A day in the life of writing GG3
Hey guys!
Thanks so much for all of your awesome suggestions of things that can get me out of my blog rut! I'll be going utilizing those suggestions very, very soon I'm sure!
In other news I decided to blog about writing GG3 because I knew you guys would get a kick out of that.
Now, I'm not blogging ABOUT GG3--that would be cheating. Of a sort. But instead I'll blog about writing. A fairly typical day of writing, to be exact.
10:00 turn on Alphasmart.
10:05 look at little, tiny Alphasmart screen, expecting words to magically appear
10:22 words have STILL not magically appeared, so my body starts trying to type some
10:30 can't type to save life, so get up and go eat some wheat thins instead
10:45 body is now capable of typing adequately so it types a little
10:46 check to see how many words you've typed so far: 42!
11:05 decide that it's close enough to lunch time to eat something.
11:46 check word count again: 512!
12:20 have momentary panic attack when you realize that your book is bad. So terribly, utterly, supremely bad that you're going to have to change your name and leave the country!
12:22 have momentary panic attack when you realize that your book is good. So extremely, monumentally awesome that no future book that you will ever write will ever compare with its awesomeness and you must therefore change your name and leave the country!
12:24 start wondering where your passport is and spend the next hour and a half looking for it
3:00 get into a scene that you really like. Write 1,200 more words!
3:47 what did I do with those Wheat Thins?
3:49 what do I have in the ice box that goes well with Wheat Thins?
3:52 ooh, I have dip in here! I love dip!
3:58 sit down to write with dip and Wheat Thins
3:59 do I have any Diet Sunkist?
4:14 Yum. Orange pop is fun!
4:19 Start writing a really crappy scene
4:20 is this scene not over yet?
4:21 check word count: 19!
4:22 oh my gosh, could this scene BE more boring?
4:23 word count: 21!
5:05 word count: 27!
6:20 oh heck--I've got to cut this crappy scene!
6:21 What did I do with those Wheat Thins?
Thanks so much for all of your awesome suggestions of things that can get me out of my blog rut! I'll be going utilizing those suggestions very, very soon I'm sure!
In other news I decided to blog about writing GG3 because I knew you guys would get a kick out of that.
Now, I'm not blogging ABOUT GG3--that would be cheating. Of a sort. But instead I'll blog about writing. A fairly typical day of writing, to be exact.
10:00 turn on Alphasmart.
10:05 look at little, tiny Alphasmart screen, expecting words to magically appear
10:22 words have STILL not magically appeared, so my body starts trying to type some
10:30 can't type to save life, so get up and go eat some wheat thins instead
10:45 body is now capable of typing adequately so it types a little
10:46 check to see how many words you've typed so far: 42!
11:05 decide that it's close enough to lunch time to eat something.
11:46 check word count again: 512!
12:20 have momentary panic attack when you realize that your book is bad. So terribly, utterly, supremely bad that you're going to have to change your name and leave the country!
12:22 have momentary panic attack when you realize that your book is good. So extremely, monumentally awesome that no future book that you will ever write will ever compare with its awesomeness and you must therefore change your name and leave the country!
12:24 start wondering where your passport is and spend the next hour and a half looking for it
3:00 get into a scene that you really like. Write 1,200 more words!
3:47 what did I do with those Wheat Thins?
3:49 what do I have in the ice box that goes well with Wheat Thins?
3:52 ooh, I have dip in here! I love dip!
3:58 sit down to write with dip and Wheat Thins
3:59 do I have any Diet Sunkist?
4:14 Yum. Orange pop is fun!
4:19 Start writing a really crappy scene
4:20 is this scene not over yet?
4:21 check word count: 19!
4:22 oh my gosh, could this scene BE more boring?
4:23 word count: 21!
5:05 word count: 27!
6:20 oh heck--I've got to cut this crappy scene!
6:21 What did I do with those Wheat Thins?
Gallagher Girls 3
Word Count Progress
Word Count Progress
Labels: Future Books, Tips for Writers
posted by Ally Carter at Saturday, December 15, 2007
29 Comments:
i love wheat thins, dip, and orange soda too! they are yummy! i am glad the book is monumentally awesome!
Gosh my normal day consists of reading, sleeping, and eating.... Ah, the easy life.
Thanks, Ally! I just wanted to say how reassuring it is to see that even published, awesome writers go through periods of hating their stuff too. Even if it's only for an hour... before you realize how awesome it is. :-)
I have some ideas for future blog posts, if you're really out of ideas:
- LYKY movie! Yes, I know you'd have no say over the casting, but who you'd pick if it was solely UP TO YOU.
- a day in the life of Ally the teenager (come on, we all want to know what you were like at Cammie's age!)
- or better yet, a journal entry from Teenager Ally (this only works if you kept a journal, obviously, and if it's not top secret)
- best/worst fan mail/ fan experience ever
- your idea of a perfect day
- what kind of genre you'd want to write in if you thought you could pull it off, but no you're really not good at writing vampires, blood, gore, incessant violence, etc. Also, the name of this never-to-be-written novel. AKA My Night with the Blood-Hound (oh god, that's not a real book, is it?)
