So, NaNo is going pretty well so far! I've been kind of 'meh' about writing in general the last week or so. But, since I know how I want the story to go, I can skip around a little and write some here and there. Word Count: 9,196 - Woot!!
My main stumbling block is that I think this would make a better movie than a book.
Gasp! I know. Usually, I think completely the opposite: books are ten thousand times better than movies, even though I love movies.
Showing posts with label novel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label novel. Show all posts
03 November, 2011
01 November, 2011
It Has Begun!
Yay! It's November first! Which means:
NaNoWriMo!
Super exciting stuff! I am going with my idea about capturing electricity. It seems to be working so far...I want to write and write, but I think I'm coming down with a cold and my brain has declared I am done being creative for a while and that I need to take a nap.
So, I leave you with my proud word count for today and go off give my poor brains a break. more tomorrow!
Word Count:
4,104/50,000
That's 8%!
29 October, 2011
My NaNoWriMo Process
Before I embark on my novel writing escapade, I thought I might write a little about how I am organizing my thoughts.
Usually, I just start writing and plow through whatever comes my way. I add back story and other sundries as I go. Makes revisions hard, but it seems to work best for me.
I used to feel an inordinate amount of guilt about this approach. I read all about how people use graphs and note cards and flow charts and nifty binders and things to structure their novels. I tried that. It really doesn't work for me.
And I was reading in the current issue of Writer's Digest, an article by James Lee Burke, who not only once had a string of 111 rejections (holy crap! and I thought 4 was bad) but he also doesn't outline or story board or anything.
Now, I know that there is no law declaring that an author must outline. But the idea of being super organized to ensure success is touted and blathered about so much, it kind of gets to a mind-control level of influence.
Burke had a comment that I really like. To paraphrase: 'If I know how it's going to end, so does the reader.'
Exactly! If I know exactly what happens in every scene, then I feel I have no room to improvise. I feel it becomes boring and predictable. I like to be surprised, along with my readers. Why does the spaceship captain not like to talk about his past? Well, maybe he committed treason and has been disowned by his family. Why do Kevin and Strenton hate each other? Er...I'm still working on that one. Get back to me.
Anyway, the point is, I can't can't can't work with a super formal structure.
Having said that, with my story for NaNo, I am doing a little preplanning. My regular process is to start with an event, like: aliens attack and bomb the capital of the planet or most everyone gets turned in a zombie.
I have the EVENT that is going to start the novel, but this time, I also now how I want it to end. The problem with this is my characters have to make certain decisions that lead them to this end. Which means I have to plot a little bit. Which means I have to have some idea of who my characters are beforehand so it will seem realistic that they make certain decisions and progress to the intended end.
This is dangerous ground. One, because my fingers itch to start writing it NOW!!! And also, I am falling into the pit of structure from which there is no escape. I am making do by scribbling ideas in a notebook or adding them to my Scrivner file. In no particular order and with no real commitment.
Flexibility is the key for me, even if the outline function is singing a siren song.
Must resist! Only three days left!
Usually, I just start writing and plow through whatever comes my way. I add back story and other sundries as I go. Makes revisions hard, but it seems to work best for me.
I used to feel an inordinate amount of guilt about this approach. I read all about how people use graphs and note cards and flow charts and nifty binders and things to structure their novels. I tried that. It really doesn't work for me.
And I was reading in the current issue of Writer's Digest, an article by James Lee Burke, who not only once had a string of 111 rejections (holy crap! and I thought 4 was bad) but he also doesn't outline or story board or anything.
Now, I know that there is no law declaring that an author must outline. But the idea of being super organized to ensure success is touted and blathered about so much, it kind of gets to a mind-control level of influence.
Burke had a comment that I really like. To paraphrase: 'If I know how it's going to end, so does the reader.'
Exactly! If I know exactly what happens in every scene, then I feel I have no room to improvise. I feel it becomes boring and predictable. I like to be surprised, along with my readers. Why does the spaceship captain not like to talk about his past? Well, maybe he committed treason and has been disowned by his family. Why do Kevin and Strenton hate each other? Er...I'm still working on that one. Get back to me.
Anyway, the point is, I can't can't can't work with a super formal structure.
Having said that, with my story for NaNo, I am doing a little preplanning. My regular process is to start with an event, like: aliens attack and bomb the capital of the planet or most everyone gets turned in a zombie.
I have the EVENT that is going to start the novel, but this time, I also now how I want it to end. The problem with this is my characters have to make certain decisions that lead them to this end. Which means I have to plot a little bit. Which means I have to have some idea of who my characters are beforehand so it will seem realistic that they make certain decisions and progress to the intended end.
This is dangerous ground. One, because my fingers itch to start writing it NOW!!! And also, I am falling into the pit of structure from which there is no escape. I am making do by scribbling ideas in a notebook or adding them to my Scrivner file. In no particular order and with no real commitment.
