I've added a cookie to the template of this blog. It should tell me how many times and when people do look at this blog.
It shouldn't affect you, the reader. However if it does, let me know by leaving a comment. If it causes too many problems, I'll delete it.
I only added it because I love statistics. Sad I know, but true. I keep a spreadsheet throughout NaNoWriMo so I can analyse my performance...
And on statistics, I have actually completed the 50000 words in ten days in all the years I have completed NaNoWriMo. Not necessarily consecutive days, but always in 10 days and never starting before the 10th November for various reasons.
After last year (the first time I failed) I have decided that this year I will be starting on the 1st November, but it still remains to be seen if I actually spend more days writing. Of course it helps that the 1st falls on a Sunday.
My goal is different this year. The previous years I just wanted the 50000 words and that was it. Included in this, was a fantastic 5000 word chapter on making a sandwich. It was absolutely brilliant. I really should dig it out again, give it a good edit and see if The New Yorker (or similar) will publish it.
This time I want to actually write a real novel that has a chance to be published (with editing of course). I'm also hoping for 75000 words, as this is the length of the final book (approxiamately speaking).
And yes, I know the book will be length it needs to be, but I think 75000 sounds reasonable for a murder mystery. Of course if it's longer or shorter, I still be happy as long as it ends up as a book.
And now I've posted twice in one week. I think I'm getting addicted.
Tuesday 27 October 2009
Monday 26 October 2009
So I'm back and to my shock, I have a follower! Hello Dr. Bill Irwin :)
Anyway, I still have to work a bit on my characters, but in truth I'm ready to go and there's still a week to go. The only thing that is bothering me a bit is my typing. It's truly atrocious. OK my spelling is worse, but I'm used to that.
My typing was so much better last year. I could type faster and more accurately. This year my typing is so slow and I keep on hitting the wrong keys. Just reading through this post and correcting all my typing errors, takes a lot of time. I hate to think what's going to happen with NaNoWriMo. And I keep adding spaces in everywhere. I guess it's time to break out the typing program and get a little practice in before Sunday.
Time seems to be running so lsowly at the moment. I could have sworn NaNoWriMo was only just around the corner and now it seems so far away still. Isn't relativity a wonderful thing?
So time to finish of the character biographies, do some actually real life work and pretend that time is flying past.
Here's to Sunday and Good Luck to everyone. I hope your writing flows easily and smoothly.
Anyway, I still have to work a bit on my characters, but in truth I'm ready to go and there's still a week to go. The only thing that is bothering me a bit is my typing. It's truly atrocious. OK my spelling is worse, but I'm used to that.
My typing was so much better last year. I could type faster and more accurately. This year my typing is so slow and I keep on hitting the wrong keys. Just reading through this post and correcting all my typing errors, takes a lot of time. I hate to think what's going to happen with NaNoWriMo. And I keep adding spaces in everywhere. I guess it's time to break out the typing program and get a little practice in before Sunday.
Time seems to be running so lsowly at the moment. I could have sworn NaNoWriMo was only just around the corner and now it seems so far away still. Isn't relativity a wonderful thing?
So time to finish of the character biographies, do some actually real life work and pretend that time is flying past.
Here's to Sunday and Good Luck to everyone. I hope your writing flows easily and smoothly.
Friday 16 October 2009
Going away
As I am going to away next week and unable to access the internet, I am going to update my blog today instead of next Monday.
I don't actually have much to say. I haven't done anything on the character bios. I will most likely complete them when I get back. I will be home on Thursday, so that still gives me over a week to complete them.
On the Saturday 31st October, I will review my outline, bios and any other notes I've made, so that I am all set for the 1st Novemeber. I won't, as many other people are doing, stay up until midnight so that I can start then, but instead I will get as normal on the Sunday. I should be able to write up to 10000 words that day. However anything over the 1667 words needed, will be a bonus.
As I've said before, my aim for this year is different from previous years. Before all I ever tried to do was reach 50000 words. This time I want to actually get book out. This doesn't mean that I'll write more, though that would be nice, but this time I hope that the 50000 words form a completely coherent story with conflict, plot and interesting characters. Previous attempts have had at least one of these 3, but none have had all of them.
