I meant to have a really nice post here today, about the balance between writing craft and on-the-spot inspiration when writing or rewriting. It's been on my mind a lot lately as a struggled through the rewrites of my WIP.
Here's the thing, though. I have less than 24 hours to hit my Camp NaNoWriMo wordcount -- a goal for which I still need to write 8000 words. I'm typically a NaNoWriMo overachiever, and my pride as one will not allow me to fail the 50k. I can do it, I've written more in a day before. I just have to, ah, sacrifice the quality.
So I'm going to vanish for the next 24 hours and type like mad. I have a couple of new ideas I wanted to explore, and there is no better time than NaNo-speed surge of words to spill an exploratory drafts.
Check back on Thursday, all! I'll be a Camp Winner, and I'll have a nice, shiny post for you. :) Two, in fact, with Wicked & Tricksy.
Showing posts with label NaNoWriMo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NaNoWriMo. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Friday, July 29, 2011
Camp NaNo and A Big Thank You
Despite the coming month of August, and Camp NaNoWriMo
It's hard to imagine that this man once sat with a bunch of overly caffeinated friends and decided that they would write a 50,000 word-novel in a month. They picked July that first time, and while others enjoyed cocktails next to swimming pools, they sat down and typed until their fingertips bled.
Now there's more than 200,000 participants attempting it every year, with varying degrees of success, and I know for a fact that there's a lot of these folks who think of NaNo as a life-changing event.
I wouldn't be where I am today without NaNo. I don't think I'd even be a writer. NaNoWriMo was my door to the writing world, and I know who I must thank for that.
So, thank you, Chris Baty. We'll miss you.
With that said, the NaNoWriMo programs come to a strange full-circle this year, with Camp NaNoWriMo
This is my occasion to go through my last revisions (for now, I mean) of White Echoes, a related short story I've been meaning to write, and to push forward some worldbuilding for the next WIP getting my attention (I've been map drawing again!).
Also, this is my occasion to organise a real kick-ass camping trips with close friends, eat tons of marshmallows and exchange stories around a fire. It's Camp NaNoWriMo
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Water For Elephants
I promised myself I would read Water for Elephants more than a year ago. It's outside of my genre, and outside of my usual tastes, but for this book I'd make an exception.
First, because this NYT bestseller was written during November 2006. NaNoWriMo 2006. This isn't the first published novel from Sara Gruen that was written during the November frenzy, but it is the best known one - the go-to example when you're asked if anything is ever published from what 200,000 participants create every year. It is proof that, with hard work and a lot of editing, a NaNovel isn't always meant for the trash bin.
Second because they made a movie out of it. Now, that wouldn't mean much to me, but when I looked up the distribution and read 'Cristoph Waltz', it was a whole different beast. Ever since I saw Inglorious Basterds, I have an undying admiration for Hans Landa (as a character!) and Cristoph Waltz acting work.
So that's why I picked it up.
I wasn't disappointed.
Water for Elephants is a great book from beginning to end. You fall in love with grouchy Jankowski right away and follow him gleefully as he embark on the wild and dangerous life of American circus in the 30s. The circus is absolutely fascinating. I can't speak for accuracy, because I had little prior knowledge of the subject, but damn, it feels real. I rushed through the story, hardly capable of pausing.
My only tiny gripe is the prologue, and it should be noted that I don't usually have problem with prologues. It wasn't a backstory prologue. It was a prologue that's actually an important scene later on, and which reveals very important element.
I understand how this raises tension and questions. I see the point. As I reader, though, I prefer not to have a solid idea of where the main storyline is heading before it has even started.
Let's be honest, though. This is far from enough to ruin the experience. I'd readily recommend the novel to anyone, and would even shove a copy in their hands if they seem too reluctant.
Next stop? The movie!
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
E – Les Écrivains' Exceedingly Extraordinary Encouragements
Am I switching from one language to another to get the most out of my alliteration? Yes, I AM. *cough* Now here’s the post proper!
Writing isn’t easy. We all hit rough spots and have our doubts. With time, I've developped favourite places to turn to when I need the help. There's the community, of course, but today's post is about something a little different.
Today I wanted to share another of my cure against fear and doubt: the NaNoWriMo pep talks.
Every year, the OLL invites authors to write a pep talk for the Wrimos toiling over a new first draft. There’s something special about receiving an e-mail from Philip Pullman, Neil Gaiman, John Green or Lemony Snicket (to name a few), encouraging you to keep writing and move forward. It’s a great boost in the middle of the frenzy.
But you know what’s best? These pep talks are available year-round on the NaNoWriMo website, waiting for our perusal. This is where I go when I feel down.
My favourites are...
