I'm 30 minutes away from Midnight (official start) and I really wanted to start writing this afternoon. But it felt like cheating, so I'm restraining myself. I did, however, make more notes and fleshed out my outline a little more. I currently have 19 chapters planned. It doesn't seem like much... but if there's enough material, I may get more chapters out of it.
The amount of support and encouragement I'm already getting for this project is awesome. Some people think it's an impossible task. Others think it's an awesome challenge. And I've heard form other authors embarking on the same challenge. Not only is it nice to know that I'm not doing this alone, it's also nice to actually know some other people who will be going through this with me. Since I'm not confident that my first draft would be readable, I'm not going to share it with anyone until I get a chance to not only finish writing it, but read it once through. I will, however, post excerpts and/or passages that I'm particularly proud of.
Working Title: Phoenix Rising
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Final Preparations
I'm 22 hours, 30 minutes away from starting the novel.
So far, in my preparations, I've done:
- Created a dedicated work space to do my work
- Plotted and outlined the story. I know how I want it to begin, develop, and end.
- Outlined each chapter. According to the current online, I have 18 chapters.
- I know what I want the climax of the story to be and how I plan to resolve it.
- Developed the main characters - who they are, where they come from, their motivations and goals.
- Created the major relationships between the main characters and have an idea of how I want to develop those relationships.
- Decided who needs to die as a means of a catalyst for character development and story progression
- Decided on how magic works in my setting
- Created a short history for the setting
- Created political and religious background for the setting
I have 8 pages of copious notes to guide me in the process. I also know that as I'm writing, I'll probably come up with more ideas or change my mind about some of the development. I'm hoping that I'll just power through the need/want to make the changes and just write the original idea. The benefit of having my notes side-by-side with the manuscript on my screens is that I can easily toggle over and make potential revision notes without actually revising.
I've broken down my notes into chapters. It will give me a little more structure to work with so that I'm writing each chapter, and each page, with a specific intent and purpose. I have some chapters that need more development, but at least I know where the holes are. I'm hoping to fill in those holes as I write and perhaps add enough material to create more chapters. OR, I can just deal with some really long chapters.
So far, in my preparations, I've done:
- Created a dedicated work space to do my work
- Plotted and outlined the story. I know how I want it to begin, develop, and end.
- Outlined each chapter. According to the current online, I have 18 chapters.
- I know what I want the climax of the story to be and how I plan to resolve it.
- Developed the main characters - who they are, where they come from, their motivations and goals.
- Created the major relationships between the main characters and have an idea of how I want to develop those relationships.
- Decided who needs to die as a means of a catalyst for character development and story progression
- Decided on how magic works in my setting
- Created a short history for the setting
- Created political and religious background for the setting
I have 8 pages of copious notes to guide me in the process. I also know that as I'm writing, I'll probably come up with more ideas or change my mind about some of the development. I'm hoping that I'll just power through the need/want to make the changes and just write the original idea. The benefit of having my notes side-by-side with the manuscript on my screens is that I can easily toggle over and make potential revision notes without actually revising.
I've broken down my notes into chapters. It will give me a little more structure to work with so that I'm writing each chapter, and each page, with a specific intent and purpose. I have some chapters that need more development, but at least I know where the holes are. I'm hoping to fill in those holes as I write and perhaps add enough material to create more chapters. OR, I can just deal with some really long chapters.
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
The Hermit vs the Social Butterfly
So NaNoWriMo hasn't started yet and I can already see some of the hurdles. I was actually being fairly optimistic when I said I was up to the challenge. My weekends for the month of November were fairly free and I had no weekday plans scheduled on my calendar. Then, Craig and I started making plans. All of a sudden, the days that I was hoping to use to "catch up" if I fall behind on my daily writing quota were taken up. Now, I'm thinking, "will I really have enough time to write 50K words in 30 days?"
And here's the dilemma for me. Do I stick to my guns and be a recluse for most of the month of November? Or do I allow myself to go hang out with family and friends? I know one option I have is to take my writing with me... but how much will I really be able to accomplish when I'm surrounded by people that I want to interact with? I love the gaming with my friends. I love evenings out whether it's a play, movie, large party or small dinner.