At least I think that's been the problem. However the 5000 word description about someone making a sandwich was a true page turner...
Well I'll be back a week on Monday.
I don't actually have much to say. I haven't done anything on the character bios. I will most likely complete them when I get back. I will be home on Thursday, so that still gives me over a week to complete them.
On the Saturday 31st October, I will review my outline, bios and any other notes I've made, so that I am all set for the 1st Novemeber. I won't, as many other people are doing, stay up until midnight so that I can start then, but instead I will get as normal on the Sunday. I should be able to write up to 10000 words that day. However anything over the 1667 words needed, will be a bonus.
As I've said before, my aim for this year is different from previous years. Before all I ever tried to do was reach 50000 words. This time I want to actually get book out. This doesn't mean that I'll write more, though that would be nice, but this time I hope that the 50000 words form a completely coherent story with conflict, plot and interesting characters. Previous attempts have had at least one of these 3, but none have had all of them.
At least I think that's been the problem. However the 5000 word description about someone making a sandwich was a true page turner...
Well I'll be back a week on Monday.
Monday 12 October 2009
Writing update
OK, so I'm not very good at actually keeping up with the blog. I have actually been writing, just not writing for here. I think, from now on, I will try to update my blog every Monday at the very least. Whether this happens, is a completely separate matter.
So a writing update...
My one line is done. I don't think much of it, but I'll update as and when I can think of something better. I've managed to write an outline. It's not complete, but it does cover more than half the book. The last section isn't covered yet and I'm not sure at this point if I will cover it at this time. The reason for this is obvious and simple - at least to me - I'm not sure which ending to use.
One option would be to outline all the possible endings. Another, and the one I prefer, is to see how the characters really work out as a group and decide later on which is the best way to go. Then once I have an ending, update my outline and see how it all looks. I'll use the outline to create the synopsis once the book is finished. If that ever happens of course.
So I'm just starting on some character bios and once they are done, I'm just about ready for NaNoWriMo in just under 3 weeks. At least the 1st November falls on a Sunday this year, which means I should get a good number of words in on the first day for a change. I'm hoping for 10,000 words, but anything over the 1,667 will be a bonus.
I've done NaNoWriMo several times already and each time I've won, I wrote my 50,000 words in ten days each time. Once I started on November 20th and still finished well before the midnight deadline on the 30th. This year, however, I'm hoping to take it a bit more seriously and not have 5,000 word descriptions of making a sandwich, which was included in my very first attempt.
This year I really want to have something that I can edit and manipulate into a novel that can be submitted to agents and may even get published. That's my aim.
One other point, I've never been ready this early before. OK I probably just jinxed myself and now I won't actually finished the bios before November, but usually I only start preparing on October 31st. So what I've already done is more than I've ever done before.
"May you live in interesting times"
So a writing update...
My one line is done. I don't think much of it, but I'll update as and when I can think of something better. I've managed to write an outline. It's not complete, but it does cover more than half the book. The last section isn't covered yet and I'm not sure at this point if I will cover it at this time. The reason for this is obvious and simple - at least to me - I'm not sure which ending to use.
One option would be to outline all the possible endings. Another, and the one I prefer, is to see how the characters really work out as a group and decide later on which is the best way to go. Then once I have an ending, update my outline and see how it all looks. I'll use the outline to create the synopsis once the book is finished. If that ever happens of course.
So I'm just starting on some character bios and once they are done, I'm just about ready for NaNoWriMo in just under 3 weeks. At least the 1st November falls on a Sunday this year, which means I should get a good number of words in on the first day for a change. I'm hoping for 10,000 words, but anything over the 1,667 will be a bonus.
I've done NaNoWriMo several times already and each time I've won, I wrote my 50,000 words in ten days each time. Once I started on November 20th and still finished well before the midnight deadline on the 30th. This year, however, I'm hoping to take it a bit more seriously and not have 5,000 word descriptions of making a sandwich, which was included in my very first attempt.
This year I really want to have something that I can edit and manipulate into a novel that can be submitted to agents and may even get published. That's my aim.
One other point, I've never been ready this early before. OK I probably just jinxed myself and now I won't actually finished the bios before November, but usually I only start preparing on October 31st. So what I've already done is more than I've ever done before.
"May you live in interesting times"
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