Flexibility is the key for me, even if the outline function is singing a siren song.
Must resist! Only three days left!
19 October, 2011
What Do Rabbits and Novels Have In Common?
Any guesses? Well, I'll tell you.
Yesterday, I bemoaned the fact that, even thought I had 'decided' on my NaNoWriMo plot, going so far as to actually 'plot' and get somethings organized, I was having second thoughts.
One second thought, actually, for a different - I mean completely different - plot for my novel.
Apparently, novels are like rabbits. First there are two. Aren't they cute and fluffy? The lady at the pet store said they were both girls...however...
Now I have another idea. That makes three. With only a two weeks to go, I really wanted to be settled in my ideas. I have lots of other stuff to do in November. Stuff not remotely related to writing novels. Concerts, ballet, Thanksgiving, book club, rehearsals.
Now, I know that if I don't finish the 50,000 words, nothing happens. There is nothing serious riding on this. I can write any day of the year, whenever I want.
However, I've got a competitive streak a mile wide. I'll bet you five dollars it's twice as big as yours. I want to finish this challenge. I'll stay up all night on November 29th if I have to, going straight from Nutcracker rehearsal to typing until my eyeballs bleed.
(Husband and I never play each other on video games. It gets ugly, real quick. We each played sports as children and teens and are both musicians. It's better for our marriage if we never compete at anything. Trust me. You should see the gloating when we play Castle Crashers and we're even on the same team.)
(I'm the orange guy, who is way cooler than the red guy, no matter what Husband says. So he can shoot lightening. Who cares?)
Anyway, My three ideas are now as follows:
1. Stick with Ghost.
2. Use a short story I wrote for a Writer's Digest Competition as inspiration and write...duh, duh, duuuuh! What happens next! I can't let you read the short bit itself, since its in the rules for the competition that it can't be 'published' anywhere else.
3. This one is a little harder to explain. One of my new favorites is Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson and the Olympians (PS, the movie? LAME!) and the Heroes of Olympus series. (The next one doesn't come out until next year! I'm going to die from impatience!) I love love love young adult right now, which is a little pathetic, but true. Though I hate hate hate Twilight. Sorry, peeps.
I was watching something on TV, don't know what, but they were talking about old American currency, which used to be way cooler. Check this out:
Yesterday, I bemoaned the fact that, even thought I had 'decided' on my NaNoWriMo plot, going so far as to actually 'plot' and get somethings organized, I was having second thoughts.
One second thought, actually, for a different - I mean completely different - plot for my novel.
Apparently, novels are like rabbits. First there are two. Aren't they cute and fluffy? The lady at the pet store said they were both girls...however...
Now I have another idea. That makes three. With only a two weeks to go, I really wanted to be settled in my ideas. I have lots of other stuff to do in November. Stuff not remotely related to writing novels. Concerts, ballet, Thanksgiving, book club, rehearsals.
Now, I know that if I don't finish the 50,000 words, nothing happens. There is nothing serious riding on this. I can write any day of the year, whenever I want.
However, I've got a competitive streak a mile wide. I'll bet you five dollars it's twice as big as yours. I want to finish this challenge. I'll stay up all night on November 29th if I have to, going straight from Nutcracker rehearsal to typing until my eyeballs bleed.
(Husband and I never play each other on video games. It gets ugly, real quick. We each played sports as children and teens and are both musicians. It's better for our marriage if we never compete at anything. Trust me. You should see the gloating when we play Castle Crashers and we're even on the same team.)
(I'm the orange guy, who is way cooler than the red guy, no matter what Husband says. So he can shoot lightening. Who cares?)
Anyway, My three ideas are now as follows:
1. Stick with Ghost.
2. Use a short story I wrote for a Writer's Digest Competition as inspiration and write...duh, duh, duuuuh! What happens next! I can't let you read the short bit itself, since its in the rules for the competition that it can't be 'published' anywhere else.
3. This one is a little harder to explain. One of my new favorites is Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson and the Olympians (PS, the movie? LAME!) and the Heroes of Olympus series. (The next one doesn't come out until next year! I'm going to die from impatience!) I love love love young adult right now, which is a little pathetic, but true. Though I hate hate hate Twilight. Sorry, peeps.
I was watching something on TV, don't know what, but they were talking about old American currency, which used to be way cooler. Check this out:
This is a silver certificate issued in 1896. The, er, scantily clad lady in the center is Electricity, the most powerful force in the universe, at the time.
What if, following Mr. Riordan's example, these 'forces' actually exist, kind of like muses? The classical portrayals of the elements of the universe? Steam, fire, electricity, knowledge. Here's a depiction of History, who was one of the Greek/Roman muses:
She's teaching America, by the way, showing the path to...greatness or something.
