Preparing for NaNo

It's that time of the year again. November is racing towards us. After my first, fabulous attempt at NaNo in 2009, I am really looking forward to 2010. There is just nothing like the feeling of thousands of obsessive writers rushing towards the deadline.

This year's NaNo is going to be different from last year. Instead of having a goal for a complete draft (90K) as I did in 2009, I am going to aim just for NaNo goal which is 50K.

There are three reasons for this:

1. Editing my current book is also a priority, and I can't focus on that as well as writing 90K, along with all the other stuff I have to do - like go to work

2. I want to try for a better, even slightly edited-as-I-write first draft, so the pace will be slower, which makes 50K a better target than 90K.

3. New expansion for Sims 3 is very unfortunately coming out on 29th of October, which means, I am gonna have to play it in November.


NaNo 2010 Project


I am going to be writing a second book in the series for my Fantasy WIP that I wrote for NaNo 2009. I considered various projects, but since I am going to be editing this story, I figured better stick to the same world. I am still brainstorming, so the actual outline hasn't started, so that's going to be bit of a push to have it done in October, but hoping for the best because I would really like to have a proper outline done.

Editing - Full Steam Ahead

Editing of my NaNo2009 novel has started again with daily productivity. I never stopped working on it, but to get back to working on it daily is great. It's made me get back into my story properly again. I would love to have it finished by November, but I am more concerned about quality than deadline, so I will do my best to have it ready by November, but if I feel it needs more work then it will get more work.

First half is all quite solid in plot-terms so that needs more cosmetic edit now, and a good polish. But in the second half, especially towards the last third of the book, I am including new scenes, so depending on what happens there, might change things in the rest of the story. I am hoping these scenes are going to make the climax more exciting, as currently, things are perhaps not as hard as they could be for my characters :-)

Oh yeah, and I love these people. And their world. I want to live there. Hell, I want to be them!!

Back With a Blast - Finding Balance

You may have noticed, my poor blog has been quite silent for last month. I had decided my fitness regime (or lack of it) needed drastic attention so I was obsessing over that. The problem with obsessing is that it's hard to do that on more than one thing, so alongside my second mission was to find a balance, and try to bring some discipline into my routines that I could focus on various important issues instead of writing like a woman possessed or doing something else like a woman possessed. Of course, only having limited time doesn't help either, but I knew it wasn't impossible. So that was my hard journey. 

But finally, this weekend, things clicked into place, as they do. I reassessed my yearly goals, revised them based on current time, progress and changes, and found my centre again. It's a great relief to feel in control of all my goals, as opposed to just one at a time.

So now, you will be seeing regular posts here. Not one every day as I did a lot before, but definitely regular.

In news, the fitness obsession did work, and I am AMAZED to say I am now a regular exerciser (is that even a word? - it should be if it's not) :P and I don't even eat Pizza every week, let alone several times a week.

Reigns of editing my NaNo2009 novel have been firmly gathered, so editing is hopefully speeding up again.

And alongside, slowly - very slowly, I continue to work on first draft of my Bristol Fantasy.

All the other drafts have been put aside for now, as I have got my handful with just these things and all the other stuff I need to do. Journaling blog will be getting regular attention too.

How have you guys been?

A New WIP & WIPOLOGY

Check out the sidebar to the right. My new WIP list has been added, after a review of my projects. There are some that would never see the light of day. There are others which are mere seeds - but these projects listed to the right are the ones I intend to finish.

Historical Romance - AC - is an exception. The project itself is shelved permanently, however it is still listed there because there are considerable parts of it that I intend to revamp and use for something else. I like a lot of things about it - I just no longer intend to write category romance novels.

Another important development is that I started writing a new book. This is an urban fantasy. For a while now, I have been itching to start writing a new story, but I was working on several outlines; other older projects need changes or rewriting which I didn't want to do just yet while I am focused on editing NaNo 2009 WIP. So I was hoping to leave off the writing until I had the perfect outline.

Well, I don't have a perfect outline. But I decided it didn't matter. I had the itch to write, and so I must. I do have a sort of outline, so it's not a totally plan-less process. I am also experimenting with editing as I write thing. I write, and the next day, I review what I wrote the day before, edit if I feel the need to, and then write some more. It is certainly slower than just writing the draft, but it is also cleaner. I am also able to do little plot fixes as I go. But I only review previous day's work, not the whole draft. And the key is to keep moving forward, and not to get bogged down by editing. I am barely starting with this project, so I am still testing the waters.

