Oh hai. I promised I'd update this place on my progress (or lack of) with Music Lessons. Well... let's just say, lack of is more appropriate.
After a month of pretty much ignoring my little Scrivener file, I signed up to partake in NaNoEdMo. I don't feel fully committed to it yet, but perhaps I will.
I have cracked open the lovely screwed up Music Lessons draft off and on between the end of NaNo and the new year. Last night, I was sifting through it and thinking maybe it wasn't so bad after all. Between 50K+ words of chaos and the two versions of my short story, I think I should have enough raw material to patch scenes and find the real storyline. If I've learned anything from writing and revising music reviews this past year, it's that I am definitely a patchwork writer, throwing words into scraps of paragraphs and moving them around until something clicks into place. It's a frustratingly inefficient method, but it always seems to deliver in the end.
But another annoying new twist? I'm tinkering with the idea of writing it in first person perspective. Again. If I do this, it will probably be the fourth or fifth perspective shift since I started the crazy thing. Argh.
Blame it on The Catcher in the Rye, a book I just read for the first time that reminded me just how far a quirky voice can go in making a story work. It's like the rambling teenage voice captured me so well I wanted to try to do the same for Neil. He's no Holden Caulfield, but perhaps he cold carry the story with his view of the world and his family.
Of course, that's assuming I can even find Neil's quirky voice... when I tried it during NaNo, he was boring me to death. :) I'm working on an alternate version of one of my favorite scenes to see if it clicks... might toss it up here when I'm done for evidence of work.
But for now... it's late, I'm tired, and I really would rather just sleep now and write later.
Hurrah for updates!
P.S. Regarding my comment of seeing how many words are left once I cut the fluff/filler/experiments/misplaced scenes? 41,167. Yeah.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Monday, November 30, 2009
For the WIN!
Doing my little winner touchdown dance at the NaNoWriMo finish line... 51,118 words! :DIt's been a crazy ride, as usual. Even after slogging through mid-month despair, things started to gel and the story moved along. It's exciting, and even though I'm not keen on my attempt at an ending, at least the pieces are there.
Editing will be fun. I'm afraid to see how many words I actually have after I eschew the fluff chapters, the filler, the experiments and random misplaced scenes. But hey, whatever... I made it!
So now... I'll probably return to my regular blog, but this will still be open for business as I edit. Next plan is to get some character pages, a synopsis, and some better organization going here, then document the painful editing process. In spite off all that's wrong with it, I really believe in the heart of this little story, and I'd like to have a semi-presentable manuscript by the time Nano rolls around next year.
Which will also need a good kick-in-the-pants kind of motivation. 2010 might be my first year participating in NaNoEdMo. :)
Off to celebrate victory... and bark at my sister to cross the line. She's at 40K and feverishly typing away in there!
Yay!
Friday, November 27, 2009
The Home Stretch!
Tonight, I broke 40K. Woot!
Suddenly, some of the pressure's relaxed. Loose ends are tying up. My poor little MC is having a bad day that's about to get worse. I'm writing toward a climax.
And the wonderful thing is, it really does get easier when you get closer to the end.
***
It's been a while since I had something that (I thought) was excerpt-worthy, but I do have one right here from last night's sessions. It's something adapted from the last draft of my short story, only filled out a little more, and re-reading it just got to me a little. So, figure that's one worth sharing.
The setup: Neil's been noticing some really weird behavior on his sister's part, so he's going to confront their dad on it and get some advice. It doesn't really go so well. In the original story, this scene happened at home, but didn't really have the right tension. For this version, Neil decides to skip a class (which leads to a really lame cliche filler scene where he gets beat up by some punks... but whatever. we won't talk about the lame cliche filler scenes. ;)) to have this conversation in his Dad's office. (Dad happens to teach English at Neil and Jon's high school)
Anyway. Putting the scene at school instead of home seems to change the mood and dynamic a bit. But this first excerpt was lifted straight from the original, with some reworking. I always liked this part... bittersweet, and contrasting with where the family is now.
(Side note: Renting NC cabins = the Floridian vacation of choice. Seriously. :))
***
"And just why were you in the faculty hall?"
Neil raised his eyes and peeked at his father. He was taking a sip from a chipped coffee mug from his college days, one with his alma mater's logo. He set it down with a heavy thump, then said, "Neil. Did you hear me?"
"I did..." He looked at the desk, focused on the back of a photo frame.