Feel down about your writing? Trust these authors to boost your morale.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
The Lonely Act of Writing
I miss NaNoWriMo. I miss the tingling of excitement and the wild rush of words on a page. I miss the pep talks, the forums and my fellow MLs. I miss knowing 200,000 folks around the world are writing with me.
More importantly, however, I miss sitting with writer-friend and supporting them.
I still see these people, every day. But we're not all writing together. We're not laughing at our typos, mocking our characters or retelling our latest bright idea.
Writing is lonely. I forget that in November.
These last three days were a sudden, harsh reminder, but they good for me. I need to be able to write consistently year-round.
So February? Stop trying to discourage me. I will get to the end of this first draft, whether you like it or not!
More importantly, however, I miss sitting with writer-friend and supporting them.
I still see these people, every day. But we're not all writing together. We're not laughing at our typos, mocking our characters or retelling our latest bright idea.
Writing is lonely. I forget that in November.
These last three days were a sudden, harsh reminder, but they good for me. I need to be able to write consistently year-round.
So February? Stop trying to discourage me. I will get to the end of this first draft, whether you like it or not!
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
The Lessons of NaNoWriMo
Look at that. I'm not dead! Impressive, if a bit surprising. I'm aware I rather disappeared in the last days, and apologise for it. NaNoWriMo always do that to me. I find it hard to do anything but study, write, and lead my region (believe me, the last is quite a lot of time).
But it's over now, and I return to my little corner of the internet. I feel different, too. I always do, after NaNoWriMo.
The simple reason for that is that every year, I learn something new about myself, both as a person and as a writer. And we'll focus on the latter, of course. ;)
The first year of NaNoWriMo was a very simple lesson for me: I could, indeed, write a novel, and I found it immensely fun and satisfying. There was a magic in the experience nothing else had ever brought to me first. I wanted to keep writing, year after year, as a hobby.
The second year of NaNoWriMo is when I started dreaming of publication. It'd crossed my mind over the summer, when I wrote a straightforward fantasy novel called Ellistrie, still waiting to be revisited. I loved the plot. I loved the characters. It was my first novel since NaNo '08, too, but the magic had been back. It returned during November, a thousand times over, and I went from writing 64k to writing 207k. It was crazy, but strangely enough, the two main stories had a solid plot. I could write fast, but well enough. (on a macro level).
This year, my third, I admit I had a lot more trouble combining my obsessive, overachieving wrimo personality with my calmer, aspiring-writer half. I wanted to come out of this NaNoWriMo with something readable, and unlike last year, my plot refused to obey me. I fell behind. I got angry, and desperate. I stopped posting here, too, at about that moment.
It wasn't before the middle of the third week that I found my balance. I still hadn't finished my first novel (Edingher) and was 30k behind schedule. I realised this hadn't gone where I wanted it to, and not because the scenes weren't as 'shiny' as first imagined. It was something more, something deeper about the novel.
I still don't know what, either. But I accepted it. The storyline needs to be reworked. The characters were doing things that didn't match what they'd become. I could feel more problems coming. I wanted to stop, to move on to the second story (White Echoes). And then I clicked. I figured out how to cover one plot hole, then a second. Not all of them, not quite, but just enough to give me a second wind.
That's when I understood this wasn't my real first draft. This wasn't my storyline as it'd stand for publication, not even close. This was me, in the middle of my favourite month, the craziest of them, surrounded by friends both new and old, trying to figure out who these characters were, and how the world reacted to them.
This year I learned to use NaNoWriMo as a sandbox. I decided to build all the castles I wanted, to cast them down if I felt like it, to try things out. I wrote three different endings to Edingher, two beginnings to White Echoes (and I know a third is coming). I scratched out entire scenes that had gone wrong (kept the words) and rewrote them right away.
Everything was easier from there. So easy, in fact, that between Friday the 26th and midnight on Nov. 30th, I managed to write out 65,000 words. And you know what? They are probably the most important scenes I've written through the entire month. They were the one that worked.
Yes, I will rewrite it all over again, through the year. I don't think I wasted my time, however, not for a single moment. Now I know who my characters are. I know where my story goes, from top to bottom, and I know that even when put to fire, that outline will hold. There's something organic to it that I have trouble recreating when I am not writing.
That's what NaNoWriMo 2010 became to me. My two NaNo drafts are, in truth, two big outlines. And more than ever, I feel motivated to keep going.
But it's over now, and I return to my little corner of the internet. I feel different, too. I always do, after NaNoWriMo.
The simple reason for that is that every year, I learn something new about myself, both as a person and as a writer. And we'll focus on the latter, of course. ;)
The first year of NaNoWriMo was a very simple lesson for me: I could, indeed, write a novel, and I found it immensely fun and satisfying. There was a magic in the experience nothing else had ever brought to me first. I wanted to keep writing, year after year, as a hobby.
