|
|
main | novel | word count | prep work | journal | links Updates 11.25.2003 I may complain and moan and threaten to do various things, but I have never thought about quitting Nano when I have started. Here are some "tips" that I have figured out myself. This will by no means work for everyone; most people have temperaments that are very different from my own and will probably think my advice is stupid. * Plan ahead. If I don't plan ahead--which goes for most things--I tend to wait until the last minute to do things. Being unprepared doesn't work for writing an entire novel, especially if you're typically more staid than spontaneous. If you know about Nano ahead of time, start thinking of ideas and keep them in a notebook. Do research, world building, and outlining as necessary. * Set aside time. Maybe you can write during the morning or during your lunch break or right before bed. The important thing is to make some time which you can sit down, get your thoughts in order, and just write. Try not to waste your time doing something unnecessary. This year, my schedule was basically: wake up, go to lab, come back home to write on average 1000 words, and go to sleep. On weekends, I scrapped anything that might have been fun and either went to lab or binge wrote. * Write something. On the days that you plan to write, write something, anything. If you can't force anything other than one word, don't beat yourself over it--the next day will be better. I had originally planned to not write during my birthday, but I wrote anyway because I was feeling better than the previous day which I had only eked out one sentence. * Reverse psychology. Believe it or not, I found the "I Hate Myself and Want to Die" forum on the Nano site one of the few lounges I read with any frequency. It's all about purging all these negative feelings and doubts and once all of that is gone, you can sit down with a fresh mind and write. All the smugness and self-congratulatory tone of the "This is Working Far Better Than I Had Hoped" forum completely backfired on me. * Competition. Idealistically, one should always write for oneself first and foremost. But it also helps to have a little competition. I didn't find an "enemy" to do Nano with (it's very hard to gauge the pacing and dedication of a stranger) but I did often compare my word count with others in my state. Well, that's basically what I did this year. Oh, and don't forget the many, many cans of Mountain Dew. (Another note: I got a Nano sticker in the mail today. I was expecting four instead of one since I donated, but whatever. Maybe I'm feeling too nice today.) [ posted by sya on 9:02 PM : ] 11.24.2003 If you want to read all of The Reflecting Eye on one file you can download it here (rtf, 374 kb). This is also located on the novel page itself. I could have just put it in plain text, but what the heck, the file wasn't much smaller. [ posted by sya on 5:44 PM : ] 11.23.2003 Ugh. I have finally finished writing the novel for Nanowrimo. At 57,181 words. This is more (and earlier) than what I did the previous two years. Not that anyone cares. Most people are just like this one man who asked me what one of my short stories was about and then cut me off before I could even say one word of explanation. If you are brave enough to read a first, rough draft, here's The Reflecting Eye. (And for those of you who want to know what the plot is before reading it, or want to know about the plot without reading it: It's basically about a woman who moves to a new city where strange things happen. It's like a cross between urban fantasy and Lovecraftian horror except it's less on the fantasy--actually no fantasy if you want to get technical--and horror bit and more on the character development.) [ posted by sya on 11:35 PM : ] 11.22.2003 Notes on Chapters 31, 32, and 33 I have included another entry in that mysterious journal that Verity found in the sub-basement of the archives. Also a character got murdered. Originally, I hadn't intended for that to have happened. The mongoose made a brief appearance too, but the little creature probably isn't going to be in any of the future scenes. The latest chapter is also an indication that I am a total geek. I named a minor character after Captain Kirk's middle name. [ posted by sya on 11:12 PM : ] 11.21.2003 I don't necessarily aim to actually finish the novel by the 25th of this month (I finished the previous Nano novels on that date), but I do anticipate that I will reach 50,000 sometime on Sunday. Or at least I hope so. I'm at the point where I'm not quite sure if the story will finish itself pretty much around 50,000 or if it will go on a couple more thousand