"Then why were you in the hall? I know you were supposed to be in geometry, so it appears you skipped class." Neil just fidgeted and said nothing. "Is something bothering you?"
He shrugged his skinny shoulders once, then reached over and picked up the frame. His dad made no move to protest. When he turned the wood frame over, he held his breath.
It was a family photo from some Christmas past. They were outside in the snow, standing in front of a cabin they rented one winter in North Carolina. There were tree limbs in the background, bent with snow. And they stood together, bundled in their thin-blooded Floridian winter finest.
And she was with them. Smiling in a green sweater, her wavy hair, the same coppery color as Neil's, flowing out from under a matching cap, a colorful scarf draped around her neck. It was long then and so beautiful... before the treatments had taken it all away from her. Her eyes sparkled with life, before the cancer ate the spark away. And they all looked younger, happier, more alive then. Dad had an awkward grin on his face as he posed with one arm tightly around his beautiful wife's shoulders. Neil and Jon were barely nine, and had glints in their eyes as if they would break out into a snowball fight any second, though Jon's grin was a lot more mischievous, while Neil smiled as shyly as ever. Shanna was a gangly twelve year old with freckles and stick straight auburn hair, standing between her brothers with her arms protectively around their shoulders.
Neil felt a lump in his throat. "This was taken... like six years ago, right?"
"It was. You remember that year?"
"Yeah. That was fun."
He just nodded without answering. Neil could feel his hands trembling as he stared at the picture, falling into his mother's eyes. Into all of their smiling faces. He wanted so badly to see these people again... they seemed lost, frozen in time. He barely recognized them now.
"Are you thinking about her?"
"I..." He couldn't stand to look at the picture anymore. He handed it back. "I miss her."
***
Sadness. :(
Okay, so then... there's this whole scene where I really tried to play up the tension between them. Neil tells his dad everything he's observed in Shanna, but he doesn't seem too concerned. And then he basically says, "Yeah, I know, but she won't listen to me." Which ticks off the concerned, sensitive teenage son, but he tries to keep his cool and be respectful. Mostly.
One comment I got from the early version of this scene was that they acted like strangers, so I tried to play that up. The whole conversation is melodramatic purple prose I don't feel like sharing with the world, so nyah. :P But there was this one little bit I really liked... so world, you can have this:
***
“I keep trying, but I just can’t seem to reach her. So… so I’m letting her sort this one out on her own. You have to believe me. I’m not ignoring my own precious daughter.”
“But if she’s that broken, she can’t just fix herself,” Neil said without looking up.
“And I certainly can’t fix her either. The rest is up to her.”
Neil looked up and stared straight into his father’s eyes. They looked like a stranger’s eyes. He didn’t seem like himself. Neither of them did.
“So you’re giving up.” It was more of a statement than a question.
He said nothing in response.
***
Oh noes! To be continued. I'm liking this story again.
Suddenly, some of the pressure's relaxed. Loose ends are tying up. My poor little MC is having a bad day that's about to get worse. I'm writing toward a climax.
And the wonderful thing is, it really does get easier when you get closer to the end.
***
It's been a while since I had something that (I thought) was excerpt-worthy, but I do have one right here from last night's sessions. It's something adapted from the last draft of my short story, only filled out a little more, and re-reading it just got to me a little. So, figure that's one worth sharing.
The setup: Neil's been noticing some really weird behavior on his sister's part, so he's going to confront their dad on it and get some advice. It doesn't really go so well. In the original story, this scene happened at home, but didn't really have the right tension. For this version, Neil decides to skip a class (which leads to a really lame cliche filler scene where he gets beat up by some punks... but whatever. we won't talk about the lame cliche filler scenes. ;)) to have this conversation in his Dad's office. (Dad happens to teach English at Neil and Jon's high school)
Anyway. Putting the scene at school instead of home seems to change the mood and dynamic a bit. But this first excerpt was lifted straight from the original, with some reworking. I always liked this part... bittersweet, and contrasting with where the family is now.
(Side note: Renting NC cabins = the Floridian vacation of choice. Seriously. :))
***
"And just why were you in the faculty hall?"
Neil raised his eyes and peeked at his father. He was taking a sip from a chipped coffee mug from his college days, one with his alma mater's logo. He set it down with a heavy thump, then said, "Neil. Did you hear me?"
"I did..." He looked at the desk, focused on the back of a photo frame.
"Then why were you in the hall? I know you were supposed to be in geometry, so it appears you skipped class." Neil just fidgeted and said nothing. "Is something bothering you?"
