Post-NaNoWriMo

I haven't written much at all since the end of November. I did need a break - I will admit to that, but now I need to get back to writing and I'm in two minds.

I had always intended to write some more scenes in December and then edit the scenes into the right order in January, ready to re-write them in February and March. Now I'm wondering if this is the right thing to do. Most of the story is there, but it does need organizing and bringing together.

I'm hald convinced that I should reorganize now and start the re-wrting in January. Trouble I know I don't stick with my descisions, which is exactly what I'm doing. In both cases, some scenes won't make it into the next draft and new scenes will have to be added.

I just feel, right now, that I'm writing stuff that won't be going anywhere and it would be a better use of my time actually fixing the scenes in order and seeing what is missing. As I have never managed to go much beyond the first draft, I think this is a barrier I need to cross.

So it looks like I'm going to start the reorganisation and then write more scenes. If I can do this and end up with a half decent and complete story, I will be happy.

One day to go

I'm still behind on my plot outline for NaNoWriMo. I'll write some more this evening and then it's time to write the real thing.

I'm a little bit nervous and a little bit excited. I have a good feeling about this year. I hope it works out. I'll aim for 5000 words a day, with the 1700 words as a minimum. I'll take most weekends off - probably. I can't ignore the family completely.

With luck and hard work, I'll end up with a reasonable first draft at the end. This time I'm going to work had to write in scenes for the most part and write a lot less of the narrative summary. If I'm not interested in a scene I tend to just summarize it quickly with the intent to go back to it, but somehow that never happens.

This year it will happen. (Maybe if I say/type it enough times I actually will do it.)

A few days off...

Plus some computer troubles, means I haven't posted in a while. So much for trying to post twice a week. I'm behind on my outline for NaNoWriMo, but I will get that done in time. In fact I could use what I have now, but I'd like to add a bit more detail if I can.

Salvaging my computer was good as it meant I didn't have to spend lots of money on a new one. It just took most of my time off to fix, which was not so good. I don't know how stable it will be, but I'm hoping for at least another six months, maybe a year if I'm lucky.

I just hope this year's plot clicks. By that I mean that I can connect with the plot and the characters. I seem to manage one or the other, but not both at the same time. This is annoying and the reason I have never bothered an agent to date. It would be a waste of time for both of us.

Instead I waste my own time trying to find the write novel to send out. If I write enough I'll get there. I know I will. (Don't you just love positive affirmations - well it might work.)

I didn't write much at all over the weekend and yet I know I was busy the whole time. Well most of it anyway. Time seems to fly by at the moment. At this rate I won't even get my outline finished before NaNoWriMo.

That's not entirely true as the main story is outlined, but the subplots and extras have yet to be added. I might try to get the scenes worked out too, but that might be a step too far. I don't want to end up in the same situation as last year. I hope it goes better this time.

Plot

I've got the plot sort of worked out. No details yet, but a time line and a storyline. I have to work out the sub-plots and other details. I need to also do some research into dead bodies, time of death and that sort of thing. It's a murder mystery by the way. I mention this just in case you haven't worked it out yet.

I haven't got an updated word count, because it's all plot, time line or storyline. Still there is progress and it's not even October yet. And of course I've remembered to post again :)

It's been a very long time...

since I last posted. I went on holiday and did all the usual stuff, but the one thing I didn't do was write. Yesterday that changed.

For some weird and wonderful reason I thought NaNoWriMo was October - stupid I know. Of course it's November. However I had a slight panic attack when I thought it was only a couple of weeks away and I hadn't even thought about what to write.

My exact thought was 'I have no plot or even a single character...maybe that will work...damn complicated though...might work...let's see' and I started to write. OK not a huge amount, just a few hundred words, but it's more than I written in months.

I don't know why I stopped writing. Probably it was because it just seemed like too much trouble. By the end of the last school year I was getting very tired and stressed. Not a real excuse, but I think the break has done me some good.

What it all amounts to is a very complicated plot for NaNoWriMo, which will span 80 years, with five or six separate stories that will weave in and out of each other. Did I mention it's complicated. I have no idea if it'll work, but if it does it could be the best thing I've ever written.

Should be fun to find out. So back to writing the plot summary, which will be in the form of a time line spanning the eighty odd years that the book will span. The actual book will not follow the time line, but the stories will be revealed in flashbacks. Maybe flashbacks is not the right word, still the actual story line will move back and forth through the time line.

