NaNoWriMo ‘10 – Day 28

Less than a month ago, I started writing NaNoWriMo with the insane idea of writing 50,000 words in 30 days.  It was insane.  It was impossible.  It was fun!

I have charted my progress here (almost) every day.  It has been quite a ride.

 

Of course, because I am never one to do things by half measures, I also decided to sign-up again as a Municipal Liaison.  Which means that I was responsible for the Port Elizabeth region.  Well, let me just say that that has been a blast.  Writing with some of the most awesome people I ever met, these guys have done me proud at every turn.

And what happened?

Does that answer your question?

I hit 50,000 words today, but my novel is nowhere near finished.  I am planning to try and fit in about another 2000 – 3000 words before Tuesday night.  As always, it has been a real learning experience. 

So thank you to my loyal reader(s?) for following me on this journey, and normal blogging will resume shortly, once I figure out what normal means.

 

NaNoWriMo ’10 – Day 18

Day 18.  A very busy day.  I was in court until late, and only just had time to get ready for our write-in last night.  So I am not going to post my wordcount for today. 😦

One of the reasons I am writing so slowly is because, for the third year I am writing by hand.

Yes, I am writing all 50,000 words by hand!

Why?  Well to answer that question, I will now share something I wrote for the South African Romance Writers site last year.

50000 in 30 days is madness and we all need some way to make it fun for us as we do it, as with any writing. For you, that might be wearing a silly hat while you write, or rewarding yourself for every thousand words. For me, the way to make it fun, is to feel the old-fashioned delight of watching word after word appear indelibly on my page. It fills me with a sense of satisfaction like no other, even on the days I only write 50 words. Writing by hand makes me feel more like a writer, and less like a typist. It makes it feel more like creativity, and less like work. It lets me put the book down with a feeling of accomplishment at the end of each day, which I will never get from switching off a computer.

What makes writing fun for you? How do you keep it interesting for the time it takes to struggle through? Why am I asking so many questions?

As always, you can read more about my NaNoWriMo year here, or go see the full details on the site.

 

NaNoWriMo ’10 – Day 12-17

Well, it has been a while since I posted.

I have had a heavy week, and a heavy weekend.  Last night I only got back to my home/office at about 7PM, and the last thing I felt like doing was writing.

So, I am at 27000 words right now, where I should be at 28,333.  Which is not too bad, but I have been chasing that day’s lead since Saturday.  I should have written harder last week after the wonderful victory of Day 11.

On the plus side, my story threads are starting to weave themselves into a plot.  As they usually do towards the end of week two.  I now know why my main characters brother is leaving the clergy, and what it has to do with the plot.

I also just realised that the novel is not satire, but well-disguised Christian fiction.

Who would have guessed.

For a day-by-day account, go here.  To see more about my novel, go here.

 

 

NaNoWriMo ’10 – Day 3

Like all great writers of his generation, Jeffrey Deacon is fueled by coffee.  However, he can never understand why his coffee cup is always full, and yet always too hot to drink.  He starts talking to his coffee mug, in the belief that it is possessed.

His assistant, Sally, is less amused.

“Your coffee cup is not possessed, it’s insulated.”

“What?”

“Insulated Jeffrey,” she took the mug out of his hand, drank the last of the steaming coffee, and tapped the side so he could hear the hollow echo.

“I got tired of topping up your coffee cup all the time, and you letting it get cold. So I bought you an insulated mug for your birthday.”

She handed it back to him, and he examined it closely.

“Insulated? They can do that?”

“Yes Jeffrey, it’s easier than having a coffee mug possessed.”

“Oh. Did I say thank you?”

“No, but I wrote myself an appreciative note, and signed it on your behalf.”

“Oh. Okay.”

He held out the mug.

“May I have some more coffee then?”

Time for me to go look for a possessed coffee mug as well I think.

For more madness, read my daily NaNoWriMo summary here, or go to my author’s page here.

 

Editing again

As I mentioned in a previous post, I am busy editing two of my old manuscripts with a view to making one, coherent, novel out of them. 

With this is mind, I have been reading the drafts again, and I must say I am surprised.  My draft from 2005, Only Tuesday, has some interesting moments and observations.  On the whole the writing style is rather amateurish, and it is full of one-liners and amusing observations that seem more about the narrator showing off than advancing the story.  However there is one very compelling character, and I am trying to figure out how to transplant her from the novel into my next one.  Apart from that, not much worth saving.  She gets all the best lines I think.

My second attempt, from 2006, was much better.  By a factor of 10 I would say.  Don’t get me wrong, I made the Devil do it, is still a very rough draft, and the writing style needs a lot of work; but I am not  embarrased by it, and actually look forward to finishing writing it so I can see how it ends.  I even found it amusing, and laughed out loud in places.

Lessons I have learned from this experience:

1. Everything they say about your first novel being crap is true;
2. Once you get the crap out of your system, it is actually easier to write;
3. Leaving the novel(s) for three years gave me a new appreciation for how much good was actually hidden amongst the bad;
4. Nothing is scarier than thinking “I wish I had written that,” and then realising you did.
5. Don’t edit while you’re writing, because there is a lot I would have cut from the book, that I now think I can use with a little work.

So watch this space, and expect news about I made the Devil do it, but only on a Tuesday.