My NaNoWriMo and Future Books

I did Nanowrimo this year and it was a total blast!

I tend to write shorter books, so my first story didn't cut it. I finished the book, but hadn't reached 50k words. So, after some thought, I started work on Snow White and Zombies. I think this one is a keeper. It still needs some work (as in a few more drafts) but I'm going to get this book out as soon as I can. I still feel bad about putting Fairy Tale Twist on hold (Thank you SO much for being patient!) but I feel like this needs to be out there. Also, it doesn't take nearly as much time to produce a zombie fairy tale as it does to make Ivy happy.

That said, what happened this past November?

Word count goals
I like to take weekends off. So I write 2300 words a day, and if I need to use Saturday to catch up, I do. I do not write on Sunday. It's a rule I keep for myself. I think it's important to take a mental break to keep from burning out. Burnout = bad.

Did you ever get writers' block?
Sometimes, the words would fly off my fingers. Other times, I had to sit down and force myself to write one word at a time. I had writers' block a handful of times. The way I got through it was I sat in front of my computer screen, reread the last couple of paragraphs, then wrote a sentence. That sentence was usually pretty bad, but it led to another one, and another. Eventually, I got back to writing better stuff and it was easier to come up with the next idea.

Was my first draft bad?
YES! It's awful and you'll never be allowed to read it.

Will it be better?
If not, I'm not worth my weight in salt as a writer.

Will you ever publish that first story?
I'm not sure. I don't know if the root story is strong enough to support something better. But I'll take a look at it. You know, after Fairy Tale Twist.

Floundering

I have to admit, I haven't been on top of my game the last few weeks. My unedited manuscript from NaNoWriMo keeps staring back at me. I told myself I would edit Shadow Bound again, but I'm way too close to it still.

With Shadow Bound, I feel like the story is set in stone. Like I can edit the scenes, but not change them completely. I think that's my problem. Scene X is boring not because the dialogue isn't quite right, but because nothing happens! It needs to be done away with completely, but it's so hard to see things like that after editing so many times.

And then there's Song of the Muse. I'm scared to even look at it. It's shameful, really. I think that because it's a NaNo novel, I tell myself it's awful and needs a complete overhaul. But it's not that bad. It really isn't.

I know a lot of writers deal with this kind of slump and I've always felt guilty because writing on a daily basis came so naturally to me. But now it's catching up to me. I got maybe four or five chapters into Shadow Bound and then pthtt! And my Muse is being fed (and not driving me to write) because I've been reading such wonderful books during the Christmas break.

**sigh**

I've also been preoccupied with some major family/life changes including our new puppy, who needs constant attention and training. Then there's the holidays, being sick, and focusing on my health. It's really just a lot of excuses, I know. These are things I just need to push through. Every writer has setbacks. And every successful writer overcomes them.

END!: What to Do After NaNoWriMo

Congratulations! You lived through November!

So where are you now? Do you still have 10,000-50,000 words left to write in your first draft? If you've finished your first draft, are you moving on to revising? Or are you ready to collapse in a heap and breathe for the next few days?

Once you finish your first draft, you should choose the latter. Seriously. The best thing you can do as a writer is put your completed first draft aside and not look at it--that's right, don't think, look, touch, or peek--for two weeks (give or take). Enjoy some time off and forget about your book. Like a good roast, it needs to settle before you start slicing into it.

So, for the next two weeks, I'll be hunting for articles that help you 1) revise and 2) write beautifully. Because we all know first drafts are ugly.

So let's start of with an article from this writer's life on getting the hook. A simple concept, but one you should keep in mind while you go through your manuscript in a couple weeks.

By the way, if you haven't signed up to receive updates about Holly Lisle's How to Revise Your Novel class, now would be a good time for that. It's going to start soon.

With 11 Hours to Spare...

Taking off weekends and Thanksgiving day, I managed to finish over 50,000 words in the month of November.

Congrats to all the other NaNoWriMo winners out there!

Now... about those edits...

Give Yourself a Break

It's that time of the month... no, I mean the part of November when you sit at your computer all day, trying to make up for lost time. It's crunch time for NaNo-ers. But don't forget to take care of yourself. Rotting on the couch is bad juju on your writing and your word count.

So take a few pointers from this article on how to keep your sparkle when you're writing. Ten things you can do to make sure you take care of yourself, so you can take care of reaching your goals!

Looking Back Before the Home Stretch

This being my first official NaNo, I'm not as familiar with the ups and downs of it all. Now that we're up to the home stretch, what does NaNo look like as you glance over your shoulder?
Where were the high points and low points? What helped you get over that hump?

For me, the biggest help I got was while I was trying to fall asleep. (Darn inconvenient, I tell ya.) That's when my creative mind buzzes. As I've said before, I struggle to find a really great voice for my characters, especially my main characters. I think that's what I was pondering when some things clicked for me.

I realized that my blog posts are closer to the kind of voice than the one I use when writing fiction. When I sit in front of my story, my writing gets so... formal and stiff. (I blame the years and years of school.) So, I told myself that my main character is blogging about what happened to her, but is going to show, rather than tell. It was a simple concept, but it made my head hurt at first. I got used to it. My voice isn't perfect yet, but I pointed myself in the right direction.

