8497 - Way Behind

So I'm over my fit and I realize I really need to get cracking.  This one part is taking me way too long to write, but it's winding down and hopefully from there it will get quicker. 

Micah and I had to properly prepare for the new Harry Potter movie by indulging our mutual laziness with a years 1-6 marathon.  Was totally worth lounging around all weekend, but the time has come for action. 

I've come near to admitting that this nanowrimo challenge is not meant for writers like me, but I accepted this personal challenge, so I have to at least attempt to see it through.  Hopefully I'll find myself in a proper place to bust out 10,000 words in a couple days.  I've done it before and I'm perfectly capable of doing it again.  Now I just have to get my mind right and steamroll through the rest of this long and arduous section of the novel. 

It's rainy and gross here today, which tends to be prime writing conditions.  Bring me the magic, O Muse.

Thoughts on Nanowrimo from 6026.

True I haven't gotten as far as I'd hoped.  True I've been attempting to maintain a life during all of this.  True my novel is going to need some editing.

But please forgive me nanowrimo folks, if I do not share your enthusiasm for word wars.  I know the point of this is to get as much down as possible, but at the cost your work's integrity? 

I'm sorry, but even if I am going to attempt 50,000 words in one month, they're going to be decent words that make sense and tell the story the way I want it told.  And maybe some of you are capable of the word counts past 50,000 that I often see the second week of November.  And hats off you are capable of that many words that quickly that do tell a good and engaging story.  But how many writers are REALLY capable of a novel full of turns and twists and character development and their own blood, sweat, and tears and some kernel of a truth that they want to communicate that's past 50,000 words after two weeks? 

How long did it take Jane Austen to write Pride and Prejudice?  How long did J.D. Salinger spend on Cather in the Rye or did Melville spend on Moby Dick?  It's true we're not Austens, Salingers and Melvilles.  I'm very aware of that.  But really.  50,000 words in two weeks?

And I'm sorry I am slow, nano group.  But my slowness means you don't even want to allow me to share what I had written during that 10 minutes when you were all racing each other to see who could spill their soul the quickest?  Because I'm not fast I don't count?  Really?  Maybe I don't in this particular exercise.  Maybe I'm missing the point of this.

Nonetheless, I will continue to slowly climb my way toward 50,000.  And hopefully I'll be pleased with them all when I earn the privilege of a bound copy.  It'll take me longer and I'll probably continue to say odd things that don't matter to the speed writers, but by God I'm doing this my way.  Are you?

So It Begins

Now it's November and the enormity of 50,000 words before December has hit home.  That's a lot of damn words.  But I suppose I got off to a good start.  I haven't done my writing for the day, but last night (after midnight, so I'm counting it, kids) I wrote about seven half pages worth of a scene further down the line.  I'll probably rewrite it when I get to it again (I'm going to attempt to stay in order), but the idea wouldn't leave me alone, so I had to write it last night.  That's how it has to be done lest I forget everything.

I haven't counted the words.  I'll save that for when I type it later.  I always handwrite first, then type and edit the first draft at the same time.  It's easier to concentrate with a pen in hand and it's easier to be brutal to your writing when you're typing and have all the powers of cut and paste at your fingertips.

I suspect the cigar bar will see a great deal of me this month since my brand new desk top will be away having its integrated video card replaced (this has caused much pulling of hair and gnashing of teeth, but I'm over it now - kind of).  I love to write in public places simply because it gives you enough distraction to keep yourself sane, but not so much that you can't plug in your headphones and ignore the mess around you.  Plus the mess can sometimes serve as excellent inspiration.  Lots of brainwaves flying around helps too, I think. 

50,000 words, I shall write you and make you my bitch.  That's a promise.

Phase II

Finally finished going through the parts I'd already written and on to phase II of the planning stage.  That would be answering the questions I asked myself about each part of the novel.  I make something like a worksheet for this.  I included a quick summary of the scene/chapter/section and pinpoint problems with it, things to avoid when writing it, and of course I ask myself questions.  Like "How does she feel about ______?" and "How does she react to _______?" and "Why doesn't he ask her about _______?"  This helps me to figure out what I need to accomplish in the scene.

The worksheet looks like this:

and is about thirty pages long.  (I don't half-ass anything when it comes to the novels.)


Before I attempt this, however, I've got a scene I probably need to get down before I forget it. I'm not even sure if I'll use it in the finished product, but that's why I need to write it.  If it looks like it'll work it'll go in.  If it looks like it'll suck or drag the story, it will be unceremoniously flushed.

It's a brutal business.

Nanowrimo

I attempted nanowrimo last year and failed miserably, clocking in barely 2000 words.  Somewhere around the second week, I decided that I'm not meant to write 50,000 words in a month because I'm deliberate (I refuse to concede that I'm slow).  But that excuse seems rather pale, so I figured I might as well give it another shot.

This year, instead of forcing myself to work on the novel I feel like I should work on, I'm working on the one I want to work on.  The one I keep getting ideas for even though it's kind of more of a silly/fun thing.  And I'll be more prepared this time.  I have one big Circa notebook dedicated to this.  I put notes, worksheets, and existing parts in the notebook along with plenty of clean paper.  At the moment, I'm reading over the parts I've written and making notes on them.  Next, I'll be supplying myself with a few visual aids to help out.  The main things will be floor plans for all of the important rooms and homes, etc.  For some reason with this one, I'm having a really hard time visualizing the settings.  Hopefully this will help.

Right now everything is looking like this:

and this:

In any case, kids, Happy Nano.

For once I'm going to attempt to document this process just because... well... I'm not sure why.  Just seems like the thing to do.