mrlich | Wow. I've Got Issues (News at 11)

So I'm doing Nano this year.

Some of you already know that, but what you may not know is that I'm really not sure if I'll make it.

'Ohhhh' you say. 'Big shock' you say. "That's kinda the point MrLich - a lot of people won't make it."

Yeah, yeah, I know. The thing is, I sooo should make it. I know without a doubt that I have enough in the creativity department. I've already proven to myself that I can pump out 1667 words in a night* fairly easily**.

So what's the problem? Same thing as when I draw. The instant I make it mandatory - whether because it's a paying gig or because I've set some sort of deadline for myself, my willpower to complete the task at hand goes straight to shit.

As an example? I haven't started tonight's writing and here I am procrastinating - and I'm a little behind for yesterday's work!

In related news, I have an all new respect for

ms_violet 's 30 minutes of timed writing exercises.

Time to get started.

*That's the number of words (roughly) that you need to write per day to make the 50,000 word finish line in one month's time.
**Yes, that's relatively speaking - I'm no pro.

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I'll tell you a secret-- I'm participating too. I haven't told anyone but the Other, because... well, I don't want to push it. I have the same problem, you see.

*solidarity!*

I would say that I'm glad to hear it, but well... I'm not. I do know that from what little of your work I've read, you write wonderfully, and I hope you'll lean on me if I can help.

It is nice to know that I'm not the only one though. ;)

Oh, you BASTARD. That means I have to do it today, don't I?

1667 words a day/night is not hard, provided you do not give a crap about logic.
If you want it to make sense, that's a little different, but because I love you, here are some thoughts/questions.

if you write an outline, does that contribute toward your word count for that day? I guess not, since you have to make 50,000 words by the end of the month. OK. Never mind.

Write an outline. You map any trip you take in advance, writing should be the same. True, it's nice to off-road, and off-roading is how you discover. But if you want to meet a goal of a certain number of words in one story by November 30, map this out. The point is, know where you're going, how you're going to get there, and who you're going with.

If you find yourself having character explaining how they got to the journey in the first place, if you find yourself getting bogged down in backstory, stop and write that in the present tense.

If you ever want to know How Not To Write a Novel, watch the scene in Wonder Boys where Katie Holmes explains to Michael Douglas what's wrong with his novel. Or read Wonder Boys, which I highly recommend.

Yeah, all that other stuff that you "have" to do before you write ... put that off. :)

(and you know I speak from experience w/the procrastinatin')

I love that icon.

If we thought of writing as work instead of fun, would we procrastinate?

Don't feel bad. At least you are doing it. I wanted to do it but I panicked at the prospect of writing 50,000 words in thirty days. I, who loves to talk, don't know what I will say for 50,000 words. I was going to go for the easiest thing and write my autobiography. I am intimidated by the thought that that would be too boring! All of a sudden I am feeling that I should write a story with a PLOT! I actually got as far as signing up, but now I'm stuck. Apparently I was never meant to be a writer. <>

I don't want to hear any shit. You knew you were doing it, you say you know you have what it takes, and I know you had ample time to prepare for it. Taking the time to tell all the nice people out there in LJ-Land that your willpower goes right down the toilet is pretty much saying, "Yeah, I really don't have what it takes." So with all the time it took you to write all the recent posts I've seen from you on LJ (not to mention any replies you've written to other peoples' LJ posts in the last 4 days), I think you could've kept yourself on track, and maybe gotten ahead of the curve. If you're falling behind, I'm going to suggest that you disappear from this time consuming place – starting the moment you finish reading this reply. Don't take the time to thanks for the kick in the ass. Don't say anything else at all. Go away from LJ. Come back on December 1st with something along the lines of, "Hey all - I'm back! And guess what? I did it!" et cetera. That's the last thing I'm going to say regarding your Nano experience until it's over.

Now go away and win.

Thank you brother.

I think that I may have come across wrong. I have a bad habit of just stopping when I no longer want to be working on something - even if the end result is something that I really want badly. I was fearful that such was going to be the case with NaNo.

However, I do think that your 'tough love' response may have been just what I needed. All too often, I have good friends who mean well, but they are just too ready to 'go with the flow' and allow me to bail with their gentle commentary. I think that your response was the kick in the pants that I needed.

I'm not only caught back up to schedule, but I've pulled ahead slightly thanks to a weekend of good focus on writing.

Anyway. Thanks. I owe you one. ;)

Glad to hear it! Keep it up. Whenever I (and many people) get ahead of schedule on something like this, the tendency is to relax a little, and before you know it - shit, I'm behind again. So don't relax until it's over. Keep ahead of the curve if you can, so that when something unexpected comes up - and it always does, you'll have that cushion that'll keep you on target. You don't owe me a thing, other than to hit 50K on schedule. ;)

Wow. I've Got Issues (News at 11)

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my two cents

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Here Comes the Tough Love

Re: Here Comes the Tough Love

Re: Here Comes the Tough Love