in-progress (WIP).

I started work on the intentional outline for DU 2, made a ton of notes that made total sense, and then went on holiday. When I got back to work a few weeks ago, those notes made absolutely zero sense.

So, I’ve spent the last three weeks getting back up to speed with the outline, made a lot of changes, and now I’ve got the plot to where it should be.

Now that I’m over that speed bump, I know that my progress is going to pick up speed.

Raring to go for the next step!