On my March 4th update, I said I'd decided on the necromantic weed titled Queen of Bones as my next novel project. A little after my Terry Pratchett post, I finished my outline. An actual, honest to God 100% complete novel outline, a story ready and raring to go from start to finish. I'm still in shock about it. I've always thought I was a pantser, but after the last few short stories and this, I think I can no longer deny the facts: I am a plotter. I got lucky pantsing. Once. I finished one pantsed novel. Everything else is a mess of words I'm going to spend half the year untangling.
In any event, I got roped into doing Camp NaNoWriMo thanks to a bunch of friends doing it. The NaNo team has made a bunch of positive changes since my last one. No more "add friends and hope for a cabin together," now you can invite a whole group and be with up to 11 friends in one cozy cabin. It's nice. I'm shacked up with a wonderful group of Absolute Writers that, on day 2, are already destroying their word counts, and we've got a fun little competition going with another AWer cabin. It involves s'mores, so that's all the motivation I need right there.
I've set my goal at 30,000 words for the month, 1k a day and approximately half the novel. Mid-April, I'll be going to a weekend writing retreat with my local critique group. I'm excited to see what kind of word count I end up after.
What about you, dear readers? Is Camp NaNoWriMo on your April schedule?
Showing posts with label Camp NaNo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Camp NaNo. Show all posts
Thursday, April 2, 2015
Tuesday, July 1, 2014
Camp NaNo 2014? Not This Time
It's July, which means it's time for another Camp Nano. Another camp that I'm not doing. I want to, believe me, but also believe me when I say that, for my own sanity, I know better. Right now, my life is busier than I have ever seen it. Over a month without a weekend break from traveling and guests starting two weeks ago on the 21st and ending, finally ending, on the 26th. A month and five days before we have no expectations, no one either wanting our presence at their place or their presence at our place. I love friends and family as much as the next person, but when all friends and family are an overnight stay away, it wears on the psyche. And so, I'm letting Camp pass me by, for my own mental health.
But that doesn't mean I'm not writing. Oh no. I have a new story riding herd on me, demanding to be done, which is why I even considered Camp at all! It's not exactly new, per se, the idea's been sitting around in my head for a year or so, but the growth it's had the past few weeks has been exponential. Characters, plot, subplots, and romances, all the pieces are coming together and I know the time to stop plotting and just write it is approaching. So, if you're doing Camp, you may not see me around the boards or get me in your cabin, but I'll be at your side on the outside. Sometimes. When I'm not a ball of sobbing neuroses, knowing I brought this all on myself and am simply reaping what I sowed.
May God have mercy on my sanity.
But that doesn't mean I'm not writing. Oh no. I have a new story riding herd on me, demanding to be done, which is why I even considered Camp at all! It's not exactly new, per se, the idea's been sitting around in my head for a year or so, but the growth it's had the past few weeks has been exponential. Characters, plot, subplots, and romances, all the pieces are coming together and I know the time to stop plotting and just write it is approaching. So, if you're doing Camp, you may not see me around the boards or get me in your cabin, but I'll be at your side on the outside. Sometimes. When I'm not a ball of sobbing neuroses, knowing I brought this all on myself and am simply reaping what I sowed.
May God have mercy on my sanity.
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Reading for Research: The Graveyard Book
I updated and synced my Kindle on Sunday night. It'd been a while since I synced everything, and I'd picked up a few free books I wanted to read. While I was making sure everything had downloaded, I noticed one I didn't remember getting: The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. It had been a Christmas gift, and I'd completely forgot about it. I put aside the writing books for the night and dove right in.
Over my Camp writing (which I won, by the way. Ambled over the 15,000 mark with about 3 hours left), I was trying to apply what I picked up from my previous reading with "said" versus other words. I found myself frequently going to adverbs to express HOW they spoke. People said things quickly, quietly, exasperated, absentmindedly. Maybe a bit too much. I tried to just stick with "said" or actions, and I spent a lot of time questioning how it sounded while I was writing it. Was I doing too much? Was what I was doing incorrect? Did I need to do it every line when only two people were talking, or if three people were talking but the conversation pattern was 1 2 1 3? Was I doing too much?
