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.
Showing posts with label NaNo thoughts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NaNo thoughts. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Day 3?
So I totally didn't write anything yesterday. Well, that's not true... I wrote. But I was working on the final edits for my next JFH review instead of working on my novel. (Flyleaf - Memento Mori if you care to know. :)) May I just say that having a regular writing gig is throwing an extra interesting dynamic into NaNoWriMo month? I find it hard to write multiple things at once and have to prioritize, y'know.
Today I took my little notebook out on a lunch break and tried to scribble some more. It um... didn't quite work. Apparently, the random direction I took the other day isn't lending itself to moving on. Day 3 and I already have writer's block? Say it isn't so!
So I'm about to settle in, fire up Scrivener and/or Write or Die, and figure out what to do next. I'm very tempted to insert some placeholder paragraphs for the scenes I don't know and just dive into the ones I do. Is that cheating? I'm kind of a non-linear, patchwork writer anyway... I figure it never hurts to jot random scenes and stitch them together later.
Later. After November. Inner Editor, go away!
Right. Onward to writing. :)
PS: I totally want to do the Big Scary Character Quiz, at least for Neil and maybe Shanna. But that would be procrastination too, wouldn't it?
PPS: Need a laugh? Check out The Christian Romance Novel Naughty List or: How to Get Instant Rejection Letters from Steeple Hill. Then be glad you're not writing a Christian romance novel for NaNoWriMo. Hysterical, dagnabbit. (oops. Already violated the list. *sigh*)
Today I took my little notebook out on a lunch break and tried to scribble some more. It um... didn't quite work. Apparently, the random direction I took the other day isn't lending itself to moving on. Day 3 and I already have writer's block? Say it isn't so!
So I'm about to settle in, fire up Scrivener and/or Write or Die, and figure out what to do next. I'm very tempted to insert some placeholder paragraphs for the scenes I don't know and just dive into the ones I do. Is that cheating? I'm kind of a non-linear, patchwork writer anyway... I figure it never hurts to jot random scenes and stitch them together later.
Later. After November. Inner Editor, go away!
Right. Onward to writing. :)
PS: I totally want to do the Big Scary Character Quiz, at least for Neil and maybe Shanna. But that would be procrastination too, wouldn't it?
PPS: Need a laugh? Check out The Christian Romance Novel Naughty List or: How to Get Instant Rejection Letters from Steeple Hill. Then be glad you're not writing a Christian romance novel for NaNoWriMo. Hysterical, dagnabbit. (oops. Already violated the list. *sigh*)
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Annnnnd we're off!
The writing frenzy began at midnight Nov 1st! My sister and I were off kittysitting this weekend, and ended up Internet-free, which pretty much makes for some really productive writing time.
Sorta.
Writing got off to a shaky start, clocking in at 1,489 words by the time I conked out at 1:30 am. Blame the cold I've been battling, blame unfamiliar territory disrupting my comfort levels (even though I kept telling myself it was like a little writer's retreat). I don't know.
The good news is that technically those 1,489 words are part of the first day's word count, leaving me until midnight to hit the 178 left for the first day goal. Cake. I still got time to get ahead.
Anyhoo. Final update, and possibly an excerpt once I'm done tonight. :)
By the way, Scrivener is pretty awesome. If you're a Mac user, check out the NaNo 2009 trial. I love it, and NaNo 2009 winners get 50% off the purchase price. (Everyone else can get 20% off anyway) Perfect incentive for me to hit the goal this year!
Sorta.
Writing got off to a shaky start, clocking in at 1,489 words by the time I conked out at 1:30 am. Blame the cold I've been battling, blame unfamiliar territory disrupting my comfort levels (even though I kept telling myself it was like a little writer's retreat). I don't know.
The good news is that technically those 1,489 words are part of the first day's word count, leaving me until midnight to hit the 178 left for the first day goal. Cake. I still got time to get ahead.
Anyhoo. Final update, and possibly an excerpt once I'm done tonight. :)
By the way, Scrivener is pretty awesome. If you're a Mac user, check out the NaNo 2009 trial. I love it, and NaNo 2009 winners get 50% off the purchase price. (Everyone else can get 20% off anyway) Perfect incentive for me to hit the goal this year!
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Subplottage.
So I think I'm getting sick. That doesn 't bode well for the first week of NaNoWriMo!
Then again... maybe it does. At least it's an excuse to stay in and write write write! Except right now I'm a little too braindead to even try a drabble or an exercise. So I'm going to write a stream-of-consciousness blog post instead. (Lucky you.) There won't be much time for that when November rolls around!
Anyway... I think I'm just about ready. Just took a few minutes to read the draft of the original "Music Lessons" short story as I left it. And... dude. After about 6 months away from it, I can see why it needs a novel-length overhaul. As it is... plot (if you want to call it that) is choppy, characters that should be important walk on and off the set with barely an introduction, and just as it starts to really go somewhere and connect... it's done.