Hi, ho, hi, ho, it's off to write we go...

long time, no blog

I've been writing scenes. Quite a few and new ones at that. I've also planned out a timeline, which means it is now easier to write some parts. I'm about halfway through and I am slightly stuck. I'm not sure which scenes should come next. I've been thinking about it for over a week now and I still can't get them in order.

I've decided to start writing the scenes from the first half and see if it all fits together, perhaps then I will see the second half more clearly. Of course the fact that I keep changing the climax of the story isn't helping. A little distance is needed.

NaNoWriMo aftermath

I am so glad the NaNoWriMo is over. I will freely admit that I didn't enjoy it much this year, which came as a surprise to me. I thought I would. However I hated my story, which I think is the reason. The story was easy to write as I had a wonderful, detailed outline, but the story was boring and obvious. I chose it for that reason, so that I could finish a story from start to finish, where the plot didn't morph on the way. It's boring.

The characters, on the other hand, are interesting. They just didn't get to do anything interesting. So what I'm going to try to do is blend this year's characters with last year's plot. It may not work, but it also helps me get round a plot hole or two that I was having problems with.

And I start this weekend. Hopefully. A new outline, then new scenes, and finally a new novel.

Watch this space...

More outlining

I'm now up to chapter 8 on the outline re-write and only 18 days until NaNoWriMo begins. Time to pick up the pace and really get these outlines ready. There are 28 chapters in total and if I can write 3000 words per chapter, I'll end up with a book with 84000 words.

I'm really looking forward to the start of NaNoWriMo and I'm getting a little nervous.I just want November 1st to be here.

And welcome to all the new people following my blog. I wish you all good luck in your NaNoWriMo attempts.

Update on NaNoWriMo outline

Instead of continuing with the outline of the previous NaNoWriMo story, I picked up the new outline again. I wrote a character list and a quick synopsis, which misses a few points. I did it out of my head and not referring to the chapter outlines I had already written.

I did that so I could see how much of the story I could remember. It's amazing how many little changes crept in. After writing the half page synopsis, I started on Chapter 1 outline. Very little changed, but names were added and a couple of minor points were clarified.

Now I'm up to Chapter 3 and it's taking longer than I thought it would. I guess I shouldn't be surprised really. As in this round I'm making sure that there is consistency in everything, through names to places etc. I know in the first outline some characters changed sex to make them fit better in that particular scene, now they are fixed and hence some scenes need to be redone.

Consistency...I'm not very good at that.

Update on outline

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.

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...

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.

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.

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...

More writing!

Yes, I have actually been writing. I now have four chapters outlined and I've noticed something. I keep changing things. Even now in outline and even though I'm only at chapter four. One of my side characters started off female, became male and has just reverted to female.

Not very consistant, but that is the problem. I'm going to make her female and keep her that way. If something in the plot/story doesn't work unless she becomes a he, then it's the plot/story that will change not the sex of the character.

I'm writing very slowly at the moment. Much slower than I would like, but I only have myself to blame. Time to pick up the pace. If I don't I won't be ready for November and NaNoWriMo. I'm only outlined four chapters and there looks like there'll be about thirty in total. At this rate I need thirteen weeks and there is only nine weeks left.

And I need to create a character list. I don't have names yet, just things like MC, sister, client etc. That will help fix the characters and stop them from morphing at will. Time to find a binder.

And this post has not gone through the spellchecket. For some reason the language for the spellchecker has been set to Dutch and I can't find out how to change it. The language setting, that I did find, was set to English, so I have no idea at the moment how to change it back again. Very annoying.

Outlining

Well I've been away for a while. First on vacation and then ill (again). However during this time I have been experimenting with different ways of outlining and I think I've found a way that will work for me.

OK, so I still have to test it fully, but so far it's looking good. I've tried several methods, but none have lasted more than a week at most. This one's been going much longer and I'm much further.

I've got an idea for a story. I've got a more detailed breakdown and currently, I am writing a very detailed outline. I'm going chapter by chapter, through the story and working out what happens in each one.

I know I'll probably move things or even break up or combine chapters, but it is much more detailed than before. I've started a new story, which is a bit naughty, but I need a break from the old one. I think this new story will become this years NaNoWriMo.

If this turns out as well as I think it will, I'll go back to the original story and start planning it out in the same way. OK so the devils in the actual writing, but strangely enough I've never had a real problem with that part.

