NaNo not Happenin'

I started off with good intentions.  I was really excited about it, and raring to go.  It would seem that that energy got left behind at the starting gate. I can see holes in my plot that are large enough to walk through.  My motivation for my character is weak.  I see weaknesses everywhere I turn. The realization that this is just my internal editor just messin’ with my mind does not help.  I haven’t been able to turn it off this week, although that in itself may be PMS-related.

 

Nevertheless, I want to trudge on, even knowing that much of what I will write will be crap.  It is murder forcing the words to come when that voice keeps telling you to stop.

 

I’ve been reading a lot of blogs.  I enjoy reading about others’ writing process.  There is some comfort that I am not alone in my fears.  It means a lot when a multi-published author still draws a blank, or thinks his/her writing is all crap.  I like that.  Kindred folks.  I have some ideas for other novels, but refuse to work on them until NaNo is over.  I put them on the back burner to marinate for a while.  I keep thinking about NaNo2001, which is still unfinished, simply because I wrote myself into such a corner, that I will need to revise before I can finish anything.

 

Well, I’ve talked the talk, now it’s time to walk the walk.

 

 

 

 

Days 3-4

This weekend turned out to be a total bust.  I had to work Saturday, which pushed all my other Saturday to-dos even later, and well, writing got pushed to the end of the list. I really need to get better at prioritizing, if I ever want to get to 50K. The internal editor is back, loud and clear and he/she/it is driving me crazy.

 

So I’m working from a deficit now.  I’m hoping to catch up and get back on track this week.

 

 

 

 

 

 

NaNo Day 1

I got off to a slow start yesterday.  The blank page is an intimidating sight.  For a while there, I didn’t know what to do.  I kept hearing a voice in my head, “Okay Nano started, now what?” I didn’t even write 1K last night.  But, considering that I was having computer issues, and I was just damned tired, I think I did alright. 

 

The hard part is not thinking too much.  And I think too much.  However, as the days progress, I think the whole “thinking” thing will fall to the wayside.  There’s just no time for it.  I’ve never been a person who stops reading fiction while they’re writing.  I haven’t had it become an issue yet.  I believe it is perfect for NaNo.  Whenever you’re stuck, just throw in some element from whatever novel you’re reading at the moment.  Who cares if it doesn’t fit!  It may spark some new idea or tangent you hadn’t thought of earlier.  And that is the extent of my NaNoWriMo advice.  Considering that I’ve participated twice….stuck with it for the full 30 days once, and have not hit 50K yet…well, take my advice with a grain of salt.

 

I love the camaraderie of NaNoWriMo.  In RL, I don’t have any writer friends.  Well, at least none that I know about…for all I know, they can be closet writers.  I’m also hoping that becoming active on the NaNo forums will lead me to writers in my area.  I know they’re out there…I just don’t know who they are.

 

The fickle muse is playing with me.  I’m hearing other voices…ones that do not belong in this novel.  They belong in another world, but they’re whispering in my ear, tempting me to go outside and play with them.  The focus thing isn’t easy.  I’ve compromised, by allowing myself to write down notes, or email myself (while at work) different aspects of this [not-so-]new project.  It’s one that has been marinating for a while, but I have been determined to get this project’s first draft completed before moving on to this very sexy, very tempting project #2.

 

Ok, heading back to the grindstone.  Maybe I can get some words in during lunch.

 

 

 

 

impatience

I realize I’ve spent way too long playing around with characters, world building and back story. I need to get writing. I know there are a lot of holes left to fill, but I’m anxious to get this stuff out of my head and onto paper. I’ve committed to NaNoWriMo, and I can’t wait until November 1^st. It’s been a long time since I’ve been excited about writing.

I want this novel out of my head so I can continue. The ideas are marinating right now, but there is SO much OTHER stuff I want to work on. I’ve got an urban fantasy marinating. The NaNo novel from 2001 that I’m afraid to finish ßtons of editing there, and a couple of short story ideas. So, between now and Nov. 1^st I’m pretty much all over the place, and the ideas are flowing. I bet it’s because la bruja knows that I won’t have time to play when Nano starts.

Ciao for now.

The End of June

Haven’t been writing much lately.. I have been doing a LOT of reading.  Wow. There is so much good stuff out there, and I’m fortunate enough to have a really good library system.  I’ve also started a course on Archetypes over at Writers Village.  The text for the course is The Complete Writer’s Guide to Heroes & Heroines, which at first glance, seems like a really neat resource to have.  I am really looking forward to the next class I’m taking, which is on scenes and sequels.  That starts July 11^th.

 

The writing I have done has been working on my notecards for my untitled WIP.  I’m aiming for 100000 words, and I have two major POVs and two minor POVs.  I’m about halfway through.  After that, the fun begins!  I can honestly say, this will be the first time I’ve attempted a novel with pre-planning work in place.  Usually I’ve just winged it, with little more than a fleshed out main character.  And I have yet to finish a novel yet. I believe that I need to change my ways, so I’m planning.  I worry that I spend too much time planning and not enough time writing.

 

Vacation next week and I’m actually not really looking forward to it.  Long story there, but it will be a little stressful.

writing and reading

I was a reader long before I was a writer.

And I think finally after all this time, the reader and writer in me are working together. I still read for pleasure, but the writer in me gets her word in as well. I am noticing what other writers do. The technique of craft--foreshadowing, worldbuilding, “show, don’t tell”. I know what they are, but to see them at work in a novel still surprises and amazes me. And I am learning how to pick those things out, and say “Ah hah! So that’s how it’s done! Cool.”

I love characters. Nothing showcases characters better than a series. I love me some series! Stardoc, Harry Dresden, Black Dagger Brotherhood, Crimson City. Yup, characters that evolve, and a world I learn more about with each book...gotta love it. Those are the kind of characters I hope to create with my own writing. I don’t know that I’m there yet, but I am starting to get close.

Thanks to Terry McMillan

Terry McMillan is one of the reasons I've stuck with writing. I've "dabbled" for many years. Science Fiction was my first love, although I didn't (and still don't) know a lot about the "science" of science fiction. I've always been a voracious reader, but oddly enough, haven't read very many of the "classics". I'm a big fan of Zora Neale Hurston, and Their Eyes Were Watching God is one of my ALL-time favorite novels. So here it is, 1993, and I pick up Waiting to Exhale from the library. I remember it was Friday evening when I started the book, and the sun was rising Saturday morning when I finished the book. Not a literary masterpiece, but it was a book I could totally relate to. African American writers like Toni Morrison, Alice Walker, and others--these were writers who were on such a pedestal, and rightly so. BUT..they did not write about characters I knew. This was new to me--Terry McMillan wrote of characters that I knew intimately. I had friends I could recognize in Savannah, Bernie, Gloria and Robin. And that simple connection turned it all around for me. Write what you know finally made sense. That was a big hurdle for me, and I owe it to Terry McMillan