The second year of NaNoWriMo is when I started dreaming of publication. It'd crossed my mind over the summer, when I wrote a straightforward fantasy novel called Ellistrie, still waiting to be revisited. I loved the plot. I loved the characters. It was my first novel since NaNo '08, too, but the magic had been back. It returned during November, a thousand times over, and I went from writing 64k to writing 207k. It was crazy, but strangely enough, the two main stories had a solid plot. I could write fast, but well enough. (on a macro level).
This year, my third, I admit I had a lot more trouble combining my obsessive, overachieving wrimo personality with my calmer, aspiring-writer half. I wanted to come out of this NaNoWriMo with something readable, and unlike last year, my plot refused to obey me. I fell behind. I got angry, and desperate. I stopped posting here, too, at about that moment.
It wasn't before the middle of the third week that I found my balance. I still hadn't finished my first novel (Edingher) and was 30k behind schedule. I realised this hadn't gone where I wanted it to, and not because the scenes weren't as 'shiny' as first imagined. It was something more, something deeper about the novel.
I still don't know what, either. But I accepted it. The storyline needs to be reworked. The characters were doing things that didn't match what they'd become. I could feel more problems coming. I wanted to stop, to move on to the second story (White Echoes). And then I clicked. I figured out how to cover one plot hole, then a second. Not all of them, not quite, but just enough to give me a second wind.
That's when I understood this wasn't my real first draft. This wasn't my storyline as it'd stand for publication, not even close. This was me, in the middle of my favourite month, the craziest of them, surrounded by friends both new and old, trying to figure out who these characters were, and how the world reacted to them.
This year I learned to use NaNoWriMo as a sandbox. I decided to build all the castles I wanted, to cast them down if I felt like it, to try things out. I wrote three different endings to Edingher, two beginnings to White Echoes (and I know a third is coming). I scratched out entire scenes that had gone wrong (kept the words) and rewrote them right away.
Everything was easier from there. So easy, in fact, that between Friday the 26th and midnight on Nov. 30th, I managed to write out 65,000 words. And you know what? They are probably the most important scenes I've written through the entire month. They were the one that worked.
Yes, I will rewrite it all over again, through the year. I don't think I wasted my time, however, not for a single moment. Now I know who my characters are. I know where my story goes, from top to bottom, and I know that even when put to fire, that outline will hold. There's something organic to it that I have trouble recreating when I am not writing.
That's what NaNoWriMo 2010 became to me. My two NaNo drafts are, in truth, two big outlines. And more than ever, I feel motivated to keep going.
Friday, November 19, 2010
NaNoWriMo Status Update 3: Still Behind
So I may or may not have vanished for a week. I have to say, I half-expected it happen with NaNo, especially with being so late on my attempted goal. I still am, for the record, though a bit less with every passing day. Hopefully this weekend will allow me to catch up more completely.
Last week I waited to post until I had finished my 50k. This week I am at 89,9k, and I just finished Edingher's NaNo Draft. I can't even call it a first draft, at this stage. I need to apologise to the fourth wall for this writing. It's by far some of the worst I have done during NaNoWriMo.
Nevertheless, I move on to White Echoes, and characters I already know and shouldn't jump some surprise complexities at me. More twists and turns, perhaps, but nothing the scale of a decade-long hatred.
Soldiering on.
Last week I waited to post until I had finished my 50k. This week I am at 89,9k, and I just finished Edingher's NaNo Draft. I can't even call it a first draft, at this stage. I need to apologise to the fourth wall for this writing. It's by far some of the worst I have done during NaNoWriMo.
Nevertheless, I move on to White Echoes, and characters I already know and shouldn't jump some surprise complexities at me. More twists and turns, perhaps, but nothing the scale of a decade-long hatred.
Soldiering on.
Saturday, November 13, 2010
NaNoWRiMo Status Update 2 : The Catching Up
As of 1:35 am EST, on this fine Saturday, I am once again gifted with a green bar on the NaNoWriMo website. This is great, as I had a far harder to get this one than last year's. It is less great, as I was, according to my schedule, supposed to get it on Monday. Oops? *shrugs*
Every year there is a major difference between the current NaNo and the last. The second year I had just become a ML, and I believe the cheers of my region overstimulated me into greatness. The entire month was a strange, happy and tired daze. It was fantastic.
This year, the change is on another level than NaNo's. Between NaNo '09 and NaNo '10, I discovered the publishing world. I discovered Nathan Bransford's blog, and from there a dozen others. I spent a year editing, and learning what it really meant to polish a first draft. At least part of what it meant.
It was a lot harder to lock away the Inner Editor this year, to fall back into the blissful, no-holding-back writing frenzy of NaNoWriMo. I had to find a new purpose for this first draft, a meaning that was something else than a canvas to work from.
