Not sure if this is right forum to post this in, but since I am a first timer, I figure the newbie forum is as good as any.
I have a story that is now just over 39,300 words as of November 24 noon time (eastern daylight time). Story take place in Chamonix in the French Alps. I have morphed from an avalanche disaster and survival story to a provincial independence vs nationalist story to now a development vs cultural and ecological preservation story. At first I tried to keep it all realistic. but that is by the boards as this whole story is way past the realm of possibility. Who knows what this will morph into in the next 10,000 words. There isn't really much of a theme to the story at this point.
I haven't liked my story for a good week now. It keeps running its course and because I have to write all these extra words I change the topic, get rid of a character or bring one back. I have even had my characters give great speeches, and even one wrote a newspaper article and I had to come up with and write all the words since the characters aren't real and thus have never given a speech. if that isn't enough, I forget what they said x pages back so I probably am having characters say stuff that contradicts what they said previously. It is at times very hard to even see the value of this whole exercise though admittedly I did minimal planning before I started and have no experience in writing novels.
I want to finish this thing and hit the 50,000 word mark so I am not just going to give up. There is so much editing that needs to be done I hardly know where to start. i can easily see half the story getting sliced up and sent to the oval file cabinent (ie the trash can).
I just want some encouragement that I might actually some how get something out of all this other than the realization that my writing needs a lot of work--at least this story does. Mostly, I just need to vent!
novicewriterdavid
----------
50,308 / 50,000
Nov 24, 2009 - 09 54
I soooooooo get the need to vent!
My characters won't tell me anything! I mean, I woke up today with the knowledge that one wanted to propose! WTF?! That goes against everything I know about him, and now he's not talking to me and won't tell me why he needs to do it *now* instead of 15 or 20 years from now when he can *actually* settle down!
I think the point of doing it is to prove to yourself that you *can* do it.
The reason I've signed up is because I've got at least 10 works in progress on my laptop right now, that's not including outlines or art that I've made for other story ideas- Or the word document in which I save random story ideas, and I feel like I need to know I can start a story, moreover, that I can start a story and FINISH a story in a reasonable amount of time, not a year or a year and a half like I normally do.
I signed up because I can't stick to schedules that I make myself, but telling people that I'm doing this and have a set time frame (No going up to teacher and saying "But I need one more week! You see what happened was-") and working within it.
I refuse to fall on my face because I didn't do it. Because there is no "couldn't" in my situation. I can do this, and it's up only to me if I do.
I think you need to ask yourself why you signed up, the answer might surprise you. (FYI: I didn't know why I signed up until I wrote that last paragraph. It's amazing what I don't tell my self. I should make a note.)
Blaze
----------50,078 / 50,000
Nov 24, 2009 - 10 21
I'm really new to writing, but I found storyboarding to be hugely helpful to track the progression of plot. It has also pointed out some huge gaping holes in my storyline. I started out by using an outline of the progression I wanted my novel to take. I then broke each one into scenes that could help move the story forward. I now have all the scenes written on index cards (I actually printed them out on my printer to save myself from illegible handwriting). I have them stuck on the dining room wall with painter's tape where I can survey them daily or consult them when I need to start writing a new scene.
I love that I can move them around easily, add new scenes, remove ones I've decided don't fit, etc. It has helped me a lot. If you haven't tried it, you should!
58,678 / 50,000
Nov 25, 2009 - 06 51
Well, if you're new to writing stories of this length it isn't all that surprising that you should fuck up the first time you try it.
Not that I say you actually did fuck up, maybe it will turn out only half as bad as you think right now. Just keep going until the end of your story, then put it in a drawer for a couple of months and then look it over with fresh eyes. Who knows, maybe it will be quite salvageable.
The worst thing you can do right now is start thinking about all the editing your story needs. It is completely demotivating and also quite useless, because while you are writing the first draft you are way too close to the story to assess its qualities in any objective manner.
Writing novels is a learning process like anything else worth doing. If it was so easy that you would get it right on the first try then everybody could do it. The point of NaNo as I see it is to give you an opportunity to just try yourself out, experiment and learn the craft of writing a shitty first draft. From what you write in your post you seem to have gotten the hang of that already. ;-)
Now just keep going and finish the damn thing. And for next year's NaNo maybe try outlining your story beforehand. It doesn't work for everybody, but maybe you find out that it is easier for you to write a story and stay on course if you can follow an outline. And if that doesn't work for you either, try something else the year after that. That's the experiment part, just keep trying until you find the method that works for you.
What you get out of NaNo in general is of course dependent wholly on your personal goals. What I do get out of it is practise, lots and lots of practise, and the experience of a great community that keeps me going for a whole month. A whole new appreciation for my favorite authors. A sense of achievement, because I kicked my inner editor down a steep flight of stairs and actually sat down and produced bloody 50.000 words of something. And, if I'm lucky, even a more or less finished shitty first draft of something I can work with afterwards. But that's really only the icing on the cake. :-)
----------~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Be proud to be out of your mind and out of control...
- Eminem
50,773 / 50,000
Nov 25, 2009 - 10 06
Lily-Eve said it!
Writing well requires LOTS of practice. No matter how crappy you think this month's novel is, I'm willing to bet you've learned something about writing during it, and that your next novel will be way better. This is my fifth NaNo, and each novel is better than the previous one.
You've also learned something about persistence, willpower, time management, finding the time to prioritize your writing, making writing into a habit, and so on. Don't discount the value of those things either. :-)
----------What comes after NaNo? National Novel Publishing Year! http://www.nanopubye.org
50,140 / 50,000
Nov 25, 2009 - 10 36
Writing well requires LOTS of practice. No matter how crappy you think this month's novel is, I'm willing to bet you've learned something about writing during it, and that your next novel will be way better. This is my fifth NaNo, and each novel is better than the previous one.
You've also learned something about persistence, willpower, time management, finding the time to prioritize your writing, making writing into a habit, and so on. Don't discount the value of those things either. :-)
Thanks Wonderer,
This makes me feel much better. Perhaps months down the road I will look back at this nano experience and see some real value in it. Right now I just see a disjointed, inconsistent novel, that is beyond the realm of truth and couldn't possibly be of interest to an editor. I guess one thing I have gotten out of this is the knowledge that when I get stuck I can punch through the wall and break the writers block and thus get unstuck!