Thursday, 20 November 2008 12:15 pm
(no subject)
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
deckardcanineIn case you're wondering, I'm still doing NaNoWriMo. I had set myself a tentative personal goal of averaging 2,000 words per day instead of 1,667, but I'm not surprised to have fallen a little short. At least I've been ahead of that average every day since the first. There seems to be a pattern of me charging ahead and then slowing down when I realize that I can afford to slow down.
This year, unlike last year, I've added "writing buddies" on the official NaNoWriMo site. Unfortunately, only one of the three thinks to update her word count consistently.
At the dawn of each new week, I read the corresponding chapter of No Plot? No Problem!, the official guide to writing 50,000 words in 30 days. I've taken only a little of the advice therein, including a wearable item to psychologically prepare myself for writing (in my case, a cap from Arenal in Costa Rica). One tip I haven't followed is silencing my inner editor. It doesn't help that I need him to do my day job. Fortunately, he's been mostly helping to figure out how to say things in more words. Why say "in fact" when "as a matter of fact" will do the trick?
The thing is, I haven't been facing much of the angst that founder Chris Baty expects of participants. I've had just enough of a plan to know basically where to take things, and because of the rabbit-hole fantasy nature, I never really run out of things to say. I'm more worried about going far beyond 50,000 words to say what I want to say. This is shaping up to be like Million Dollar Baby, saving the whole point of the story for the last quarter, when the mood changes drastically.
A greater worry is that the fun, which has been even greater than the fun of last NaNoWriMo, will be severely reduced when I get to the most meaningful part. Barring one of those surprise twists that Baty expects in the third week, it will require me to think harder and about something I'd rather not think that hard about: politics. Ironically, when I was first cooking up the idea for the story, I came at it from the political angle. Why would I put myself through this right after a major election? Hopefully I'll have enough opportunity for fantasy moments to keep myself enthused.
And hopefully I'll be able to figure out a solution. So far I have only the problem and a vague idea of the ending I want. I guess that puts me ahead of where I was at this time last year, but still.
Next time I'll have to try my hand at something neither fantasy nor science fiction. I'll really go into it with no plot in mind. If only I could be confident that there was no problem.
This year, unlike last year, I've added "writing buddies" on the official NaNoWriMo site. Unfortunately, only one of the three thinks to update her word count consistently.
At the dawn of each new week, I read the corresponding chapter of No Plot? No Problem!, the official guide to writing 50,000 words in 30 days. I've taken only a little of the advice therein, including a wearable item to psychologically prepare myself for writing (in my case, a cap from Arenal in Costa Rica). One tip I haven't followed is silencing my inner editor. It doesn't help that I need him to do my day job. Fortunately, he's been mostly helping to figure out how to say things in more words. Why say "in fact" when "as a matter of fact" will do the trick?
The thing is, I haven't been facing much of the angst that founder Chris Baty expects of participants. I've had just enough of a plan to know basically where to take things, and because of the rabbit-hole fantasy nature, I never really run out of things to say. I'm more worried about going far beyond 50,000 words to say what I want to say. This is shaping up to be like Million Dollar Baby, saving the whole point of the story for the last quarter, when the mood changes drastically.
A greater worry is that the fun, which has been even greater than the fun of last NaNoWriMo, will be severely reduced when I get to the most meaningful part. Barring one of those surprise twists that Baty expects in the third week, it will require me to think harder and about something I'd rather not think that hard about: politics. Ironically, when I was first cooking up the idea for the story, I came at it from the political angle. Why would I put myself through this right after a major election? Hopefully I'll have enough opportunity for fantasy moments to keep myself enthused.
And hopefully I'll be able to figure out a solution. So far I have only the problem and a vague idea of the ending I want. I guess that puts me ahead of where I was at this time last year, but still.
Next time I'll have to try my hand at something neither fantasy nor science fiction. I'll really go into it with no plot in mind. If only I could be confident that there was no problem.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
I'm a fellow NaNoWriMo participant. I was browsing other NaNo writers and came across your journal here. I've been enjoying reading it; I like your writing style. But I feel weird reading the blogs and journals of strangers without at least announcing myself, so I thought I'd say hey.
I haven't read Chris Baty's book, but I'm like you in that lack of plot is rarely my problem. I plan a lot in advance, I can't seem to manage without it. My problem is simply that I have a hard time summoning the energy to sit down and pound out thousands of words day after day. I love to write, but I find it very hard work; my inner editor is brutal, and it's very difficult for me to switch her off. All that said, this year is going fairly well for me. (I'm just "Virginia" on the NaNo forums.)
Good luck with the rest of your writing!
-Virginia
no subject
So you've lived in DC and you love G.K. Chesterton, assuming that that hasn't changed since early 2005. Nice commonalities.
Incidentally, my protagonist is named Ruth.
no subject
I still live near DC, and I still love Chesterton. That's actually how I came across you; I was browsing the NaNo authors list for people who listed my favorite writers among theirs.
Your word count is right around what I'm hoping mine will be by the end of the day. I'm definitely losing steam though. Time to stop procrastinating.