It's day 24 and I haven't written a word for the last three days. I am so stuck! I've killed off my main character! And my novel is in first person! That was probably not the best move, now I come to think about the consequences. With no main character I have no narrator, and with narrator I have no novel. :(
I didn't mean to kill Cailean, it just happened. She was poisoned by a slow acting drug which I was planning to find a cure for, but she died before I could finish my quest.
Pathetic! I know.
I'm beginning to wonder if finishing my NaNoWriMo this year is worth the worry and effort. I just don't think my novel is good enough.
Showing posts with label writing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label writing. Show all posts
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Saturday, November 12, 2011
NaNoWriMo Days 6—12
Well today is the end of day 12 and guess what? I'm right on my word target! 20,000 words!
It's been a little bit of a struggle, like yesterday when I finished work at 8pm and all I wanted to do was sleep. But, luckily, I toughened up and managed to write some words before collapsing on my bed.
At the moment, the main problem with my novel is that I don't know where it is going. Every few days I have to come up with a new idea because I keep finding myself repeating words and slowing down while my characters once again contemplate the meaning of life. In order to combat this slowness, I have developed/borrowed a couple of gorilla tactics:
1) Add a new character. This is a great why to speed up a dying storyline. In my case I added an assassin who tried to kill my two MCs!
2) Add a subplot. This is a great way to add words, fill space and add more adventure. In my case, one of my MC has to travel through the forest for a night and a day looking for a lost object. The object is important although it's not crucial for the main storyline, it's more of a red-herring.
3) Add conflict. In real life not everyone gets along, even best friends fight, families disagree and sisters argue. Why should it be any different in your novel. In my case, my MC and her brother have an argument about his use of violence. She disagrees, he yells at her and she becomes scared of him. This tension underlines several other scenes until they finally resolve their differences. (... or do they?)
How about you guys? What gorilla tactics had you discovered/borrowed to liven up your writing?
It's been a little bit of a struggle, like yesterday when I finished work at 8pm and all I wanted to do was sleep. But, luckily, I toughened up and managed to write some words before collapsing on my bed.
At the moment, the main problem with my novel is that I don't know where it is going. Every few days I have to come up with a new idea because I keep finding myself repeating words and slowing down while my characters once again contemplate the meaning of life. In order to combat this slowness, I have developed/borrowed a couple of gorilla tactics:
1) Add a new character. This is a great why to speed up a dying storyline. In my case I added an assassin who tried to kill my two MCs!
2) Add a subplot. This is a great way to add words, fill space and add more adventure. In my case, one of my MC has to travel through the forest for a night and a day looking for a lost object. The object is important although it's not crucial for the main storyline, it's more of a red-herring.
3) Add conflict. In real life not everyone gets along, even best friends fight, families disagree and sisters argue. Why should it be any different in your novel. In my case, my MC and her brother have an argument about his use of violence. She disagrees, he yells at her and she becomes scared of him. This tension underlines several other scenes until they finally resolve their differences. (... or do they?)
How about you guys? What gorilla tactics had you discovered/borrowed to liven up your writing?
Saturday, November 5, 2011
NaNoWriMo Day 3, 4 and 5
Well, everything is going according to plan. I have been typing away at my novel, eating up words. It is now 7,402 words long. A little under the parr but not too bad if I do say so myself. The NaNoWriMo stats say I have to write 1,600 words each day to reach my goal of 50,000 by 30th November but every day I get that little bit faster and write just a few more words than expected.Today, day 5, was my first writer's group meeting. We met at the library of our local university and sat in a great typing circle. There wasn't a lot of talking, I think everyone was a little nervous, but there was a lot of writing with each of us trying to out type the others. I reached a nice 2,000 words in just under 2 and a half hours.
What about you guys. How long does it take you to reach the daily work target?
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
NANoWriMo Day 2
It's that time of year again, NaNoWriMo time! National Novel Writing Month with the aim of completing 50,000 words by midnight 30th November. If you haven't registered but would like too click here for the official site.Today is actually the 2nd day even though I thought it was the 1st, so I only started today and not yesterday. But even with that set back it was full steam ahead. I managed to pump out a good 1,700 words. Only a few more to go!
To keep myself encouraged I have decided to use this blog to record my 2011 NaNoWriMo experience. Through thick and thin, heartbreak and betrayal I will continue to update this blog as long as I am still participating.
And on that note, as I am about to graduate from uni I think it is a good idea to continue to focus on my two remaining essays. So I have decided any words I write for assessment, I will also be counting as part of my 50,000 word goal.
With that, I wish all the best to any other fellow NaNoWriMo out there and happy writing!
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