Unfortunately, I was unable to find the time to write today, therefore making the customary word count post somewhat irrelevant.
Don't get me wrong, I really would've loved to have just sat down, taken a break, and spent some quality time with my cast of characters. However, the common NaNo novelist, unlike the professional novelist, is usually unable to book the entire month off from work or school (though that really would be nice, wouldn't it?).
For the average student like myself, the mandatory homework still needs to get done, not to mention a bit of studying for that psychology test tomorrow. Even extra curricular activities can be just as demanding. In my case, rehearsals for the school play keep me after class until 5-6 o'clock in the evening, drastically cutting into what could possibly be prime writing time.
Luckily, the school system has developed two brilliant havens for student writers. The first would be lunch break, though many prefer to socialize during this hour of the day, choosing this time to grab a quick bite to eat and dashing up to the school library for a quiet writing session would be a, optional, but efficient choice (especially if you happened to be considerably behind...).
The second would bee the spare, or free period. I've actually managed to clean out my schedule enough in the last few weeks in order to reserve one for myself. Today's was unfortunately not very productive, as the old school computers stubbornly refused to read my USB stick. Tomorrow's plan, however: e-mail. It's always good to have an extra copy of your novel lying around and e-mailing one to yourself in an ideal plan.
Lastly, before I sign out for the night, a new "30 Covers, 30 Days" design has been posted here, on the NaNoWriMo forums.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Monday, November 2, 2009
Day 2: Catching Up, Calming Down, and Actually Knowing What to Expect
Word Count: 3, 547
My main goal for the day today was to catch up on the daily quota, which I was happily able to do. However, my real lesson came when I actually sat down to write. One of the main rules about NaNoWriMo is that it's all about quantity not quality, but until today, I stubbornly thought that I would be able to go through a month of novel writing madness and still come out with a well-written, hilariously witty piece of fiction by the end. If there's one thing I learned in the last two days it's that that's not possible. When attempting to write 1, 667 words of fiction a day while balancing schoolwork, rehearsals for a play which opens in less than a month, and the required three meals per day, it really is only about quantity. You can always go back and edit when the month is through.
Also, with the results of yesterday in mind, when I sat down to write, I actually knew what I was getting myself into. I'll admit, yesterday I panicked a little. I panicked so much that I wans't even able to sleep. And with lack of sleep came the plot bunnies.
For those of you with little or no knowledge of what a plot bunny is, don't worry, they're usually harmless. A plot bunny is an idea for a story, novel, or other work of fiction. They're great, but the only problem is that they (like bunnies) multiply like crazy. Now, not only do I have ideas for my current project swimming around in my head, I also have ideas for two other, equally interesting novels. Though the constant barrage of new ideas can be a little frustrating when you're trying to focus on the task at hand, I'm really looking forward to exploring them further when my current novel is finished.
Just one more thing I'd like to share before signing off for the night; for those of you who haven't heard, NaNoWriMo is doing something new this year called "30 Covers, 30 Days". A design compay, Fwis, has teamed up with NaNoWriMo to create 30 different covers for 30 different NaNoWriMo novels, one for each day of November. The designs so far are absolutely amazing. Check them out here and here.
My main goal for the day today was to catch up on the daily quota, which I was happily able to do. However, my real lesson came when I actually sat down to write. One of the main rules about NaNoWriMo is that it's all about quantity not quality, but until today, I stubbornly thought that I would be able to go through a month of novel writing madness and still come out with a well-written, hilariously witty piece of fiction by the end. If there's one thing I learned in the last two days it's that that's not possible. When attempting to write 1, 667 words of fiction a day while balancing schoolwork, rehearsals for a play which opens in less than a month, and the required three meals per day, it really is only about quantity. You can always go back and edit when the month is through.
Also, with the results of yesterday in mind, when I sat down to write, I actually knew what I was getting myself into. I'll admit, yesterday I panicked a little. I panicked so much that I wans't even able to sleep. And with lack of sleep came the plot bunnies.
