In writing, as in life

You know what I've learned? That in writing, as in life, it's much easier to learn something first and do it right. But more often, as in life, you learn something by doing it wrong the first time. And sometimes the second time. And third. After that, you might just be stupid. (Here's your sign.)

I have a feeling there's no finite list of those things, and ten years from now, I'll still be doing many things wrong--at least the first time--and then looking for solutions I file away to use ahead of time the next time. In writing, as in life.

Fortunately, it seems, the things get smaller and easier to fix the longer you stick around and the more you pay attention.

So, I'm about 50 pages shy of being finished with my outline. In (some of) my moments of "This task is so boring I think I'll go read 50 blogs instead," I've tried to do some bookkeeping activities. Like ... how many scenes are in this story? How many in each POV (point of view)?

Which kind of leads me to curious questions like, "How long should a scene be?" and "How many scenes should there be? ... per POV?" And, a least common denominator, "What the heck is a scene anyway?" It seems simple enough, but strangely, the answer is trickier than you'd think.

I know there aren't hard and fast answers to these questions. However, I do believe the majority of published writers have gotten there because they've figured out the "magic" for getting certain things right. Fortunately for novices like me, many generous folks taken the time to share some of that magic through books or articles--some freely available on the Internet.

I found a couple of pieces tonight by Holly Lisle while taking a look at these questions. I haven't read any of her books, because I don't typically enjoy fantasy or sci-fi, but more often than not, my Google searches for writing craft answers have led me to her site. She gives short, conscise, and extremely helpful explanations. And often they're even funny, which earns extra credit in my book.

These are the ones I read tonight:

Notecarding: Plotting under Pressure (Hmm ... might try this FIRST next time!)
Scene Creation Workshop -- Writing Scenes that Move Your Story Forward

There's lots more to explore on her site, too. I like this one:
Creating Conflict: or, The Joys of Boiling Oil

So many lessons, so little time ...