So the second outline is now at chapter nine. I wrote five more yesterday. I'm hoping to reach thirty in total as with the previous outline. This is for the simple reason that then I need to write about 3000 words per chapter in order to produce a 90000 word novel.
It doesn't actually mean the finished book will have 30 chapters, but it might do. I'll make that decision when I have actually written it. I'll work on the current outline until Sunday, then I'll switch back to me NaNoWriMo outline. Once that is smartened up and correct, and if there is time, I'll switch back to this outline.
I actually think working on more than one project is helping me. That might sound a bit weird, but I seem to be able to concentrate better on one after I've completely taken a break from it for a while. I came up with some pretty good subplots for the old novel in a very short time once I restarted. I'd had real problems before.
I hope to reach about the halfway mark, before I have to switch back to the NaNoWriMo story. And I hope to have the outline finished before NaNoWriMo starts.
Wednesday 29 September 2010
Wednesday 22 September 2010
New outline
I finished the outline for NaNoWriMo as I said and I have started on the detailed outline for the draft I wrote for last year's NaNoWriMo. I am just starting on Chapter 5. Chapters 1-4 went quicker than I thought they would.
I only really had Chapter 1 in the first draft. The others are new to the story and provide some background and show some of the relationships between the characters rather than just telling the reader what those relationships were. I think it's an improvement.
Having said that I don't think the draft could be any worse. The new chapters provide some red herrings and clear up some things that were obscure in the previous draft. They also set up the killer, which was missing from the previous version. That, however, was due to a switch very late on in the first draft.
The killer switched identity, which made far more sense in the story, but caused some problems with the draft. Hopefully writing the outline will eliminate those conflicts completely.
I'll continue to write this outline until October, when I will stop and go back to the outline for this year's NaNoWriMo. I need to do some changes to that outline - some characters keep switching gender and some switch names - so that it is ready for November 1st. If that's ready before November, I'll switch back to this new outline.
Currently it is all going well. I wonder how long it's going to last...
I only really had Chapter 1 in the first draft. The others are new to the story and provide some background and show some of the relationships between the characters rather than just telling the reader what those relationships were. I think it's an improvement.
Having said that I don't think the draft could be any worse. The new chapters provide some red herrings and clear up some things that were obscure in the previous draft. They also set up the killer, which was missing from the previous version. That, however, was due to a switch very late on in the first draft.
The killer switched identity, which made far more sense in the story, but caused some problems with the draft. Hopefully writing the outline will eliminate those conflicts completely.
I'll continue to write this outline until October, when I will stop and go back to the outline for this year's NaNoWriMo. I need to do some changes to that outline - some characters keep switching gender and some switch names - so that it is ready for November 1st. If that's ready before November, I'll switch back to this new outline.
Currently it is all going well. I wonder how long it's going to last...
Wednesday 15 September 2010
Outline finished!
The first draft of the outline is complete. I ended up with 27 chapters. If, during NaNoWriMo, I write about 3300 words per chapter per day, then at the end I have a finished novel of about 90000 words. Sounds easy.
I will now ignore the outline for a couple of weeks, and work on another outline instead. Then in October I'll come back to it and add/change what I need. The whole thing should be ready by November 1st.
Feels good to have finished the outline. Something is actually complete.
I will now ignore the outline for a couple of weeks, and work on another outline instead. Then in October I'll come back to it and add/change what I need. The whole thing should be ready by November 1st.
Feels good to have finished the outline. Something is actually complete.
Friday 10 September 2010
Another update
I really have to start thinking of some titles. I can't use "update" all the time.
Anyway to the update - I have now outlined 15 chapters. That means I am halfway through the outline. It does need some revision and character/place names, but the plot is coming together. This also means that I should be finished before the end of September. If I am, then I shall start the outline of the previous NaNoWriMo and leave the this outline for a week or two.
I will review it in October, before NaNoWriMo starts. I'll edit it and make sure all the details are there and then come 1st November I'll use it as a guide. I'm hoping to write 3000-5000 words a day. If each chapter is 3000 words and I have 30 chapters, thats 90 000 words in total. A real book. If I run out of time, I'll skip or skimp on parts so that I finish in time, but it will be much easier to go back and fill those parts in.
What all this means is this year I am going to write a full length book for NaNoWriMo. In previous years I have written a first draft, but I've never had much luck going back and making a real book of it. Hence the change in approach for this year. I don't know if it will work, but I think it's worth a shot.
