NaNoWriMo?
I'm working on my 91st book of the year. My goal of 101 is doable. Then what do I do? I sign up to participate in NaNoWriMo! Why? Oh, because 3 of the Cracked Spinz are participating. Things are looking a little bleak, though. It's almost noon on November 5 and I've only written a little over 3200 words. Part of the problem is that I can't seem to turn off The Editor Inside Me:
Me: Type, type, type, type, type....
TEIM: Ooooh, that sucks.
Me: Piss off. Type, type, type, type...
TEIM: Cliche. I may vomit.
Me: I have to get it all out. Then you can take over. Type, type, type, type...
TEIM: Can't believe you're doing that. It's been done a million times. You are going down a bad road here, don't you know that? Danielle Steel...
Me: I know what I'm doing. On December 1, you can tweak it to your heart's content. Type, type type...
TEIM: You've got to get some symmetry going on. But don't get all contrived.
Me: I'm just trying to get from sentence to sentence. This is one big unwashed mofo with smelly pits. Type, type, type, type, type...
TEIM: Your main characters don't even have names. How can you know them if they don't have names? Let's see, what can you call them? Nothing too ordinary. And nothing weird. It screws up my optical cruise control when novelists try to be all clever and think of...
Me: WOULD YOU SHUT THE HELL UP!?
Larry McMurtry observed in his recent memoir Books that teaching and novel-writing seem to use the same set of muscles, so that's another problem I have. I sit down at the computer, dip into the well of creativity and start coming up with lesson plans, activities and quizzes. Which creates more grading for myself. Which dips into novel-writing time.
I also miss my book blog life. I'm a reader and a blogger. There's just not enough time for everything. Oh well, it's only for this month. I enjoy a challenge, and I've been increasingly picky about what I like and don't like in novels. Maybe I need a dose of humility. Also, the camaraderie with the guys is fun. I just don't want to be away from here for too long.
13 comments:
Oh, I can so relate to this post (which is brilliant, BTW). Your characters don't have names? My main character has about three names. I can't decide which one "fits." The inner editor is aghast at this. I alternate POV. I'm writing with not a scintilla of structure.
And like you, I miss my blog and my reading and my blog friends ...
A funny ... my word verif is quiest (like a mis-spelled quest :) Fitting for both of us, no?
Oh yeah. I keep saying, "I don't want to write a new Nicholas Sparks novel," but when I read what I've written I think even HE would shake his head in shame. And I'm only at the 3000 word mark. I'm much cleverer IRL but who would know because my brain is too fried to blog.
But I encourage. Go go go! Get that novel written!
:) I've never done Nano and can't imagine how much mental effort would be involved! I love seeing the posts about the process, but know full well that I don't have the staying power.
Still...reading about "readers" tackling the other side of the process is fascinating. Keep it up, Bybee!
LOL I hope TEIY is turned off, so that you can enjoy the process. :)
I joined NaNoWriMo this year, but I'm at 2K and it's just confirmed that I really have no interest whatsoever in writing fiction, lol. So I'm thinking I'm just going to stop torturing myself and go read more!
I liked one of the before starting hints on their website, anything you aren't sure about, highlight it in a different colour text and leave it there. After the word count is done at the end, then you can edit those passages all you want. You wrote it so it should go into the count.
I had no idea I would sign up for this writing, but I did to encourage my daughter. I am on track so far but have no idea how I will stretch my story out for the required length. oh. y
you can do it so keep pecking away.
oh yes, as for names, I keep changing my mind on some of them and use the find and replace feature to take care of them.
I love your dialog! It's exactly TEIM that has kept me from fame and fortune. Tape its mouth shut and type on. :)
Love that dialogue you are having, it sounds kind of familiar. Another 10 books to go and only 7 or so weeks of the year left - go on, you can do it.
LOL! I participated in NaNoWriMo a couple years back and had the exact same problem with my internal editor. So annoying! I hope you can stifle her and get on with it :) Good luck!
all year I was thinking about this, and then what happens? the first week, and suddenly I'm late for it! and I've got to get back to my writing, I've done nothing, zero, nadda, all year, except make sure I have all the short stories I did in past years grouped together in my file, and the outlines for three short stories at least down on paper. Would that count for the first five days? My IE (inner editor, who's fat on my horror of cliche complex I have) says no, while he chomps on a cigar. Darn!
Love your post, book-twin. My advice? Just write it anyway. Every day, something. Hmm. Maybe I should do this too! lol
ha! i thought i was the only one who spends more time erasing than writing. my husband goes CRAZY from my antics. every day when i open up my project i cringe at what sounded good yesterday and erase it all. is it any wonder that i only have 8,492 words on a project that i started in FEBRUARY!?!?!? oh, the shame.
good luck to you--hope you have better luck silencing your inner editor/critic.
Hi. This post is likable and your blog is very interesting, congratulations!
add your
Thanks for sending me the link. I laughed so much, but with you, not at you of course. :) I know you will be cheering me on this year and I'm grateful for it.
BTW - your writing is amazing. You don't need to produce 50.000 of these fabulous words to prove it!
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