I love Neil Gaiman. More than any other author I've ever admired, he tells me that I'm on the right track. He tells me that the things I'm feeling or thinking or doing regarding my writing aren't wrong. It's in his interviews, his pep talks, his social networking, and his books. And while I read The Graveyard Book, as I tried to pay attention to the same things I was worried about in my own writing, I felt more and more comforted because the more I read, the more I saw my own style in the pages. I saw events of all the things I questioned in my own writing, and more that I hadn't. I'm feeling much more confident in my writing now, and I think I'm finally ready to reopen my first novel and finally start that editing I said will be done in...
9 days.
Oh dear. This'll be an adventure.
Over my Camp writing (which I won, by the way. Ambled over the 15,000 mark with about 3 hours left), I was trying to apply what I picked up from my previous reading with "said" versus other words. I found myself frequently going to adverbs to express HOW they spoke. People said things quickly, quietly, exasperated, absentmindedly. Maybe a bit too much. I tried to just stick with "said" or actions, and I spent a lot of time questioning how it sounded while I was writing it. Was I doing too much? Was what I was doing incorrect? Did I need to do it every line when only two people were talking, or if three people were talking but the conversation pattern was 1 2 1 3? Was I doing too much?
I love Neil Gaiman. More than any other author I've ever admired, he tells me that I'm on the right track. He tells me that the things I'm feeling or thinking or doing regarding my writing aren't wrong. It's in his interviews, his pep talks, his social networking, and his books. And while I read The Graveyard Book, as I tried to pay attention to the same things I was worried about in my own writing, I felt more and more comforted because the more I read, the more I saw my own style in the pages. I saw events of all the things I questioned in my own writing, and more that I hadn't. I'm feeling much more confident in my writing now, and I think I'm finally ready to reopen my first novel and finally start that editing I said will be done in...
9 days.
Oh dear. This'll be an adventure.
Monday, April 29, 2013
Doubts
So, here we are. Two days remain at Camp. Less than 48 hours, and I've only got 1500 words left to go. One-tenth of my original goal. Yeah, I only set it to 15,000 words. I thought 500 a day would be all I could handle, and I've managed to make it despite a few "off" days and starting late. I'm too close to lose now, but I'm questioning myself. Could I have done better? Could I have done more? Am I not doing my story justice because I made my limit not even a full third of a normal NaNo?
I'm trying to convince myself that it's all okay, because ultimately, I've DONE it, but it's not an easy thing. We doubt ourselves, writers. Any artist, really. Our masterpiece will never be good enough. Our magnum opus will never be perfect, and that kills us. In bits and pieces, it tears us apart. Each word we hate, each scene that we run up against, every second of writers block makes us doubt, resent, lose faith, wonder if we should keep going at all. And from what I understand, that never goes away. I think it was Neil Gaiman who said as much in a NaNoWriMo pep talk several years ago. You can be published several times over, a success, and you will still doubt yourself, your stories, your characters. We're looking at a lifetime of torturing ourselves, questioning our worth and tearing ourselves apart as we struggle to make our stories come to life from nothing.
And yet, there's still nothing I want more.
Does this make me a masochist?
I'm trying to convince myself that it's all okay, because ultimately, I've DONE it, but it's not an easy thing. We doubt ourselves, writers. Any artist, really. Our masterpiece will never be good enough. Our magnum opus will never be perfect, and that kills us. In bits and pieces, it tears us apart. Each word we hate, each scene that we run up against, every second of writers block makes us doubt, resent, lose faith, wonder if we should keep going at all. And from what I understand, that never goes away. I think it was Neil Gaiman who said as much in a NaNoWriMo pep talk several years ago. You can be published several times over, a success, and you will still doubt yourself, your stories, your characters. We're looking at a lifetime of torturing ourselves, questioning our worth and tearing ourselves apart as we struggle to make our stories come to life from nothing.
And yet, there's still nothing I want more.
Does this make me a masochist?
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
The Doldrums
It's nearing the end of camp now. Three weeks in, one to go. At this point in the game, it's easy to want to give up. You want to go "Eh, good enough" and throw in the towel. Declare moral victory. You got writing done, right? That's better than nothing, right?
You know what's better than writing?
