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Writing Words - writing it is the only way of getting it written
I didn't take my own advice this year, I am writing a story which was rather underdeveloped when I started writing. So I am writing with the most important thing missing: the ending.
No matter how little you want to plan, you should always have at least a very broad idea how your story is supposed to end. You need to keep the ending in mind and hurtle your characters towards it. Sure, they cannot get there via the path of least resistence, but they have to get there.
The thing about my story is, there are two possible endings to it. The more action packed plot is also the one that would have required a little more planning than I had time for in October. As for the other one, that may turn out rather anemic if I stretch it out over 50k. At the moment both plots are still an option, but I will need to make a decision in tomorrow's wrting session.
Maybe I should use lunch break to come up with an ending to give me some direction.
Sunday Scribblings #83: Money
I accepted Karena's offer to move in with her without even looking at the condo. I'd rented the first apartment that was tolerable when I got to New York - I hate staying in hotels on my own. I never minded when He was with me, and we stayed in a lot of hotels. I wanted a place where I could leave anytime. The reason I took Karena's offer was not the money - He left me a lot of that. I wonder how He survives, he didn't take larger sums out before he disappeared, and He can't access the account anymore without alerting Them. I am sure They have tapped the bank account somehow. I guess He must have put some money aside in another account - most likely in Switzerland. Not that I needed His money in the first place - my travel guides sell consistently to keep me afloat, and I made a lot as a freelance travel writer while I jetted around the globe with Him. I could well afford to buy my own condo here, as a matter of fact. I don't want to tie myself down to the city at the moment, though - I need to be able to leave quickly when He makes contact. Lately I have been thinking that maybe it hadn't been the best idea to move into Karena's place, I don't think He will get in touch while I live here. On the other hand, They would have watched me anyway no matter where I lived. So every time the doubts about living with Karena pipe up, I quell them by thinking that I might well have speed up the process of convincing Them that there is no point watching me when I decided to live here.
Here's an excerpt inspired by today's What's your story? prompt:
I think this is part of Their training, as well. Whatever I try to get it my way, Karena has an idea to turn it against me. You can argue all you want, but They will always come up with a suggestion you cannot possibly turn down without contradicting yourself. I cannot tell her that I am not hungry, after all, my stomach has seen to that, and I don't want to tell her I changed my mind about having sushi because I crave it. There is something about the combination of aromas that makes me feel better instantly, no matter the circumstances. The texture of salmon and tuna sashimi makes me forget the world around me - for as long as I am sitting in Ivy's with a pair of chopsticks in my hand I am in paradise. As long as I don't look up I can even fool myself into thinking that it is Him sitting across the table, not Karena.
Whenever I find myself with a few spare hours at my hands, I sit down and boost my word count. I wrote over 4,200 words in 5 hours today. Here's how I do it:
I decide how many words I need to write for the day, a figure that is reasonable within the available time frame. There is no point in aiming too high - that would do more harm than good. My goal for today was 3,400 words.
I sit down and write for 45 minutes. During this time, I turn of instant messaging, don't check my e-mail, don't answer the phone - I don't even go to the bathroom unless it is really inevitable. Also strictly forbidden: counting the words - I only check how much I wrote when the session is over.
When the 45 minutes are over, I give myself a break and do whatever I like. I went for 15-minute breaks today. When I have more time, I prefer the breaks to be 30 minutes long.
After the break, I do the next 45-minute session. This goes on at least until I make the word count I set for myself.
If I want to continue writing after that, that's fine. As long as the ideas keep coming, it wouldn't make sense to stop. But if I can't think of anything new, I know that I can go and surf the net without feeling guilty.
This paragraph was inspired by this week's Fiction Friday prompt:
"It's a little like scrap-booking, I suppose. I just like to keep the receipts to document the price changes in groceries over time, and also to see what kinds of food I was into at a certain time," she told me the first time I saw her with her notebook, the receipts and the glue-stick. "I went to a frozen pea phase a year ago - look, frozen peas every time over three months." She handed me an older notebook and made a movement with her hand which was supposed to mean, take the damn thing and look at it already. Indeed, Karena had bought tons of frozen peas, and the Food Emporium receipts were over a year old. If that is not meticulous planning, I don't know what is. It is a weird hobby, as well, and I wonder who of Them came up with the idea - the person should definitely give fiction writing a go.
I have said that before, but it can't do any harm if I repeat myself here: Writing prompts are a great way of introducing new ideas to your story and keeping you on track with regard to the word count. Toni offers a big collection of writing prompts, and since she is participating in NaBloPoMo, there will be a new one every day this month - I hope.
If you want to write 50,000 words in 30 days, you have to write 1,667 words a day. I usually aim for 2,000 a day. On a good day this is no problem for me, and it is good to get in the words while I can. There may be other days when 200 words seem almost impossible, and I have a tendency to get sick in November, too.
So when it seems that writing your novel is a piece of cake, don't let yourself be stopped by minor things like the minimum daily word count
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So here it is, less than three hours away: November, National Novel Writing Month. I have prepared my story - only to decide that I'd rather write another story that I started to sketch out earlier this year. This story has so many blanks in between that it will either be total fun to write it or an absolute nightmare.
"50,000 words, 30 days, your imagination, and you. Go." - Chris Baty
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If NaNoWriMo is appealing to you in theory, but you think you cannot write a novel of at least 50,000 words in November, there may be an alternative for you: NaBloPoMo.
Based on NaNoWriMo, NaBloPoMo challenges its participants to write a blog post every day in November. No minimum word count, no need to write a coherent story. Then again, writing a post a day is not as easy as it sounds
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Ready to write a novel in November?
Do you know your characters? If not, write character sketches and find out what makes them tick. Writing one or two sketches every day will get you into the habit of writing every day, too
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NaNoWriMo is almost upon us. I have no clue which of my story ideas I will use. The only time I was this unprepared for the November madness was in 2002 - I did not sign up until November 8.
Even if you go into the adventure completely unprepared, you might still make it through successfully. The formus may be a bit slow, but they are full of helpful advice, story ideas up for adoption and people looking for word war partners. My experience is that if you really want to write 50,000 words in November, you will succeed. The more thought you put into it in advance, the better your novel will be, though
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Kevin Alexander's Two Question Novel Quiz is a godsend with only a week and a day left until NaNoWriMo. It's a brief but effective way to check if your plot and your characters are good novel material. If you find out they aren't, there's still time to add more conflict to your story and more depth to your characters.
Not sure about your story yet? Use writing prompts to find out more about your characters and what will happen to them along the way in November.
Yep, you will hit rough patches in November when the words stop flowing. One moment you think you are on to writing a good story, and the next you have no idea how to go on. Then, more than ever, it is important to keep writing, even if you feel that every word you write equals watering down your masterpiece.
I usually hit the creative badlands right after a writing high. When the magic story-telling power has disappeared again to that mystic place it came from, I realise that I have to continue writing on my own, by which I'll probably destroy all the magic I’ve created, I am prone to thinking then
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I have another BBC link for you, this time on novel writing.
This brief how-to is perfect for NaNoWriMo - especially if you're writing your first novel. All the important bits are in there, you don't need to know more
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