I am discovering my characters and my story. Things are happening that I had not planned for. Characters are adding a fourth and fifth dimension to what they had. The already complex outline is getting even more complex (it's driving me insane).
I feel that after I wrote this story, I will have a better idea of where it was meant to go. And that will make another draft easier to write.
Nothing is ever lost during NaNoWriMo. I knew that, and I learned it again this year.
I hope you are all doing well! And a shoutout to BookOwl, who I believe finished earlier this week, and was cheering me on twitter yesterday. You go!
Every year there is a major difference between the current NaNo and the last. The second year I had just become a ML, and I believe the cheers of my region overstimulated me into greatness. The entire month was a strange, happy and tired daze. It was fantastic.
This year, the change is on another level than NaNo's. Between NaNo '09 and NaNo '10, I discovered the publishing world. I discovered Nathan Bransford's blog, and from there a dozen others. I spent a year editing, and learning what it really meant to polish a first draft. At least part of what it meant.
It was a lot harder to lock away the Inner Editor this year, to fall back into the blissful, no-holding-back writing frenzy of NaNoWriMo. I had to find a new purpose for this first draft, a meaning that was something else than a canvas to work from.
I am discovering my characters and my story. Things are happening that I had not planned for. Characters are adding a fourth and fifth dimension to what they had. The already complex outline is getting even more complex (it's driving me insane).
I feel that after I wrote this story, I will have a better idea of where it was meant to go. And that will make another draft easier to write.
Nothing is ever lost during NaNoWriMo. I knew that, and I learned it again this year.
I hope you are all doing well! And a shoutout to BookOwl, who I believe finished earlier this week, and was cheering me on twitter yesterday. You go!
Monday, November 8, 2010
The Art of Finding Time
Everywhere you go, people will tell you NaNoWriMo is writing 50,000 words in a month. In fact, I said just such a thing on this blog.
Well, I now beg to disagree. There's something else to it.
NaNoWriMo is the art of finding time where there is none.
Yes, NaNo participants will take that time and use it to write a novel. The 50,000-words draft that comes out of this month of madness is not the only miracle that happens during November, however. There is another one, more precious in my opinion.
The realization that we have more time on our hands than we thought.
It is amazing what you can do with a tiny 15 minutes. What is also amazing is the amount of time we waste every day. Of course, we can't spend our entire life grasping for every quarter of hour we can find. Doing it for a month is exhausting enough!
NaNoWriMo taught me that while procrastinating is fun, it doesn't compare to the satisfaction of a day well spent. When you got all your chores done and you can just sit back, relax, and tell yourself you've been a good girl.
When December hits and you stop writing, try to remember what you learned this month. You have more time than you believe. You can get things done.
And now, Wrimos, stop procrastinating, and go back to your writing!
Well, I now beg to disagree. There's something else to it.
NaNoWriMo is the art of finding time where there is none.
Yes, NaNo participants will take that time and use it to write a novel. The 50,000-words draft that comes out of this month of madness is not the only miracle that happens during November, however. There is another one, more precious in my opinion.
The realization that we have more time on our hands than we thought.
It is amazing what you can do with a tiny 15 minutes. What is also amazing is the amount of time we waste every day. Of course, we can't spend our entire life grasping for every quarter of hour we can find. Doing it for a month is exhausting enough!
NaNoWriMo taught me that while procrastinating is fun, it doesn't compare to the satisfaction of a day well spent. When you got all your chores done and you can just sit back, relax, and tell yourself you've been a good girl.
When December hits and you stop writing, try to remember what you learned this month. You have more time than you believe. You can get things done.
And now, Wrimos, stop procrastinating, and go back to your writing!
Saturday, November 6, 2010
HEAD + DESK = NaNoWriMo Status Update1
Let it be said that I am well ahead of NaNoWriMo's wordcount goal. Let is also be said that I am three days behind on my original goals. I have never been behind on the first week. That's supposed to be the second one, no? My NaNo pattern is messed up!
There's a simple reason for all that, however. I can't quite afford the 5-6 hours I would need every day to hit my daily wordcount with two exams, and all the additional homework. It is my hope all of these worries will go away when Tuesday is gone, but you never know.
Anyway, my characters are at least taking a life of their own, and willing the words to pages faster than me when I do sit down. I love my story, despite all that is wrong with it (I'm noting it on a side card!).
Quick tip: If you despise a good chunk of what you wrote, whether it is a scene or a paragraph, for the love of all that is NaNo-Holy, do not erase it. Strike it, leave it there, rewrite it. I have two complete scenes this way. Remember, words written always count, whether you intend to keep them or not. Just leave them there!
And now back to my regular studying. Cheers, NaNoers, and keep going!
There's a simple reason for all that, however. I can't quite afford the 5-6 hours I would need every day to hit my daily wordcount with two exams, and all the additional homework. It is my hope all of these worries will go away when Tuesday is gone, but you never know.