My idea is: what if some scientists managed to 'capture' these natural forces? Somehow trapped Electricity and drained her power. It has all the makings of a adventure book as she and the Male Lead (duh, there's a Male Lead) search for her power so she can rescue her sisters.
I don't particularly want it to be young adult, but we'll see how it turns out. If I even go with that idea. Maybe I'll prove my over-acheiverness once again and do two novels.
18 October, 2011
I just knew it...
So, yeah. You know how I've been all forward thinking and stuff and started plotting for NaNoWriMo?
Check this out:
All those little colored bars at the left are scenes I've plotted out. Characters, in red, I've decided upon. Location, notes, 'storyboards', etc, all aimed at organizing my Ghost story. I spent most of last week thinking about it and planning to out.
And now...I think I've changed my mind.
Curses!
It happened at my writer's group on Saturday. The lovely ladies were obliging and accomodating and read two short stories I am submitting to a contest. They had great feed back and I lurv them.
Then one of them said: "I want to know what happenes next."
Oh, the curse of the 'next' question! I have been here before, oh yes I have. It's a dangerous place.
But it got me thinking. What does happen next? What if they...what if he...maybe someone survived and...suddenly, all my confidence in my plot, my decision, my steadfastness - phsssst! Gone. Maybe now I want to do something else entirely.
Well, I have two weeks and two days to change my mind. I suppose I could change my mind after I start, but I really hope it doesn't come to that.
So, now I need to start plotting for my new idea and see if it's viable. I write a lot of first scenes that go nowhere. Unfortunately, the rules state no writing until midnight of November first. I guess I'll take that first day and write like crazy on both and see which one holds my interest.
*sigh*
Check this out:
All those little colored bars at the left are scenes I've plotted out. Characters, in red, I've decided upon. Location, notes, 'storyboards', etc, all aimed at organizing my Ghost story. I spent most of last week thinking about it and planning to out.
And now...I think I've changed my mind.
Curses!
It happened at my writer's group on Saturday. The lovely ladies were obliging and accomodating and read two short stories I am submitting to a contest. They had great feed back and I lurv them.
Then one of them said: "I want to know what happenes next."
Oh, the curse of the 'next' question! I have been here before, oh yes I have. It's a dangerous place.
But it got me thinking. What does happen next? What if they...what if he...maybe someone survived and...suddenly, all my confidence in my plot, my decision, my steadfastness - phsssst! Gone. Maybe now I want to do something else entirely.
Well, I have two weeks and two days to change my mind. I suppose I could change my mind after I start, but I really hope it doesn't come to that.
So, now I need to start plotting for my new idea and see if it's viable. I write a lot of first scenes that go nowhere. Unfortunately, the rules state no writing until midnight of November first. I guess I'll take that first day and write like crazy on both and see which one holds my interest.
*sigh*
03 October, 2011
Like a Bandaid
Well, that was fast.
Sent three queries out on Saturday. Waiting for me this morning in my inbox was one 'no.'
And actually, it wasn't so bad. More like...oh...bummer.
And it got me thinking about my first five pages/chapter. Problem is, the first you read can't be:
Oh, Snap!!! There are zombies attacking!
It's this thing called exposition. You need it to set up the zombies/whatever so it makes sense. in movies, it is usually covered by an announcer person while you watch slow motion video. Think beginning of Lord of the Rings or something.
Another problem: the main character the books starts with is a limp noodle. But only for the first few chapters! See, she learns to be tough and self-sufficient. It's part of the story, her growth and her taking control of her future.
But, when said agent says: "Doesn't fit our list at this time" do they mean, hey cool idea, but we're not in the market for a zombie story right now, keep up the good work? Or do they mean: YAWN!
Hmmmm....I think I have the first chapters memorized, I've been over them sooooo much. But I guess I'll work them over again! Practice makes perfect, yes?
Sent three queries out on Saturday. Waiting for me this morning in my inbox was one 'no.'
And actually, it wasn't so bad. More like...oh...bummer.
And it got me thinking about my first five pages/chapter. Problem is, the first you read can't be:
Oh, Snap!!! There are zombies attacking!
It's this thing called exposition. You need it to set up the zombies/whatever so it makes sense. in movies, it is usually covered by an announcer person while you watch slow motion video. Think beginning of Lord of the Rings or something.
Another problem: the main character the books starts with is a limp noodle. But only for the first few chapters! See, she learns to be tough and self-sufficient. It's part of the story, her growth and her taking control of her future.
But, when said agent says: "Doesn't fit our list at this time" do they mean, hey cool idea, but we're not in the market for a zombie story right now, keep up the good work? Or do they mean: YAWN!
Hmmmm....I think I have the first chapters memorized, I've been over them sooooo much. But I guess I'll work them over again! Practice makes perfect, yes?
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