Approaching halfway through November I'm a wee tad behind schedule on my nanowrimo novel, The Toad Lord. Should I download the Write or Die application? Among other functions it can start eating up your words if you go too long without writing something... I fear it is not for the fainthearted, of which, in this instance, I am definitely one!
While I am a little bit behind (although I should catch up tonight) I have learnt a heap of stuff just in two weeks.
One. If you're going to write fifty thousand words in a month - do not write a novel requiring research! (You might think that was a given... but no, I calmly brushed all qualms aside.) While there is heaps of information regarding my time period for London, or indeed England, Scotland is thoroughly discriminated against. (Please do not bring up the relative population sizes: I will only pout and scorn you.)
Two. If you are doing a novel with historical research DO NOT GO NEAR YOUR PINTEREST account. Of course, all my pinteresting has been for purely research reasons, the assembly rooms in Edinburgh, dresses worn in 1801, toads eye views of the woods, you know, important, neccessary stuff... But as I seem to be pinning one photo on my boards for every ten words I write, it's possible I should consider cutting down. (But the visuals are so important, they inspire me...ah...)
Three. The nanowrimo site has lots of great things for procrastinating with. You can write a hundred words, go and update your word count, check how many words you need to finish that day to complete your month in time, check your writing graph, compare your word count with all your writing buddies' word counts, check out any of the articles on writing, check out how your regions wordcount compares to other regions word counts.. and voila, half an hour has gone...
Four. That whole thing about write everyday?
There might actually be a point to it.
I was very good about this in high school. At the beginning of each school year as soon as I got my school diary I'd spend my first few classes writing in how many words I wanted to get written on each days journal page, and when I expected to finish each book. I would then spend further classes (particularly maths in the earlier years before I could drop it) updating the word counts. Normally I came fairly close. Since high school I have not kept myself to such a schedule. But when you think about it, if you only write a thousand words a day - thats 365,000 words a year - which is at least 3 chunky novels. Of course, it's the editing that takes the time... but the writings is so much fun!
Five. I've finally found an almost-team sport that I like. Yay Melbourne Region. We're in it together folks. Give me an M! Give me an E! Give me an L! Give me a B!...
What? Writing our solitary novels, but comparing word counts with other regions is not a team sport? And that whoever reaches the finishing point is a winner isn't the way it works in other (lesser) team sports?
Hmmm. Get you hence! (Yay Melbourne Region!*)
*Technically I should be Australia: all other Regions, but I decided as a Melbourne girl living within a two hour radius I'd scoot into Melbourne Region.
No comments:
Post a Comment