Friday, February 11, 2022
Waxing Moon
Sunny and cold
Yesterday was a good, solid, creative day.
Meditation was excellent, and Charlotte sat on my lap for most of it.
I worked on The Big Project, getting the next section done and catching up on my tracking sheets, so I don’t get tangled up further down the line. It was a good chunk of work, although in the editing pass, I need to tweak the voice a bit, so it matches the rest of the piece. But I feel like I’m getting back on track with it.
Worked through the Scrivener tutorial. Only when I try to start one of my own projects, outside of the tutorial, what comes up on screen has little to do with what’s in the tutorial. So far, I don’t just hate Scrivener, I fucking hate it. And, if it won’t let me draft in Standard Manuscript Format (right now, it “compiles” the file in it once it’s done), we’re done. Drafting in standard manuscript format is non-neotiable for me. Not writing and then converting. DRAFTING. Much as I hate Word, I’ve managed to create templates for the way I need/like to work. I was promised I could do the same in Scrivener, I talked to them about it at length, but so far, it won’t let me create the templates as I need them. And yes, when I found out how much the novel templates SUCK, I started with a blank template, which gives me less flexibility, not more.
It promised I could have virtual index cards to do as I wished – yet, when I try to compile characters as index cards, it won’t let me do that, either. I thought maybe I could use it as a research depository, even if I chose not to write in it.
Nope.
On top of that, it doesn’t save as it promises in the tutorial. Any time I close out of a Scrivener file, it dumps it onto the OneDrive Recycling Bin—even when I save it to the hard drive. Then it has a zipped file named for the project on the hard drive – only when I try to open it, and the material I’ve saved INTO THE FUCKING FILE, it claims the file is empty, but then navigates to Scrivener online (NOT on the hard drive AS I WAS PROMISED IT WOULD BEFORE I BOUGHT THE FUCKER) to sort of put me somewhere in a file that was several saves ago.
So yeah, not happy.
Especially since I have the manual up, I follow the directions exactly, but what is in the manual doesn’t come up on the screen. I’ll keep trying for a few more days, and I’ll also try working on it earlier in the day, when I’m not tired.
But so far, the way it breaks everything down feels more like something out of Ira Progoff’s AT A JOURNAL WORKSHOP that fractures everything instead of letting it flow and being organic and holistic. Which I thoroughly hated, when I tried it, back when it was a Big Deal in the 90’s.
Read a problematical script for coverage, and have to figure out a way to give notes that are actually helpful. Hadn’t planned on covering another one, but one came up that was on one of my favorite premises, so I had to.
So I guess I’ll be doing script coverage well into the evening tonight.
Because I’m doing the next section on The Big Project first.
Tried to start reading two books yesterday. One was in present tense, so that’s going back without being read. I loathe novels written in present tense. I have yet to read one that I didn’t want to throw across the room by the end of the first page. The sensation is that of the author standing between me and the text screaming, “Look at ME! I’m such a great stylist!” instead of letting me experience the text directly. I especially loathe it when it’s historical fiction.
Sometimes it works in short stories, but in my opinion, not in novels. Therefore, I do not read novels written in present tense when I have the choice.
I’m not saying people shouldn’t write their novels as they believe best serves their vision. I’m saying I’m not the audience for those in present tense.
The other book had a fun premise, which is why I wanted to read it, but the writing was shallow, weak, and passive. So that’s going back.
I started reading Georgette Heyer’s BEHOLD, HERE’S POISON. I’d forgotten how good she is at wit and layers of meaning in her storytelling. Stylistically, it takes more time to establish the players and the story that is now considered the best way to launch a story (although not as long as many cozies take). But, ultimately, she’s a damn good storyteller.
Knowledge Unicorns was good. Again, we’re all relieved, with all these places dropping in-school masking requirements, that we’re keeping all the kids out of school, even though they’re vaccinated. Plus, they are learning much more, and material that will have much more value to the rest of their lives, especially now that the MAGAs have hijacked most of the schools to literally whitewash history.
I think enough ice has melted, in spite of yesterday’s on and off snow, for me to make a run to the grocery store on foot. There’s plenty we need. So, I will head out shortly for that.
I may need to do another run to the liquor store; can’t do it all at once, because I can’t carry it all, even with the rolly cart.
Then, it’s back to the page for The Big Project first, and then to script coverage. First, I have to rewrite a bio for the conference that needs to come in a little shorter to fit the space in the program.
Have a good weekend. I plan a busy one, although I hope to take it off from coverage, once I finish today’s two scripts. I have writing and housecleaning and unpacking and planting to do.
Peace, friends.