He shrugged his skinny shoulders once, then reached over and picked up the frame. His dad made no move to protest. When he turned the wood frame over, he held his breath.
It was a family photo from some Christmas past. They were outside in the snow, standing in front of a cabin they rented one winter in North Carolina. There were tree limbs in the background, bent with snow. And they stood together, bundled in their thin-blooded Floridian winter finest.
And she was with them. Smiling in a green sweater, her wavy hair, the same coppery color as Neil's, flowing out from under a matching cap, a colorful scarf draped around her neck. It was long then and so beautiful... before the treatments had taken it all away from her. Her eyes sparkled with life, before the cancer ate the spark away. And they all looked younger, happier, more alive then. Dad had an awkward grin on his face as he posed with one arm tightly around his beautiful wife's shoulders. Neil and Jon were barely nine, and had glints in their eyes as if they would break out into a snowball fight any second, though Jon's grin was a lot more mischievous, while Neil smiled as shyly as ever. Shanna was a gangly twelve year old with freckles and stick straight auburn hair, standing between her brothers with her arms protectively around their shoulders.
Neil felt a lump in his throat. "This was taken... like six years ago, right?"
"It was. You remember that year?"
"Yeah. That was fun."
He just nodded without answering. Neil could feel his hands trembling as he stared at the picture, falling into his mother's eyes. Into all of their smiling faces. He wanted so badly to see these people again... they seemed lost, frozen in time. He barely recognized them now.
"Are you thinking about her?"
"I..." He couldn't stand to look at the picture anymore. He handed it back. "I miss her."
***
Sadness. :(
Okay, so then... there's this whole scene where I really tried to play up the tension between them. Neil tells his dad everything he's observed in Shanna, but he doesn't seem too concerned. And then he basically says, "Yeah, I know, but she won't listen to me." Which ticks off the concerned, sensitive teenage son, but he tries to keep his cool and be respectful. Mostly.
One comment I got from the early version of this scene was that they acted like strangers, so I tried to play that up. The whole conversation is melodramatic purple prose I don't feel like sharing with the world, so nyah. :P But there was this one little bit I really liked... so world, you can have this:
***
“I keep trying, but I just can’t seem to reach her. So… so I’m letting her sort this one out on her own. You have to believe me. I’m not ignoring my own precious daughter.”
“But if she’s that broken, she can’t just fix herself,” Neil said without looking up.
“And I certainly can’t fix her either. The rest is up to her.”
Neil looked up and stared straight into his father’s eyes. They looked like a stranger’s eyes. He didn’t seem like himself. Neither of them did.
“So you’re giving up.” It was more of a statement than a question.
He said nothing in response.
***
Oh noes! To be continued. I'm liking this story again.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Woohoo and Nanolyser
So another few thousand and I'll be at 40K! Clocked in at 37,269 tonight. The story is finally moving along... I'd really like to keep going, but sleep is calling.
And! Here's a nifty little tool called Nanolyser, which figures out personal charts and stats and tells you what you need to write each day to get back on schedule. It fills me with nerdy fascination. Here's a link to my Nanolyser chart. Kind of handy for the visual learner in me.
That's it, really. I think what helped my spurt of productivity was
(1) I was off today (vacation from now til the end of NaNo... yay!)
(2) I got a jump start on the wordcount by immediately starting my computer and banging out a thousand words as soon as I woke up this morning
and (3) the deadline looms big and scary before me.
Okay. Right. Time to sleep.
And! Here's a nifty little tool called Nanolyser, which figures out personal charts and stats and tells you what you need to write each day to get back on schedule. It fills me with nerdy fascination. Here's a link to my Nanolyser chart. Kind of handy for the visual learner in me.
That's it, really. I think what helped my spurt of productivity was
(1) I was off today (vacation from now til the end of NaNo... yay!)
(2) I got a jump start on the wordcount by immediately starting my computer and banging out a thousand words as soon as I woke up this morning
and (3) the deadline looms big and scary before me.
Okay. Right. Time to sleep.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
30K = Woot!
I broke 30,000 words tonight!!! 30,898 to be exact. Victory feels good. :)
So now that I'm ahead of where I was last year, I feel a lot better. And the plot is (finally) starting to roll around, though it had more holes than a moth-eaten sweater. (You thought I'd say swiss cheese. Ha. I thought about it though.)