So, I'm making a decision... for the month of November, I will be more of a hermit. I'll schedule my time as if I'm still in school and finals are fast approaching. I will push myself the same way that I pushed when I had a paper due for class - utilizing any holidays during the month for the writing, sleeping when I can't write, and writing instead of sleeping on the weekends/holidays. I've never pulled an all-nighter for my writing before, but I have for school work. I think on the days that I can afford to (like the night before Thanksgiving), I can try to write through the night and plan to sleep while traveling. Thankfully, I won't be driving.
This doesn't mean I won't go out at all. It just means not being the last ones to leave a party. It means just having dinner with a friend instead of dinner and a movie (or shopping). It means excusing myself and finding a quiet corner to work while Craig continues to be social at gatherings.
One of the excuses that I've always given myself is that I don't have the time to devote to the writing. I've started projects, but they stay unfinished and under developed. However, I can't use that excuse anymore since I was able to make time for my other projects over the last few years. And for one month, I will not allow myself to use that excuse.
And here's the dilemma for me. Do I stick to my guns and be a recluse for most of the month of November? Or do I allow myself to go hang out with family and friends? I know one option I have is to take my writing with me... but how much will I really be able to accomplish when I'm surrounded by people that I want to interact with? I love the gaming with my friends. I love evenings out whether it's a play, movie, large party or small dinner.
So, I'm making a decision... for the month of November, I will be more of a hermit. I'll schedule my time as if I'm still in school and finals are fast approaching. I will push myself the same way that I pushed when I had a paper due for class - utilizing any holidays during the month for the writing, sleeping when I can't write, and writing instead of sleeping on the weekends/holidays. I've never pulled an all-nighter for my writing before, but I have for school work. I think on the days that I can afford to (like the night before Thanksgiving), I can try to write through the night and plan to sleep while traveling. Thankfully, I won't be driving.
This doesn't mean I won't go out at all. It just means not being the last ones to leave a party. It means just having dinner with a friend instead of dinner and a movie (or shopping). It means excusing myself and finding a quiet corner to work while Craig continues to be social at gatherings.
One of the excuses that I've always given myself is that I don't have the time to devote to the writing. I've started projects, but they stay unfinished and under developed. However, I can't use that excuse anymore since I was able to make time for my other projects over the last few years. And for one month, I will not allow myself to use that excuse.
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Office Space
Craig and I finally got my work space set up. I got rid of the hutch on my desk that was too small to accomodate my monitor. Now, I have my large monitor set up side-by-side with one of my laptops so I have the dual-screen action going. It's going to help a lot to have my notes on one screen and my manuscript on the other. It also helps to have a really nice ergo keyboard. The added benefit of not having the hutch is to not have the surface area/space to clutter with unneeded junk.
It feels really nice to have a more permanent set-up for a work space. I had a similar set up in the living room that I had to dismantle every time Craig wanted to have the space for his painting. My desk is a spot that I'm excited to use again, all because it's now comfortable to be there. Now, the challenge will be trying to both work in the den at the same time. He usually needs absolute quiet to concentrate on his DM stuff when he's prepping for games. I, on the other hand, focus better when there's some kind of background noise or music playing.
It feels really nice to have a more permanent set-up for a work space. I had a similar set up in the living room that I had to dismantle every time Craig wanted to have the space for his painting. My desk is a spot that I'm excited to use again, all because it's now comfortable to be there. Now, the challenge will be trying to both work in the den at the same time. He usually needs absolute quiet to concentrate on his DM stuff when he's prepping for games. I, on the other hand, focus better when there's some kind of background noise or music playing.
Saturday, October 27, 2012
More preparations
I have 5 days remaining for prep. At this point, I'm not going to fill out any more of the character sheets. I'm going to allow my characters to be a little flat and underdeveloped for the time being. I'll just make sure that I have a cast of characters to draw from and what their place would be in the story. Yay for outlines!
I have a basic story outlined. It's a simplistic story that will rely heavily on character development I know, it's ironic that I'm not developing them with the character sheets. However, in the outline treatment, I'm describing the characters' roles, motivations in the scene, and generally shaping the direction. I think having a loose idea of the characters at this point will serve my purpose a little more than having characters pre-developed.
