November is National Novel Writing Month. Every year, seriously, I tell myself, "hey, I'm gonna get some good work done on my book. Shoot, maybe I'll finish a first draft." And guess what happens every year?
Pretty much I either just work, have homework (during college), and make cookies for Thanksgiving.
Okay, so what am I going to start today? Besides vacuuming my kitchen and living room, I'll be committing to the first novel in the sequence I'm writing, for at least an hour each day. I'm also going to be finishing up Raven, the third book in Abra Ebner's Feather Book Series. Also, my regular work (copywriting) is picking up quite well, so that's exciting. With that encouragement, I am going to dive into my work.
How, you may ask?
Pen and paper, my friends. I write with Pilot gel pens in those black and white speckled notebooks. Why such archaic methods? I mean, I finally got a new shiny Dell Studio. Why use an arguably slower way of writing?
Answer: for me, it's a whole lot faster.
When I write something on a computer, and I am able to see print in front of me, my proofreading reflexes go nuts, and I edit everything I write that instant. I type fast, but all the "must edit now!" feelings slow me way down. (Seriously. I find a typo in a paper or a book, it's like finding Waldo without even trying. At least for me.) Writing in my messy handwriting on a blank paper with lines is nice. I don't have to edit it, unless I want to cross something out or add in a sentence in the margins. I can make notes to myself for future reference when I'm copying the text into my computer. This strange attachment to the speckled notebooks means that any purse I have must be able to hold a notebook in it. (Yes, I do try the notebook/purse combination before buying. Thank you for asking.) The good news? I've started a new notebook that is designed to be tacked onto (not literally) the notebook that contains what was originally the first part of my story.
So that's what I'll definitely be doing this month. If I finish by the end of the month, great. If I don't, well then, I'll keep working at the same pace because I want to finish this project soon. (It's been about nine years in the making.) It has begun already, in the middle of nowhere, in a tiny village, with a rather strange occurrence.
How will you be spending National Novel Writing Month? Feel free to discuss, and thanks for stopping by today! Coming soon: a review of the final installment in the Feather Book Series, the novel Raven.
Update: I did write today, for about half an hour. My wrist cramped, so I took a break.
I'm such a wimp. But I did write.
Do you write down dreams? I have a notebook for them, and i try to get them down as soon as i wake up, esp. if they are really good and have a plot line. That's where i get a lot of ideas...i mean, they're my ideas anyway, but in a sense they aren't.
ReplyDeleteMaybe I will write down my story... I need to start it and see what people think.
ReplyDeleteI usually remember dreams that stand out, but they rarely have a plot line. o.O
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, write down your story...nothing like an outside opinion. :D