What about you? Any breakthroughs?

Funny Break!

Stolen from WillWorkforChocolate:

Is Your NaNo Novel Stuck? Part 2

Here's some encouragement from Neil Gaiman to NoNoers.

Revising Your NaNo Novel

I know it's still a little early to think about this, but I found a course called How To Revise Your Novel. The teacher, Holly Lisle, has published over 30 novels, including a couple of young adult books, and several fantasy (though she has covered other genres, too). I've taken some of her other courses and she's very thorough.

The course doesn't start until the end of November, but if this is something you may be interested in, you can sign up for the priority list so you know when it's available.

Your NaNo tip for the day comes from this article tha gives some techniques for reaching your writing goals faster. I use some of these. They're awesome.
(I break up my writing into 20 min-1 hr segments and can get 1600 words for an hour of writing!)

Check-In - How's Your NaNo Coming?

We're past the halfway point.

My book is slowly developing. The day before I started writing, I discovered that I'd lost ALL the planning I'd done in October. Everything. So I had to start from memory. (I lost everything because I got a computer virus and had to reformat my hard drive. Both of my backups fell through. Sometimes you just can't win.)

This loss has been both a curse and a blessing. I'm sure I've left out some scenes that I'd planned, but on the other hand, I'm allowing myself to flesh out each scene a little more. I tend to write short and choppy, so this is a huge advantage for me.

On top of this, my husband had a root canal, I'm trying to get my computer back up to speed, and I'm getting used to waking up an hour and a half early so I can get some words in before my daughter wakes up. (I tend to get about 500 words in the first hour and my daughter has kindly decided to wake up half an hour earlier to bless me with her smiles a little sooner.)

How's your journey been so far? What obstacles have you faced? Are you burnt out yet?

Is Your NaNo stuck?

Okay, so we’re about a week into NaNoWriMo. Stuck yet? Here are a few ideas to get you going and/or motivated.

1) Mind Map. Have a problem? Can’t figure out why a cat keeps popping up in your scenes? Maybe your character received a letter in the mail and you don’t know what it is. (Been there.) Try putting whatever “it” is in the middle of a piece of paper (or a program like http://bubbl.us) and ask yourself questions about it. Write whatever comes to mind. It’s worked for me countless times.

2) Try a Timer. Set it for 10-20 minutes and write NON-STOP until the timer goes off. Write about your problem or whatever comes to mind. Just make sure you don’t censor yourself or edit. When you’re done, look back at what you wrote. Do you understand your problem a little better? Did you discover a new angle or viewpoint or solution?

Did it work?

Extra Post: Just for Laughs

Here's something to keep you smiling. Happy writing!

Tools for Tracking Your Word Counts

I've posted these before, but I thought they were worth sharing again.

Using the NaNoWriMo Report Card by Eric Benson, I adapted a spreadsheet that will track your word count goals and progress. This is a helpful motivation tool, especially if you're goal-oriented or like a visual representation of your progress.Click Here to Download.

Cameron Matthews has a much more high-tech version, found here.

Switching Gears for NaNoWriMo

Happy Halloween! Dress up, get sugared-up, and have fun!

Now, back to writing.

I know many of you are participating in NaNoWriMo this year. Me too. :) So, in theory, no one's going to have time for this blog any more, right? Haha... right...

So for the month of November, Musings will be switching gears. This will be a place to procrastinote and waste time three times a week :D Don't you love me?

My plan is to post fun stuff instead of linking to (sometimes lengthy) articles and going on and on about my own personal writing experiences. (You'll probably still get some of that, but in smaller quantities. And it should be NaNo related, too.) I'll keep my posts short so you don't have to feel guilty for checking things out.

NaNo's supposed to fun, after all, isn't it? :)

Prepping for NaNoWriMo

This past week, I've been working through Think Sideways from the beginning. I'm currently working through the (numerous) modules that come with lesson 7. I already have some good stuff brewing: characters with needs, I'm beginning to see some depth in my characters, I have a handful of scenes in mind, there's already a lot of conflict, and a ton of cause and effect.

One module has you take the main conflict and find "organic conflict" that sprout from the planned stuff. You match up characters' wants and actions and find the effects of those wants as they clash to create new conflict and new scenes. It's really fun to see what pops up from my Muse.

If I work hard, I think I can get through all the planning stages of Think Sideways before NaNoWriMo starts.

Are you going to do NaNoWriMo? Look me up! My username is jollygreen23.

Most Productive Day. Ever.

Sometimes, the Muse sings. Sometimes, you have a really good work day and you get a lot done. Sometimes they both happen at once and you get a massive amount of genius. Yeah, I don't mean to brag, but today was a massive amount of genius.

As I edited my first draft today, I found that a few scenes were missing. So I added those. I typed up the pages I had marked from my hard copy pass, too. Overall, I edited 36 pages of manuscript and added nearly 4,200 words to the original work!
Thanks to Liquid Story Binder, I know that it took me all of six hours of actual work to do it.