words. I'll try not to worry about it. And as for those purple bars that have finally appeared on the Nanowrimo website, I find them depressing. Notes on Chapters 29: Finally, we find out what happened to Aeneus. However, I've introduced another little mystery. And, um, there's some stuff happening in Chapter 30 too. The same warning from Chapter 24 also applies to Chapter 30. [ posted by sya on 11:30 PM : ] 11.20.2003 Writer has the right to get pissed when the phone constantly rings off the hook during writing time. As it happens for such things, the calls are never for me. (This probably explains the argument over the phone in Chapter 28. I had originally planned for an argument to happen, but I just didn't know where.) [ posted by sya on 10:54 PM : ] 11.19.2003 General Notes For Getting To The End (Hopefully) So initially, my outline was pretty easy to follow. At least in the initial stages. However, I'm now at the point where the outline tapers off to such ambiguous comments like "suspicious people wandering around" and even better--"stuff happens". But being the control freak that I am, I've outlined all the events leading up to the climax and the epilogue as a timeline. Sure, the time in the earlier chapters is a bit vague, but here, I'm actually coming down to the line. After Chapter 27, I have five more days to cover. Yep, that's right, those five days correspond to the five Unnamed Days. Those five days will hopefully be exciting and horrifying and maybe even revealing. Will all the questions be answered or will they all still be dangling in midair once everything is over? By Chapter 27, the reader should be able to guess what "The Reflecting Eye" refers to. If you can guess what the purpose of "The Reflecting Eye" is, you're either very smart or I'm a very transparent author. [ posted by sya on 11:36 PM : ] 11.18.2003 For some reason, the pep talks and newsletters just totally rub me the wrong way this year. That's the problem with writing for masses of people--the letter will never pertain to every individual. It only makes me feel even more inadequate as a writer. [ posted by sya on 7:31 PM : ] 11.17.2003 Well, Chapter 25 was short. But then again, my brain feels completely fried today. I was metaphorically running around like a chicken with its head cut off this morning because in real life, I had to present my research to a visiting professor and I was far from ready. I feel like shaking my fist in the air and saying, "Damn Nano! November is the worst month to do anything!" Maybe tomorrow will be better. [ posted by sya on 10:34 PM : ] 11.16.2003 About Chapter 24 - I typically find smilies unnecessary and annoying but I think my particular impressions for this chapter calls for one of those horizontal smilies as I think it is probably appropriate in this instance: O.O;; Do not read if you are a particularly uptight person. [ posted by sya on 11:29 PM : ] Belated Notes Darn it, I say I'm going to try to avoid the forums, but it never happens. They're too addictive! Anyways, there are two interesting threads I want to point out. I will read/comment on excerpts! Ooo, there's just something masochistic about having other people critique your writing while you're writing at an event where the inner critic is supposed to be gagged, blindfolded, and stuffed in the closet. Are writers "hot"? It depends on the writer. If their writing is emotionally and/or intellectually complex, all is good. If they're writing a ripoff of Tron, I'm going to run away. Fast. As for notes on the chapters posted so far: Chapter 21: Yes, the famous doctor is a slimy womanizer. At this point, I had also realized that all the major players in the story have been introduced. There will be other minor characters popping in and out, but this is it. Scary thought. Chapter 22: Basically it's an overheard conversations. There are, of course, major clues (or at least one major clue) about when whatever it is will happen. It remains to be seen whether or not I will remember this and incorporate it nicely into the plot on the first draft. Chapter 23: I had to stop in the middle of the chapter and cook dinner because I was getting hungry. Writing about Feasting Day can do that to a person. [ posted by sya on 8:19 PM : ] 11.15.2003 Weird. I occasionally watch the music videos on Yahoo! Launch to familiarize myself with what's new in pop culture. Most of the stuff on there is total junk, but I came across the new video by Evanescence (who the heck are these strange goth people?) called "My Immortal." What totally struck me was the background which looked like what I envisioned Monteport to be. I have also consumed way too much Mountain Dew today. This