Right. So in this session... I found a new character, a new opening scene, and the plot I've been digging for all along. When I got back to the heart of the story -- namely, Shanna's mysterious behavior and what's going on with her -- the words came way easier.
But now it is late, and I really need to stop and get some sleep. Just when it's starting to turn into something. Boo. :(
I'm too tired to look for something excerpt worthy tonight. Sorry. But I'm feeling really good about finishing this thing again! Hoping for some good writing energy when I take a few days off next week. Yay long holiday weekends.
So now that I'm ahead of where I was last year, I feel a lot better. And the plot is (finally) starting to roll around, though it had more holes than a moth-eaten sweater. (You thought I'd say swiss cheese. Ha. I thought about it though.)
Right. So in this session... I found a new character, a new opening scene, and the plot I've been digging for all along. When I got back to the heart of the story -- namely, Shanna's mysterious behavior and what's going on with her -- the words came way easier.
But now it is late, and I really need to stop and get some sleep. Just when it's starting to turn into something. Boo. :(
I'm too tired to look for something excerpt worthy tonight. Sorry. But I'm feeling really good about finishing this thing again! Hoping for some good writing energy when I take a few days off next week. Yay long holiday weekends.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Angst and Despair! :(
So, here we are, 10 days from the end. I'm only at 20,000 words.
I'm also bored, frustrated, and ready to quit. Let's just be honest.
I am taking heart that as of 11/26 last year, I had only just crossed the 30K mark. So if I can pull off 10,000 words between now and Tuesday, at least I'll be in the same place. I still believe I can do it, though I'm woefully behind.
But honestly? Today I realized that my story, as it is, quite simply... sucks. If I'm taking anything away from NaNoWriMo this year, it's that there's a reason they say to start with a completely new story. I think basing my novel on something that previously existed has lifted my expectations way too high. "This is great!" I thought. "By the time I'm done, I'll have this beautiful touching story that will be ready for the world with a little revision."
Um. Nope. :) But it's pretty humbling actually.
On the ride home from work, I had a few plot epiphanies (mostly that... um... I still don't have a plot, but 20,000 words of aimless slush?) but at this point, I'm not sure how to make my ideas work without starting over. But hey, the Inner Editor just needs to shut up and let me plunge forward, right?
Sure.
So! Enough whining... I have a few goals for tonight's session:
Also... a hearty congrats to my new NaNo friend Emily who has completed her first ever NaNo marathon! She finished her 50,000 words on the 15th. I hate her. :D (No, not really. Congrats! You're inspiring me.)
Onward!
------
* Bella Syndrome - when a story is told in first person by a character so self-centered, angsty, whiny, and needy (like the author of this blog?) that the protagonist one is supposed to love becomes a person one wants to punch in the face. I don't need to tell you who Bella is, right?
I'm also bored, frustrated, and ready to quit. Let's just be honest.
I am taking heart that as of 11/26 last year, I had only just crossed the 30K mark. So if I can pull off 10,000 words between now and Tuesday, at least I'll be in the same place. I still believe I can do it, though I'm woefully behind.
But honestly? Today I realized that my story, as it is, quite simply... sucks. If I'm taking anything away from NaNoWriMo this year, it's that there's a reason they say to start with a completely new story. I think basing my novel on something that previously existed has lifted my expectations way too high. "This is great!" I thought. "By the time I'm done, I'll have this beautiful touching story that will be ready for the world with a little revision."
Um. Nope. :) But it's pretty humbling actually.
On the ride home from work, I had a few plot epiphanies (mostly that... um... I still don't have a plot, but 20,000 words of aimless slush?) but at this point, I'm not sure how to make my ideas work without starting over. But hey, the Inner Editor just needs to shut up and let me plunge forward, right?
Sure.
So! Enough whining... I have a few goals for tonight's session:
- Get to the halfway point, or at least as close as possible. 4,000 words is a lot to do in one night, but it's possible. It's a Friday. Who needs sleep? :)
- Switch to third person. I'm finding that first person perspective just isn't my thing. It's so restrictive, my character has lost his quirky voice and just has a bad case of Bella Syndrome.* Perhaps if I just write outside his head, maybe the story and the whole cast can breathe.
- Just take the new plot, jump in, and roll with it. I may write a separate post about the new story concept.
- Have fun! Try to find the joy in the writing again. Lately, sitting down to write has felt like drudgery, and that's not what NaNoWriMo is about!
