Wow. I've Got Issues (News at 11)
Nov. 3rd, 2008 09:52 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mrlichSo 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![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
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.
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.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
my two cents
Date: 2008-11-04 01:17 pm (UTC)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.