I have never written that many words in one day before. Ever. Not in first drafts, not during NaNoWriMo. 4,200 words is a lot. To put it in perspective, if I wrote this many words every day, I could finish a novel in 12 days.

So, bear with me as I bask in my own glory. **sigh** ;)


**Just a side note, I'm not that into myself. It's supposed to be funny

How to Cope with a Writing Workshop

I had my first Advanced Fiction Workshop this week, and I think I'll keep going. Our first assignment is people-watching, which I need to do more of. This class will be good for me. Looking at the assignments, I can see that there's a lot that I would never do on my own.

We'll be writing a short short story (2-3 pages--yikes!) every WEEK for the first half of the semester.

I'm intimidated. Getting a full story in three pages is just plain scary. Not to mention the fact that I need to come up with a new story idea on a weekly basis...

ON TOP OF revising and rewriting Shadow Bound AND planning and writing my phantom novel.

Our last day of class is November 30th. How inconvenient. This means crunch time falls right in line with NaNoWriMo. I'll definitely have my hands full.

But it's worth it. I'll grow as a writer and I'll get to use some techniques from Think Sideways. In the first month of the course, we're taught to "summon lightning", or a story idea. I did it, but I wasn't looking for a new story idea at the time. Now I'll get to put it to good use. :)

There's also a later lesson on using "spies" -- basically, people who know more about what you're writing than you do. For example, I ask a doctor about hospital procedures so my writing is more authentic. Well, guess what? One of our assignments is to write a story that requires research and an interview. Nice how that works out.

How to Get More Writing Done

I'm back from my little experiment. I took off nearly a week from the internet in order to get more writing done.

First, if you think you might want to do this, you need to realize that if you shut down your internet access (and, as I did, your computer access) that a bunch of other things will try to fill in your time gap. I had no idea how many things I wasn't doing. Seriously.

But, not having the distraction of the computer did help my writing. No question. I revised a huge chunk of my book and wasn't pressured by my goal of fifteen pages a day. I hit the mark with ease :)

I was more focused when I wasn't working, too. If I was doing something else, my mind was a little clearer and I could think about my writing and what I wanted to change, and all that good stuff, so I was more efficient when I did sit down to work.

And when I came back? I turned on my computer and sorted through emails, checked (and read) the blogs I follow, checked and replied to a slew of forum posts, checked facebook, etc... all in about three and a half hours! Over the course of five days, I usually spend closer to ten hours doing all that stuff. An amazing time saver, though I may have missed some stuff.

So, I'm halfway done with the hard copy edit of my ghost novel. My goal is to finish by the end of the month, then do my soft copy edit. (Basically, going back and typing in all the edits and notes I made on the hard copy.) That leaves me with querying agents. I should be done with plenty of time to plan my phantom novel for November.

So, my next post will be on revising a manuscript. I've searched for different methods in preparation for what I'm doing now, and I'll share the best of it with you.

Tomorrow. I'm exhausted.

Hope all is going well with your writing!

A Problem and a Challenging Solution

Okay, so I've got an interesting problem to deal with. I'm almost done with my first draft. I've got two very short scenes, one really long scene (the final battle!) and then another quick one to wrap it up. Only problem is, this was supposed to be a 60,000-word novel and I'm only at 32k!

A little tip for other writers: filler is bad. I don't want to use filler.

So what do I do?

Fortunately, I've already planned to go back and insert entire chapters from Nathan (my hero's) point of view. This will add depth to my love story, a new voice, maybe a little history (because he is a ghost after all), and we can see the heroine from another perspective.

(I expect the unexpected to happen when I do this. My muse likes the throw some cool stuff on the page when I do stuff like this. )

And then I'll add a romance for poor Lisa, who has desperately wanted a boyfriend since chapter 1.

I'll also rewrite some of my current scenes from his perspective and see which is better. Then, I'll go back to the beginning and add rich detail, a LOT more conflict (I've decided life's been way too easy for Rachel), and a ton of showing (vs. telling).

I should get my words in, but this is going to take a lot of planning.

First of all, when I finish the first draft I'm taking a break! Maybe two weeks. I'll work on my phantom project, maybe catch up on my reading, stuff like that. Then I'll go through what I have and write out what I'm hoping to get out of each scene. What do I want to tell the reader? How do I show it instead? What's the conflict? What could make it worse? How would EACH character (present or not) react? What are my characters seeing, feeling, hearing, smelling, tasting, thinking, doing, and saying? What do they want to hide from the other characters? What other motivation might they have?
etc...

Yeah, it's a long process, but the product that comes from it is more than worth it!
Then, I read through a hard copy of my book, writing in comments, suggestions, thoughts, and nit-picky edits. THEN I go through a soft copy and actually MAKE all those edits. (By now I'll be exhausted.)

I'd like to get all of this done by October 1st. (I know, good luck, right?) That way I'll have a full month to plan my phantom project in time for NaNoWriMo.

Think I can do it?

We'll see.

By the way, the Writing Tip of the Day is:
Never resist editing, because your writing isn't etched in stone and can always be improved for the reader.

How appropriate.