It looks like my word count for November will be around 20,000 words. In that respect, I "lost" NaNoWriMo. I could think about that.
Or I could think about how I'm 80 pages further along in my novel. That a whole big swath of story that didn't exist before this month is now on paper. That I've made new personal discoveries about the craft of writing, and begun to apply them to my work. That I've maintained a working writing routine for two months. That I've drunk a whooooole lot of coffee.
Instead, I plan to think about next month. My goal is a very simple 30,000 words. An improvement on this month, but a reasonable one around the holidays. The minute I hit that 30,000 mark, I'll be ordering Dr. No on Blu-Ray. And for a bonus, if I manage to exceed my goal by 10k, I'll throw in a P.G. Wodehouse book. (How about a book for each 10k I go over?)
The bribes will be fun, but they're not the reason I write. I've got 167k words that prove that. I write because I love it, and that's why I get up at 5am even when it sucks.
Showing posts with label NaNoWriMo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NaNoWriMo. Show all posts
30 November 2010
27 November 2010
NaNoWriMo 2010, Day 27/30
So here's my plan. Starting in December, I'm going to set a monthly writing goal for each month, no less than 30,000 words. That's a minimum of 1k a day (give or take). If I meet the goal, I buy myself a James Bond movie on Blu-Ray.
That will keep me going for 22 months (or 23, depending on how you count). It appeals to the collector in me, and gives me a tangible goal to work towards, more than simple word count.
As far as how I calculate the goal, that will depend. Chances are, I'll leave weekends and any special/travel days blank, and distribute the 30k among the rest. If my schedule looks too light, I might up the requirement by 5k or so. The point is not really to challenge myself with a high word count, but rather to challenge myself to continue writing consistently.
That will keep me going for 22 months (or 23, depending on how you count). It appeals to the collector in me, and gives me a tangible goal to work towards, more than simple word count.
As far as how I calculate the goal, that will depend. Chances are, I'll leave weekends and any special/travel days blank, and distribute the 30k among the rest. If my schedule looks too light, I might up the requirement by 5k or so. The point is not really to challenge myself with a high word count, but rather to challenge myself to continue writing consistently.
24 November 2010
NaNoWriMo 2010, Day 24/30
Why November?
Seriously, NaNoWriMo, why November? Why not September? June? Even March? Why a month with a four day weekend where, unlike Memorial Day or Labor Day or Fourth of July, you're actually expected to spend time with your family? A month with almost inevitable travel. A month, in short, probably less suited to writing than any other. (Except Christmas. Please don't change it to December.)
I suppose from another point of view, it might be perfect. Thanksgiving could make the month perfect, by offering a large portion of time off right at the end of the month, time enough to get caught up. But not for me, and not (I believe) for anyone who does more with their time off than lock themselves in a room.
Perhaps it's because my writing comes from a place of routine. I work best when I have week after week of uninterrupted routine. Holidays disrupt that routine, and I get less done.
I therefore declare that I will be doing my own writing months. ShaNoWriMo, if you will. Each will have its own specific goals, and its own specific reward for finishing.
Seriously, NaNoWriMo, why November? Why not September? June? Even March? Why a month with a four day weekend where, unlike Memorial Day or Labor Day or Fourth of July, you're actually expected to spend time with your family? A month with almost inevitable travel. A month, in short, probably less suited to writing than any other. (Except Christmas. Please don't change it to December.)
I suppose from another point of view, it might be perfect. Thanksgiving could make the month perfect, by offering a large portion of time off right at the end of the month, time enough to get caught up. But not for me, and not (I believe) for anyone who does more with their time off than lock themselves in a room.
Perhaps it's because my writing comes from a place of routine. I work best when I have week after week of uninterrupted routine. Holidays disrupt that routine, and I get less done.
I therefore declare that I will be doing my own writing months. ShaNoWriMo, if you will. Each will have its own specific goals, and its own specific reward for finishing.
22 November 2010
NaNoWriMo 2010, Day 22/30
I can definitely feel the holiday slowdown sapping away my energy. That's when there are so many exceptions to your normal schedule that there's pretty much no normal schedule left. This week is a great example of that, where today is really my own day to keep to a normal schedule. Tomorrow morning starts normal, and ends up with a flight back home.
In a way, I've made myself a slave to the normal schedule. Lately, my writing has been a weekday activity, with no progress whatsoever on the weekends. Is that a good or a bad thing? You could say I'm losing momentum. Or, you could say I'm recharging for the next week. So long as I stick to my schedule, I don't think it matters.
But of course, that's in a week with a normal schedule.
