Yesterday I decided I would forgo long-hand for the most part and type. It's much faster this way, and easier to keep track of an exact word count. Yesterday, I logged 2,498 words and today almost doubled that with 4,315 for a grand two-day total of 6,813. This is 4.54% of my (also new) word target of 150,000.
The part that excites me most, though, is that I was able to get to my main conflict in under 7,500 words and 20 pages. This was one of the main problems with my original NaNoWriMo manuscript, it just rambled on and on and took forever to get to the crux of the story. This newest incarnation has been streamlined and will get me to the conflict much more quickly.
Up next is, hopefully, some hardcore character development. Now that I can see how they act in their given situation, things will only get better as the stress and obstacles begin to pile up on them. Things are going smoothly.
Oh, also, I'm writing in just plain Word. Nothing fancy. Go figure. The point is, I'm writing. You should do that as well.
3.17.2009
3.13.2009
Current progress
As of today, I've hand-written about ten pages. It's not much, but it's a start. I've gotten to the point where I've almost established the story and where it needs to go. What I've written so far isn't exactly the best stuff on earth, but once I get a more written and can pare it down to the best stuff and maybe move some things around, I'm pretty sure it will turn out much better.
I am already starting to re-think the hand-writing aspect of the whole process, though. It's very time-consuming and it just seems like things would go much more smoothly if I could type.
While looking around, I found a nice writing program that basically acts as a glorified notepad that can keep track of any number of goals and counts. It also takes up the whole screen with only one way to minimize it, drastically cutting down on interruptions and time-consuming internet usage that I know I always get caught up in. The only problem is, I don't see any way to transfer what I've written to Word or any other acceptable editing program, which might be a pain.
But, if this sounds like the kind of thing you're looking for, the program is called Q10 and can be found here (it's free). Let me know if you have any suggestions for other good (and hopefully free) writing programs.
Until then, keep writing and take care.
I am already starting to re-think the hand-writing aspect of the whole process, though. It's very time-consuming and it just seems like things would go much more smoothly if I could type.
While looking around, I found a nice writing program that basically acts as a glorified notepad that can keep track of any number of goals and counts. It also takes up the whole screen with only one way to minimize it, drastically cutting down on interruptions and time-consuming internet usage that I know I always get caught up in. The only problem is, I don't see any way to transfer what I've written to Word or any other acceptable editing program, which might be a pain.
But, if this sounds like the kind of thing you're looking for, the program is called Q10 and can be found here (it's free). Let me know if you have any suggestions for other good (and hopefully free) writing programs.
Until then, keep writing and take care.
3.10.2009
The beginning
Currently I am working on a new novel. Well, it's not new; I wrote a 50,000-word version for NaNoWriMo 2008 entitled "The Reunion." I've decided, though, that it needs to undergo some drastic changes. These changes will alter the story enough so that the title becomes obsolete, so I need a new title. That will come later; right now I'm not as concerned with that as getting something on paper.
Right now, I've decided to write free-hand; I think this makes the first draft more intimate. It will also give me the chance to do my first edit in a way that doesn't feel like I'm editing; I'd just be typing it in and making little changes as I went along.
The goal, for now, is to have a first draft with 200,000 words and to pare it down to 100,000 words for the final draft. This way I can get out everything I want to say without worrying about what to keep out and I can go off on tangents to see what comes of it and I won't have to hold back at all. I can get everything down and then take out what doesn't fit or what isn't as good. I've averaged a few handwritten pages, and it comes out to about 300 words per page, which means I need to fill 666 or so pages.
We'll see how this goes and how this method works. Hopefully it will all turn out for the best. I encourage anyone at any time to comment with any writing tips or tricks you may have for myself or anyone else who might be reading this. Also, if you have a similar blog and would like to link to mine, let me know. We can support each other.
The most important thing, for me, is to continuously remember Hemingway's quote: "The first draft of anything is shit." Now, let's get started with our shit.
Right now, I've decided to write free-hand; I think this makes the first draft more intimate. It will also give me the chance to do my first edit in a way that doesn't feel like I'm editing; I'd just be typing it in and making little changes as I went along.
The goal, for now, is to have a first draft with 200,000 words and to pare it down to 100,000 words for the final draft. This way I can get out everything I want to say without worrying about what to keep out and I can go off on tangents to see what comes of it and I won't have to hold back at all. I can get everything down and then take out what doesn't fit or what isn't as good. I've averaged a few handwritten pages, and it comes out to about 300 words per page, which means I need to fill 666 or so pages.
We'll see how this goes and how this method works. Hopefully it will all turn out for the best. I encourage anyone at any time to comment with any writing tips or tricks you may have for myself or anyone else who might be reading this. Also, if you have a similar blog and would like to link to mine, let me know. We can support each other.
The most important thing, for me, is to continuously remember Hemingway's quote: "The first draft of anything is shit." Now, let's get started with our shit.
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