One thing I have realised though is that there is no such thing as a set process. At least not for me. Each book is different. And with each book, I can take what I have learned from previous experience and then do what my instincts tell me to, and have faith that it will work out in the end.

I haven't set firm goals for the new WIP except to write regularly, even if it's just few hundred words. Finish NaNo 2009 WIP and making it submission worthy this year is still the main goal. The new writing is to keep my writing fingers flexed, and to let my poor characters have their say, because they have been dying to do so.

Circled Back to Multiple Third Person POV

You might remember my raving about possibly changing POV for my NaNo novel, from multiple third person into first person. After my first read-through, I was almost convinced that the first person was the way to go. I thought it would make the reader connect more to the MC. I knew it wasn’t the only way, because after all, there are plenty of amazing third person books out there where I connect with the MC very strongly. Another reason was that the protagonist is strong enough to carry it off, and also – perhaps most importantly – I feel first person comes more easily to me than the third person. This is quite strange because I started writing in third-person, and a major part of what I have written is in third person. Yet, I am quite sure that my first person stories definitely are better written. So I did an experiment. I wrote the beginning of my NaNo novel into first person. And it worked. I knew the story could work in first person, and I was all geared up to re-write the whole thing. I started doing the new outline, as I would have to get rid of the scenes from other people’s POV and incorporate relevant information through the MC. However, as I was doing that new outline I began to have doubts about my choice, because some of the scenes I was looking at – the scenes from other characters’ POV where MC isn’t present, seemed to add richness to the story. Those scenes offer my story an alternative perspective. Now by this time, I was perfectly sure that this story – written by an accomplished author – could work in either first person or third person. But obviously, it was going to be harder for me not being very experienced at revisions and editing. I continued to work through the outline, and kept stressing over it. And then suddenly, it was clear. I came across a scene from non-MC POV; I realized his perspective makes the story that little bit deeper, and voila, problem solved. Multiple-third person was going to stay. As for my ability, well I was going to have to learn to do third-person well eventually, so might as well start now. It’s not that I can’t do third-person, but I was just going for an easier way which the first person offered me. Though I have come to a full circle, and spent a whole month doing it, I am glad I went through it. It’s been frustrating, and often I want to kick myself for wasting that time, but I know that it was worth it, because having tried both, I am more sure of my choice than I was before. I am happy now, instead of having to wonder two drafts later whether I made the right decision. Also, having gone through this next time I will be more careful making POV decision BEFORE I write, so lesson learned. Experience Gained. Now it’s just a little matter of turning the first draft into a pleasurable novel.

Changing POV?

You would think that with the first draft finished, all you have to worry about is editing and making the book as perfect as possible. Obviously, not if you are me. As I think about revisions and editing, I find myself seriously wondering whether this book should have a first person POV. Currently, it's multiple third person POV, with most of the scenes belonging to MC and others divided between one antagonist and one supportive character. So I have kept point-of-views to the kind of minimum. So why you may ask am I considering first person? Okay, even if you can't be bothered to ask, I will answer. This is supposed to be MCs journey. As there are plenty of strong characters in the book, in the third person it might seem like there are other characters better capable of doing the job MC is supposed to do. In the first person, it would become more personal. MC would relate his experiences - he finds himself in a situation and chooses to do something, and we get to feel his motivations and his feelings (of course technically, we should be able to feel that in a well-written third person too) But I think that perhaps because he is not the only person with strong magic, if written through first person, it would matter less that others have strong magic too. Because rather than being a story about a plot or a world or all those characters (because we go in their heads), it will be just a story about MC. His situation is the only one we have to worry about. Solution - not a solution, yet. But I have decided on a way forward. I will write few scenes from the beginning of the book in first person and see how that feels. I am aware that my doubts maybe because I am considering the first draft where the book is clearly not what it should be. However, before I spend a considerable amount of effort editing, it might be wise to be sure about what POV I want to use. Have you ever felt doubts about POV? Any suggestions, comments, tips?