For the next week, I need to figure out a way to make writing part of the exception. That means making an effort to write when I don't feel like it, working the activity into the day in an unaccustomed place. Because if I go a whole week without making progress, I really will lose momentum. I've been down that road before, and it leads to October 1st, 2011, with me swearing that I'm really going to finish this time, honest I am.
In a way, I've made myself a slave to the normal schedule. Lately, my writing has been a weekday activity, with no progress whatsoever on the weekends. Is that a good or a bad thing? You could say I'm losing momentum. Or, you could say I'm recharging for the next week. So long as I stick to my schedule, I don't think it matters.
But of course, that's in a week with a normal schedule.
For the next week, I need to figure out a way to make writing part of the exception. That means making an effort to write when I don't feel like it, working the activity into the day in an unaccustomed place. Because if I go a whole week without making progress, I really will lose momentum. I've been down that road before, and it leads to October 1st, 2011, with me swearing that I'm really going to finish this time, honest I am.
19 November 2010
NaNoWriMo 2010, Day 19/30
I've always had a hard time writing happy moments. It's not that I don't know how to describe them, but more that I don't know how to make them interesting. I think in order to write a happy moment for a character, the audience must already be heavily invested in the character. We have to want them to be happy.
Imagine reading a book where the main character wakes up in a great mood, eats a tasty breakfast, and has a quick, traffic-free drive to work or school, where he is extremely popular and well-respected. After a few hours, his boss gives him the rest of the day off, so he drives to the beach with the top down in his convertible, and... well, you get the idea.
Now, imagine that this character found out a few weeks before that he has cancer, and although he's going to be starting chemotherapy, there's only a small chance of surviving. This is the last day before he goes into chemo, and he is determined to squeeze every little bit of joy out of the day as possible.
Suddenly, the happy scene becomes significant. Presumably, you've already had the chance to identify with this guy earlier in the story, and you want him to get the good stuff. And you know that the good stuff won't be forever. This creates drama even in the midst of the happy.
A good writer has to torture his characters. And one of the best forms of torture is to give them everything they want, then take it away.
By the way, I'm about to start chapter 42. That is the Answer.
Imagine reading a book where the main character wakes up in a great mood, eats a tasty breakfast, and has a quick, traffic-free drive to work or school, where he is extremely popular and well-respected. After a few hours, his boss gives him the rest of the day off, so he drives to the beach with the top down in his convertible, and... well, you get the idea.
Now, imagine that this character found out a few weeks before that he has cancer, and although he's going to be starting chemotherapy, there's only a small chance of surviving. This is the last day before he goes into chemo, and he is determined to squeeze every little bit of joy out of the day as possible.
Suddenly, the happy scene becomes significant. Presumably, you've already had the chance to identify with this guy earlier in the story, and you want him to get the good stuff. And you know that the good stuff won't be forever. This creates drama even in the midst of the happy.
A good writer has to torture his characters. And one of the best forms of torture is to give them everything they want, then take it away.
By the way, I'm about to start chapter 42. That is the Answer.
18 November 2010
NaNoWriMo 2010, Day 18/30
I've divided up my index card stack into multiple stacks. They're just getting too big to stand alone. Perhaps once I'm completely done with Book 1, I'll join them up and see how long it is. I like the idea of the book tumbling down the stairs and coming to rest at the bottom with a good six feet still to extend.
I'm on the cusp of finishing one chapter, and I'll be starting the next one today.
I'm on the cusp of finishing one chapter, and I'll be starting the next one today.
17 November 2010
NaNoWriMo 2010, Day 17/30
All day yesterday, I was desperate to be writing, but this morning, the enormity of the task ahead feels more daunting. It's time to scale back my point of view from the wide, holistic approach I had yesterday to a more focused, scene-specific view. Yesterday I was the architect, and today I'm the bricklayer. The architect resents having to get his hands dirty, but the bricklayer picks up a brick and gets to work. Neither could function without the other.
I'm starting to understand why big, successful mainstream authors get ghostwriters. They get to be the architect, and never have to build.
But you know, I don't want to do that kind of writing. It's too generic. I want my writing to be distinctive. So maybe instead of a bricklayer, I'm an artisan. A craftsman.
That's what I'm telling myself right now, at least. I'm gonna go tote some bricks.
I'm starting to understand why big, successful mainstream authors get ghostwriters. They get to be the architect, and never have to build.
But you know, I don't want to do that kind of writing. It's too generic. I want my writing to be distinctive. So maybe instead of a bricklayer, I'm an artisan. A craftsman.
That's what I'm telling myself right now, at least. I'm gonna go tote some bricks.