In doing my pre-writing, and in some of the shows I've been watching, I've discovered that I really enjoy the sympathetic villain. The person that makes the wrong decisions, but with the best of intentions. You don't end up hating the villain... you end up feeling bad for them, for their plight, and you hurt and feel their pain and guilt as they do something that is outside of their current character, but will shape them to be the "bad" person that they become. The selfish person who just isn't entirely selfish (or doesn't realize she is selfish) and just wants to control their environment, to protect their loved ones, etc and feels that the ends justify the means.
The more I work on this outline, the more prepared I feel to start writing. I'm arranging scenes in the story and fleshing out relationships. I've worked out ways to incorporate the facilitation of information. I'm working out the system of magic. I'm working out the theology. I'm working out the political nuances I'm working out motivations.
I need to work on character flaws - especially for my hero. Let's face it, no one likes a "perfect" character.
I'm hoping to have 10 pages, if not more, for the outline by Oct 31. I think the more I have in the outline (including rough scenes, literary devices like flashbacks, etc), the more I can focus on getting the exposition and dialog written during the writing blitz. I want to avoid my tendency of saying "[insert scene X here. I need to find a way to get A to B, but I don't know what yet so I'm putting in this placeholder]." I think that methodology will be disastrous for a project like this.
I shared my NaNoWriMo goal with my principal today and he's excited about the challenge and may try it himself. If anything, this may become a bonding experience for me and my boss which is kinda cool.
I have a basic story outlined. It's a simplistic story that will rely heavily on character development I know, it's ironic that I'm not developing them with the character sheets. However, in the outline treatment, I'm describing the characters' roles, motivations in the scene, and generally shaping the direction. I think having a loose idea of the characters at this point will serve my purpose a little more than having characters pre-developed.
In doing my pre-writing, and in some of the shows I've been watching, I've discovered that I really enjoy the sympathetic villain. The person that makes the wrong decisions, but with the best of intentions. You don't end up hating the villain... you end up feeling bad for them, for their plight, and you hurt and feel their pain and guilt as they do something that is outside of their current character, but will shape them to be the "bad" person that they become. The selfish person who just isn't entirely selfish (or doesn't realize she is selfish) and just wants to control their environment, to protect their loved ones, etc and feels that the ends justify the means.
The more I work on this outline, the more prepared I feel to start writing. I'm arranging scenes in the story and fleshing out relationships. I've worked out ways to incorporate the facilitation of information. I'm working out the system of magic. I'm working out the theology. I'm working out the political nuances I'm working out motivations.
I need to work on character flaws - especially for my hero. Let's face it, no one likes a "perfect" character.
I'm hoping to have 10 pages, if not more, for the outline by Oct 31. I think the more I have in the outline (including rough scenes, literary devices like flashbacks, etc), the more I can focus on getting the exposition and dialog written during the writing blitz. I want to avoid my tendency of saying "[insert scene X here. I need to find a way to get A to B, but I don't know what yet so I'm putting in this placeholder]." I think that methodology will be disastrous for a project like this.
I shared my NaNoWriMo goal with my principal today and he's excited about the challenge and may try it himself. If anything, this may become a bonding experience for me and my boss which is kinda cool.
Friday, October 26, 2012
On Stats
Nearly 4 pages of scenes and plot outlined. I'm excited to be generating new content, writing down the ideas, and fleshing them out bit by bit.
I have characters:
A'lyora
Mikalov
Soraya
Rayari
Sorengh
Margery
Ian
Inn Keeper
Guards/Soldiers
And here are some goal incentives for me:
Meet my word count goal/benchmark for week 1 - new shoes!
Meet my word count goal/benchmark for week 2 - hot stone massage!
Meet my word count goal/benchmark for week 3 - New desk for office space!
Meet the Nanowrimo goal of 50K works by Nov 30 - ????
Do I set a ridiculous reward like a Burberry bag for the 50K word goal? Get a bag I don't think I can afford at this time? Am I setting that as a grand prize because I think I can't make the goal? Or will I make the goal because I really want that stupid purse?!
I have characters:
A'lyora
Mikalov
Soraya
Rayari
Sorengh
Margery
Ian
Inn Keeper
Guards/Soldiers
And here are some goal incentives for me:
Meet my word count goal/benchmark for week 1 - new shoes!