Anyway, my characters are at least taking a life of their own, and willing the words to pages faster than me when I do sit down. I love my story, despite all that is wrong with it (I'm noting it on a side card!).
Quick tip: If you despise a good chunk of what you wrote, whether it is a scene or a paragraph, for the love of all that is NaNo-Holy, do not erase it. Strike it, leave it there, rewrite it. I have two complete scenes this way. Remember, words written always count, whether you intend to keep them or not. Just leave them there!
And now back to my regular studying. Cheers, NaNoers, and keep going!
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Link Gallore 1
Wow, first week of NaNoWriMo and I'm already missing a day on my promised schedule. Not totally a good sign, although in my defence this will be the busiest week of the month for me. SO. I'll keep this short, m'kay?
The Useful Blog Linky : Nathan Bransford's Blog.
Yes, half of you (if not more) must already be following this blog. I'm still linking to it. When I took up my search for information on the publishing business, it was the first blog I found and it is still the best. It's informative, funny, welcoming, orange... Nathan is awesome (and so are the forums, as a matter of fact). So if for some obscure reason you are not reading this, do click the link. Now.
The NaNo Blogger Linky : Hillary J.
So every week I'll link to a fellow NaNoWriMo participant's blog, if only because you guys are great. This is Hillary's. She's funny, she's interesting, she has a few great tips and there's 'hatchling' in the blog title. That alone woudl've convinced me!
Procrastination Linky: Yes, it's mean to link to easy procrastination during NaNoWriMo. It won't stop me! So first is : The Blog of Unecessary Quotation Marks. There seems to be plenty of misused quotation marks in the world, and the result is quite funny. Go have a laugh. :)
And now, back to NaNoWriMo (and my exams) with me!
The Useful Blog Linky : Nathan Bransford's Blog.
Yes, half of you (if not more) must already be following this blog. I'm still linking to it. When I took up my search for information on the publishing business, it was the first blog I found and it is still the best. It's informative, funny, welcoming, orange... Nathan is awesome (and so are the forums, as a matter of fact). So if for some obscure reason you are not reading this, do click the link. Now.
The NaNo Blogger Linky : Hillary J.
So every week I'll link to a fellow NaNoWriMo participant's blog, if only because you guys are great. This is Hillary's. She's funny, she's interesting, she has a few great tips and there's 'hatchling' in the blog title. That alone woudl've convinced me!
Procrastination Linky: Yes, it's mean to link to easy procrastination during NaNoWriMo. It won't stop me! So first is : The Blog of Unecessary Quotation Marks. There seems to be plenty of misused quotation marks in the world, and the result is quite funny. Go have a laugh. :)
And now, back to NaNoWriMo (and my exams) with me!
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Are You Plot, or Are You Pants?
There are typically two ways a Wrimo can get through NaNoWriMo: plotting and pantsing. The first involves careful planification of your novel before Nov. 1 hits and the second involves, well, winging the entire story. Each category has its own extremes, but also a multitude of in-betweens.
I have tried both techniques, and discovered I am a plotter. Last year I had a complete outline with every scene for my first novel and I breezed through it. Every now and then I added a scene, removed one or extended another, but it never veered of course.
Ten days after the start, I was done. And I was forced to take the pantsers' way.
It turned out okay, although I am now rewriting that novel. It's easier to do that than major edits. What I realised, though, is that every day during classes (shhh!) I would plan out the next 6-7k of my novel, to be written when the evening came. I could not come home with no idea of what was going to happen. I needed that plan. So even when forced to spontaneously write a story, I ended up planning it.
What works for me does not always work for others, however. How about you, Wrimos? Are you Plot, or are you Pants?
I have tried both techniques, and discovered I am a plotter. Last year I had a complete outline with every scene for my first novel and I breezed through it. Every now and then I added a scene, removed one or extended another, but it never veered of course.
Ten days after the start, I was done. And I was forced to take the pantsers' way.
It turned out okay, although I am now rewriting that novel. It's easier to do that than major edits. What I realised, though, is that every day during classes (shhh!) I would plan out the next 6-7k of my novel, to be written when the evening came. I could not come home with no idea of what was going to happen. I needed that plan. So even when forced to spontaneously write a story, I ended up planning it.
What works for me does not always work for others, however. How about you, Wrimos? Are you Plot, or are you Pants?
Friday, October 22, 2010
I'm Glad this is not November
Ironic how after two posts about inspiration I am a bit out of juice, and I'm not sure what to write here? There's this list of topic I jotted down, but none of them light me up. Aah. Good thing this is not NaNoWriMo, then, because the words I'd write would be crap!
Instead I want to share my NaNoWriMo blog schedule. So far I preferred not to have one, but the NaNo season is always a busy one, and I don't want to forget you wonderful people. So here's the plan!