NaNoWriMo Finish & Some Statistics

Today I finished the first draft of my NaNo novel. I am not perfectly happy, but then I never am towards the end, because by the time I get to the end I know all sorts of things that are wrong with it. However, I am glad that I finished my goal, and I do have a completed first draft. It's 81539 words, so about 6k less than I was expecting, but I know there is plenty of material to add so that's no big deal.

So some statistics: WK 1 = 27561 words WK 2 = 26933 words WK 3 = 16166 words WK 4 = 10865 words I am sure you spotted the downwards trend there. Highest Word Count Per Day 8376 on 1st of November Lowest Word Count Per Day 131 on 22nd of November I am going to leave the story to rest for a few weeks, but I am considering a major change. Currently it's written in multiple POV, with main character's POV for the most part, and couple of other characters POV on minor scale - I am thinking about changing it to first person POV, because I feel that would make a better story. But just to make sure that it's not a spur of the moment thing because I am spotting lots of issues, I will wait for a while and then read through the story and make the final decision. So that's all folks. That's NaNo over. Now I had better decide what I am going to work on, so I don't drift away from writing habit.

NaNoWriMo - Towards the End

Last few days left before the end of November, and before the official end of NaNoWriMo. For me, first two weeks were excellent. Third week was rubbish. Fourth week has been lazy, but not terrible. Being productive in first two weeks certainly helped, because now even though I am not writing as much as I did then, I should still be able to reach my goal. This week, I have been mostly playing a computer game - Ok, I am weak. I gave myself my reward early :P I just couldn't wait once the Sims 3 expansion pack was out - so I have been stuck playing that. But one good thing I have been doing is to write every day, no matter how small a word count. It certainly helps. It keeps me in the habit, and it keeps my story in my head. It has been hard not to get distracted by other stories, but I am plowing through, and really hope to have my first draft finished by end of this weekend. It is possible if I just get off my behind and write. How is your NaNoWriMo going?

NaNo Slump - Misplaced Attention

No, I am not having a writer's block, or a problem with writing itself. I am simply having distraction issues. Usually I work on more than one project, because I can't focus on one thing at a time. I find myself wanting to do other things. So for first two weeks, focusing on my novel and that alone was fine. I didn't focus on most of my other hobbies. Just total concentration on the novel. It worked, and I did a high word count. But last week, I found myself getting more and more distracted. I still wrote, but it wasn't as much, and it was more of forcing myself to sit down and make the effort. So in the end I did over 10K less in last week than in previous two weeks. And even more shameful - in the entire weekend, between Friday, Saturday and Sunday I had a grand total word count of 1478. Yup, you read that right. 1478. Initially I had planned to finish my first draft by last weekend, but obviously that didn't happen. And then on Saturday, I couldn't resist the Sims 3 expansion pack, so there went the weekend, and not to mention that I am so totally obsessed as I usually am for a week or so until I have done everything. :P So writing is even harder. However, having come so far, I am determined not to fail in my goal of finishing the first draft, so I am planning to have this done by end of this week. It is possible if I stick to reasonable word counts every day. But it's certainly not as easy as it was in the first two weeks. How are you guys doing with NaNo? What is your experience as the month goes?

Sighing, Nodding & Clichés

Now, 60K+ into my first draft, I am more and more aware of the repetitive phrases and clichés and just general rubbishness of using the same words and gesture over and over again. For example, my people nod a lot, sigh a lot. They also glare a lot, and narrow their eyes a lot. As I write more, when these words come up, I am aware of them but I still write them and carry on because I know that if I stop to think of a better way to write that sentence, I will start editing as I write, and that would then hinder the writing. The frustrating part is that I am aware of that, and I know I have all that to fix when I do begin the edit. On the other hand, the fact that I notice these things now, is a good thing because at least it means that I am spotting some of the things that need improving. Another thing distinctly missing in my first draft is description. I have known this for a while now that I am a dialogue heavy writer. Dialogue comes much easier to me than description, so much so that often my first draft lack majority of description. This time, it's no different. There are very few scenes where I have taken the time to describe the surroundings etc. So that is something that will need to be added with the edit. There is a reason why I am not worrying about it now. I feel that first draft should come from instinct. So as I write, I just get on with what comes naturally to me. If I happen to think of description, I put it in, but if I move the scene ahead without describing things, then I let it be. Because I feel that thinking about that would be another thing that would slow the writing down and also make me worry about what I should put in, how much, how to describe it etc. So if it's needed, it can be added later. So far I have got my outline method sussed, but editing method is still something I need to work on. Haven't found my perfect match yet. I am hoping that this first draft will be in far better condition than any of my previous first drafts, which hopefully in turn should make finding an editing method a less frustrating experience. How do you feel about your first drafts? Are you notices holes and faults? Or do you think you are sailing on high seas?