is not good. On another note, Chapter 20: Originally I had thought about having some of the other important characters in this scene (particularly Gammell and Dr. Greene) but I think I'll be saving the "mini-confrontation" till the next chapter. [ posted by sya on 8:48 PM : ] 11.14.2003 Chapter 19: So, I hadn't planned this, but there is an implication of a love triangle between a possibly insane man, a depressed woman, and an ugly man who bears an uncanny resemblance to the 1979 film version of Nosferatu. Hopefully the story won't get too derailed. [ posted by sya on 11:51 PM : ] I have a really bad feeling that everyone in my regional forum secretly thinks I'm annoying and I'm this close to getting kicked out. Or I could just be paranoid. At any rate, I think I'll just avoid the forums from now on and only visit the Nano site to update my word count. [ posted by sya on 12:21 AM : ] 11.13.2003 A Note on Chapter 18 This is one of those chapters where I feel as unsure as the characters themselves. The big question is, am I doing any of this believably? But then again, it's fiction. I can do whatever I heck I want. [ posted by sya on 9:56 PM : ] 11.12.2003 If anyone has been wondering where I am, I have been having computer problems. I'll probably post the next part later today or tomorrow morning. [ posted by sya on 7:18 PM : ] 11.9.2003 A Note on Chapter 15 Things took an unexpected turn for the more complicated. My outline is vague enough so that this has not derailed me in where I want to go, but it does saddle me with the problem of trying to explain everything. Or maybe I shouldn't even try. Gammell is turning into a totally different character. He is not as helpless as I first envisioned him. Not helpless by a long shot. [ posted by sya on 11:31 AM : ] 11.8.2003 I am a bad Nano-er from not following my own advice to not read other people's Nano sites. I have the feeling that if I suddenly decide to delete this site in the next hour, there will be a lot of happy people who will say, "Good riddance to another bad wannabe writer!" Maybe I should be more upbeat, but again, I think I'm a stupid hack. Every November, I face the fact that I'm getting older and I have nothing to show for all my years. No brillant research, no brillant novel, no brillant insights. I'm not brillant to anyone, even myself. No one will ever remember me. Or all these dire thoughts might be due to the fact that I haven't been eating regularly the past couple of days. When I'm stressed, I tend to ignore food. [ posted by sya on 7:15 PM : ] For anyone reading while I'm writing and happen to have stumbled onto this journal, here are a few notes to orient you on the dialogue in the latest writings (Chapter 13): The main religion in this world is "monotheistic" in the sense that the main god known as "The Unnamed One" manifests himself in different forms in each city or region. In Monteport, his is known as Aunat. There are several festivals for the nameless one celebrated everywhere. At the end of the year which is in the middle of winter, are seven days. The first day is Feasting Day which is celebrated by parties by the more hedonistic, to binge on all sins before Fasting Day which is the next day. Fasting Day is primarily celebrated by attending religious services. In some more prudish regions (such as the southern city Verity lived in before moving to Monteport), Feasting Day has turned into another Fasting Day. The remainder of the five days are collectively known as the "Unnamed Days." [ posted by sya on 3:36 PM : ] Everything becomes convoluted. In the first two days of Nano there were people who wrote almost a million words. And soon afterwards, there were a horde of people already with 50,000. I am a skeptical person, so I simply assume that these people "cheated"--as in putting word counts from previous work they've done or writing one word over and over 50,000 times, or as one person admitted somewhere, just to enter a high word count so they'll feel better. Of course, afterwards, the people with 50,000 and over defended themselves by saying that they normally write that much in a day or that they planned really well or that they're professional writers with nothing else to do. I hate it when people tell piddlers like myself that I have no discipline. [ posted by sya on 12:34 PM : ] 11.7.2003 Some brief notes on the chapters most recently posted: Chapter 10 - I have finally included the mongoose idea that I had mentioned earlier in October. The little guy will probably appear in a later chapter too. The market district on Dorsum Road was inspired by downtown Pasadena, California before they put in that huge mall megaplex thing. Chapter 