So this is when NaNoWriMo gets annoying…
It’s all in my head. Everything I want to write. I can read it on a piece of paper in my brain and it’s perfect. But just like anyother writer’s block, it won’t come out right. Or at all sometimes. I’m not lacking for ideas – like I said, it’s all there – but my timeline gets jumbled and I leave out background information and am constantly wondering what I had this or that character do two chapters ago. Then I go back and re-read to check and end up making all sorts of edits, which costs me a lot of time I don’t have.
Deadlines! Nooo!
But as you can see in the friendly progress widget, I am at 10,786 words as of today, so I am a little over 1/5 done. At least I have the ideas, I guess. At least something is coming out. I suppose it would be worse if I had no clue where any of this was going, right? I had to write a synopsis for my NaNoWriMo page, so if you want to check that out, the link is here. Click on “Novel Info.” There are a few excerpts too. (Please remember: DRAFT.)
I think I may have hinted at it somewhere before, but NaNoWriMo has basically turned into The Fictional Story Based on the Memoir I Have Not Written. Many of the events are adapted from the beautiful mess that is my life, with name changes, timeline flip flops, and a few plot twists. My working title is “A Bottle of White,” because it seems that a great deal of the drama, confessions, etc. take place when there’s some vino around. If there wasn’t already a bottle, I added one. And since I only drink white, so does Bree, my doppleganger character.* The novel is supposed to be fiction, so I am taking a lot of liberties with what’s really happening. Call it the James Frey treatment.
I can barely write a coherent blog post now, but I wrote 2000 words of novel today, in sloppy first-draft style. I have to remind myself that this is the point, to just pour it out there. Otherwise I know full well that I’d start and probably never finish. I’ve started books before- haven’t many of us? So now I have this mantra from the NaNoWriMo website echoing in my head: December is for editing. December is for editing.
Maybe it’s time to stop for the evening.
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* A fourth generation nickname, from Rebekah –> Becky–>B–>Bree
5 Comments so far
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Ah! You’re doing amazing with it! I gave up on the first day…haha
[Reply]
By Jessica on 11.07.08 8:08 pm | Permalink
Good on ya! Seriously – I did the NaNoWriMo in graduate school and not many people make it as far as you have! I don’t think there are many forms of fiction that don’t border on memoir as well. Anyway, keep crushing it! (And drink, it helps.)
[Reply]
By Matt on 11.07.08 8:14 pm | Permalink
I think you’re doing a great job!
I know it’s sooo frustrating when you have The Block but that makes it feel so much better when everything clicks and the words start pouring out, right?
[Reply]
By Stacy on 11.08.08 12:14 am | Permalink
I just went and checked out your novel synopsis and first draft – I loved it!! The synopsis alone intrigued me which does not happen that every often. I think you have quite a way with words and a great ability to set up a scene and dialogue. Hope I get to read the finished product!
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By Dani on 11.08.08 7:19 pm | Permalink
I commend you on doing NaNoWriMo because I could definitely not do it!
[Reply]
By Jamie on 11.09.08 1:21 pm | Permalink
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