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Writing Words - writing it is the only way of getting it written
Yay - so turns out I can write a blog post every day. Okay, they haven't been long and insightful, but I didn't say I would do that. My taking part in NaBloPoMo this November was all about challenging myself to write something here every day.
NaBloPoMo - I did it
The tricky thing now will be to keep up the good work. I might not post every day. Hopefully my posts will get longer and more insightful (at least occasionally). I have no idea yet what I want this blog to become, but I'll figure it out as I go along.
When I won my first NaNoWriMo seven years ago, I was ecstatic for at least a week.
Nowadays, I'm usually glad I got through the first draft without going bonkers. Then I start worrying about the rewrites. Because I know I can write a 50,000 to 80,000 word first draft in a month even if I only get to start on the 15th. Editing and revision, on the other hand - not so easy. Writing the first draft is not where the work starts, it's when you have to edit the beast that things get ugly.
I did it once. So I've created a precedent - I can do it. I can do it. I can do it.
... And I've only just begun.
I spent way too much time today staring at last year's NaNoWriMo novel. I scribbled down a few ideas, too - ideas which will hopefully make the story better. It's not much, but it's a start.
Do you need talent to make it as a writer? Oh, certainly. Talent alone isn't enough, though. Good writing needs lots and lots of practice.
I haven't practiced nearly enough this year. I know I will always be able to crank out a story. I also know that the story I wrote this year is at least 75 percent drivel, and I remember when I wrote first drafts that still needed attention, but nowhere near as much.
I need to get into the habit of practicing regularly again. Ideally reestablish my daily writing routine, so I can point to at least as many good bits as bad bits in my next first draft.
First drafts are a wonderful thing. Until you start editing them - then you might find that they're not so wonderful after all.
I finished my NaNo novel. In the last scene, I've planted the seed for a new one. Maybe it will have to wait until next November, maybe I'll get round to writing it before that.
Tonight, I relax. Tomorrow, I begin the rewrites of last year's novel. For real this time.
50019 words, and I've just written "The End". Another first draft to revise...
I'm glad I've finished the story, but I'm not ecstatic. Maybe I don't have to be over the moon about finishing another story, though. I've done it often enough now to have gotten used to the feeling. Or maybe I'm just too tired tonight.
Didn't finish the story today as planned. Still some 2,700 words away from 50k, I hope I'll get there by Tuesday evening. I want to be done with this story ...
Ever wanted to read the first draft of a published writer's new story? Curious how someone who earns her money as a full-time fiction writer?
If the answer is yes, then head over to TalysMana, the new project of fabulous Holly Lisle. She is sending out the first draft of the story scene by scene, so you get to read the story as it is created. When Holly has finished the novel, she will revise it and make it available as a self-published book. I am already looking forward to seeing how the published version differs from the first draft
[ Click here to read more ]
Tonight I gave myself the night off. On the first glance, not the best tactic considering I have written about 3,000 words this week. I am pretty confident that I'll cross the 50k finishing line some time this weekend.
So tonight, I read rather than write.
Today has been the first day I didn't write anything for NaNaWriMo. I plan to catch up over the weekend
I've written a couple of hundred words so far, and I will try for a few more in a moment (just have to make the most of it while my internet connection is working).
During the day, whenever I had a spare minute, I pictured the next scene I need to write. It took a while to get it right, but now I can see it clearly, as if it were a scene from a movie. It makes writing it down a lot easier.
350 words tonight for the novel. Not much, but every word I write during the week is one word less I have to write during the weekend. Pity I'm so busy, my internet connection is only working sporadically and there would be no distraction while writing.
It's going to be a busy week. I've managed to post something every day so far this month - good thing since I'm taking part in NaBloPoMo again - and I hope I will keep the routine up.
But, busy week ahead, a deadline on Thursday and a novel that needs my attention for at least an hour a day. If I get squeezed for time, I might have to make a sacrifice or two. As I usually blog about writing, I won't have any material for a blog post if I don't write. But after a packed day, will I have any words left for a blog post? I suppose I'll find out in the course of the week.
I didn't quite make it as far as I wanted, but just over 40k is good enough for me. Now I'm out of words.
I didn't quite make it as far as I wanted, but just over 40k is good enough for me. Now I'm out of words.
As I wrote the other day, Twitter is a major distraction. It's not a complete waste of time, though. If used sparingly (something I clearly still need to master), Twitter is a fantastic source of information and inspiration for writers. You can follow publishing houses, editors, literary agents and writers. You'll learn more about the industry, you might make some useful connections and you can interact with your favourite authors. Twitter is lots of fun, and it's my treat for making my daily wordcount this month.