Monday: Regular post.
Wednesday: The link gallore
Friday-Saturday: NaNoWriMo update
This is my planned minimum. Depending on how well the month is going and what goes through my mind, I might come and add some more.
Plus, because the above is hardly interesting and because I won't be posting for another two days, I'm leaving the blog open for any of your questions. Be wild and be silly. I'll answer everything the best I can.
Cheers, and have a nice weekend!
Instead I want to share my NaNoWriMo blog schedule. So far I preferred not to have one, but the NaNo season is always a busy one, and I don't want to forget you wonderful people. So here's the plan!
Monday: Regular post.
Wednesday: The link gallore
Friday-Saturday: NaNoWriMo update
This is my planned minimum. Depending on how well the month is going and what goes through my mind, I might come and add some more.
Plus, because the above is hardly interesting and because I won't be posting for another two days, I'm leaving the blog open for any of your questions. Be wild and be silly. I'll answer everything the best I can.
Cheers, and have a nice weekend!
Sunday, October 17, 2010
I'm Not a Loyal Writer
I keep cheating on a project with another.
Sometimes, I hear ofold couples writers who've worked on a single novel for a decade or more, and I wonder how they do it. My love is fickle, and early after I finish the first draft of a WiP, I have ideas for another. (Yes, for NaNoers, I have year long plot bunnies)
"Come write us," they say. "We're new andsexy shiny. We'll be better than what you have right now."
I find it hard not to fall into the trap. Sometimes I'll note the idea down, hoping to revisit it later, but the excitement and inspiration is gone by then. So I move on to new WiPs all the time, afraid I'll lose the perfect idea while it's there. It's why I four complete first drafts from my last two years, and two more to be rewritten. I only stopped to edit once.
This year, I'm trying something different. I'll be writing two stories during NaNoWriMo, and I hope that by alternating between the two, I can keep the other ideas away. I need focus, or I'll never get anywhere!
Am I alone in this? How many of you have troubles sticking to one project? And how many of you only write one novel and stick with it? (For the record, I think both are fine)
Sometimes, I hear of
"Come write us," they say. "We're new and
I find it hard not to fall into the trap. Sometimes I'll note the idea down, hoping to revisit it later, but the excitement and inspiration is gone by then. So I move on to new WiPs all the time, afraid I'll lose the perfect idea while it's there. It's why I four complete first drafts from my last two years, and two more to be rewritten. I only stopped to edit once.
This year, I'm trying something different. I'll be writing two stories during NaNoWriMo, and I hope that by alternating between the two, I can keep the other ideas away. I need focus, or I'll never get anywhere!
Am I alone in this? How many of you have troubles sticking to one project? And how many of you only write one novel and stick with it? (For the record, I think both are fine)
Friday, October 15, 2010
How to Stay Motivated during NaNoWriMo
It's a well known fact that November's second week is the hardest for most Wrimos, and that many will lack the motivation to sit down and just write. "Butt In Chair" becomes a whole lot harder all of a sudden.
With two years of experience, I've managed to pinpoint what gets me going and, more importantly, what keeps me going. These might help you too, so here they are!
1. Other Wrimos. This goes first and it's not by chance. Writer friends are an excellent way to keep you motivated, especially when they are sharing your pain. Befriend other participants. Seek out your region. A support group can save your NaNoWriMo.
2. NaNoWriMo Calendar and stickers. Every year, I print a copy of a NaNo Calendar, with the 30 days and how many words I have to hit each day. I've even made an Excel-sheet one, because I can easily customize my goal. I also buy 30 stickers. Every time I hit a daily wordcount goal, I put a sticker. For the record, I also give all my Wrimos these things.
It seems silly, but putting that tiny little sticker on the square is incredibly rewarding. You have a visual aid of your progresses, and it's a tiny little reward that can make all the difference. Seriously, I had to attend my grandfather's burial last year, which was a 3 hours drive away, but I still brought my calendar. I was addicted to it!
3. Competition. I already mentionned other Wrimos as a support group, but you can also use them for healthy competition. It's not for everyone, and NaNoWriMo isn't a competition, but it can become one. I like it when it does in a friendly way.
Every year, I challenge other wrimos with a similar speed and we sprint to a landmark or another. I'm the kind of person who'll stay up one (or two) extra hours if it lets me be ahead of someone else. If you are, too, find someone else to compete with. It can help quite a lot.
4. Rewards. Whether it's sugary goodness, your favourite TV show, permission to go to bed or to read the next chapter of a book, reward yourself for progress. This is supposed to be fun. You can help make it so!
Rewards for the long run are useful too. Promise yourself something from the NaNo shop (or somewhere else, really) if you win. It will make you that much more motivated.
