Reading the other threads, I can't help noticing that so many folks have pretty AWESOME word counts going! Geezers are the winners, every year!
I'm hanging in there, but as of today my cushion from Sunday is gone. The story is lagging, not much exciting yet, but I trust my characters to get up to something sooner or later.
Like some others, I'm doing a lot of dialog. When all else fails, I pick two characters that I know will either talk each other's ears off or get into an argument, and let 'em go! Then when I'm stuck for what to write next, I go back through and add in actions for them.
So far, so good.
Keep those words coming, folks!
Kat >^..^<
----------
“It only has to be written. It doesn’t have to be perfect.” - Elizabeth Bear
52,173 / 50,000
Nov 4, 2009 - 20 17
I'm celebrating today. I had hoped to reach 15000 tomorrow but made it today thanks to my muse stopping by. I had to skip ahead to the end of the story to write the scene, but anything to get the job done. I hope she comes by again tomorrow, I have a lot of space to fill in the middle.
I find myself adding sex when I can't think of anything else. Not sure what that says about me, and not sure I want to know.
65,940 / 50,000
Nov 4, 2009 - 21 20
I'm doing very well since I built in a cushion on the first day (I took a 10K words on first day of NaNo challenge and won).
Writing dialogue is fun, but I might suggest you also think about adding some back story about your characters. I find that often my characters are thinking about why they hate so-and-so or why they want to kill so-and-so, or some deep dark secret that two of them share that I deal with in back story. It adds to your word count, and during the editing phase you can always cut it out if it doesn't help the flow of the story. Just a thought. :-)
----------2004: Daniel In The Lion's Den (mystery/suspense)
2005: Two Women And A Girl: EGG, MAT, and MSG (mystery/suspense)
2007: Finding Emma Jane (fictionalized memoir)
2009: Foreplay (mystery/suspense)
68,106 / 50,000
Nov 4, 2009 - 21 55
I'm feeling happy with my word count and didn't think I'd even get this far, to tell you the truth.
----------I do have a lot of dialouge that I didn't expect to have. It's getting me a little annoyed, but apparently filling the pages.
Trying to add back story to that, as you suggested, BlackScorpio.
Barbara/Myth Maker
http://www.roadsidegems.blogspot.com
39,468 / 50,000
Nov 4, 2009 - 22 35
Geez, you guys make me feel like an underachiever! I'm doing what I'd hoped, and oddly, seem to be gathering steam (as opposed to my usual hot air). I'm hoping this weekend will provide the time to build in some fat, but I've also got to write a column, so we'll see. You folks are impressive.
----------John Grisham once said he was thinking about giving up writing as it was "too easy." I'd bet 99.9% of all writers wanted to bitch-slap him at that point.
35,729 / 50,000
Nov 4, 2009 - 23 18
Kvetching: I didn't get anything written today! Nothing! Nada! Zip!
I overslept, which I usually do, anyway, had to run around gettting the garbage and recycling ready, then I called my brother to wish him happy birthday (his 60th), and now it's after 12.
grumblegrumblegrumble
It's a good thing I had that word cushion, because I needed all of it today. Dang!
----------2005 In Back of the North Wind WINNER!
2006 Leopard's Paw WINNER!
2007 The Old Straight Track (finished) WINNER!
2008 The Other Side of the Wall (finished) WINNER!
2009 Dark Inheritance
44,636 / 50,000
Nov 5, 2009 - 02 36
Wrote until my eyes burned, then fell asleep and didn't even get it logged in until after midnight. So today is going to look artificially real good on this project. It's nice to have two projects so when one jams I can hop to the other, but I kind of don't want this one to fall too far behind. It really prefers being written in steno books, which is strange for sf.
Holly
----------Going for novel #2 again!
'03: Trumpets of the Sky: win
'04: A Vision for Thieves: no
'05: Crossed Swords: win
'06: Master of Glass: no
'07-'08: not even trying
now:
a.k.a. Dreamway
38,422 / 50,000
Nov 5, 2009 - 18 23
Thanks for the thought! This year I'm writing the second part of the novel from last year's NaNo, and I did a lot of that back story stuff then. I may come across other things from my character's past that they haven't shared with me yet (Hint, hint, are you listening in there?) that will be relevant to whatever plot twists show up. They always surprise me.
Congratulations on a 10K day!
Kat >^..^<
----------“It only has to be written. It doesn’t have to be perfect.” - Elizabeth Bear
49,864 / 50,000
Nov 5, 2009 - 22 05
I'm doing pretty good. I needed to get off to a fast start because the last 4 days of November are gone for me so i have to be finished the day before Thanksgiving.
But right now I'm writing all the mostly subtle sex between the man and woman. By Monday he will have killed her, so that should be fun too. But then starts the tough part, the quiet intelligent part. you know, the stuff that can just make ya feel like you are slogging through molasses. and it would be helpful if it were the least bit interesting.
"Write, write, you'd bloody well write!"
54,054 / 50,000
Nov 5, 2009 - 22 19
I'm contentedly hitting my 2000 word goal each day and I find that to be a very achieveable goal. If I can keep this up, I'll be done by the 25th which would be great.
I have decided my new favorite music to write by is "Carmina Burana" by Carl Orff (the opening piece, "O Fortuna" is used in movies, commercials, etc. all the time. You would definitely recognize it if you heard it).
I don't know that what I'm writing is all that great but I feel that if this gets me into the habit of writing almost everyday, then it will be time well spent! :-)