NaNoWriMo Challenge Update! November 11, 2009
Posted by pacejmiller in Novel, On Writing.Tags: NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month, stress, update, word count, work
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As I write this post from another late night at work, it has become very clear to me that I am fighting an up-hill battle in this NaNoWriMo Challange I have set for myself.
Eleven days in my monthly word count stands at around 4,000. Only 46,000 more words to go! The main problem is, I just haven’t had the time. Actually, backtrack. I have had very little time, and to be honest I have not utilised it particularly well. Thanks to: long book (still reading Gandhi’s autobiography), waste-of-time video games (playing a game of NBA 2K10 every night) and too many blog posts (I am currently in the middle of preparing 3 other posts on this blog, plus my regular duties at Pacers Pulse).
That said, work has been BRUTAL. Essentially working across two time zones at the moment. But it’s not just that. It’s the constant tension, stress and panic that I am having trouble dealing with. I don’t know why I signed up for this insanity a second time. One would have thought that as lawyers, we would have come up with laws to prevent this type of abuse from happening, and yet we only seem to perpetuate it.
Things don’t look too bright right now, but surely there’s a light at the end of the tunnel? I can fully see myself pumping out 20,000 words this weekend…if I’m not at work, that is.
NaNoWriMo Challenge! November 3, 2009
Posted by pacejmiller in Novel, On Writing.Tags: 50000 words, Australia, Fantasy Novel, NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month, novel word count, November, word count
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NaNoWriMo (or National Novel Writing Month) has arrived. For those who aren’t sure of what this entails, check out this link here. Essentially, it involves writing a 50,000 word novel in the month of November. Sounds daunting, but when you break it down, that’s just 1,667 words a day. Actually, that sounds like a lot. Way more than what I’ve been doing on my debut masterpiece, my WIP fantasy novel!
Despite its name, NaNoWriMo has very much become an international event. I have never entered NaNoWriMo before, and I chickened out again this year. Well, not really. I kind of just forgot.
Nevertheless, I have given myself a NaNoWriMo challenge this month. To be in the spirit of the whole thing, I am going to try and write 50,000 words on my novel in the month of November! Feels like mission impossible at this stage especially with the way work has been lately, and given that it’s taken me about a year to write about 140,000 words…but right now I need any excuse to keep things moving or I’d never finish that dreaded first draft!
I’m already quite behind, having only hand written some crap on the train the last couple of days, so I better start moving. Word count updates to be posted every now and then (especially if it’s going well)!
Novel Update: Balancing Writing and Work October 9, 2009
Posted by pacejmiller in Blogging, Novel, On Writing.Tags: Aspiring Writer, fantasy novel. long hours, Novel, stress, work, Writing
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First week back at work has been rough.
A regular day before I recommenced work consisted of getting up in the morning feeling full of energy. The day would sweep by and leave me wondering where all the time went by the end of it. Now, things are drastically different. I get up at 7 in the morning feeling like I need infinitely more sleep. I’m out the door by 7:30 and don’t get home until 9 (on an average day), and by the time I walk through the door I am exhausted, having utilised by formerly seldom-used brain all day. To ensure I’m not a zombie the next morning, I make sure I get into bed around 11, leaving only 2 hours of waking, non-work time which I generally spend cleaning stuff, showering and preparing for the next day.
That leaves me with zero time to write during the week, except maybe during some down time at work (like now) where I can squeeze in a quick post. But working on the (fantasy) novel is virtually impossible, especially since I need a bit of time to get into the proper mood and spirit. And all this noise around in open plan is always a distraction.
I bumped into a friend this morning who used to be full of vitality before he started in the same profession, and now he’s a shell of who he once was. Sent me an email after he got to work informing me that he just found out he’d have to work all weekend. The worst part, he tells me, is that you get so bogged down by it and get so used to it all (from the never-ending grind) that you simply accept that it’s the way things are and you forget that they could be better. That’s the type of mentality I want to avoid developing.
It’s looking bleak right now but I am confident I’ll manage to find some time somewhere. If anything, it’ll motivate me to go find a job that doesn’t drain my soul!
[PS: Coincidentally, I just got a newsletter from Ginny Wiehardt's Blog which has a whole bunch of comments on finding time to write while coping with the other stresses and distractions in life. Take a look.]
Novel Update: knowing when to be concise September 27, 2009
Posted by pacejmiller in Fantasy, Novel, On Writing.Tags: Aspiring Writer, brevity, concise, Fantasy Novel, fantasy writing, update, writer, Writing
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As I broke through the 130,000 word barrier yesterday on my WIP fantasy novel, I started to wonder why the heck it is taking me so long to make any decent progress. I mean, the story is flying by in my mind, and when I’m imagining how the scene is going to pan out, it’s always just quick flashes, like a well-edited movie. That’s the way I want to convey the story.
But when I actually sit down to write it, it never turns out the way I want it to. I don’t know when to wrap up a scene. They always end up being significantly longer than what I first imagined, and often a whole lot different too.
I liken writing one of my scenes to playing golf. When I write a short scene, it’s supposedly like a par 3, with a straight, wide fairway right down the middle with no obstacles on it. I tee off and the ball goes sideways into the bushes. My next shot soars across into the bunker on the other side of the fairway. The shot after that torpedoes back into the bushes on the other side, and so on and so forth. Each shot I take, I’m getting it closer to the hole, but I’m zig-zagging over and across the fairway, creating obstacles for myself when one simple iron shot would have done the trick. And when I finally get the ball on the green, I need a three-putt to seal the deal. (Sadly, this also happens when I’m on the golf course for real).
As a result, I’m taking three or four hours to write a scene that should really take one or two. A short flashback turns into an elaborate back story. A quick chat becomes the mother of all conversations. A simple thought which ought to take a couple of lines becomes a freakin’ Hamlet-esque soliloquy.
Brevity really is a virtue. Sure, I can finish the novel this way, but it’s going to take me a lot longer than I anticipated and re-writes and edits (when I finally get to them) are going to be nightmarish. What’s wrong with me? Am I just not skilled enough? Not experienced enough? Or is it something other first-time writers go through too?
Ahh…back to writing…
Stumble It!