5. The Pep Talk Archive. Every year, the OLL contacts writers and asks them to send us e-mail to keep us motivated. These are packed with awesomeness, and they will make me want to seal the world away so that I can write and live up to a particular author's encouragement.
There's not always a new pep talk in our inbox, however. Sometimes you need the pep, and the one you read just last week won't cut it. Fear not! There is a Pep Talk Archive. Read through some of these and you'll be hyped once more! (My personal favourite is Neil Gaiman's. Start there if you can't pick one)
And that's it! By the way (I keep forgetting this), I am part of a NaNoWriMo Blog Chain. Click on the link in the sidebar to see the others. They have great advice on how to prepare for the upcoming month.
With two years of experience, I've managed to pinpoint what gets me going and, more importantly, what keeps me going. These might help you too, so here they are!
1. Other Wrimos. This goes first and it's not by chance. Writer friends are an excellent way to keep you motivated, especially when they are sharing your pain. Befriend other participants. Seek out your region. A support group can save your NaNoWriMo.
2. NaNoWriMo Calendar and stickers. Every year, I print a copy of a NaNo Calendar, with the 30 days and how many words I have to hit each day. I've even made an Excel-sheet one, because I can easily customize my goal. I also buy 30 stickers. Every time I hit a daily wordcount goal, I put a sticker. For the record, I also give all my Wrimos these things.
It seems silly, but putting that tiny little sticker on the square is incredibly rewarding. You have a visual aid of your progresses, and it's a tiny little reward that can make all the difference. Seriously, I had to attend my grandfather's burial last year, which was a 3 hours drive away, but I still brought my calendar. I was addicted to it!
3. Competition. I already mentionned other Wrimos as a support group, but you can also use them for healthy competition. It's not for everyone, and NaNoWriMo isn't a competition, but it can become one. I like it when it does in a friendly way.
Every year, I challenge other wrimos with a similar speed and we sprint to a landmark or another. I'm the kind of person who'll stay up one (or two) extra hours if it lets me be ahead of someone else. If you are, too, find someone else to compete with. It can help quite a lot.
4. Rewards. Whether it's sugary goodness, your favourite TV show, permission to go to bed or to read the next chapter of a book, reward yourself for progress. This is supposed to be fun. You can help make it so!
Rewards for the long run are useful too. Promise yourself something from the NaNo shop (or somewhere else, really) if you win. It will make you that much more motivated.
5. The Pep Talk Archive. Every year, the OLL contacts writers and asks them to send us e-mail to keep us motivated. These are packed with awesomeness, and they will make me want to seal the world away so that I can write and live up to a particular author's encouragement.
There's not always a new pep talk in our inbox, however. Sometimes you need the pep, and the one you read just last week won't cut it. Fear not! There is a Pep Talk Archive. Read through some of these and you'll be hyped once more! (My personal favourite is Neil Gaiman's. Start there if you can't pick one)
And that's it! By the way (I keep forgetting this), I am part of a NaNoWriMo Blog Chain. Click on the link in the sidebar to see the others. They have great advice on how to prepare for the upcoming month.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Five Steps to a NaNoWriMo Win
So, I've developped a very simple way of breezing through NaNoWriMo, which works whether you are a planner or a pantser. You have to be willing to forget about your inner editor, but when you participate in November's frenzy, you don't have that choice anyway.
So, what are the five steps?
1. Sit down at your desk. Well, sit down anywhere comfortable and isolated. You don't want people talking to you.
2. Close the internet. This is very important, because it will greatly diminish the temptation to procrastinate. The harder it is to turn your net back on, the better.
3. Write for 20 minutes. Don't stop. Write what comes to mind, and don't go back to erase it. Just write write write, until the 20 minutes are finished. You can do 15 or 30 minutes sprints too. I work better with 20, but I know others will prefer different length.
4. Take a 5-10 minute break. Rest your wrists. Don't erase what you just wrote. Just rest, and think of what will come next.
5. Repeat 3 and 4 until you hit your goal. Depending on your speed, I have seen writers bash out from 400 to 1000 words in this lapse of time. I do around 750, and I'm not that fast a typist.
What does this mean? Within a hour, you can hit your daily 1667 words. Of course there will be distractions, and sometimes you'll take longer. But if you sit down for two hours a day and do this, you'll steadily advance toward your 50k goal.
This is also a lot funnier with friends. Maybe it's just me, but when others are typing with me, I feel guilty if I stop. So I keep going, and by the end of the sprint, I have a couple more hundreds to my word count.
There are hundreds of ways to finish NaNo. This is mine, and once I discovered what I could do with 15 minutes of writing, I began sneaking time everywhere I could. I never thought I had that much spare time.
So, what are the five steps?