Meet my word count goal/benchmark for week 2 - hot stone massage!
Meet my word count goal/benchmark for week 3 - New desk for office space!
Meet the Nanowrimo goal of 50K works by Nov 30 - ????
Do I set a ridiculous reward like a Burberry bag for the 50K word goal? Get a bag I don't think I can afford at this time? Am I setting that as a grand prize because I think I can't make the goal? Or will I make the goal because I really want that stupid purse?!
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Following advice
One of the major pieces of writing advice I always gave as a tutor was to start with a brainstorm, start with an outline and just write down the ideas. It's about time that I took my own advice.
In prepping for Nanowrimo, I've done more pre-writing than I ever did in my college days. My experience with writing has always been organic. I have an idea, I write it down. I was able to reliable crank out a 5 page essay in a few hours. Later in my graduate work, I was able to crank out 25 pages in a couple of sittings, writing strong arguments and citing data.
The one feat I've yet to be able to accomplish as a writer is to write a novel. A long story with in depth character development and a plot arc. It's a far cry from a short story where it's almost like a snapshot in time.
A couple of days ago, I confided in one of my friends that my reason for wanting to participate in Nanowrimo was to push myself. I will concentrate on quantity and not quality. I will push to meet my daily, weekly, and ultimate goal. This friend gave me a piece of advice - have copious notes and a clear outline.
He gave me a sample treatment he did for a TV episode and I admit, I was surprised at how detailed the treatment was. And it was just the 2nd draft of the outline. (Yes, the outline had multiple versions/drafts). He also gave me a detailed character sheet to help develop my characters. The character development sheets are very similar to the treatments I'd done in my undergrad work. It's also similar to a character sheet for D&D and prompts for a backstory. You have to know where your character comes from before you can know where he or she is going, what they'd do, how they'd react.
With 6 days left for prep, I have 3 pages of a plot outline done and 2 characters being developed. Some characters were created during the outlining process and I will have to develop those characters further in the next few days. I've already decided to kill off a couple as a catalyst for my protagonist's growth. It actually feels really good to feel creative again without looking at how i'm crafting my words. I'm not looking at tone, word choice, or voice yet. That will come later.
The fear and trepidation I'd initially felt when I decided to start this project has turned into excitement and anticipation. I expect to write the most horrible first novel a part time writer can write in a month. And that expectation is exhilarating.
In prepping for Nanowrimo, I've done more pre-writing than I ever did in my college days. My experience with writing has always been organic. I have an idea, I write it down. I was able to reliable crank out a 5 page essay in a few hours. Later in my graduate work, I was able to crank out 25 pages in a couple of sittings, writing strong arguments and citing data.
The one feat I've yet to be able to accomplish as a writer is to write a novel. A long story with in depth character development and a plot arc. It's a far cry from a short story where it's almost like a snapshot in time.
A couple of days ago, I confided in one of my friends that my reason for wanting to participate in Nanowrimo was to push myself. I will concentrate on quantity and not quality. I will push to meet my daily, weekly, and ultimate goal. This friend gave me a piece of advice - have copious notes and a clear outline.
He gave me a sample treatment he did for a TV episode and I admit, I was surprised at how detailed the treatment was. And it was just the 2nd draft of the outline. (Yes, the outline had multiple versions/drafts). He also gave me a detailed character sheet to help develop my characters. The character development sheets are very similar to the treatments I'd done in my undergrad work. It's also similar to a character sheet for D&D and prompts for a backstory. You have to know where your character comes from before you can know where he or she is going, what they'd do, how they'd react.
With 6 days left for prep, I have 3 pages of a plot outline done and 2 characters being developed. Some characters were created during the outlining process and I will have to develop those characters further in the next few days. I've already decided to kill off a couple as a catalyst for my protagonist's growth. It actually feels really good to feel creative again without looking at how i'm crafting my words. I'm not looking at tone, word choice, or voice yet. That will come later.
The fear and trepidation I'd initially felt when I decided to start this project has turned into excitement and anticipation. I expect to write the most horrible first novel a part time writer can write in a month. And that expectation is exhilarating.
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