11 - I wrote about food because I was feeling hungry. I skipped pretty much all my meals yesterday. I know that there is a type of cuisine called New Fusion, but I don't know exactly what it consists of. But I borrowed the name anyway. [ posted by sya on 8:58 AM : ] 11.6.2003 What's wrong with me? I feel like I'm accomplishing nothing. I feel like a wannabe and a poser because I only write in my "free time", i.e. time I could spend sleeping or eating or reading more science papers. Perhaps it is only my perception that only "real" novelists write full time and that anyone cranking out words in the dead of night is merely an amateur. The whole problem, I suppose, are people's assumptions that students like me have tons of time to work on a novel. Tell me, where's the extra time after I subtract my 40-50 hours a week in the lab, the weekends I spend at the library, or the nights spent studying? Never mind, it just feels like a stupid endeavor trying to desperately catch up to full-time novelists, the unemployed, and the sleepless hyped up on too much caffeine. [ posted by sya on 6:59 PM : ] I have absolutely no time today. The latest part I put up today (Chapter 9) was actually written last night. I will probably be doing no writing today. I might try getting something in after midnight, but I don't know. So don't worry about not beating me in word count. I'm not doing so well at the moment either. [ posted by sya on 8:04 AM : ] 11.5.2003 Observation: Some people will say your writing is great just to get you off their back. I am such a hack. [ posted by sya on 11:52 PM : ] 11.4.2003 I haven't written at all today (yet). "Real life stuff" has been stressing me out and lately, I haven't been sleeping very well. Maybe I should have written something during my insomnia but that's difficult to do if your mind is wandering off somewhere else. The weekend can't come soon enough. [ posted by sya on 5:53 PM : ] 11.2.2003 In Chapter 5, Miranda sort of got away from me. I had a restaurant scene planned, but I didn't think it would be as outrageous as it turned out to be. [ posted by sya on 9:51 PM : ] Curiouser and Curiouser Yesterday, I was searching wordcounts on Nanowrimo and somebody had written 900,000 words. This is, of course, impossible. How can you type 900,000 in one day? So I figured this person cheated and didn't think much of it. This morning, I checked the word counts again. This time, the person who wrote the most was at 49,999. Again, pretty much impossible, but I figured whoever was in charge of the website had written some code to exclude anyone over 50,000 who were obviously cheating. I tried to check word counts this evening, and low and behold, the option of searching via word counts has completely disappeared. And a good thing too. The people on the forums were already complaining in earnest about these cheaters. In a way, people who are already "finished" are demoralizers--the only satisfaction a person derives from Nanowrimo is writing at least 50,000 words in one month, there are no other prizes. Edit: Nevermind about the word count search function, it's still there. The Nano site has been really slow and quirky today. [ posted by sya on 7:22 PM : ] The weekend is definitely a big factor in putting me more ahead this year than the previous years. But I look at the word counts and see a multitude of people ahead of me--I try not to think about it too much. There's an entire month ahead of me. Chapter 4, the most recent part I have posted, really starts delving into the fact that Verity's world isn't exactly "normal". Or rather, isn't like our world. One could hypothetically envision Monteport as a coastal city in New England, or once I get into descriptions of the Old Quarter, perhaps a city in northern France which had once been occupied by the Romans. But in this world, there is no such thing as New England, France, or Rome and Verity would be quite puzzled if you asked her about these places. I have included more hints about the religion of this place. As a brief, simplified explanation, there is no "God" in this world. The main religion is somewhat monotheistic in that everyone believes in "the nameless one" but the nameless one takes on different forms in different places. And for a bit of trivia, the name Nathaniel Gammell is Lovecraft-inspired. It is of no relation to the domain name. [ posted by sya on 12:11 PM : ] 11.1.2003 Note to self: Do not read other people's NaNoWriMo webpages. The fact that they have groupies hanging on to their every word (whereas I don't) is depressing. [ posted by sya on 5:24 PM : ] Copyright © 2001-2004, S. Y. Affolee Powered by Blogger Comments by HaloScan  |