1. Sit down at your desk. Well, sit down anywhere comfortable and isolated. You don't want people talking to you.
2. Close the internet. This is very important, because it will greatly diminish the temptation to procrastinate. The harder it is to turn your net back on, the better.
3. Write for 20 minutes. Don't stop. Write what comes to mind, and don't go back to erase it. Just write write write, until the 20 minutes are finished. You can do 15 or 30 minutes sprints too. I work better with 20, but I know others will prefer different length.
4. Take a 5-10 minute break. Rest your wrists. Don't erase what you just wrote. Just rest, and think of what will come next.
5. Repeat 3 and 4 until you hit your goal. Depending on your speed, I have seen writers bash out from 400 to 1000 words in this lapse of time. I do around 750, and I'm not that fast a typist.
What does this mean? Within a hour, you can hit your daily 1667 words. Of course there will be distractions, and sometimes you'll take longer. But if you sit down for two hours a day and do this, you'll steadily advance toward your 50k goal.
This is also a lot funnier with friends. Maybe it's just me, but when others are typing with me, I feel guilty if I stop. So I keep going, and by the end of the sprint, I have a couple more hundreds to my word count.
There are hundreds of ways to finish NaNo. This is mine, and once I discovered what I could do with 15 minutes of writing, I began sneaking time everywhere I could. I never thought I had that much spare time.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
What type of writer are you?
Every time NaNoWriMo comes around, I realise once more how many different types of writers there are out there. Thousands of them start sharing tips and techniques, and give advice to each other. There are as many methods out there as there are writers.
When it comes to first draft, I tend to vomit it. Yeah, not very classy, but that's the reality of it. I blurt out tons of words super fast (especially in November), but they must be among the most horrible first drafts to see the light of day.
I used not to be a fan of editing (wanna guess why?) but I have to say the satisfaction of witnessing my muddled heap of words turn into a more sensible prose was fantastic.
What kind of writer you? Do you take years to write your first draft, making it a shiny being? Or are you like me, giving birth to a shapeless pile before you can work your story?
When it comes to first draft, I tend to vomit it. Yeah, not very classy, but that's the reality of it. I blurt out tons of words super fast (especially in November), but they must be among the most horrible first drafts to see the light of day.
I used not to be a fan of editing (wanna guess why?) but I have to say the satisfaction of witnessing my muddled heap of words turn into a more sensible prose was fantastic.
What kind of writer you? Do you take years to write your first draft, making it a shiny being? Or are you like me, giving birth to a shapeless pile before you can work your story?
Saturday, October 2, 2010
November's magic
Three years ago, I discovered this fabulous challenge called NaNoWriMo, which stands for National Novel Writing Month. It's very simple. During the month of November, you have to write 50,000 words of a novel, from scratch. I had this vague (and bad!) idea hunting the back of my mind, so I decided to participate.
NaNoWriMo changed my life. I kid you not.
I was a complete beginner, and the simple thought I'd tried to write a novel scared me so bad there were times I couldn't sleep (and not just because I was thinking of my characters). 50.000 words! It was so many.
So I decided to seek out some company, and to attend the meetings in my region. Nearly three years ago, I stepped into a Starbucks to meet complete strangers, which shared my crazy project.
Today these strangers are among my best friends. I could tell them anything. They shared this strange, ecstatic mood that NaNo brings about. They shared my highs and my lows. I gained so much more than a first draft from my first NaNoWriMo, I cannot imagine my life without it.
So I decided to be the giver. I signed up as a Municipal Liaison for my city, accepting the responsability of organising everything for my local chapter. And again, I gained more from the experience than I thought possible.
Ever since I first joined, something magical happens during the month of November, and I come out a different person. I have grown through NaNoWriMo, as a person and as a writer. So what I am saying here is, go and join. There is nothing to lose, and so much to gain.
Have a great weekend, all.
NaNoWriMo changed my life. I kid you not.
I was a complete beginner, and the simple thought I'd tried to write a novel scared me so bad there were times I couldn't sleep (and not just because I was thinking of my characters). 50.000 words! It was so many.
So I decided to seek out some company, and to attend the meetings in my region. Nearly three years ago, I stepped into a Starbucks to meet complete strangers, which shared my crazy project.
Today these strangers are among my best friends. I could tell them anything. They shared this strange, ecstatic mood that NaNo brings about. They shared my highs and my lows. I gained so much more than a first draft from my first NaNoWriMo, I cannot imagine my life without it.
So I decided to be the giver. I signed up as a Municipal Liaison for my city, accepting the responsability of organising everything for my local chapter. And again, I gained more from the experience than I thought possible.
Ever since I first joined, something magical happens during the month of November, and I come out a different person. I have grown through NaNoWriMo, as a person and as a writer. So what I am saying here is, go and join. There is nothing to lose, and so much to gain.
Have a great weekend, all.
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