136: On Writing Advice
2/14/2025
I finished Chapter 68: Banyoro Badru yesterday, and I’m in the middle of transcribing it to paper today. It totaled 3,194 words. By the way, it’s so nice not having to count every word now that I’ve got Office Suite on my tablet with basic word processing software.
I really loved how this latest chapter turned out – all the little surprises that turned up along the way. It was nicely done, even if I do say so myself. Nothing terribly dramatic happens, but it’s seasoned with so many interesting details that it feels more fleshed out than some of my other chapters. Like Chapter 66: Saying Goodbye, which didn’t have any new background material or detailed nuances to the scene. It felt very much like it was written off the cuff, because it was.
Banyoro Badru, however, feels real. The chapter feels lived in, where no expense is spared to build and enhance every action so that the reader comes away feeling like they experienced something.
I love the honeyguide and its symbiotic relationship with Badru. I love the Colobus Monkey, and how it ties into Diallo. I love the tambootie tree and the harvesting of the bee’s nest, and how it feels both real and romanticized at the same time. Badru singing the song of the bees, while also getting stung a couple times, and the disgusting idea of her eating bee larvae and wax with the honey.
The last bit with the five kids worked well as well, tilting my hat a little to Badru’s possible sixth sense, similar to Alena’s. Giving the kids all they need as a set up for their own A Friend’s Song chapter but not boring the reader by making them actually witness yet another ritual. Knowing what needs to be there, and what can be merely implied and left off stage is crucial. My best guide for that is, if I’m bored by the very idea of depicting something, then I assume the reader will be as well.
I also wrote this entire chapter in a way I rarely do, and all the books on the craft of fiction say I should. That is, I wrote the entire thing in one sitting with no thought for style or perfectionism. No corrections or rewrites on the fly. And only an occasional referral to my research notes. I did have the whole chapter mapped out by chapter beats though, where all the major elements were plotted out in advance.
Then, after this fast and sloppy first draft, I dug in deep with my research notes and crammed them into my first draft to make a very ugly and monstrous 2nd draft. Then I went through on the third draft to smooth it all out, beautify it, add in inspirational bits of whimsy on the fly, and to delete the clunky and unnecessary.
That’s about it.
I finished three days ahead of schedule for this chapter, so I’m thinking I might use the weekend to focus on a drawing I promised someone I’d do. Though I’m sure I’ll be tweaking on the setup for my next chapter as well – Wanyana’s Song.
Present-Day Reflection
10/8/2026
It’s amazing how things come together better than usual when I actually follow the advice of those with more experience than me. Asking and looking for help doesn’t do much good when I don’t at least try what is suggested. This goes for every aspect of my life, well beyond the written page. I like to think I’m pretty good at asking for help and listening to advice from others. What I actually do with it is a whole different thing.
I’ve always preferred going against the grain as I walk my own path. Figuring things out the hard way. I’m not sure whether this is good for me or not on the whole, though it’s usually pretty obvious when it doesn’t work on a case by case basis. I’d like to think I’ve become more balanced in this regard as I’ve grown older. It’s hard to say.
My life is better than ever before though in virtually every way. So, that must count for something. Right?
