- I LOVE OUTLINES. I don't think I would have written that much if I didn't have an outline, because then my tired brain would have had to think more about what I was supposed to write. But because I have an outline, I was even able to do short edits - not proper edits, but go back and insert what I realised later I should have added.
- I am too fussy to be happy with any writing software. After all the goody goody stuff I told you about Liquid Story Binder (which still applies), I ended up using MS Word anyway, because LSB wasn't indenting my paragraphs the way I wanted them and that annoyed me. I use Word's "Read" function when I type. I like the look of that. Obviously its' tiny on a netbook, but I got used to it pretty quickly.
- Word count shout outs rocks. I had my laptop on the side, with only AW and NaNo, specific forums open. So when I finished 1000 words, or rather 1 point in my outline which was about 1000 words, I took a break, made a coffee, posted on forums. That was fun.
And now, I am seriously trying to push myself to go to that kick-off party. The weather is pretty crap. It's extremely wind, and early it was raining. I hate going out in bad weather (which is why I don't do it much since I live in England). And also, I think I might get more done if I stay home. Maybe I will go next week.
How is your first day going?
Good luck with NaNo. Sounds like you're making great progress. I think many of us are going to be having Midnight experiences. Normally I don't outline that much, but with this pace I don't have much choice. :)
ReplyDeleteCinders,
ReplyDeleteWelcome to the blog. :-) lovely to have you. My experience with outlines is fairly recent. I have written several books without any outline, and second drafts have been a nightmare, so now I am finding that outlines work much better for me.
I just woke up as well, was up until a little after 4am and finished last night with 2019. I agree about the outline, mine helped as well. I'll be staying in all day to write some more.
ReplyDeleteYou're doing great! Woohoo! Me, I wrote a first line just after midnight, then went to bed, and have spent the past couple of hours at it: 1,705 words thus far, and I intend to write again this afternoon. (I needed a benchmark for myself, as I just hadn't a clue what making a daily quota would feel like. Verdict: this is doable.)
ReplyDeleteI agree: an outline helps move me forward.
I don't like the indentations in yWriter5, but I'm sticking with it because I know I can get easily distracted by formatting issues, and there's just no point when it looks awful anyway. I figure this will keep me focused on the writing and the words. But I hear you!
As for the quality, it's both better and worse than I thought it might be. It is what it is. I'm really, really trying to stay focused on moving forward, and dealing with the results after November.
Good luck!
HD
www.wordflix.org
Sounds like you're off to a great start!
ReplyDeleteI also started writing at midnight and made it to 2,070 words. I made a vague outline, but am mostly writing to see what happens next. I am making notes and adding points to the outline as I think of them. Overall, I'm really pleased with my first night of writing.
Yay you!
ReplyDeleteI haven't started yet. I suck. ;-)
Adam
3k plus already! woohoo you go girl! I have yet to start. I don't know where to start. I'm drawing a blank here...
ReplyDeleteOfira, I hope day's writing is going well for you.
ReplyDeleteHD, it's great that you are focusing on moving forward. That's what I am trying to do. I must admit, as the day wears on I am slacking a bit, but really hoping to keep pushing on for at least a little while.
Ali,
You rock! Fantastic when you are pleased with your work. It's a great feeling.
Adam,
I hope you have a good excuse like editing your novella. *Looks Stern*
Morgain,
Hope you found something to start with. I would suggest just start brain storming or free writing for an hour and see if you find anything interesting to write about.
Good luck all, and I will continue to post my NaNo progress regularly
My excuse is reading till 5.30 am, then getting up way too late. ;-)
ReplyDeleteI'm now working on the planning. Ideally I'll start the writing soon. Depends on when the edits appear for this novella I suppose. :)
Adam
Wow - great start. Congrats! :-)I love that you left the spelling error in the title in the spirit of NaNo - excellent!
ReplyDeleteI'm having much the same experience as you with the outline this time. If I hadn't been up Friday night until 3am, I'm sure I would have gotten a full day's word count at midnight. It was exhaustion that made me quit at 744 words, not lack of things to write. There's a local write-in tonight from 7-9pm, and I've decided to go to that. Hopefully I'll be able to finish today's word count there.
Happy writing!
Adam, what did you read? Must be good since you stayed up.
ReplyDeleteJamie, haha...I was supposed to go to write-in. I skipped and decided to go next sunday, because I wanted to make sure my first day was productive. Let me know how yours went.
Book 5 of Stephen King's Dark Tower series. :-)
ReplyDeleteLoving the books, but they're ruining my sleep patterns lol
Adam