16 November 2010
NaNoWriMo 2010, Day 16/30
Funny how things work. As soon as I decide I don't care about word count, I whip out 2,020 words in a day. Go figure.
The first thing I did this morning was detach my big stack of index cards, after a point one and a half scenes from now. There are a few more things that have to happen before I get to that point, and those scenes need to get added in. So part one, plan out the next week or two of writing.
This brings up a point that I occasionally find frustrating about my writing methodology. Early on, my index cards pretty much have a one card, one scene ratio. Later on, as I develop the story more, I realize that I need more connective tissue to hold them together, so I wind up adding in extra cards. Sometimes, it feels like I'm not making progress, just adding more and more new cards in between. It's not true, but the feeling is one I have to be aware of, so I can deal with it.
After the cards, I'm going to see if I can finish up this chapter. I've done half up to this point, and I'm happy with what I've written. Let's see if I can do a second half to match the first.
The first thing I did this morning was detach my big stack of index cards, after a point one and a half scenes from now. There are a few more things that have to happen before I get to that point, and those scenes need to get added in. So part one, plan out the next week or two of writing.
This brings up a point that I occasionally find frustrating about my writing methodology. Early on, my index cards pretty much have a one card, one scene ratio. Later on, as I develop the story more, I realize that I need more connective tissue to hold them together, so I wind up adding in extra cards. Sometimes, it feels like I'm not making progress, just adding more and more new cards in between. It's not true, but the feeling is one I have to be aware of, so I can deal with it.
After the cards, I'm going to see if I can finish up this chapter. I've done half up to this point, and I'm happy with what I've written. Let's see if I can do a second half to match the first.
15 November 2010
NaNoWriMo 2010, Day 15/30
I realized something this morning, while taking a look at my writing statistics. I didn't feel like writing.
I mean, I got up already, so I'm going to do it. But that big gap between my current word count and the NaNoWriMo goal feels insurmountable. This is supposed to be the halfway point, after all, and I'm barely halfway to halfway.
But you know what? Since I started daily writing again back in October, I've done 43k words. That's nothing to sneeze at, even in more than a month. At my current rate of progress, I'm set to top 55k by the end of this month. I'm making good, steady progress. Why should I feel bad about that?
And so, I retooled all my writing statistics with my own goals. Not the huge, 2,700 word-a-day goals that I would need to maintain to succeed in NaNoWriMo around work and the holidays. A normal, 1,689 word goal for normal days, 500 for weekends, and 0 for days that I'm traveling or otherwise tied up.
That makes my goal for the month just over 30k. And what's wrong with that? Not a damn thing. It's a good, solid chunk of writing, 100 pages.
I'm still a little behind, but not by 12,000 words. I'm behind by 6,000, and that I can overcome.
I mean, I got up already, so I'm going to do it. But that big gap between my current word count and the NaNoWriMo goal feels insurmountable. This is supposed to be the halfway point, after all, and I'm barely halfway to halfway.
But you know what? Since I started daily writing again back in October, I've done 43k words. That's nothing to sneeze at, even in more than a month. At my current rate of progress, I'm set to top 55k by the end of this month. I'm making good, steady progress. Why should I feel bad about that?
And so, I retooled all my writing statistics with my own goals. Not the huge, 2,700 word-a-day goals that I would need to maintain to succeed in NaNoWriMo around work and the holidays. A normal, 1,689 word goal for normal days, 500 for weekends, and 0 for days that I'm traveling or otherwise tied up.
That makes my goal for the month just over 30k. And what's wrong with that? Not a damn thing. It's a good, solid chunk of writing, 100 pages.
I'm still a little behind, but not by 12,000 words. I'm behind by 6,000, and that I can overcome.
12 November 2010
NaNoWriMo 2010, Day 12/30
Visions of the future. That's what I got for Bryony yesterday. As I've stated before, I know where the story is going, could pretty much write the final couple of scenes right now. But if I had to write a summary of the entire story, it would be very detail-heavy at the front, and more and more general toward the end.
That's a good thing, as far as I'm concerned. Part of the fun of the writing process is the creativity that comes along with the process of composition. As I write, I'm taking those general statements and turning them into full-blown narrative, discovering new aspects to the story along the way.
But sometimes, a pulse of creativity runs down the entire length of the story, and that's what happened yesterday. I can't claim that I got a lot of words down, but I did achieve a new clarity of vision that will make what I write from here on out that much better.
I also know my stopping place. Not a permanent one, but a place where I'm going to step away from Bryony for a time and work on something else. I'll need to charge up my Bryony battery (batteryony?), and I think the best way to do that is to keep writing--but to write something else. I'm thinking, though, that my stopping place is easily months away. And when I'm done, I should have a complete "chunk" of story, something with a defined beginning, middle, and end. Not the whole story, but a good part of it.
