It's been almost a month since NaNoWriMo ended and I've been revising my manuscript with fury because there are only a few more months until I have to go back to university-- time is limited and very, very precious.
Time seems to run away especially since revising takes a lot more work than banging out a first draft. After a stretch of three weeks, I've only gone over 20,000 words. I have to retype everything because I decided halfway to change the point of view and tense. This doesn't bode well for my self-imposed deadline.
Right now, I'm fixing major problems such as plot holes and dangling threads. There are a lot more of those than I originally thought. However, things are coming together and when I think of the potential the end product will have, I get the urge to rub my hands together and give a maniacal laugh because I know it'll be read-worthy.
Once the big picture is done, I'll work on the smaller points such as characterisation and then I'll focus on getting the words right.
November was an exciting journey and I'm glad this journey's going all the way. I don't believe I mentioned one of the prizes you get as a NaNoWriMo winner-- the self-publishing company CreateSpace will print five copies of your novel for free excluding shipping. How good is that!
Hence, my frantic attempts at revision-- the offer has an expiry date but I'm determined to finish my novel long before then. I will get Wren, Fall in book format even if it kills me!
Showing posts with label writing problems. Show all posts
Showing posts with label writing problems. Show all posts
Monday, 24 December 2012
Saturday, 17 November 2012
NaNoWriMo
I have never finished a piece of my writing. Never. Ever. Ever.
Once an idea pops into my head, no matter how big or small it is, I will write it down because I can't bear the thought of losing those precious gems that could one day become the next best-selling novel. And as soon as those ideas are down, they begin fleshing themselves out. The characters find their names, their agendas and powers, if any. This leads to the start of the plot, so I dive straight into it without planning or outlining.
At first, it's great. Words flow from my pen. Jubilation bubbles in my stomach, make me giggly and full of pride because I'm convinced I'm writing the next bestseller. But tragedy always strikes. My brain falls flat and my pen stops moving. I don't how how to move the plot forward in a believable way and the characters, which seemed so life-like at first, appear stale and two dimensional. I'm crushed because I invested so much time on it.
Then I get another seed of an idea, abandon all previous engagements and the cycle starts again.
So if I'm dreadful at finishing novels, why am I doing NaNoWriMo this year?
Because I'm on a deadline and there's a monumental goal to reach: 50,000 words by the end of the month. I assure you I've never written on this scale so I'm trying my hardest to stay on top of the word goal and I'm wasting away, what with being deprived of sunlight and familial warmth.
On the bright side, I didn't dive into NaNoWriMo without preparation. In October, I wrote paragraphs of what I thought should happen in my novel. Ideas formed, collided and propagated. Paragraphs turned into scenes and scenes turned into an outline of 16,000 words. I know where my story goes and I know how to get there. I've been keeping up with my schedule and I've never felt happier.
I know I have the potential to write a novel and I'm doing NaNoWriMo to prove to myself that I can finish a novel. Right now, it's looking good :)
Once an idea pops into my head, no matter how big or small it is, I will write it down because I can't bear the thought of losing those precious gems that could one day become the next best-selling novel. And as soon as those ideas are down, they begin fleshing themselves out. The characters find their names, their agendas and powers, if any. This leads to the start of the plot, so I dive straight into it without planning or outlining.
At first, it's great. Words flow from my pen. Jubilation bubbles in my stomach, make me giggly and full of pride because I'm convinced I'm writing the next bestseller. But tragedy always strikes. My brain falls flat and my pen stops moving. I don't how how to move the plot forward in a believable way and the characters, which seemed so life-like at first, appear stale and two dimensional. I'm crushed because I invested so much time on it.
Then I get another seed of an idea, abandon all previous engagements and the cycle starts again.
So if I'm dreadful at finishing novels, why am I doing NaNoWriMo this year?
Because I'm on a deadline and there's a monumental goal to reach: 50,000 words by the end of the month. I assure you I've never written on this scale so I'm trying my hardest to stay on top of the word goal and I'm wasting away, what with being deprived of sunlight and familial warmth.
On the bright side, I didn't dive into NaNoWriMo without preparation. In October, I wrote paragraphs of what I thought should happen in my novel. Ideas formed, collided and propagated. Paragraphs turned into scenes and scenes turned into an outline of 16,000 words. I know where my story goes and I know how to get there. I've been keeping up with my schedule and I've never felt happier.
I know I have the potential to write a novel and I'm doing NaNoWriMo to prove to myself that I can finish a novel. Right now, it's looking good :)
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