I chose to have my novel take place in the 70s.
I was going to high school then and my characters are 2-10 years older than that. The groundwork for the book was begun in that time period as well.
I also wanted to write about criminal/espionage activities before the internet, the digital age, and DNA testing among others.
I settled on a date for Chapter 1 of June 2, 1972.
Since I have scenes that are outdoors and indoors I wondered: What was the weather like in the Chicago area that day?
So, I looked up Tom Skilling. And found a link to data from Midway Airport*. Well, though the graphs were not enlargeable, I did see that June 3, 1972 was 96 degrees.
I thought a hot, humid day would be good, so I moved my date up to June 3.
Then I thought: Was it a moonless night, so some sneaking around could take place?
Well, I googled "moon phase June 1972" and there it was: new crescent. So it was relatively dark.
And it was a Saturday, which is good because the first few chapters are about an awards banquet when few of the characters would be working.
Now if you ever get to go to a Shut Up and Write workshop with Judy Redbird Bridges (link in my last entry) you will learn one thing. A writer needs to employ all the senses in description. It improved my writing!
It wasn't a "dark and stormy night;" it was a "hot and humid" night.
Just what I needed.
*Midway Airport, rather than O'Hare was the official temperature back then. Midway is also closer to where my novel takes place. Here is the weather link: http://weatherspark.com/history/30851/1972/Chicago-Illinois-United-States
Moon phase calendar similar to the one I used: http://www.timeanddate.com/calendar/?year=1972&country=1
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
Update: Writing and Rewrites
Part 1: Catching Up
The first chapter of my novel, which sorta, doesn't have a working title. The 1983 first typed draft was called Lorren's Nemesis. Then I typed a beginning of a second novel Afterimage. Then I typed a third novel Loki's Curse. (Through Facebook I learned it should be Loke's Curse from a Norwegian friend). Then I let them all sit in a file. A lot of it was done on my good old IBM Selectric.
Firstly (can I write that if there is no secondly?), I hate to type, especially in the pre-computer days. I did horrible in typing in high school, which was graded on the words per minute scale. I doubt, even today, I type better than 41 words a minute.
That said, I have a cabinet full of handwritten stuff. I decided to get a voice recognition Mac program. I did make a good effort to put my handwritten stuff on the computer, but I have less patience "teaching" the program than I do with typing.
After that, I went to Columbia College Chicago. I got a BA in Animation. During my second to last semester, my right hand developed a bump, which was diagnosed as a bump, a cyst and then (last January) nothing. In the meantime my drawing went down to a mere trickle. I now can draw anytime I want, but, as I said, I was writing.
I wrote two hundred pages on my trusty Macbook Pro. I sent out two copies. I got this feedback: a) don't have time; b) don't understand it. I got depressed. I stopped writing.
So, I bought a book called Shut Up And Write, by Judy Redbird Bridges. www.redbirdstudio.com I took her class. I joined a writing roundtable.
Now I'm in rewrite 3 and getting some really needed critiques. Unlike my previous experiences, which were, let's say, not toward any type of publication.
The roundtables are through Redoak Writing. www.redoakwriting.com
I can't recommend them enough!
If you are with me so far, you know my novel is in rewrite 3. Or it could be 5, judging by my pre 8/13, drafts, notes, and new draft 2/22/14.
I'm confusing myself, too. But I know the newest date is what I am working on.
I had originally titled this entry with Writing, Rewrites, Weather. The last will on the next blog.
The first chapter of my novel, which sorta, doesn't have a working title. The 1983 first typed draft was called Lorren's Nemesis. Then I typed a beginning of a second novel Afterimage. Then I typed a third novel Loki's Curse. (Through Facebook I learned it should be Loke's Curse from a Norwegian friend). Then I let them all sit in a file. A lot of it was done on my good old IBM Selectric.
Firstly (can I write that if there is no secondly?), I hate to type, especially in the pre-computer days. I did horrible in typing in high school, which was graded on the words per minute scale. I doubt, even today, I type better than 41 words a minute.
That said, I have a cabinet full of handwritten stuff. I decided to get a voice recognition Mac program. I did make a good effort to put my handwritten stuff on the computer, but I have less patience "teaching" the program than I do with typing.
After that, I went to Columbia College Chicago. I got a BA in Animation. During my second to last semester, my right hand developed a bump, which was diagnosed as a bump, a cyst and then (last January) nothing. In the meantime my drawing went down to a mere trickle. I now can draw anytime I want, but, as I said, I was writing.
I wrote two hundred pages on my trusty Macbook Pro. I sent out two copies. I got this feedback: a) don't have time; b) don't understand it. I got depressed. I stopped writing.
So, I bought a book called Shut Up And Write, by Judy Redbird Bridges. www.redbirdstudio.com I took her class. I joined a writing roundtable.
Now I'm in rewrite 3 and getting some really needed critiques. Unlike my previous experiences, which were, let's say, not toward any type of publication.
The roundtables are through Redoak Writing. www.redoakwriting.com
I can't recommend them enough!
If you are with me so far, you know my novel is in rewrite 3. Or it could be 5, judging by my pre 8/13, drafts, notes, and new draft 2/22/14.
I'm confusing myself, too. But I know the newest date is what I am working on.
I had originally titled this entry with Writing, Rewrites, Weather. The last will on the next blog.
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