That's a good thing, as far as I'm concerned. Part of the fun of the writing process is the creativity that comes along with the process of composition. As I write, I'm taking those general statements and turning them into full-blown narrative, discovering new aspects to the story along the way.
But sometimes, a pulse of creativity runs down the entire length of the story, and that's what happened yesterday. I can't claim that I got a lot of words down, but I did achieve a new clarity of vision that will make what I write from here on out that much better.
I also know my stopping place. Not a permanent one, but a place where I'm going to step away from Bryony for a time and work on something else. I'll need to charge up my Bryony battery (batteryony?), and I think the best way to do that is to keep writing--but to write something else. I'm thinking, though, that my stopping place is easily months away. And when I'm done, I should have a complete "chunk" of story, something with a defined beginning, middle, and end. Not the whole story, but a good part of it.
11 November 2010
NaNoWriMo 2010, Day 11/30
Willpower is what you call getting up at 5am after a 19 hour day that started in Nova Scotia. But, as I've read online, you only have a limited amount of willpower to go around in a day. So if I gorge on cheesecake tonight, it's not my fault. I used all the willpower up.
Lately, I've been drifting a bit from my outline. Not a lot, but I've anticipated the need for a scene here and there that was not in my index cards. I need to go through and add those cards in at some point, because the visual impact of the colors for each POV character is a great way to balance things, and if I don't keep them synced, I lose out on that advantage.
I look forward to resting up over the weekend. And maybe getting caught up too!
Lately, I've been drifting a bit from my outline. Not a lot, but I've anticipated the need for a scene here and there that was not in my index cards. I need to go through and add those cards in at some point, because the visual impact of the colors for each POV character is a great way to balance things, and if I don't keep them synced, I lose out on that advantage.
I look forward to resting up over the weekend. And maybe getting caught up too!
10 November 2010
NaNoWriMo 2010, Day 10/30
Argleblurrhhhhhhhhhhhh*
(*Transation: I got up at 3:30 am, and that's Nova Scotia time, to catch a flight back to New York, where I'll do a full day of work before getting to come home. I'm not sure how much writing I'll get done today. Also, argleblurrhhhhhhhhhhhh.)
(*Transation: I got up at 3:30 am, and that's Nova Scotia time, to catch a flight back to New York, where I'll do a full day of work before getting to come home. I'm not sure how much writing I'll get done today. Also, argleblurrhhhhhhhhhhhh.)
09 November 2010
NaNoWriMo 2010, Day 9/30
Time to go write in a foreign Starbucks. I wonder if my card will still work?
08 November 2010
NaNoWriMo 2010, Day 8/30
I think it's safe to say I'm below target. The road ahead is steep, but perhaps not insurmountable.
Today, I'll be traveling. Airports and airplanes are great for writing in. I'm making sure to copy my work off the external drive, though, because those are not allowed in airplanes. (If you used one, then the terrorists would win.)
Tomorrow and Wednesday might be tough for writing, though. Well, if I can discipline myself adequately, tomorrow won't be too bad. I'm not due to be picked up from the hotel until 8:30, which means that a 5am wakeup will give me plenty of time to write. The time change between Eastern and Atlantic time is inconsequential since we just got off of Daylight Savings Time, and the two should cancel each other out. Wednesday, we have an early, early morning flight, so any writing I do will have to be in the airport or the plane.
I think what I've learned from all of this is that I write better in a routine than I do out of one. I get up, I come to Starbucks, I write. Take me outside of that pattern, though, and I'm likely to avoid writing.
No excuses today, though!
Today, I'll be traveling. Airports and airplanes are great for writing in. I'm making sure to copy my work off the external drive, though, because those are not allowed in airplanes. (If you used one, then the terrorists would win.)
Tomorrow and Wednesday might be tough for writing, though. Well, if I can discipline myself adequately, tomorrow won't be too bad. I'm not due to be picked up from the hotel until 8:30, which means that a 5am wakeup will give me plenty of time to write. The time change between Eastern and Atlantic time is inconsequential since we just got off of Daylight Savings Time, and the two should cancel each other out. Wednesday, we have an early, early morning flight, so any writing I do will have to be in the airport or the plane.
I think what I've learned from all of this is that I write better in a routine than I do out of one. I get up, I come to Starbucks, I write. Take me outside of that pattern, though, and I'm likely to avoid writing.
No excuses today, though!
07 November 2010
NaNoWriMo 2010, Day 7/30
Well, I'm on budget for today. Goose egg! Tomorrow, hopefully, I'll have a chance to catch up.