NaNoWriMo WIN

Just a quick post - reached 50012 just before 5 pm today. So that's official win for my first NaNoWriMo. Now, to plod on with the rest of the book and win my own challenge.

One more day before getting to 50K & Word Count Motivation

Ok just a little post to blow my own trumpet - tomorrow I shall reach 50K. Today I did lowest ever word count in my NaNoWriMo project - 2105. But because I went out for a meal after work, I knew I wouldn't spend much time writing afterwards. So I had to move my goal to finish 50K from today to tomorrow. Current word count is 47170 So I need to do just 2830 to win the official NaNo But of course that's not where this will end, so I have got quite a way to go before finishing the challenge I want to win - between 85K to 90K Speaking of word count, I am kind of obsessed with them. Not just to post them, but also for myself, with my excel spreadsheet, because it really does help me in writing that little bit more. In fact, when I switch Finn on, and click the shortcut to my NaNo Folder, the first file I usually open is my WordCount spreadsheet, and then I leave it open. Then I open the points I am supposed to work on, and sometimes either the previous one or the next couple of ones to make sure where the story is coming from or going to. If I am having a particularly easy scene, then I just type and don't worry about the word count till I am done. But if I am kind of pushing myself (which is more often the case, especially when I am knackered), then I keep updating my WordCount spreadsheet after few paragraphs, so I can see the number going up, and that helps me write a little bit more. Same logic applies to updating wordcount progress bars on my blog or on AW signature or on NANO website. I look at the bar going up, and I can see how far I have come. What about you? Do wordcount motivate you, or do you hate the sight of spreadsheets or handwritten calculation or whatever?

NaNoWriMo and 87 Points of Outline

For weeks I have spoken about my NaNoWriMo outline, and how it has helped me. Today, having some leisure time this evening, I shall explain a little more about it, and why it has been helpful in not only shooting forward with the word count, but also with continuing momentum. First let me explain that altogether this outline took me two weeks, but I had been planning the story and knew my characters months before that, so it certainly wasn't a quick job. For this particular novel, it's been a roundabout journey because I was still developing methods that work for me; I had tried many different things and I had changed the story several times. But with going around in circle with this story line, I found a method that will make future stories much easier - hopefully. This may or may not work for you, but hopefully it might inspire you to create your own method. So this outline:

• It's fairly detailed. About 12000 words total, but taking out all the repeated titles, headings etc. still about 8K to 9K. So pretty long. The important thing is that it is an outline of EVENTS.

• Basically, I have listed in bullet point 87 things that happen from beginning to end. 87 wasn't a selected number, but that's where the story ended. Under each heading, I have described what that bullet point is supposed to be about. Some points are more detailed than others, depending on how much I knew when I was writing the outline. It's not necessarily a scene by scene outline, because sometimes a scene carries on from one point to the next. It's simply what happens.

• I was hoping that each of the 87 point would be approximately 1000 words, giving me about 87K of the first draft. I never expected it to be exactly that, as currently I am on 43rd point, and my word count is just over 40K. Some points have been as low as 200 words, and one or two have been as long as 2500. That's something that I learn as I write the draft, and end it where it needs to end. So eventually I will end up with the first draft that is between 80K to 90K, and that's my goal.

• Personally for me, I think I have found the exact balance that I need between having enough detail so as not to worry about what happens next, and not enough detail so it doesn't suck the creativity out of writing. I have TOLD what should happen in the outline. I have not SHOWN how it could happen. That happens in the first draft. But not having to worry about what should happen next has made the writing process much much easier.

• All the plot fixing has been done in the outline. I revised this outline about three times, with significant changes. As I wrote it, I found plot lines that didn't work or plot holes that weren't filled. I fixed it before I started writing the first draft. This has been one of my biggest problems with my first drafts, because it totally puts me off editing, and makes me feel like whole thing is unfixable. But with most of the plot holes fixed at the outline stage, the first draft is fairly consistent. I know there will be things that need fixing, but at least the most obvious ones are out of the way. I am hoping that it will make editing less of a nightmare.

