Jumbledy Jumbledy Random Random

Some good advice on query letters from arcaedia. I definitely will be bookmarking this one, because when the time comes to start begging someone to publish the Tower!Guy novel or any other novel, I want to have a spellcheck for my stupidity.

I'm at a point in the novel where I realize I'm over the hump, and the home stretch is in sight and that my goal is not to write a lot of words per day, but just to get a certain amount of action/plot accomplished. And it's to my advantage to get that done in the fewest words possible.

I just have a Thing, Another Thing, and then the Big Climax (not as pr0ntastic as it sounds). And then it will be over. And this is absolutely the last draft of this story. If it doesn't work, then I'm done with it.

I've already promised myself that if I finish this novel by or before my deadline, I then I will has cheezburger cake pie ice cream diabeetus from the sugar a treat.

I have so many books in the review queue that I've read, loved, but need to think of coherent words to say about them.

Quick link

The "Question/Answer" meme that's going around the pro-authors on my f-list is yielding some interesting things. Particularly this, which made me say, "Yes, THANK YOU, ilona_andrews."

I am not a fan of the "Let's Pretend the Fictional Character Is Autonomous and In Control" school of writing. I think it leads to sloppy, masturbatory work.

The characters don't get out of control. They're just electrochemical signals in your brain. What gets out of control is you. What happens is that you find something about your own story that hits a mental happy spot.

And in case you're not clear? That's not fun for me to watch or read. Because what tickles your pickle does bugger all for mine. Which is why you keep a conscious rein on things. You ask yourself if anyone else would actually give a damn about what you're writing.

Like, ilona_andrews is careful to say (and she says it far better than I could), it's not always bad to get carried away on a feeling.

There are times when something hitting a mental happy spot is a good thing, a sign that you've stumbled onto something that will be interesting, innovative, original.

Still, the brain is a nigh sexy organ, and it's got a lot of happy spots. It can be hard to tell which are just your own, quirky subconscious pecadilloes and which aren't. Which is why you can't navigate a story by feeling alone. You can't grope blindly at it like a teenager in the back of a Chevy and go wherever feels good.

Your eyes must be wide open, and you must be willing to be critical, even callous about your own feelings. Even when it means not just killing your darlings, but gutting them and burning them at the stake.

Fix mah ignorance?

What does "chewing the scenery" mean, precisely, and where did this phrase originate from?