If you're looking for some inspiration as to who to follow, here's the Mashable list of the best authors to follow on Twitter. One of them is @maureenjohnson, who wrote today's fantastic NaNoWriMo pep talk.
There's NaNoWriMo, obviously. (Writing today has been much easier than yesterday, so yay!)
Then there is NaBloPoMo, which started as a November event before it went monthly about two years ago. And if you had a go at NaBloPoMo but had to drop out (or even if you're still going strong with the daily blog posts), there's IComLeaveWe. Why, International Comment Leave Week, of course. It's a monthly event, too, and starts at the 21st of every month. The rules: post five comments on blogs and return one comment made on you blog every day for a week.
... will come crashing down eventually. I wasn't quite prepared for it to happen so quickly, though.
I crossed the half-way mark yesterday and finished at 26,402. Writing was a breeze, and it looked like things were falling into place nicely. Maybe I should have kept going because today has been almost the exact opposite. I've written 2,200 words so far, but getting them onto the page was hard work. And as if that wasn't enough, I'm not happy with a lot of what I wrote
[ Click here to read more ]
Great quote from Patricia Highsmith about how the unconscious often provides the crucial parts of a story.
For your unconscious to present you with plot twists and solutions, you have to feed it first, though. Provide it with the relevant info, then go and do something else. Don't think about the problem anymore, and your unconscious will work its magic. Have pen and paper ready!
Good news for romance writers: Digital publisher Carina Press launched today,and they are looking for submissions. Carina press is a division of Harlequin, and they are looking for romances in all forms and shapes (they are also open for other genres, though.)
Here's a link to the most important page: the submission guidelines.
Seven already - seriously?
Today was a good day. I made 20k, wrote over 4,000 words - the biggest daily chunk so far. Needless to say, it was easy today. Fun, even.
The worst things you write will take you closer to 50k just as well as brilliant things would. I wrote a lot of bad stuff today. Well over 2,000 words of badbadbad. 2,000 words are 2,000 words, though.
Considering how much I suck at editing, this isn't good news. I guess it's time I did something about my poor editing and revision skills, then.
Here's my NaNoWriMo link list with all sorts of sites I find useful when I get stuck in November.
If you have a Linkli.st account, feel free to clone it and adapt it. And if you know any good NaNo-related sites, leave a link in the comments.
I spend all afternoon writing - but not my novel. I had a deadline for one of my regular freelance gigs today. Since I am being paid for that, it obviously was my priority. It's okay, I've got over 11,000 words altogether.
I wrote just over 3,000 words and crossed the 10k mark today. Yay!
The first 2,000 words were easy. Then I started up Seesmic and checked my Twitter stream. Bad move. I don't spend much time on the NaNoWriMo forum because I could easily write several thousand words in forum posts a day (now here's an idea: I could become a NaNo rebel next year and write 50,000 words in the forums ... ) and don't make much progress with the novel in return. I know the forum is a major distraction, that's why I avoid it. I think I have to apply the same treatment to Twitter. It appears to be harmless because a tweet is so short. But then I don't just follow one person, but 50, and some of them tweet quite a lot. Then I check a few searches, and before I know it I've wasted an hour. Yeah, no more tweeting for me before I've hit my goal for the day.
Great advice for writers: Read bad stuff.
Not only is it encouraging to read bad fiction, it also is a great way to learn what you shouldn't do and improve your editing skills (handy skill post-NaNoWriMo). It's so much easier to see other writers' mistakes than your own. Read a bad piece of fiction and edit to make it better. Then go and check your own work for the same mistakes, and if you spot one, apply the treatment you applied to the bad stuff.
I've written more than 2k yesterday, and I'm currently at 4112. Not quite sure if I'm done for today yet.
So far, I'm happy with my slow approach. Even though seeing people who've hit 10k already (and probably 20k by now) makes my competitiveness spark into live, I know I'm better off taking my time.
My daily goal for NaNoWriMo is at least 2,000 words. I can write that in an hour, easily, if I just go for boosting the wordcount. This year, though, I don't want to write wordcount padding - words that will be cut in the first round of editing. I want to write only words that are relevant to the progression of the story and the development of the characters. So I'm taking it slow. I take time to think, and write only when I know what I write matters.
I'm at 1519 words now. A good first day.
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