• It has divided writing in small sections. So this morning when I took Finn out of my bag, I didn't have to face the whole novel, just point 42. Simple. It should also make it easier when editing, because there will be a small section to handle at a time, as oppose to the whole book.

So that's my outline. Like I said, I have tried different things and different types of outline, but this is the first that has been useful and I have enjoyed using it, so I intend to stick to it for future books.

And why am I having a leisurely evening you may ask - that's because I have already reached today's target. I wanted to reach 40K today, but I am currently at 40514 words. I will still write a bit tonight, but I am not in hurry to finish a certain word count, so tonight, bit more writing and also more reading.

Have you learned anything new about your writing method or preferences from this year's NaNoWriMo experience?

NaNoWriMo - ONE WEEK LATER

Are you sick of all the NaNoWriMo posts yet? I hope not, because it is what's occupying my mind at this moment. While I wouldn't say that I am bored of it, the excitement level certainly has cooled off compared to the 1st. I suppose more accurate feeling would be, it's okay to write few thousand words, but if I think about writing a lot, it seems like I am forcing myself, so I eased off on myself a little this weekend, because while I believe discipline is a good thing, I don't think it's a good idea to force myself to write 10K of crap, as oppose to 4K of decent stuff. This weekend I had an ambitious goal of writing 10K per day, but that didn't quite work out because I was in the middle of an excellent book, which I wanted to finish reading. And also, brain wasn't cooperating. However, it is now 22:58 on Sunday night, and I have a nice happy feeling of being productive yet relaxed, because even though I didn't write as much as I was thinking I should, I did manage a respectable 8223 words, and that brings my total word count to 32210. I hope to have the official NaNoWriMo of 50K done by next sunday. Then rest of the time will be finishing my goal of full first draft. What have I learned after the end of the week 1?

• Getting a head start is always a good thing. - In the beginning, excitement level is high. You are keen to run rather than walk. So run. Do as much as you can, and bank those words. My highest word count was on the very first day (8376 words), and I haven't gotten anywhere close to that word count after that. However, it did start me off on the right foot, and it's a great motivational factor.
• Having a plan is a good thing - I am sticking to writing in chronological order this time. If I truly wanted to, I could try writing out of sequence, because I do have an outline. But I have noticed that though I remain more or less true to my outline, some things do change or grow, and so I figure that if I stick to the sequence then I can incorporate those changes as I go. Also, as I come to some scenes which are difficult, I am forcing myself to work through them, because sooner or later I am going to have to deal with them so might as well do it now.
• Relaxing and enjoying other things is not against the law - this weekend I had hoped to just write. But you know what, in the end, I thought what the hell, I wanted to finish the book I was reading. So I did. It was great fun. And as much as I want to be a published writer and as much as I want to create my own stories, I don't want to push aside the love of books that get me started on this road in the first place.
• Failure is eventually useful - experimenting with different methods of writing is beneficial, because by figuring out what doesn't work for you, you are closer to finding what does work for you.

NaNoWriMo Success List

For AW Blog Chain this month we are talking about survival list for writers. Those who are participating in NaNoWriMo are talking about that specifically. I have already done my NaNo Arsenal Post, so now I will list what I think will make NaNoWriMo effort a successful one - at least for me.