- Q&A session with the Gallagher girls! What is their:
o theme song if they had one (and come on, all spies need a theme song)?
o preferred method of wrestling a Peruvian dagger out of the hands of a 7'3'' wannabe-ballerina/hit man who is about to thrust said dagger at the emperor of China?
o favorite book?
o superhero name? (Bat Girl, Wonder Woman, etc. It can be made up.)
o preferred eating utensil to kill an army of ninjas with? (note: toothpicks do not count, as people do not eat with them)
o best code word ever? (example: Tortellini! Tortellini! The tortellini is being SMOTHERED IN RED SAUCE!")
And finally:
o if they could switch places with another character in the GG series, who would it be and why?
Etc, etc, etc. Don't know if you find any of these interesting, but I'd be interested to see the answers to any one of them.
Thanks again!
lol. That's pretty much what I do when I write. Except my wheat thins are popsicles. And obviously the wheat thins work better, seeing how you're a published writer and I'm not.
I think seeing a rough draft of one of the first 2 GG books wuold be interesting...maybe a scene that didn't make it into the books, or a scene before going through the final stages of publishing. That would be cool.
ha, i know what you mean. sometimes you just can't write a lot. its sorta what i do sometimes.and then sometimes you hit a spot in the story where you can write a LOT.
i have a question though,
i wrote an e-mail to you and i was wondering if you ever read it....if not thats okay to. i totally know you are super busy
hey about this word count stuff, are definitely going to stop at 50,000? is there a possibility that the length will exceed that? please say yes!
haha! that was so funny! priceless!
i love wheat thins!!
mm-mmmm i think i'll go get some now! yummy in my tummy! lol!
Lol, seems like you procrastinate a lot...=) its ok, i do that all the time too! Acutally, im procrastinating right now...im supposed to be doing a book talk project, but instead i decided to check out your new entires lol.
(and play my D.S. some, too!)
;)
Thanks for the word count Ally!
hey Acire/kiwiberry/anony-mouse,
I'm doing a booktalk project too.
It's due at Thursday, our last day at school, and I really need help right now!!
Oh Ally, can you help me, please??
All I need is the theme/message of Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy.
I think it's about trust, but I just can't find a good quotation about it on Google. That's why I need your help right now.
Please help me. Anyone?? I need a really good theme about trust, and I promise I'll put your name on my booktalk presentation(just don't put anonymous)
Thank You! c=
Hi all,
I know there's been some debate about whether I read comments or not. Well I do--I just don't always have time to reply.
I do, however, want to say a word about book reports and school projects.
1. I'm incredibly honored that anyone would choose one of my books for their reports! That's so cool.
2. Most of the issues that your teachers are asking you to address are not right and wrong types of issues. In other words, you're not going to find the answer on Google. You're not going to find the answer from other readers. You won't even find the answer from me. The answer is what YOU think the theme is. That's all that matters.
Scholars have debated the themes of classic books for hundreds of years. Would they do that if there was one right theme? Nope. So think about what the theme, moral, etc. are to YOU and then write about that.
good luck!
Ally
*sniffsniff* okay. Thanks. c=
haha this is EXACTLY what i do...i'm glad i'm not the only one...and i'm glad even published authors have large procrastination type bouts. lol that reminds me...i think we have some wheat thins in the pantry...
Briana
ally thanx for the word count. i think everyone here is excited that you gave us one. as for bloging say what is going on in your lifeit doesn't even matter if you write "i am sooooooo bored right now" as lond as you blog and tell us how GG3 is its all good. eating wheat thns is procrstinating but we all do it (i am soposed to b doing a spanish project) so good luck and keep typing words plezzzzz
That really sounds like the life. If only i was a good writer like you i would eat wheat thins, drink sunkist, and just WRITE.
However, as i can't write, I think i will just stick with reading your books. again. and again. and again. Because just like the Harry Potter books...
they will never get old :)
It would be cool if you could write a short story set in the Gallagher world. Something that won't be in one of the novels. A Christmas story or a snow day story. :-)
well, even though it sounds like you don't think you're very productive, we would all LOVE to have your life. (Seriosly. Writing all day? No fair. I have to go through the boring jail of school)(JK about the school thing, but it is really boring...)
i LOVE the idea of a short GG story!!!
i ahve a writer's question for you: what if you have a few really good scenes but there's a gap you can't fill? how do you string them along??? thank's for the word cound and daily routine.
First of all, that post would have made me laugh if I hadn't been crying! I just finished reading the book "Shug" (Got it 2 hours ago. Shows what a life I have) and I've been crying! Grr. But I do love Annemarie's snappy comebacks....
Anyways, GREAT POST!
~Meagan Elizabeth (I havn't replied in awile... Maybe I'm getting a life! No, that can't be it....)
wow that was interesting!
not being sarcastic!
i love it!
HAHA! I love this blog...its funny...I wonder what kind of dip she had/has?
70% Ally! You're getting there, my friend!!
Good Luck
haha i love it
no no no... please tell me you don't really write on an Alphasmart....
that sounds like a very interestn day!!!!! lol, ive always tried to picture my life as a famous writr and try to plan out a day, it always ends up very boring and oftn missing wheat thins.....lol
<3 celia
WOW. wowie kazowie. I GO THROUGH THAT SAME THING WHEN IM WRITING MY REPORTS!!! Only I don't spend AAALLLL day on it. Just 1/4 of my day. Luv ya!
Wheat thins, dip, and orange pop are yummy!!! YAY WHEAT THINS!!!
yay wheat thins and orange pop!!!
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