This only pertains to writing during NaNoWriMo -
When you write during, and for, NaNoWriMo - do you write perfectly? What I mean by this is, if you are writing and you can't find the right word you want to insert, do you just write several and then leave them all in there, but knowing you will go in and edit them out in December? You know, in order to make word count?
For example, if I write the following jibberish -
She stood there with hands on hips, staring /or glaring /or eyeballing /or gazing into the pinkish sunset /brilliantly glowing sunset /distorted sunset.
(See, you can't decide which word to use so you leave them all in for word count) or do you go ahead and figure out exactly what it is you want to convey and fix it before counting words?
I know, I know.... the silly details. LOL
I just wasted 10 minutes that I could have worked on my NaNoWriMo story.
Heh.
Thanks.
And just for clarification I probably would have chosen the following,
She stood there with hands on hips staring out at the brilliantly distorted sunset.
Maybe. ;-)
The madness is starting to take over.
----------
c.a. Marks
http://southernsinfulbliss.com
40,768 / 50,000
Nov 4, 2009 - 18 58
I do the exact same thing. Right now I still haven't decided on certain things like city names, minor characters names, et cetera. For them I just do XXXNAME so I can (hopefully) do a quick find-and-replace once I do decide (if I ever do...) what they are.
When I handwrite I do about the same thing: 'new word, sort of like glare, but not, maybe staring, but not just looking' or something like that. Inevitably, on reread, you'll decide 'she was glaring, no staring, no she really was glaring, oh wait, she was was gazing intently.' That's what happens to me anyway!
As far as that goes, I think stage direction should be included as word count. Revisions can come later.
^_^
----------5
| 2009 The Devil you don't
| 2007 The Orchid's Respite [incomplete]
| 2006 Of Tulips and Dancing Boys [win]
37,184 / 50,000
Nov 4, 2009 - 19 26
I am just choosing the best word I can for the moment and moving on. My goal is to get the whole story written from beginning to end during NaNo. I'll go back and 'pretty' the whole thing up later.
----------8,257 / 50,000
Nov 4, 2009 - 20 58
Does anyone else write in outline form and then kind of "fill in" the details, not always in narrative form? I seem to find myself doing this. Then, snippets of narrative and back to the outline, and so on...not pretty and not always intelligible but it seems to be the only way I can keep track of plot ideas. It sounds like you guys write prettier prose than I do! :D
1,047 / 50,000
Nov 5, 2009 - 06 08
Lol, these are great ideas! My (previously used) method actually detracts from wordcount, because when I get stuck on something that will eventually be a good-sized paragraph, I just stick a short description of what I want to happen in brackets and move on.
38,566 / 50,000
Nov 5, 2009 - 06 18
I tend to use a filler space of some kind if I can't think of the right word or description. It's worse with names I haven't decided on.
It'll end up looking like this:
walked up to the front of the building, a glint of in his eyes...
It's sad really but at least it lets me go back in December to fix it.
----------~ Chelle
"Letting the crazies take over my brain one cell at a time."
4,181 / 50,000
Nov 5, 2009 - 14 59
I basically write my NaNoWriMo how I would normally. I can't stand having random jibberish. But I'm writing in a notebook so my space is limited. I've always written notebook, then typed because my sentences always end up longer when I do that haha. I'm just like oooh this should go here or hm, maybe I could add this XD
----------4,570 / 50,000
Nov 5, 2009 - 18 24
More words, more words. I need more words. Great ideas, y'all.
----------Amy
readfish_at_mchsi_dot_com
"Something good will come from the unpromising beginning . . .."
-- Soren Kierkegaard
7,511 / 50,000
Nov 8, 2009 - 08 18
I'm writing on my Blackberry (every spare moment, right?) so I just stick in whatever comes to mind if I'm not sure. I know when I go back to read it I'll edit it if it sounds horrible, so I'm not too worried. I haven't even named my main character, which I know is bad, but I just can't figure it out.
41,625 / 50,000
Nov 8, 2009 - 13 42
It is really good to know that I am not the only one that is having problems coming up with names. I have named my main character and 1 minor character. The rest have changed during planning and then again during writing, mostly because it was really annoying trying to type out. Don't get me started on city names. Also, I'm writing fantasy and have yet to name my world. /sigh
----------45,012 / 50,000
Nov 8, 2009 - 14 19
I am set with names, but even though my word count is, well, stupendous, I don't have a good handle on where the characters are going yet. I have a strange feeling that I am actually writing two different novels and I want to decide soon which one novel I'm going to stick with for NaNo.
----------Most unexpectedly, I think I'm writing YA. And I like it. :)
40,001 / 50,000
Nov 8, 2009 - 19 09
OMG You have no idea how much of a damper this kind of problem has put on my writing, and I never thought about doing this. My word count could be double what it is if I hadn't been taking so much time trying to write "right". lol. and naming... doing fantasy this year, and it's really wreaking havoc on my brain. names, gah.
----------WIP for Nano '09:
-The Shield of Antara-
44,746 / 50,000
Nov 8, 2009 - 20 15
Now y'all are making me self-conscious! ;-p
I just write the story as it progresses. I spend NO time on thinking about the quality or word choice, other than correcting some of the most blatant spelling and grammar errors that Microsoft so kindly flags for me. I have not even re-read much except to pick up from where I left off.
I figure that it will take more months to refine my prose with quality (if the novel has any merit to it when I'm done). I'm too much of a newbie writer to even presume that the "right" word or "tone" or "style" should be for my story.
I'm just concentrating on moving my plot forward without being too ham fisted about it. I'm telling the story now, typing the details as fast as I can. I can tell it eloquently later.
Basically, I'm doing a stream of coonsciousness style of writing except that I know where I want my story to go and how it breaks down and ends. Now I'm just following along with my characters and finding out how they will get to my plot points (if they ever do). :-D
It a'int pretty but it's a real effort to write a novel with a beginning, middle, and end with characters and places and events.
Good Luck Guys and Girls!
----------"Human's are media players for books." :-D
40,768 / 50,000
Nov 8, 2009 - 21 43
Naming is one of my favourite parts of worldbuilding, but I admit a tendency to change and 'improve' over the course of my writing and then have to go back and do countless find-and-replaces to get everything back in order.
I use http://behindthename.com a lot for inspiration. For fantasy names, I sometimes start with conlanging and try to stick to sounds that exist in my culture's language or 'style'. Sometimes I model them after real world cultures, but limit or add sounds to get a feel for that culture, like Roman sounding names or Berber sounding names.
This time around I swore to myself, no maps, no timelines, no extensive world planning on paper. Mostly I've stuck to that, but I did sketch a rough map. I had to know some distances for travel and just where on the border my 'border city' was.
^_^
----------5
| 2009 The Devil you don't
| 2007 The Orchid's Respite [incomplete]
| 2006 Of Tulips and Dancing Boys [win]
45,012 / 50,000
Nov 9, 2009 - 07 40
One of my "good" characters just turned Evil!!! I love NaNo.
----------10,324 / 50,000
Nov 9, 2009 - 10 00
Opportunity strikes. There's a bit of evil in the best of us, or them as the case may be :)