For the last year or so I've been trying to get more serious about really writing a book, but with little success. I keep changing my mind and the story ends up so confused it's impossible to work out what was supposed to be going on. So now is the time to outline.
I'll add one other thing, in the past I've always finished NaNoWriMo in about 10 days or so, by writing 5000 words each day. So theoretically I should be able to extend this and write every day, instead of just the last 10 days of November. Of course, life will get in the way so I won't actually be able to write every day, hence the lower target of 3000 words a day. Some days I'll write more, and some days I won't write at all. But I will write.
Anyway to the update - I have now outlined 15 chapters. That means I am halfway through the outline. It does need some revision and character/place names, but the plot is coming together. This also means that I should be finished before the end of September. If I am, then I shall start the outline of the previous NaNoWriMo and leave the this outline for a week or two.
I will review it in October, before NaNoWriMo starts. I'll edit it and make sure all the details are there and then come 1st November I'll use it as a guide. I'm hoping to write 3000-5000 words a day. If each chapter is 3000 words and I have 30 chapters, thats 90 000 words in total. A real book. If I run out of time, I'll skip or skimp on parts so that I finish in time, but it will be much easier to go back and fill those parts in.
What all this means is this year I am going to write a full length book for NaNoWriMo. In previous years I have written a first draft, but I've never had much luck going back and making a real book of it. Hence the change in approach for this year. I don't know if it will work, but I think it's worth a shot.
For the last year or so I've been trying to get more serious about really writing a book, but with little success. I keep changing my mind and the story ends up so confused it's impossible to work out what was supposed to be going on. So now is the time to outline.
I'll add one other thing, in the past I've always finished NaNoWriMo in about 10 days or so, by writing 5000 words each day. So theoretically I should be able to extend this and write every day, instead of just the last 10 days of November. Of course, life will get in the way so I won't actually be able to write every day, hence the lower target of 3000 words a day. Some days I'll write more, and some days I won't write at all. But I will write.
Monday 6 September 2010
Update
I have now outlined 12 chapters. Not bad. I expect to end up with about 30, so I'm over one third done. I do need to go back and edit a little, plus I still have to name some of the characters.
Time wise, I'm doing well. I should have the complete outline finished and revised before Novemeber 1st and NaNoWriMo. I don't think I'll have time for the second outline I was hoping to write. It would have been nice to have written that too, but it's taking me longer than I thought to write the first one. However, it should save me a lot of time later on as all the kinks should be ironed out now rather than later.
I still haven't worked out how to change the spell checker language, so the posts are still not checked. It's a little bizar, because I do have English selected as the language, but the spell checker seems to be ignoring that.
Time wise, I'm doing well. I should have the complete outline finished and revised before Novemeber 1st and NaNoWriMo. I don't think I'll have time for the second outline I was hoping to write. It would have been nice to have written that too, but it's taking me longer than I thought to write the first one. However, it should save me a lot of time later on as all the kinks should be ironed out now rather than later.
I still haven't worked out how to change the spell checker language, so the posts are still not checked. It's a little bizar, because I do have English selected as the language, but the spell checker seems to be ignoring that.
Wednesday 1 September 2010
more writing
So now I'm halfway through writing chapter seven outline. I'm trying to do at least one chapter outline per evening and so far it's working out. It would be wonderful to manage ten a week, but that might be pushing it. I get quite tired from just doing a little over one chapter outline as it is.
Still at one a night and six completed, it should take me another 24 nights. That is assuming I end up with thirty chapters. Which means I will be finished before NaNoWriMo starts. Hopefully I'll be able to write about 3000 words per chapter, so the final draft will be about 90000 words.
Also by writing this detailed outline, I should only have to correct for spelling and grammar with perhaps the occasional re-write of a scene or two. But there won't be any problems with changing storylines or characters changing sex at random. At least that's the idea...
Still at one a night and six completed, it should take me another 24 nights. That is assuming I end up with thirty chapters. Which means I will be finished before NaNoWriMo starts. Hopefully I'll be able to write about 3000 words per chapter, so the final draft will be about 90000 words.
Also by writing this detailed outline, I should only have to correct for spelling and grammar with perhaps the occasional re-write of a scene or two. But there won't be any problems with changing storylines or characters changing sex at random. At least that's the idea...
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