1. It is limited, fixed time goal - one month, first draft. That's it. I am not trying to write a publishable book. That comes with editing. I am just trying to finish a first draft. With that one fixed goal, there is no faffing about. No lack of focus. And certainly no flitting around from one project to another.
2. Word Count Matters (because I am prepared) - I know some people do NaNo by just focusing on word count, regardless of what they write. That is not my purpose. I am aiming for one complete, and hopefully coherent story. But if I were to start thinking about what's good and what isn't now, I wouldn't get very far. So I prepared myself with a detailed outline. I anguished over the plot when I was outlining. So now, writing the first draft, I just have to move from one point in the outline to next one, without worrying about plot holes. It doesn't mean I rigidly follow it, because my outline is quite flexible. But it simply means that I know what sort of direction the story is heading in. That helps. Because then I can start writing without having to worry about what I am going to write next.
3. I have made this my top priority for this month - again, this helps and is possible because it's for a limited time. For one month I can say that everything else is secondary. I can't do that for a whole year. It doesn't mean I don't do anything else (after all, I am writing this post), but simply that I keep in mind that I must meet my minimum word count goal and carry on forward, and leave myself enough time in the day to do so. And for those with busy life styles, I assure you I haven't got all leisure time. I work full-time, have many interests, and can't stop reading blogs. So you have to make time.
4. Finn is amazingly useful - Finn is the new netbook I bought. I just happened to want it and get it in time for NaNoWriMo which has been godsend because now I can actually write in the bus when I commute to work. Believe me, it is amazing feeling when I get off from the bus at 8:00 am to start my working day, with 600 words already behind me.
5. Competition helps - yes, I am competitive. Not insanely, mind you. But when I see other people posting on AW forums how many words they have done in the day, it motivates me to keep writing. Don't push yourself to do what you can't handle, because your life isn't same as everyone else's. You may have more demands on your time than those who stack up words like Paris Hilton stacks up best friends. But, also keep in mind that if someone else can write 2000 words in 2 hours, so can you. It doesn't mean you have to, or you should. But you could. That's the point. To grow. To stretch yourself.
6. Find joy in productivity - As I mentioned, just having done some words in the morning starts my day with a positive feeling. After those morning words, I am usually not able to write until I finish work, but when I do start in the evening, I am not starting at 0. As I add more words to my draft, I have the joy of creating a story that will be completed very shortly, and then I can work on making it better. It's a joy of creating something that is uniquely your own. It's your story. It's your words. It's beautiful experience.
7. Aim High - I could have aimed for 50K. But I thought, if I am going to do this, might as well do it extreme. 50K isn't going to give me a full novel. So I am going to finish a full first draft in November. Before November I wasn't sure I could do it. Now I know I can, and I will. It's simply a matter of pushing myself that little bit further.
8. Have a Reward - You must have a reward that you value after all that hard work. And I am in luck, because Sims 3 Expansion Pack comes out on November 20. When a new expansion pack comes out, I like to get obsessed with it for at least 2 weeks. So when I finish the first draft, I get to binge on Sims 3 for a couple of weeks before starting to edit this NaNoWriMo novel. And you know what? Now, I want to finish this novel as close to 20th as possible, because I so want to get my hands on that game. So find something that works for you.

Of course most of these things could apply to day-to-day writing as well, so take what you like. :) Now, I must actually get on with my writing.

Here is the list of participants in this month's blog chain 1. DavidZahir - http://zahirblue.blogspot.com/ 2. shethinkstoomuch - http://shethinkstoomuch.wordpress.com 3. Lost Wanderer - http://lostwanderer5.blogspot.com/ 4. aimeelaine - http://www.aimeelaine.com/ 5. Ravencorinncarluk - http://raven.youareannoying.us/ 6. Bsolah - http://www.benjaminsolah.com/blog/ 7. Charlotte49ers - http://www.amandaplavich.com/ 8. Angyl78 - http://jelyzabeth.wordpress.com/ 9. truelyana - http://expressiveworld.com/ 10. Claire Crossdale - http://theromanticqueryletter.blogspot.com/

Third Day of NaNoWriMo and How is it going?

Today was definitely the hardest. This morning I managed to write 600 words in the bus on my way to work, that was great. Gave me a very good feeling of productivity. Then, no time for writing during the day. And in the evening, at first I got distracted and then I was really tired. DVD itself didn't take long, so I had time to go for my word count, but just found it really really hard to focus. That's where the spreadsheet comes in handy. I had decided that I wanted to get to 15000 today. So I kept adding my word count to my overall total at every few hundred words. What this did was that everytime, it showed me a lower number that I needed to write to get to 15000. So I kept pushing myself, saying just a bit more. In the end, it came to 38 words more, and then 9 words more. This is the word count for my first three days: 1/11 = 8376 2/11 = 4361 3/11 = 2267 When I look at it, it looks like a downward trent, but of course I know that it isn't true. It's simply dependent on my circumstances. So I am definitely happy with my GRAND TOTAL OF 15004 words. between 65K to 70K left to write to finish the full first draft. Tomorrow's target: 2200

First Day of NaNoWriMo Over and the Word Count is...

