So I missed updating the blog a few times…six days straight. My apologies. I managed 3900 words today and after counting up all my handwritten work (an estimate, necessarily) and verifiable typed pages, I have a new, encouraging grand total of 39, 804 words towards my novel. As the goal is 50k and there are still 11 days left, including this weekend (two job-free days) and next weekend with a staggering four job-free days, 96 completely unstructured hours, in which to finish, I can glide in with less than 1000 words a day from here on in.
I hope I can keep a sense of urgency around this and finish strong. This week has been difficult until I gave myself permission, again, to just write like a crazed person, without regard to quality or perfection or structure or plan. Just write, let shit flow, let it come without censor or judgment or editing or criticism. There’s plenty of time for polishing the turd once I’m done shitting.
November 13, 2008 · 1 comment
Lo, I managed 3100 words AND went to the show. Don’t ask me how, it’s a secret. But I did it.
So this is really the first focused, sustained, clearly-defined goal writing sprint I’ve ever really done, I tried doing NaNo twice in the past but burned out pretty quick. That is all just to say that I no longer know a lot about my writing process. In the past when I was younger and just wrote without thinking about it, obviously I did not really have much of a process and what I wrote tended to be short fiction and episodic.
And I guess that’s what’s going on with my NaNo, I described what I’m doing in terms of how Burroughs is portrayed in Naked Lunch (the movie). I’m just writing like a maniac and not worrying at all about making sure I’ve locked down Chapter 1, chapter 2, etc. I know the main arc and most of what I want to have happen and I can always go in after the sprint and make it a true cohesive novel rather than a series of incidents. This is also part of why I planned such an aggressive schedule: With 2 full weeks where the schedule only calls for 1000 words a day, which honestly I could probably do while juggling flaming hoops and baking a batch of cookies, I hope to use those 1000 words and the extra time to do a lot of organizing.
But the real key is to finish and to hit the 50k. Even if all I have is a loosely connected pile of random episodes, even if 2/3 of it is a turd, it’s my turd and I love it and it can be polished up into something worth showing.
Today went extremely well, followed the Prescription, rolled right along, wrote 2400 words. Tomorrow will probably be a complete failure as Nin and I are going to Hollywood to see the Legendary Pink Dots @ The Knitting Factory, but it’s conceivable I can sneak a little bit into the cracks.
Went to the Rustic with Nin and drank Czechvar and ate chicken wings and endured endless jukebox classic rock. Still managed about 1800 words, so still behind my personal goals but I think I’m right on track in absolute terms.
Plus, some of the characters I’ve had dwelling in a nascent state in my head for so long are starting to flush out, and I don’t know everything that is lurking in the corners of my mind but some of it scares the shit out of me.
Not the worst day imaginable all things considered. I got almost 2000 words despite having to go to my acting class.
Abject and complete failure. 1250 or so. Falling behind. Possibly my schedule was a bit agressive. Also not following sacred ritual of pitcher of water, tunes on stereo, and sitting at desk letting the pen make marks on the paper until the novel starts to emerge. The ritual has been key in keeping me on track. Use it!
Another spectacular failure. I’m feeling very very lazy.
Utter, abject, miserable failure. I can easily catch up by doing a mad dash over the weekend. No worries.