For those of you with little or no knowledge of what a plot bunny is, don't worry, they're usually harmless. A plot bunny is an idea for a story, novel, or other work of fiction. They're great, but the only problem is that they (like bunnies) multiply like crazy. Now, not only do I have ideas for my current project swimming around in my head, I also have ideas for two other, equally interesting novels. Though the constant barrage of new ideas can be a little frustrating when you're trying to focus on the task at hand, I'm really looking forward to exploring them further when my current novel is finished.
Just one more thing I'd like to share before signing off for the night; for those of you who haven't heard, NaNoWriMo is doing something new this year called "30 Covers, 30 Days". A design compay, Fwis, has teamed up with NaNoWriMo to create 30 different covers for 30 different NaNoWriMo novels, one for each day of November. The designs so far are absolutely amazing. Check them out here and here.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Day 1: Distractions, More Distractions, and a Prologue
Word Count: 1, 542
Well, the first hectic day comes to a close. I unfortunately had to spend more time on homework than on writing, but I did manage to almost fill the quota for the day (which, for a 50,000 word novel in 30 days, would be 1,667 words per day).
Today's assignment was the prologue, which actually differs greatly from the rest of the novel, mainly because it is told in the perspective of a different character. I had a little trouble with the initial first paragraph, partly because I was tired from four hours of history homework and partly because I was nervous. I always find the first few sentences of any given work to be the most difficult. Whether it's an essay, a newspaper article, or a novel the first few sentences tell you so much. They have to reach out, take hold of the reader's attention and pull it straight out of the fabric of reality and into your writing.
I had initially thought out the first few sentences of my first chapter, but I really had no idea about a prologue. Unlike many other writers I actually don't really plan all that much. Just key points, characters, and events really. I actually don't even know how my novel is going to end.
Another fun aspect of novel writing that I have lived in the past day is characterization. Of course, I've done quite a lot of characterization on Victor's (one of my main character's) part, but I was actually delighted to have the experience of creating a new character on the spot, a process which will inevitably occur throughout the development of this novel. Though it was a very minor character who will only really appear in this prologue, I immediately felt that same rush of ideas I get when creating main characters. That same feeling that this character really is a truly separate person.
Finally, though I didn't get to finish nearly as much today as I had originally planned, I believe that I have had a proper glimpse into what this month of writing madness holds. Namely frustration, procrastination, strokes of genius, late nights, and a whole lot of tea.
Well, the first hectic day comes to a close. I unfortunately had to spend more time on homework than on writing, but I did manage to almost fill the quota for the day (which, for a 50,000 word novel in 30 days, would be 1,667 words per day).
Today's assignment was the prologue, which actually differs greatly from the rest of the novel, mainly because it is told in the perspective of a different character. I had a little trouble with the initial first paragraph, partly because I was tired from four hours of history homework and partly because I was nervous. I always find the first few sentences of any given work to be the most difficult. Whether it's an essay, a newspaper article, or a novel the first few sentences tell you so much. They have to reach out, take hold of the reader's attention and pull it straight out of the fabric of reality and into your writing.
I had initially thought out the first few sentences of my first chapter, but I really had no idea about a prologue. Unlike many other writers I actually don't really plan all that much. Just key points, characters, and events really. I actually don't even know how my novel is going to end.
Another fun aspect of novel writing that I have lived in the past day is characterization. Of course, I've done quite a lot of characterization on Victor's (one of my main character's) part, but I was actually delighted to have the experience of creating a new character on the spot, a process which will inevitably occur throughout the development of this novel. Though it was a very minor character who will only really appear in this prologue, I immediately felt that same rush of ideas I get when creating main characters. That same feeling that this character really is a truly separate person.
Finally, though I didn't get to finish nearly as much today as I had originally planned, I believe that I have had a proper glimpse into what this month of writing madness holds. Namely frustration, procrastination, strokes of genius, late nights, and a whole lot of tea.
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