So there it is. 50,000 words in under 30 days, fourth year running. There is that slight setback that those 50K words are half one story and half another, but bizarre things happened, and I kept writing anyway. Who's going to hold that against me?

I am officially CAUGHT UP.

So yeah, exciting. I don't think I've ever been behind for that long before. Now my next problem is staying caught up, now that I don't have the extra motivation of "I'm still behind gotta get these words in." I'd also like it if I finished a day or two before the 30th. I like doing this to make sure I get validated on time, and also because a lot of people I know already have their purple winner bars and that makes me jealous. I'm so petty.

So apparently I was off in my calculations of how long it would take me to catch up by writing 2K a day, so I went for a 3K day and hit 40K a little while ago. \o/

Now I hope I can figure out what happens next before my next writing session. I've pretty much caught up with what's been going on in my head.

I'll admit it: I had some serious doubts that my new idea was going to last me the necessary remaining 25000 words, but I've got hope now. I've even got a nice rhythm going, doing two sessions of 1000 words per day, and it's been going pretty well. If I keep up this 2K a day I'll be back on schedule by Tuesday.

Here's what's been going on:

I got so fed up with Behind the Curtain that I stopped writing it at slightly over 25K.

After some deliberating I decided to pick up with a new project-- a fantasy idea that takes place in a world I came up with over the summer-- and just hope I can make it last another 25K.

With what I've written on that added to what I had on BtC, I currently have 29,300 words, putting me about two days behind schedule. It's almost amusing watching my NaNo daily progress chart spaz out. I'll be sure to take a screen shot of it at the end of the month.

We're only at the end of week 3. Anything can still happen.

You know when I said a few posts back that writing was slow going, but it wasn't because I was out of ideas or I hated my story?

I'm out of ideas and I hate my story.

25K! I also have my first appearance of ninjas. They're a musical group.

In other news, does anyone even read this? I think everyone I linked forgot to check back after the first post.

Earlier today I was planning on coming in here and complaining how my novel is going nowhere, nothing is very interesting and I am a talentless hack and should quite while I'm ahead. This is exactly what happened last year with the disaster that was NaNo '08, though I was stubborn enough to drag myself to its awful conclusion past the 50K mark.

Hopefully I won't have to drag myself through the whole second half of the month.

I went to a write in today, and I think it helped, being around other writers and in an atmosphere that was just distracting enough that I wouldn't notice how awful the words were as they appeared on the screen. I also got a score sheet that has dares on one side, so I threw some of those in for good measure. But I wrote 2000 words today. This is promising, and I may or may not have established a new direction to go in. It's a little too early to say.

Today was National Distract Isi From Her Novel Day, and I didn't even mind. I've been having plot problems and I'm not sure if it's going anywhere anymore. Well, more like I was approaching the writing from the wrong direction or something. Anyway, I thought it'd be nice to get away for a few hours, but I was already plotting my next move, something that involved me getting back to the things I enjoy writing about. There are two of my NaNo novels that I really enjoyed, and they both have a very specific thing in common that the others didn't have:

They're meta.

Plot Holes from '05 was made of meta-fictional concepts. There was a runaway muse, a grouchy inner editor, a parody of a Mary Sue, plot bunnies and plot ninjas galore, not to mention the plot holes being a major plot point, as contradictory as that is. Mission Implausible from '07 was a little more subtle on the meta aspects, but not by much. The plot was to "save the plot" and I kept referring to a mysterious "Management," which was essentially me, the author.

When I was planning Behind the Curtain, while I wanted something humorous, I didn't want to go meta this time and break the fourth wall every other page, I guess just because I wanted to prove I could. But apparently I can't, so things are going to be a little different from now on.

I began by calling my characters in for a Character Council Meeting do discuss the issues with the plot.

( And this scene was by far the easiest part of this novel to write so far. )

I'm having another slow, unmotivated day, blarg. I'm on the teetering edge of 15K but can't quite make it there, making my words today under 1000 when I wanted 2000. I'm wondering if I should let myself slow down or even (gasp!) fall behind schedule and then write like mad later on when something hits, but mostly I'm just saying that because I like the idea of making a comeback. The rest of me would rather keep a two day lead, though the way I'm going, it's down to a one day lead.

Must...write...something.

Things are starting to pick up again. I discovered recently I didn't pre-plan as much as I though I did, as I am rapidly using up the ideas I had written down, but that's okay. I'm venturing into new terrain where I won't know what happens, which gives me opportunity for my story to surprise me. Already my FMC has been accused of murder, which is always exciting.

Fact 1: I have not written a squat darn thing since last night.

It's not because I hate my story or that I'm out of ideas, and it's certainly not because I don't have the time. If anything I have too much time without anything to regulate my schedule and so spend the whole time procrastinating. Other suspects include an untimely addiction to some website and a waning of motivation. It also doesn't help that my brain has been sending me non-NaNo related plot bunnies (stop it, brain).

Part of the no motivation part also has to do with how I still haven't "gotten into" my story. I just need to find something to renew my interest.

Fact 2: It is 4 am.

It seems my sleep patterns have gone rapidly south for the first time since this summer. This is also related to internet addiction (see above) and nothing to do (also above). And instead of writing my novel I'm writing this.

Yeah, it's technically into day 6, but I have this tradition where the day ends when I say it does, dang it, and besides, I took most of the day off because I was having a bad day. I did get upwards of 1000 words when I finally did get writing, still keeping me two days ahead of schedule. Didn't blow anything up for Guy Fawks day like I wanted to, though. Disappointing.

Here, have a random line: "Jo suspected this was how Chad probably told jokes: badly and without realizing what he was saying wasn’t a joke in the first place."

It's over 9000.

Know what else is awesome? It's also over 10000.

10542. That was my goal for today. Go me.

I only made it to 8.3K, but that's only 200 from what I wanted. I'll probably stay up until I finish that much anyway, and it breaks nice and even with day five's requirement. I just wanted to post this before midnight so it's still technically day three.

No snip tonight, just my favorite line of dialogue:

“You’re talking to me from a lobster suit, Chad; I think you’re the more perplexing one in this situation.”

Goal for today: get to 8.5K. Will settle for 8.3K if it comes to that, but I think (hope?) things are picking up now so it shouldn't be too hard.

And so day two has come to a close. I spent most of the day very distracted, but I still weaseled out 2000 words. We now have clowns on the loose, people. This is not a drill.

You get a snip from my latest scene.

( Read more... )

Current word count: 4057. Not too shabby for the first 24 hours. Well, today was technically 25 hours, but it's still not bad. Certainly not my best-- I think my most productive day was somewhere around 5 or 6K, but what I meant was a could have written a whole lot more. I'll likely beat that record this month. I have the time.

Favorite line from today: “It was only one space ship! Hardly what you would call an apocalypse.”

This led into a discussion of the merits of a zombie apocalypse game show. I love my characters.

I have begun writing! I'm up to 1816 and will continue when I wake up. I suppose I should snip something...

( Read more... )


It's only the first night. I'm still remembering how to write.

Of course I do. It's over there, sitting patiently in the corner, grinning through deranged face paint as it sharpens its knife of hilarity.

Actually it's kind of creepy.

Stop it, story.