06 November 2010
NaNoWriMo 2010, Day 6/30
It's Board Games in Bohemia 2! Which means I wrote less than 200 words today. But that's okay, because I had budgeted nothing for this weekend.
Now I'm getting back to hanging out with friends, which is the whole point of all that. Until tomorrow!
Now I'm getting back to hanging out with friends, which is the whole point of all that. Until tomorrow!
05 November 2010
NaNoWriMo 2010, Day 5/30
5/30 = 1/6 = 16.7% = 8,333 words
Not there yet. But not so far behind, either.
Yesterday, I compared NaNoWriMo to a fad diet. It asks a lot of you, making you change your lifestyle significantly to accommodate it. But it also comes with an end date, a specific, short-term goal. And you measure it by the numbers... not the quality.
What both of these do is ask you to make room in your life for a new behavior. But it also requires a level of energy and dedication that is difficult to maintain afterward.
What happens to all the crash writers on December 1? Do they gain back all that wasted time that they lost?
Not there yet. But not so far behind, either.
Yesterday, I compared NaNoWriMo to a fad diet. It asks a lot of you, making you change your lifestyle significantly to accommodate it. But it also comes with an end date, a specific, short-term goal. And you measure it by the numbers... not the quality.
What both of these do is ask you to make room in your life for a new behavior. But it also requires a level of energy and dedication that is difficult to maintain afterward.
What happens to all the crash writers on December 1? Do they gain back all that wasted time that they lost?
04 November 2010
NaNoWriMo 2010, Day 4/30
After staying up to 1am to finish, the giant millstone of awesome reading is finally off my neck. And by "finally" I mean "approximately 30 hours after I bought it. I don't think I could have finished the audiobook in that time if I read straight through.
Towers of Midnight was great, and I assuaged my writing conscious by trying to analyze, when I remembered to do so, the way he was writing. I think I did learn, although mostly what I learned is that I need to do more close analysis of the writing in the books I like.
I also decided that I want to write the kind of books that cost you sleep. A book like that kept me up until past midnight, but the desire to write one is what got me up at 5am on the morning after.
Time to play catch up!
Towers of Midnight was great, and I assuaged my writing conscious by trying to analyze, when I remembered to do so, the way he was writing. I think I did learn, although mostly what I learned is that I need to do more close analysis of the writing in the books I like.
I also decided that I want to write the kind of books that cost you sleep. A book like that kept me up until past midnight, but the desire to write one is what got me up at 5am on the morning after.
Time to play catch up!
03 November 2010
NaNoWriMo 2010, Day 3/30
Yesterday was another good, productive day. But I'm not sure I can say the same about today. Since yesterday afternoon, I've been reading Towers of Midnight, the newest and penultimate book in the Wheel of Time series. It has been quite the distraction, and my writing this morning has suffered for it.
There are two ways to deal with a distraction--ignore it or remove it. This one is kind of hard to ignore, and removing it means finishing the book. I've made a deal with myself, to allow myself to read so long as I do my writing for the day, but it's hard to switch back and forth like that.
I suppose there will always be distractions in life. If this one is more acute than others, well, it won't be forever.
There are two ways to deal with a distraction--ignore it or remove it. This one is kind of hard to ignore, and removing it means finishing the book. I've made a deal with myself, to allow myself to read so long as I do my writing for the day, but it's hard to switch back and forth like that.
I suppose there will always be distractions in life. If this one is more acute than others, well, it won't be forever.
02 November 2010
NaNoWriMo 2010, Day 2/30
I did well yesterday, far exceeding my usual 1,689, and even topping my weekday goal of 2,421 words.
So how much did my first day get me? 5%. It's a bit of a sobering thought. It's not enough to do stellar work one day. You have to do work every day. In fact, I think doing a little bit every day is better than a huge push of huge output.
I've averaged about 70k words per year on my novel, writing over a six week period each time. That averages out to 192 words a day. That's almost nothing. I can totally write 500 words even on a busy day. And if I'd done that, I'd be at 365k right now.
The point is, I should stop writing this blog post and actually accomplish something. Every little bit helps.
So how much did my first day get me? 5%. It's a bit of a sobering thought. It's not enough to do stellar work one day. You have to do work every day. In fact, I think doing a little bit every day is better than a huge push of huge output.
I've averaged about 70k words per year on my novel, writing over a six week period each time. That averages out to 192 words a day. That's almost nothing. I can totally write 500 words even on a busy day. And if I'd done that, I'd be at 365k right now.
The point is, I should stop writing this blog post and actually accomplish something. Every little bit helps.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)