Also... a hearty congrats to my new NaNo friend Emily who has completed her first ever NaNo marathon! She finished her 50,000 words on the 15th. I hate her. :D (No, not really. Congrats! You're inspiring me.)
Onward!
------
* Bella Syndrome - when a story is told in first person by a character so self-centered, angsty, whiny, and needy (like the author of this blog?) that the protagonist one is supposed to love becomes a person one wants to punch in the face. I don't need to tell you who Bella is, right?
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
10K Happy Dance!
I just broke 10,000 words. Huzzah!
It was supposed to be 16,000+ today, but whatever. Who cares what the NaNoWriMo calendar on my desktop says. :P
I have no clue what I'm doing at this point. Wrote a chapter from Neil's perspective, a chapter from Shanna's. I don't know if I like this switching back and forth thing, but it was a chance to follow her around at work and see what's going on there. Still wrestling with first person perspective.
So yeah. I don't know what happens next. I hope my characters do. My abnormal work week has left me too exhausted to devote much brain energy to this.
One day... I'll learn how to plan and outline in October. :)
***
And now... an excerpt! Shanna is a cashier in a restaurant that's sorta-loosely based on the place my mom works. (Book Lady is kind of real. :)) And the Blink 182 reference? They were mentioned earlier in this chapter. A wonderful friend gave me a mix CD with a lot of their stuff last week, so I had them in my head when I started. It sounds exactly like the sort of thing Shanna's other kid brother would listen to. (and that Shann would secretly dig :P)
Yep. When in doubt, borrow from life. Um yeah. Here's the end of the chapter.
***
Book Lady finally came up with her ticket in hand. As I rung her up, we made the usual small talk:
“How are you?”
“Just fine. And you?”
“Oh, doing great!”
She paused for a second as I handed her change over. And she looked at me. Not the quick “thanks-have-a-nice-day” eye contact that comes and goes… but a probing sort of look. Like she tried to read me the way she read the pulp fiction paperback in her purse.
Then she smiled, and said, “Have a nice day, sweetie.”
“You too. See you tomorrow?”
“Of course!”
She left. I realized I really didn’t even know her name, even though she came every day. And she probably didn’t know mine.
But for a moment… for the briefest of moments, she looked at me as if she did. As if she knew something I didn’t. Something no one else knew.
Weird.
I leaned on the counter to wait for my next customer, twirling the ends of my ponytail in my fingers, and humming one of Jon’s stupid Blink 182 songs.
The gnawing in my stomach was pretty much gone by then.
It was supposed to be 16,000+ today, but whatever. Who cares what the NaNoWriMo calendar on my desktop says. :P
I have no clue what I'm doing at this point. Wrote a chapter from Neil's perspective, a chapter from Shanna's. I don't know if I like this switching back and forth thing, but it was a chance to follow her around at work and see what's going on there. Still wrestling with first person perspective.
So yeah. I don't know what happens next. I hope my characters do. My abnormal work week has left me too exhausted to devote much brain energy to this.
One day... I'll learn how to plan and outline in October. :)
***
And now... an excerpt! Shanna is a cashier in a restaurant that's sorta-loosely based on the place my mom works. (Book Lady is kind of real. :)) And the Blink 182 reference? They were mentioned earlier in this chapter. A wonderful friend gave me a mix CD with a lot of their stuff last week, so I had them in my head when I started. It sounds exactly like the sort of thing Shanna's other kid brother would listen to. (and that Shann would secretly dig :P)
Yep. When in doubt, borrow from life. Um yeah. Here's the end of the chapter.
***
Book Lady finally came up with her ticket in hand. As I rung her up, we made the usual small talk:
“How are you?”
“Just fine. And you?”
“Oh, doing great!”
She paused for a second as I handed her change over. And she looked at me. Not the quick “thanks-have-a-nice-day” eye contact that comes and goes… but a probing sort of look. Like she tried to read me the way she read the pulp fiction paperback in her purse.
Then she smiled, and said, “Have a nice day, sweetie.”
“You too. See you tomorrow?”
“Of course!”
She left. I realized I really didn’t even know her name, even though she came every day. And she probably didn’t know mine.
But for a moment… for the briefest of moments, she looked at me as if she did. As if she knew something I didn’t. Something no one else knew.
Weird.
I leaned on the counter to wait for my next customer, twirling the ends of my ponytail in my fingers, and humming one of Jon’s stupid Blink 182 songs.
The gnawing in my stomach was pretty much gone by then.
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