Current tuneage: Throw Your Hands In the Air - Outkast
NaNoWriMo Stats:
Days in: 26
Words written: 48,390
On target? Yes! (I should be finished today!)
Working hard today to make sure that I finished those last few words so I can "win" NaNo. Although the story is coming along better than I thought (I was going crazy about 3,000 words ago) it's nowhere near what I thought it was going to turn out to be. Apparently the characters didn't like what I had planned for them and made their own story.
On the other hand, it was a lot more fun to write a story in which I wasn't quite sure where it was going. Because of this, I think I'm going to try out the same tactics for the next one I write. Instead of coming out with a fancy, VERY detailed outline of nearly every character action, I'll just do character bios and let them do their thing... it certainly makes the writing process almost as exciting as the reading process :)
More next week!
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Friday, November 21, 2008
since when should the author have any say...
Current tuneage: Better As A Memory - Kenny Chesney
NaNoWriMo Stats:
Days in: 21
Words written: 41,690
On target? Ahead!
Ok, this is going to be a short entry since we're getting down to the wire here in NaNoWriMo and although I'm fabulously ahead of schedule, there's still much writing to be done before my last writing days (which is next Wednesday). That means I only have four more days, including today, to write 8,310 words... at least. I don't think my story will be finished by then. Although with the way things have been going, I don't have a clue anymore.
See, I've read about how other authors say that their characters suddenly stand up for themselves, take over and decide their own fate. I've never had that happen. Until now. Usually before I write a story I have a loose outline in place that keeps me on the track I planned (literally from first action to last action) that way my mind can't wander, writer's block stays a safe distance away and I can stay on track throughout the whole book. Of course I leave some actions open for a slight change, but nothing major. I always know what to expect from my characters. I don't let them run amok.
Fast forward to my brilliant decision to participate in this year's NaNoWriMo and what used to be such an organized process has all gone to hell. I didn't write any outline before beginning my story, just character bios. But I still had specific things in mind that my characters were supposed to do and they're not doing them! (For those of you that haven't written a novel before... or even tried... I may sound like I've gone off the deep end here, but I swear, there's nothing I can do!)
So, the perfect tidy little ending that I had in mind is no longer possible... at least I'm pretty sure it's not. But I'm kind of liking this new twist. Perhaps instead of trying to maintain a difficult hold on where this novel is going, I'll just sit back and enjoy the ride.
TGIF!
NaNoWriMo Stats:
Days in: 21
Words written: 41,690
On target? Ahead!
Ok, this is going to be a short entry since we're getting down to the wire here in NaNoWriMo and although I'm fabulously ahead of schedule, there's still much writing to be done before my last writing days (which is next Wednesday). That means I only have four more days, including today, to write 8,310 words... at least. I don't think my story will be finished by then. Although with the way things have been going, I don't have a clue anymore.
See, I've read about how other authors say that their characters suddenly stand up for themselves, take over and decide their own fate. I've never had that happen. Until now. Usually before I write a story I have a loose outline in place that keeps me on the track I planned (literally from first action to last action) that way my mind can't wander, writer's block stays a safe distance away and I can stay on track throughout the whole book. Of course I leave some actions open for a slight change, but nothing major. I always know what to expect from my characters. I don't let them run amok.
Fast forward to my brilliant decision to participate in this year's NaNoWriMo and what used to be such an organized process has all gone to hell. I didn't write any outline before beginning my story, just character bios. But I still had specific things in mind that my characters were supposed to do and they're not doing them! (For those of you that haven't written a novel before... or even tried... I may sound like I've gone off the deep end here, but I swear, there's nothing I can do!)
So, the perfect tidy little ending that I had in mind is no longer possible... at least I'm pretty sure it's not. But I'm kind of liking this new twist. Perhaps instead of trying to maintain a difficult hold on where this novel is going, I'll just sit back and enjoy the ride.
TGIF!
Friday, November 7, 2008
NaNoWriMo Baby!
Current tuneage: Your Body Is A Wonderland - John Mayer
NaNoWriMo Stats:
Days in: 7
Words written: 10,028
On target: amazingly, yes
Well, the first week of NaNoWriMo is nearly done and despite the fact that I've only actually written THREE of these past seven days, I'm still on target to have 50,000 words by November 30th. I'm honestly a little shocked that I've written 10,000+ words in just three measly days. My novel is coming along at an unusually rapid pace and it's a little scary, exhilerating and unbelievable all at once.
The problem I'm having (and knew I was going to have before even beginning this monstrosity) is that I don't write on the weekends. Perhaps some day not long from now when I can be a full-time stay at home writer I'll write for a few hours every day. But until then, weekends are mine! I'll also be going out of town for a wedding one day and then there's Thanksgiving and the day after. So instead of the 30 days that most NaNoWriMo participants are counting on, I get 17. Yup, that's right, almost HALF of the time everyone else is taking to write 50,000 words. So the very obvious strategy I've devised is that I need to write double every day.
It's quite simple, really. You need to write 1167 words a day to reach the 50,000 mark in 30 days. I need to write 2942-ish in order to make the same mark in 17 days. Eesh. Well, at least I'm still caught up. Though we are only a week in...
Lots of work to do, but the deadline is keeping me going!!
More next week (and hopefully I'll be able to report that I'm still caught up---maybe even ahead of schedule...)
TGIF!!
NaNoWriMo Stats:
Days in: 7
Words written: 10,028
On target: amazingly, yes
Well, the first week of NaNoWriMo is nearly done and despite the fact that I've only actually written THREE of these past seven days, I'm still on target to have 50,000 words by November 30th. I'm honestly a little shocked that I've written 10,000+ words in just three measly days. My novel is coming along at an unusually rapid pace and it's a little scary, exhilerating and unbelievable all at once.
The problem I'm having (and knew I was going to have before even beginning this monstrosity) is that I don't write on the weekends. Perhaps some day not long from now when I can be a full-time stay at home writer I'll write for a few hours every day. But until then, weekends are mine! I'll also be going out of town for a wedding one day and then there's Thanksgiving and the day after. So instead of the 30 days that most NaNoWriMo participants are counting on, I get 17. Yup, that's right, almost HALF of the time everyone else is taking to write 50,000 words. So the very obvious strategy I've devised is that I need to write double every day.
It's quite simple, really. You need to write 1167 words a day to reach the 50,000 mark in 30 days. I need to write 2942-ish in order to make the same mark in 17 days. Eesh. Well, at least I'm still caught up. Though we are only a week in...
Lots of work to do, but the deadline is keeping me going!!
More next week (and hopefully I'll be able to report that I'm still caught up---maybe even ahead of schedule...)
TGIF!!
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