A finished story. And here I am, barely begun and ready to say "okay, that's enough for this NaNo." I just hit 9000 words. I'm not even the equivalent of six days into a normal NaNo wordcount. There's a bit of perspective. 9000 seems like so much until you compare it to 50,000.
Damn, I don't even feel like writing this. I've been working on it since last night. Anyone have any advice for getting through the writing doldrums?
"Doldrums" always makes me think of The Phantom Tollbooth. Maybe I'll reread that and see if it helps. It's one of my favorite books from my childhood. Talk about a book that made learning fun.
I'm just rambling at this point. Having a hard time keeping a single thought together. I think I'll cut this one short before I say anything that I regret.
You know what's better than writing?
A finished story. And here I am, barely begun and ready to say "okay, that's enough for this NaNo." I just hit 9000 words. I'm not even the equivalent of six days into a normal NaNo wordcount. There's a bit of perspective. 9000 seems like so much until you compare it to 50,000.
Damn, I don't even feel like writing this. I've been working on it since last night. Anyone have any advice for getting through the writing doldrums?
"Doldrums" always makes me think of The Phantom Tollbooth. Maybe I'll reread that and see if it helps. It's one of my favorite books from my childhood. Talk about a book that made learning fun.
I'm just rambling at this point. Having a hard time keeping a single thought together. I think I'll cut this one short before I say anything that I regret.
Monday, April 8, 2013
Camp Day "1": Getting started again
Hello, my name is Maggie, and I am terrified of rereading what I've written.
(This is where you all say, "Hi, Maggie.")
I knew when I registered for Camp that I was going to be a few extra days behind. My weekends are claimed by guests until the end of the month. This weekend was the biggest one that involved the most cleaning and "proper hosting" (Not just my mother staying over, but my mother-in-law as well for dinner!) I knew from the get-go that unless I wanted to pull late nights, writing was not going to happen this weekend. "I'll start on Monday."
But that was all lies, wasn't it? I had the time to write after the guests went to bed, and I have no trouble with late nights. I was up until 3 writing my 2000 words last NaNo when we had guests. I had plenty of time. I could have done it. So why is my wordcount still 0?
Those 6000 words terrify me. I know I have to reopen that document, reread what I had and start adding to where I left off. It shouldn't be hard. The book's not judging me. It's only a first draft. It's full of hopes to be hoped, dreams to be dreamt, and adventures to be had. It's so small, but I am so scared to open it and make myself read what I wrote a year ago that I convinced myself I wouldn't have the time. I liked what I had then. I've reread the other NaNos I won with (We'll talk about editing later...). What is it about this little barely-begun story that scares me so much more than the others? Is it because it's a reminder of my failure? Am I afraid that it's not as good or I'm not as good as I thought? I really don't know. I just know it intimidates me. Thinking about it makes my stomach churn.
No excuses tonight. No more waiting. I have to do this.
But why is it so hard?
(This is where you all say, "Hi, Maggie.")
I knew when I registered for Camp that I was going to be a few extra days behind. My weekends are claimed by guests until the end of the month. This weekend was the biggest one that involved the most cleaning and "proper hosting" (Not just my mother staying over, but my mother-in-law as well for dinner!) I knew from the get-go that unless I wanted to pull late nights, writing was not going to happen this weekend. "I'll start on Monday."
But that was all lies, wasn't it? I had the time to write after the guests went to bed, and I have no trouble with late nights. I was up until 3 writing my 2000 words last NaNo when we had guests. I had plenty of time. I could have done it. So why is my wordcount still 0?
Those 6000 words terrify me. I know I have to reopen that document, reread what I had and start adding to where I left off. It shouldn't be hard. The book's not judging me. It's only a first draft. It's full of hopes to be hoped, dreams to be dreamt, and adventures to be had. It's so small, but I am so scared to open it and make myself read what I wrote a year ago that I convinced myself I wouldn't have the time. I liked what I had then. I've reread the other NaNos I won with (We'll talk about editing later...). What is it about this little barely-begun story that scares me so much more than the others? Is it because it's a reminder of my failure? Am I afraid that it's not as good or I'm not as good as I thought? I really don't know. I just know it intimidates me. Thinking about it makes my stomach churn.
No excuses tonight. No more waiting. I have to do this.