I stopped writing at about 11:40ish at night, and final word count 8376. To be honest, from later part of the evening I was far less productive, taking like 3 hours to write 500 words, because at that point I could feel the tiredness, and my brain didn't want to focus. So even though I was hoping to reach 10K, I stopped when I finished the point in my outline. Of course I am not complaining, because 8376 is a very good start. Working week starts tomorrow, and unfortunately for me, I have got work related plans on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, so I don't know how much time I will get in the evenings. Tomorrow's minimum word count goal is 2200 words. How did your first day go? Do you have set word goals for each day?

NaNoWriMo - Midnight Exerpeince

Edit: BigWords at AW very kindly and privately pointed out the spelling mistake in my post title. I thought about correcting it, but then I thought in the spirit of NaNo I shall leave it. It will be a proof of my excitement to get the post done and get back to writing (or it could've been slacking on the forums). Original Post It's 11:26 am, November 1. I have just woken up. Quite fresh and perky, and the reason for that is that I went to bed at 4:30, having done 3295 words for my NaNo Novel. :-) Just a few quick thoughts:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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?

NaNo Arsenal at the Ready

I am as ready for NaNo as I am ever going to be. Well, there are things I could do, but then that will always be the case. So anyway....getting to the point....interested in finding out what's in my arsenal to kick NaNoWriMo butt?

1. Outline - My outline is finally complete. It's somewhere between a phase outline and a scene outline. I just came up with it based on all the various methods I had learned over time. It is fairly detailed, and I am hoping that because of it I will have far less plot holes than I usually do. If I find it effective then I will do a detailed post about the method after NaNo is finished.
2. Finn - you know Finn. :) Shiny new netbook. I expect I will be using that at home as well, so I won't have to keep transferring stuff between computers.
3. Liquid Story Binder & MS Word & Excel - Excel for word count spreadsheet. My outline is created in MS Word, and I will probably do some writing in it as well, and varify the word count. Liquid Story Binder is the new writing software I have downloaded. I prefer it over y-Writer, because to me y-Writer looks quite dated, where LSB has more modern, customizable appearance, and the screens and everything look more similar to MS Word. But what I like about it most is that you can have many windows open at the same time, and you can organise them as you like - overlaping, side by side etc. For small netbook screen, I find it gives me bigger screen than MS Word.
4. Coffee - *drool*
5. Coke - Just in case I need cold caffeine
6. Food - chocolates, crisps, brownies, and to compensate for all that junk one tiny pot of healthy seeds

AND Most Importantly...

7. A Great Deal of Enthusiasm

So what's in your NaNo Arsenal?

P.S. Three and a Half Hours To Go before NaNoWriMo starts

NaNoWriMo Write-In

I learned from NaNo official website that my local area has a NaNo write-ins. Writers from Bristol and Bath meet in Bristol on Sunday afternoons and Thursday evenings during November. Thursday evenings are no-no for me, because travelling by public transport at night is something I totally avoid. But on Sundays I am thinking about going. From the description, I have to say that the whole thing sounds more social than writing, though quite a few people mentioned that they do manage to up their word count by encouraging each other. Since 1st of November is a Sunday, I have decided to go and check it out. While I would really love to meet local writers and see how I get along with them, spending Sundays socialising and just talking about writing, instead of writing, isn't what I want to do. If I want to push for finishing a first draft in November, I really cannot afford to waste weekends. Still, worth experimenting. When I thought of write-ins in my head, I always head this idea of people sitting around, mostly writing, occassionally chatting. I accept that to a lot of people this would sound incredibly boring. Someone might say that we might as well not bother getting together. But having been to one-day workshops where we have done just that, I have to say that I find that totally exciting and appealing. If I am sitting around writing by myself, I am prone to distractions. But if I am sitting around writing at the same time as other people, I don't get distracted. I am focused. I think it's the fact that everyone else is writing, you don't want to be the only one not doing it, or when they end up writing 5000 words, you don't want to be stuck at 500. Okay, I admit, I am competitive. Not insane in I-have-to-win kind of way, but more in a if-you-can-do-it-so-can-I kind of way. I will let you all know how my experience with Bristol write-in goes. But what about you guys? Especially the old NaNoers. Have you been to NaNo write-ins? How did you find it?