I've got my work cut out for me.
But it's also cool because I can see areas where I can fluff and expand. For one thing, the first draft had this subplot of my shy, lovable, hopelessly clumsy and nerdy Neil having a crush on a girl... who happens to like his twin brother. It was cute at the time, but the first time my writing class ran it through the critique circle, they said it detracted from the main storyline. Here I am, writing about three kids who lost their mom and one of them teetering closer and closer to suicidal depression... and I'm going off on high school love drama.
So, in the revision, I ditched it. Lynee (the crush) got a brief shout out as (the brother) Jon's girlfriend (all sibling rivalry begone!), but she was glossed over and summed up in a flashback or two so I could allot more pages to the "real story." bye bye, silly subplot!
In the second class critique, we all wanted it back. :) It was a cute breath of fresh air in a dark story, and a little bit of reassurance that -- messed up as their lives were -- these were teenagers with otherwise normal lives.
Which makes me think about subplot... they can give a sort of normalcy and realism to the plot. Something as simple and pointless as a little teenage puppy love brought out a different side to my characters. Neil seems more innocent and sort of pathetic, which makes him stand out all the more when he finally does something brave. And he learns that his school issues are small compared to the disguised turmoil in his family and the pain and depression his sister's going through.
Oh, look at me. Rambling on like you know this story in my head. Sorry. :)
All that to say... I'm looking forward to reviving the minor characters, especially since I'm trying to take a more YA-friendly angle. I want to flesh out their Dad more (who was kind of interesting, but also got glossed over) and I want to add a little more drama between Neil, Jon, and Lynee. I want them to be real high school kids with homework and hormones and all that good stuff. At least in NaNo month, you can call it a word count boost!
Now... here is the cheerleader/helpful advice/double-dog-dare-you part!
If you get stuck in your novel, toss in a subplot that might be mundane in comparison to the big, important, exciting things going on in your "real plot." Let your character develop an unrequited crush or something. Or if you get really stuck... send your MC grocery shopping.
What? That worked for me last year. You'd be amazed what happens at the grocery store. :)
Only 2 more days! Except for my little short story drafts, I, uh... still don't have an outline. Maybe I should do something about that. :/
Then again... maybe it does. At least it's an excuse to stay in and write write write! Except right now I'm a little too braindead to even try a drabble or an exercise. So I'm going to write a stream-of-consciousness blog post instead. (Lucky you.) There won't be much time for that when November rolls around!
Anyway... I think I'm just about ready. Just took a few minutes to read the draft of the original "Music Lessons" short story as I left it. And... dude. After about 6 months away from it, I can see why it needs a novel-length overhaul. As it is... plot (if you want to call it that) is choppy, characters that should be important walk on and off the set with barely an introduction, and just as it starts to really go somewhere and connect... it's done.
I've got my work cut out for me.
But it's also cool because I can see areas where I can fluff and expand. For one thing, the first draft had this subplot of my shy, lovable, hopelessly clumsy and nerdy Neil having a crush on a girl... who happens to like his twin brother. It was cute at the time, but the first time my writing class ran it through the critique circle, they said it detracted from the main storyline. Here I am, writing about three kids who lost their mom and one of them teetering closer and closer to suicidal depression... and I'm going off on high school love drama.
So, in the revision, I ditched it. Lynee (the crush) got a brief shout out as (the brother) Jon's girlfriend (all sibling rivalry begone!), but she was glossed over and summed up in a flashback or two so I could allot more pages to the "real story." bye bye, silly subplot!
In the second class critique, we all wanted it back. :) It was a cute breath of fresh air in a dark story, and a little bit of reassurance that -- messed up as their lives were -- these were teenagers with otherwise normal lives.
Which makes me think about subplot... they can give a sort of normalcy and realism to the plot. Something as simple and pointless as a little teenage puppy love brought out a different side to my characters. Neil seems more innocent and sort of pathetic, which makes him stand out all the more when he finally does something brave. And he learns that his school issues are small compared to the disguised turmoil in his family and the pain and depression his sister's going through.
Oh, look at me. Rambling on like you know this story in my head. Sorry. :)
All that to say... I'm looking forward to reviving the minor characters, especially since I'm trying to take a more YA-friendly angle. I want to flesh out their Dad more (who was kind of interesting, but also got glossed over) and I want to add a little more drama between Neil, Jon, and Lynee. I want them to be real high school kids with homework and hormones and all that good stuff. At least in NaNo month, you can call it a word count boost!
Now... here is the cheerleader/helpful advice/double-dog-dare-you part!
If you get stuck in your novel, toss in a subplot that might be mundane in comparison to the big, important, exciting things going on in your "real plot." Let your character develop an unrequited crush or something. Or if you get really stuck... send your MC grocery shopping.
