This week's question to myself is: Can I write 35,000-ish words and finish up this rough draft before the end of November. The answer is: Hmmmm....maybe?
Will those words be spectacular? No. No they will not. They will require massive rewriting and editing, but hey, they are in great company because so do the 53,713 words currently in the file. for those of you wondering, yes, this is normal. Rough drafts are exactly what they imply: Rough. They are the writer's way of getting the plot and characters on the page in their crudest form. We are telling ourselves the story so that we can then refine it for an audience. I suspect that this particular rough draft is going to need a boat load of refinement. We're talking changes made with a chainsaw and blow torch rather than a scalpel and fine thread. Even overlooking the typos that are having a rave all over the pages, there are some serious glitches in its matrix, and the characters haven't told me what happened to the stinking cow yet. I mean, I think I know who stole it and why, but I've been known to be wrong before. On top of that, I'm growing suspicious that the arch of this particular story line is off by a bit. I won't know in which direction until it all plays out, but I suspect that the front end will require a weight loss program to get rid of some fluff. For those of you wondering, I don't consider the rough draft to be the "First draft". The First Draft title goes to the piece after the main concerns are addressed and I wrestle it into something that can be read coherently. Considering the app I'm using right now let's all of the typos sit there giggling gleefully without so much as a red squiggly underline to point them out, this thing might as well be written in ancient Sanskrit. I blame autocorrect for my lazy typing skills. I truly do. A First Draft is not the goal right now, though. I'm just trying to finish step one. Sure, I'm behind. My revised schedule-which I completely ignored when it mattered-says I'm supposed to be finished this week. This not going to happen. BUT, I failed forward. I'm inching closer to the finish line. I didn't quit. That's what really matters. And on that note, let me get back to it while you get on with your amazing day, too.
0 Comments
You may be wondering what I've decided on a few writing things I've mentioned recently. If you haven't, well, I'm going to tell you anyway. Look at it as food for thought in your own writing life - as I hope you do with all of the things I peck out here on the blog.
So, first off we have NaNoWriMo since it's the biggest fish in November's pond. I actually pondered it harder this year than I ever have before. Let's face it, the whole concept is intimidating. I normally just give it 2 or 3 seconds of lunatic optimism and allow my reality to kill the idea. This year, I actually gave it a couple of weeks. The outcome was the same. I came to my senses and decided to sit it out and cheer those who do participate on from the sidelines. Sure, I have this vague dream of at least making a valiant attempt to finish this novel I'm working on before December rolls around, but honestly, I'm not going to be upset if I don't. Instead, I'm going to use this month to do what I always do: focus on Thanksgiving and the Christmas season, and on how I can make both special for my family. The book will be finished when it is finished and not a second more. That may be this year, or next, or never. I'm okay with that. (This may be why I'm not some big name in the writing world.) Also, I'm still pondering a serialized romance writing website and the fact that I'll need yet another pen name if I decide to move ahead with it. I'm not big on writing romance, and even less big on writing the kind of "romance" that sells these days. I don't really want either my real name or this pen name attached to that option. (Apologies romance readers out there. It is what it is and I am who I am.) Still, I could use the income. So, if I can find a way to make a little extra money without compromising my principals and while producing a story that I would actually want to read, I may move ahead on that. It is (in my opinion) at least 3 steps up from writing for a content farm - which I've done and hated with the deep seated loathing I normally reserve for cleaning up cat puke before I've had my tea in the morning. My garden is closed out aside from a few butternut squash that may or may not ripen in my little UV light infused greenhouse. My Christmas shopping is all but finished. I am currently (yes, I know it's November) working on decorating the house for the Christmas. Cooking and baking season are hovering in the very near future. I'm hopeful that some words will find their way to the paper during these busy days. And if they don't? Well, January is closer than we all want to admit and winter is an excellent time to write. Why? Why? For the love of all that is decent in this world, WHY do we do this in NOVEMBER?
For those of you who aren't familiar, the goal of NaNoWriMo is to write or rewrite 50,000 words in 30 days. That is roughly 1,667 words each day, seven days each week, for every week that November has to offer. NOVEMBER! You know, that month were many of us celebrate Thanksgiving with a huge meal that often requires multiple days of preparation to pull off - in a house that needs to be clean enough to host those that we've invited to help eat said display of bounty. Followed by the strange ritual of Black Friday shopping. (For the record, I do not participate in this. I worked in retail far too long to even be mildly tempted. My shopping is done aside from stocking stuffers. I get that nonsense out of the way in October so I'm not a cranky Grinch from November 1st until January.) So, let's revise our math and knock off 5 days from that 30 day count which leaves us with 2,000 words per day for every other day November claims as its own. Now, if you happen to be lucky like me, you can work those words onto the paper at whatever time you can carve out of your no-job-having day, but let's face it, I'm an anomaly in our career minded culture. Most people have a job that actually provides them with a pay check and a work schedule. They get to put in a full day in their chosen field, then come home and demand inspiration to gift them with the next 2,000 word chunk of the story. Oh, and you're supposed to eat, and bathe, and still represent the human race by interacting appropriately with others while you're doing all of this. It's a recipe for disaster. It's like a bunch of writers got together on 1/2 Halloween candy day (Nov. 1st), reached the pinnacle of the sugar rush - maybe chucked in some alcohol, too, and said, "Hey! I've got this awesome idea! How would you all like to be able to plead insanity when you ruin next month's office Christmas party or burn the house down with your light display? Sound good? All we need to do is prod each other into writing those novels we've been yammering on about for the past 20 years before December 1st rolls around!" Why not January? I mean we'd all have the benefit of lousy weather, an extra 24 hours, and the lunatic optimism that we will keep our New Year's Resolutions. Sure, some of us might kick it off a little hung over, but that's reasonably normal in the writing world. Plus, all the hubbub of the holidays would be finished and tucked into the "All the reasons I should let guilt eat me alive this year" file. January just makes more sense all the way around. But no...no, we picked November. Sounds like self-sabotage in the making to me. And yet... ...Lord help me, here I am, looking at my half finished 2nd novel in this series and saying: hmmm...so, if I sign up, I could get the rough draft finished and get a good chunk of the massive rewrite this monster needs finished. Not only on time, but EARLY. I mean, on a good writing day, 2,000 words isn't hard for me. I know where the story is going and approximately how it's getting there. How hard could it really be? It's just a matter of scribbling the words across the page then typing them up...maybe...maybe, this is the year to participate... ...or maybe I'll just give the house a really good deep cleaning since it has reached critical mass in the dust department. That'll take at least most of the month (have I ever mentioned that I have a log house and how much "fun" it is to clean?) and result in something tangible to show off, too. Hmmm... Decisions, decisions. |
AuthorJosie Dorans Archives
June 2022
Categories |