I'm up to 3691 words now! :)
Having trouble, as I imagined I would, with going back and editing as I go along. It started innocently enough when I just went back to read through what I'd already done so I could move forward, and I started changing things around. Which I figured was okay as long as I was adding words! But I don't want to fall into the trap of editing when I'm just supposed to be getting the words out.
Anybody else having trouble controlling his/her inner editor at this early stage of the game?
Allison
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61,603 / 50,000
Nov 2, 2009 - 14 44
Allison:
Your inner editor should probably not be the voice you hear right now, but whatever drives your cruiser.
Along the way, I think you will decide if the story has wings to fly or is an albatross. If it has wings, the 50K target will drift lower and lower on the horizon.
In my own story, the central character is already so real that she shared lunch with me today. I think there's a true affection brewing, if that makes sense to you.
If I get toward 50K by month's end, fine. If not, this love affair is way too exciting to miss.
But back to that inner editor. Eventually, all stories need to make sense and the more you do toward that end now means a lot less violent upheaval later in the rewrite room.
You can affect a lot of that by establishing a comfortable tone in the telling of your story.
John (Jay)
40,086 / 50,000
Nov 2, 2009 - 14 54
Unfortunately, I cannot help but edit sometimes. If I write something one day that makes something the from a previous day not work...I suppose some would say leave it for now, but if I do, I fear I will not remember to change it later. If I leave what I know is wrong, I know it will bug me to no end, so I might as well fix it now (I've tried leaving myself notes to go back and fix something later, but usually it takes as much time to write the note with enough detail so I'll remember what I'm changing as it would to just fix it now).
As of 6 PM on day 2, I'm above 4k words though, so it hasn't caused any suffering on my word count yet.
----------2007 - Outcast (won, and finished later)
2008 - didn't even try...and it was painful to stay away
2009 - Pursuit of Magic (working title, probably won't last)
69,516 / 50,000
Nov 2, 2009 - 15 17
I'm doing well, I'm at 10k-ish. I want to get around 2k more tonight. I know I won't be able to write much if at all on Wednesdays so I am going to do what I can now. :)
That is about it... I am about 5k in My Princess, the Prince and 5k in 100 Ways to die so I am keeping it pretty even.
----------NaNo 2009: My Princess, the Prince & 100 Ways to Die. (Yes, a double Header!)
38,347 / 50,000
Nov 2, 2009 - 16 01
I think I'm doing pretty good for my first time and being in school. I don't think I'll be able to do any dares though. I'm only on the end of my first chapter. I plan on having a 50 chapter novel that is the first in a ten book series.
To win, do we have to finish the novel, or just write 50,000 words? Nano mail me the answer, please.
48,779 / 50,000
Nov 2, 2009 - 20 12
50,000 words is all they ask... should be your rough draft at best... an unfinished, but really really really good novel at worst! LOL
----------21,805 / 50,000
Nov 3, 2009 - 09 22
Right now it still was wings -- good metaphor there! I have had stories before where I started writing and they just stalled and wouldn't go anywhere, but this one is still working. :)
I am trying to limit my revisions to errors of timeframe, etc., and adding "more" to parts that feel like they need more, instead of deleting whole sections and starting over. One thing I did today to help things along is think about how the story was going to end, and I actually wrote the ending, so I know where I am heading. I know some writers don't like to know exactly where they're going to end up, but it helps me when I can see the final outcome. And I can always change it later if it turns out the story doesn't really end there!