What? That worked for me last year. You'd be amazed what happens at the grocery store. :)
Only 2 more days! Except for my little short story drafts, I, uh... still don't have an outline. Maybe I should do something about that. :/
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
NaNoWriMo Q&A
In the weeks leading up to NaNoWriMo, lots of writing blogs are offering some motivation and thoughts. This post from Write Anything is a neat expression of why NaNo isn't a waste of time and why even the bad novels that come out of it are worth every minute. She also gives 7 questions at the end to get you thinking about what you're writing and how you're writing it.
Anyway, here are my answers that I left in a comment. Kind of gave me some perspective, especially on the value of this crazy writing adventure. What are yours?
1. Do you have an idea for your NaNoWriMo project? Yep! Taking a short story I wrote earlier this year for a class and completely re-writing it to novel length. The feedback class consensus was that it was a good story that needed to be a novel, and this is the motivation I need to work on it!
2. What instrument will you be writing your novel on? My kickin' new Macbook. It's our first NaNo together. Write or Die and an old fashioned spiral notebook when I get blocked.
3. Where will you likely be writing most of your story? Probably at home, in my room. I want to try to do some lunch break writing at work/Panera/coffee shops though, and my novel will start at a friend's house while I cat-sit for her this weekend. Kind of looking forward to the quiet place to get a jump start on my novel!
4. When will you likely write your story? At night. Laaaate at night. By the time I get home from work, that's the only writing window I have most of the week.
5. What is your daily word count goal? 2,000-ish is good, but I try not to be too rigid. Last year, I won NaNoWriMo even with spurts of non-productive writing weeks. Word count varies day to day.
6. Have you participated in past NaNoWriMo’s? How many years have you won? Yep... this is my third year. first year was a 15K fail, but last year I won! Totally intend to win this year too. :)
7. What do you think about NaNoWriMo in general? A waste of time? Or beneficial? Unless you're already an productive, disciplined writer with an excellent work ethic that can turn out beautiful work without an arbitrary deadline hanging over your head... it's super beneficial. And if you are all that, it probably is beneficial to help you stop taking yourself so seriously. ;)
I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one that is a creature of procrastinating and perfectionist habits when it comes to writing. If no one is expecting me to turn it in, I tend to put it off. I like that at least for one month of the year, writing a novel draft feels as important as any other work, since so many others are writing along with me. And with such a big goal in such a small time, I have permission to write badly, with the hope that something worth keeping will emerge.
So yeah. I love it! Winning last year got me excited about writing fiction again. Sure, it was a pretty bad novel, but it gave me some good characters to work with (one of them with a major role in this year's story), and it inspired me to take a Creative Writing class and start writing again. I recommend anyone who has ever entertained the idea of writing a novel give it a try -- whether you think you can write or not! The results may surprise you!
Anyway, here are my answers that I left in a comment. Kind of gave me some perspective, especially on the value of this crazy writing adventure. What are yours?
1. Do you have an idea for your NaNoWriMo project? Yep! Taking a short story I wrote earlier this year for a class and completely re-writing it to novel length. The feedback class consensus was that it was a good story that needed to be a novel, and this is the motivation I need to work on it!
2. What instrument will you be writing your novel on? My kickin' new Macbook. It's our first NaNo together. Write or Die and an old fashioned spiral notebook when I get blocked.
3. Where will you likely be writing most of your story? Probably at home, in my room. I want to try to do some lunch break writing at work/Panera/coffee shops though, and my novel will start at a friend's house while I cat-sit for her this weekend. Kind of looking forward to the quiet place to get a jump start on my novel!
4. When will you likely write your story? At night. Laaaate at night. By the time I get home from work, that's the only writing window I have most of the week.
5. What is your daily word count goal? 2,000-ish is good, but I try not to be too rigid. Last year, I won NaNoWriMo even with spurts of non-productive writing weeks. Word count varies day to day.
6. Have you participated in past NaNoWriMo’s? How many years have you won? Yep... this is my third year. first year was a 15K fail, but last year I won! Totally intend to win this year too. :)
7. What do you think about NaNoWriMo in general? A waste of time? Or beneficial? Unless you're already an productive, disciplined writer with an excellent work ethic that can turn out beautiful work without an arbitrary deadline hanging over your head... it's super beneficial. And if you are all that, it probably is beneficial to help you stop taking yourself so seriously. ;)
I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one that is a creature of procrastinating and perfectionist habits when it comes to writing. If no one is expecting me to turn it in, I tend to put it off. I like that at least for one month of the year, writing a novel draft feels as important as any other work, since so many others are writing along with me. And with such a big goal in such a small time, I have permission to write badly, with the hope that something worth keeping will emerge.
So yeah. I love it! Winning last year got me excited about writing fiction again. Sure, it was a pretty bad novel, but it gave me some good characters to work with (one of them with a major role in this year's story), and it inspired me to take a Creative Writing class and start writing again. I recommend anyone who has ever entertained the idea of writing a novel give it a try -- whether you think you can write or not! The results may surprise you!
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