Category: NaNoWriMo

NaNoWriMo – Day 18 – Still No Internet

More time to stretch out on the newly cleared sofa in my writing room to consider the direction the work in progress is taking.

We’ve reached a point where the guilty now have to make a move. I’m not quite sure how I want to do this, but the questioning of suspects has made it quite clear, the person in charge has covered their tracks carefully.

Will it be the case that like all people who think they have all the bases covered, make one tiny mistake that will lead to their undoing.

Fortunately, I’m not up to that part of the story but it is occupying a large part of my thoughts.

NaNoWriMo – Day 17 – Coping without technology

There are no more surprises at least for today.

We have no internet, the power company came along and removed an old pole and that was the end of it.

It’s amazing what you can’t do when there’s no internet, and then all the things you said you would do one day if only you had the time.

This mornings word count accumulates quickly without the distractions so I had the afternoon to finally clean up my workspace.

Now I can’t find anything.

NaNoWriMo – Day 16 – A twist I didn’t see coming

Yes.

I had worked out who the murderer was going to be.

Don’t you just hate it when the story unfolds in a different manner?  The current person tapped for the murder is looking very guilty, except for one piece of evidence that was not taken into account.

I can’t say what it is.

And I can’t tell you who the likely suspect is, because now I’m not quite sure myself.  I feel this is like a true life murder crime. plodding through the leads and clues one at a time.

Once again I’m writing a story that unfolds for me just as it would for the reader.

NaNoWriMo – Day 15 – Half way there

Yes, 15 days down and 15 days to go.

At this point my hand is starting to cramp from the toils of writing, yes, I’m one of those writers who often puts words to paper longhand.

Two weeks is a long time, but I think this sort of exercise is what’s needed if you want to write a novel every year, though this one is going to come out with more than 50,000 words.

I think there are about three more chapters to go to end part two, then I can get onto the big finale in part three.

It has turned out to be a bigger project than I originally thought, and I didn’t think I could stretch it to 50,000 words.  Now, I’m hoping to keep it to about 60,000.

Still, no need to get ahead of myself.  Murphy’s law may yet rear its ugly head.

NaNoWriMo – Day 14 – I’m ahead of target so time for revision

Whenever I’m writing, especially when I’m working to a plan, things never quite go the way I’d originally envisaged.

You get so far, and an idea pops into your head, and then, thinking it will work well, often it requires a little extra in previously written work.

Of course, when also writing to a time constraint, that’s not always possible, so your desk, computer keyboard or monitor becomes a repository for endless yellow post-it notes reminding you of the plot holes to be fixed.

I have time, and today I will be fixing them.

I also suspect this might make my word count for the project exceed the required 50,000.

We shall see!

NaNoWriMo – Day 13 – It’s that unlucky number

Hopefully, it won’t hex my writing.

It’s day 13 and I’m over half way in that devil on the shoulder word count, 27, 275 words to be exact.

That is in Microsoft Word is not playing ‘Friday the Thirteenth’ tricks on me.  Good thing it’s not Friday.

Part 2 is proceeding as expected with no surprises, and the characters are behaving themselves, well, in the writing sense.

I’ve found that I now need to write another chapter, before the end of the first part, to help explain, later on, some of the plot nuances.  This sort of issue often arises for me when getting to a particular point in a later section, I realize the reader needs a pointer or a nuance earlier on so that the revelation makes sense, not come out of left field.

Sorry, I have to get back to work, I don’t know where the time goes.

NaNoWriMo – Day 12 – I’m heading into uncharted territory

It could equally describe a place or my emotions, though in this case, it is the emotional side.

I’m taking on the persona of the main character, and try to sort through the emotions of, firstly wondering what it might be like to want the unobtainable, and secondly, what it might be like if circumstances, albeit unfortunate, bring you together.

Yes, it’s the girl.  You know how the standard love story goes, boy meets girl, boy loses the girl, boy somehow manages to save the day and win her back.  That’s the male side, for women it might be the other way around.

However, sometimes the unobtainable is that for a reason.  We shall see how this turns out.

On a more interesting note, I have hit the halfway mark for the number of words, 25,118.

I’d like to say it’s all downhill from here, but that’s never the case, is it?

NaNoWriMo – Day 11 – Some characters deserve more

I’ve decided to give a character that was meant to be only in the periphery, a larger role.

Characters seem to do that, demanding more from what was essentially a bit part.

But, not only in extending this part, the will be a little subplot that I didn’t initially consider but now will seamlessly fit in, and add some more meaning to what eventually happens.

Another hole, it seems, is plugged.

Oddly enough it’s a few idioms that were running around in my head that brought this on.

 

Take at face value

Never judge a book by its cover

A wolf in sheep’s clothing

And, of course, in business to succeed you have to be ruthless.

NaNoWriMo – Day 10 – I’m getting behind

Not only does the reality of life get in the way of writing, so does plot holes, and I guess this is why, in this sort of writing situation, it doesn’t pay to go back and read over some of what’s written.

I did.

And now wish I hadn’t.

The purpose of the exercise it to move forward, and I’m trying to, but the fact is, my subconscious was working overnight and pointed out a problem.

Why couldn’t I just wake up and imagine I was a No 1 bestselling author?

I tried to leave it along, but it wasn’t going to happen.  I had to fix it before going on.

It added a few hundred words, well below quota, so now it’s burning the midnight oil yet again.

NaNoWriMo – Day 9 – Real life impinges on my writing time

Today is the day I pick up the grandchildren from school, cook dinner, then take them home.

How does this affect the writing time, you ask.

It doesn’t help if you were up till 2:31 am the same morning and sleep in till after 10.

Still time before leaving at 2:30 pm to go to the school, you say.

Wrong.

Food to prepare, a potato bake, simple to make, but it takes time to prepare, and cook.

Chicken schnitzels, cut the chicken, and crumb it, simple, but takes time.

Before you know it, it’s time to go, and the potato bake has been in for an hour so far.

Oh, and one child requires handmade chips, not the bought kind, and neither like store bought schnitzels, so everything is handmade.

By the time the kids are back home, I’ve got the coffee from a drive-through cafe, it’s after 7:00 pm.

By the time I get to the computer to start, it’s after 11:00 pm

Tired.

Mind is a blank.

Just write

Two and a half hours later, 1,697 words.  Gibberish it might be, but it’s done.

Thank God tomorrow is a Saturday

Or not.

It’smind-numbingg shopping day!