It's the plotting - well keeping a coherent plot - that I find hard. I change my mind and think I can just go back and change it later, but that never works. At least for me. I get too lost and just can't find my way back again.

So short term goal - for the next month or so - is to finish the detailed outline for NaNoWriMo 2010. Then if I get that finished before 1st November, I will start trying to plot out my failed novel from last year. With luck, both will be complete before NaNoWriMo.

Not dead...

just not around much at the moment. Deliberately so. I have been writing and crossing stuff out and writing some more and so on. All using pen and paper. I will start actually writing the story again, I just don't know exactly when.

I'm going at a much slower pace now and it seems to suit me. The new outline is getting there and is much more detailed than the previous attempts. In fact it is almost a first draft in its own right. However there is far too much telling and no showing.

But the story is emerging and though the general description still fits, the subplots are entirely new and add another dimension to the story. In fact, I realised that it was the lack of complications that meant that the book didn't work as I wanted it too.

My mind has been wandering too. I have a couple of new book ideas, which are still in the baby stages and may not make it any further. I also have a short story idea, which I'm pretty sure will work. I might write this as well as continuing with the book outline.

Might be good for me as long as I don't get too caught up in it and abandon my novel. Anyway back to work. I'll write more later.

Argh!

So didn't do much yesterday, but it was a Wednesday. Still can't work out why I don't do much on a Wednesday, I just don't. In the writing sense that is. I do lots of things. I guess I do them on Wednesday so I don't have to do them for the rest of the week. I need to start writing at the weekend and just forget about writing on Wednesday.

Now I have two outlines (actually I have three, but the original NaNoWriMo one is no longer relevant) one of which is very close to the original I used in NaNoWriMo, but with the changes I wanted after having completed the 50k. The other one is no where near complete, but what I have done is, in my own opinion, better than the completed one.

The problem is I'm having trouble completing this outline. I keep going back to it and I don't seem to be able to get any further, so for now I'm going to set it to one side. I am going to start writing and editing the text I do have in order to get my second draft done. When the second draft is done, then I'll go back and see if the third outline is any good or of any help. If it isn't I'll delete it.

I should say that the beginnings of both outlines are almost identical, but they rapidly diverge. I like the direction that the unfinished one takes, I just not sure that it is something I want to write. Sounds a bit weird, but it makes sense to me. I often read books that I would never think of writing.

Lottery by Patricia Woods is one such book. I loved this book. I read it in one sitting. I think it's a great concept and it is written very well. Having said that it is not a book I would write. It's just not my style, but it is a great book.

And I think that might be my problem here. The second outline might produce a great book, but I'm not convinced it's one I want to write. On the other hand, maybe it's the one I need to write.

Outlining

At least that is what I should be doing, writing a new outline. Instead I'm surfing the web, doing my job, cleaning the house etc. In fact anything but writing a new outline. I am a little stuck at the moment, however that shouldn't stop me, but it has.

My excuse is that I'm looking for new inspiration to add to my story as well as boosting what I already have. That's just an excuse. I'm not really doing anything. Part of this is post NaNoWriMo exhaustion. I've been so intensely involved that I needed a break.

The other part is fear. Fear of failing, of being bad, of just not being able to finish what I've started, so why not fail now and do something else instead. None of this is real, it's just in my head. Part of me wants to work on several projects at once to increase my chances of at least one working out.

I know that if I start multiple stories, none will ever get finished. I have to concentrate on one and right now, that's difficult. It's time to knuckle down and get on with it. I know I can, trouble is will I?

One constructive thing I have been doing, is reading. Several books so far and I've another 4 I would like to read. At least 2 have been so bad, it's amazing they ever got published in the first place. Though both had interesting concepts, but, trust me, the writing was atrocious.

One book I couldn't get beyond the first page. It was that awful. I know I've read the book before, but how I managed it, I do not know. Another, one of the really bad books, had so many "She got home, had some dinner and a drink, then went to bed" scenes it was truly amazing. Well, they weren't really scenes, but you know what I mean.

The one I'm currently reading is very well written. It's not a subject I would write about, but that's just personal. The flow is good, but I think there are parts that could easily been cut to make the whole thing tighter, but on the whole these are few and far between. If I had written this book, I would be very happy. I know it's not going to win awards, but it is a good read and that is what is important to me.