But why is it so hard?
Friday, April 5, 2013
Well, that answers that
Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to camp I go, I suppose. I am a victim of peer pressure (Natalie! :P) Can't leave a friend alone in a cabin, now can I?
After a bit of back and forth with myself, I think I'm going to pick up where I left off, metaphorically speaking. Last Camp, I only got 6000 words of my novel, a sequel to my completed one. I felt like I wrote myself into a wall when I broke/sprained my MC's foot. It's a fast-paced pirate-themed action/adventure novel probably taking place over two weeks at most. How much action can there be if the main character can't walk? I felt stuck.
With a little less than a year of that hanging over my head, ultimately I've come to the conclusion: How much action can there be with a wounded MC? Let's find out. It's not going to be easy. In fact, it's probably going to be really hard. Maybe things will heal poorly and she'll be stuck with a limp for the rest of her life. I don't know yet. She's going to struggle a lot more than she would have if she could walk normally, but this happened for a reason. It's development for her. How much will she fight if she's already wounded? These are questions I'll get to answer now. I'm back facing that wall again, but this time, I'm going to get over it, around it, or through it, one way or another. Let's take it from the top.
After a bit of back and forth with myself, I think I'm going to pick up where I left off, metaphorically speaking. Last Camp, I only got 6000 words of my novel, a sequel to my completed one. I felt like I wrote myself into a wall when I broke/sprained my MC's foot. It's a fast-paced pirate-themed action/adventure novel probably taking place over two weeks at most. How much action can there be if the main character can't walk? I felt stuck.
With a little less than a year of that hanging over my head, ultimately I've come to the conclusion: How much action can there be with a wounded MC? Let's find out. It's not going to be easy. In fact, it's probably going to be really hard. Maybe things will heal poorly and she'll be stuck with a limp for the rest of her life. I don't know yet. She's going to struggle a lot more than she would have if she could walk normally, but this happened for a reason. It's development for her. How much will she fight if she's already wounded? These are questions I'll get to answer now. I'm back facing that wall again, but this time, I'm going to get over it, around it, or through it, one way or another. Let's take it from the top.
Monday, April 1, 2013
To Camp, or Not To Camp?
I contemplated doing an April Fools post today, but decided I like you guys better than to pretend I had read 50 Shades of Grey and decided it was the pinnacle of writing and nothing I could ever write would match it so I was quitting. Plus, I don't think I could have gotten through that without hurting myself, either from laughing or from "oh god I can't believe these words are coming out of my hands." So have a real post instead.
Considering Camp NaNo started today, it's probably not the best time to start contemplating whether I want to do it or not. Honestly, I've been back and forth on it for weeks now, and still have yet to arrive at a conclusion. None of my ideas are really biting hard and begging to be written right now. One plot is slowly growing and developing, but not quite at the rate where it's ready to be started. I know myself, I know how I write. If I start now to try and hit a deadline, when the story hasn't given up a lot of its secrets, it's not going to be finished. But I also know if I don't give myself a deadline, it's not going to happen at all. So what shall I do? Take the bunny, no matter how unwilling and try to make it cooperate, or skip this camp and let it work things out at its own pace? I really don't know. April's a busy month for me with my birthday at the end of it and family and friends trying to work in visits. But then, it's no less busy than November with Thanksgiving, and that doesn't get in the way of NaNo.
What to do, what to do...
Considering Camp NaNo started today, it's probably not the best time to start contemplating whether I want to do it or not. Honestly, I've been back and forth on it for weeks now, and still have yet to arrive at a conclusion. None of my ideas are really biting hard and begging to be written right now. One plot is slowly growing and developing, but not quite at the rate where it's ready to be started. I know myself, I know how I write. If I start now to try and hit a deadline, when the story hasn't given up a lot of its secrets, it's not going to be finished. But I also know if I don't give myself a deadline, it's not going to happen at all. So what shall I do? Take the bunny, no matter how unwilling and try to make it cooperate, or skip this camp and let it work things out at its own pace? I really don't know. April's a busy month for me with my birthday at the end of it and family and friends trying to work in visits. But then, it's no less busy than November with Thanksgiving, and that doesn't get in the way of NaNo.
What to do, what to do...
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