No NaNo "finished" badge, but...

...I have a great first draft, so I'm very happy! And I feel I accomplished the goal of NaNoWriMo, which is just that. Still have some critiques and revisions to get through, but I'm hoping to sub this puppy early in 2010.

As the wise and wonderful Natalie Goldberg says: "Sometimes when you think you are done, it is just the edge of beginning. Probably that's why we decide we're done. It's getting too scary. We are touching down onto something real. It is beyond the point when you think you are done that often something strong comes out." That's what I like to aim for -- the place beyond, the universal place that reaches for the outermost boundaries, where things are brilliant and dark.

I also feel great that I added two more stories to the TBF (to be finished) queue. It's getting a little crowded in there so I have much more work to do, shaping and reshaping those sticky blobs of nebulous threads into a readable story. A writer's dream.

NaNoing all over the map

I somehow lost count of my word count! When I signed up for NaNoWriMo, I had it in mind to write a contemporary novel, a story that had been sloshing around in my head for a bit and seemed about the right consistency and temperature to start really cooking. So I went for it.
First-round edits for Angels, Sinners and Madmen, my Key West historical novel, were due by the end of the month too. Better to finish those off, I thought, so I could concentrate on my NaNoWriMo story. With the edits, that novel finished with another 1600 words. Add that to the count!

Back to the contemporary I went, writing away to almost 5,000k. But another story pulled me away. You know how that goes sometimes. One becomes more insistent than another, and it starts building a momentum in your brain that whirls and clicks and grows, and if you ignore it, your skull might explode from the pressure. So I went back to that one. It had been 27k, intentionally truncated to fit in the Earth Songs line for The Wild Rose Press. The editor returned it, saying she liked it very much, but it wasn’t quite a romance. She suggested I layer in the POV of the hero between that of the heroine. Once I started, the momentum unfurled onto the page and I couldn’t stop. Even on our trip back home for Thanksgiving, I wrote pages and pages in the car. I added another 35k to that story, so it’s now at a respectable 61k and I’m still going.

Meanwhile, Christmas commercials on TV, of all things, have begun to really spark my Christmas spirit. So I started yet another story with a Christmas theme.

I finally tallied it all up this morning and found that my word count wasn’t so pathetic as I thought. In fact, it’s a respectable 43k. Only another 7,000 words to go. In two and a half days! As Chris Baty said in his last pep talk email, “easy peasy.” Here I thought I’d fallen into the third group of NaNoWriMo hopefuls, “The Go On Without Me’s.” Baty’s description fit: “life went completely crazycakes” (oh yeah). His final words of encouragement buoyed me: “You're off the map, but that's the point of this escapade… Return to the page—there's still a beautiful adventure waiting for you.”

Thanks, Chris. I agree! I’m very happy with what I’ve accomplished this month—I’ll finish off a great historical novel, and have started two other stories I’m excited about, plus the first-round edits of another novel. Not a bad month at all.

Here's another Christmas video, to keep the spirit going.

SNL Christmas Song | Movies & TV | SPIKE.com

Almost NaNoWriMo time again

Well I missed National Writing Day on October 22, probably due to a lack of national advertising on its part. Had I known the Senate would pass S.R. 310, I would have put pen to paper that day come Hell or high water (and lately, it's been Hell, but that's another story).
Hell notwithstanding, I've signed up for NaNoWriMo again. Yep, I enlisted in the ranks of those who'll write fast and furious starting November 1, aiming for that golden 50,000-word bar. I may not make it this year, but I'll at least try. I've had a contemporary gelling in my head for awhile, clamoring to get out.
Last year, I finally wrote the historical novel I had in my head since visiting Key West in 2003. Freya's Bower will release Angels, Sinners and Madmen. I'm currently in first edits, so have no date yet, but likely it will release in early 2010.

Now that NaNoWriMo’s over...

November was an intense month. Not only did I participate in NaNoWriMo, I managed to achieve the goal and complete revisions on two other stories, too. Now it’s midway into December, and what have I accomplished? Well, I did go back to a novel I’d completed in September, and reread it with fresh eyes and made some revisions, although I’m still not completely satisfied with it. And I’m going to revisit the 50k+ I wrote for the NaNoWriMo story, because it needs it. Badly.
But these past few weeks feel wasted, especially after having proved to myself that I could achieve a good head start on a novel. Organization was never my strong suit, but now it’s painfully obvious that if I can become more disciplined, the discipline will translate into productivity. Participating in NaNoWriMo was a good experience, but the fact is, any month can be as productive. Perhaps moreso, because November, frankly, has Thanksgiving and too many other distractions. I suppose one can make excuses for any month.
So the subhead of this post is: No more excuses. Stop the mental whining and just do it. Slam those words onto the page. Rework them later.
First, though, set some ground rules.
1. Do some prep work. Think about the story you want to write. Whether you’re a plotter or pantser, have at least a basic idea of the entire story. If possible, write an outline (you don’t necessarily have to stick to it – stories will veer off into interesting tangents, if you’re lucky).
2. Set a goal. If you want to complete a novel in one month, set the deadline. Mark it on your calendar. Stick to it.
3. Get organized. Complete as much research as possible before you begin writing. If you find you need to revisit a certain section, insert a marker in that section of text so you can easily find it later. For my NaNoWriMo story, I used brackets and placed questions inside. And yes, I counted that toward my word count, since later, the count will only go up from there after I write the real text.
4. Get to know your characters – and not just their physical attributes, but their personalities. What do they want? What motivates them? What are their obstacles? Assemble your cast of characters as completely as you can.
5. Set your own personal goal. November may have come and gone, but that doesn’t mean you can’t go for 50k on your own schedule. Make your goal realistic. If 75k is doable, go for it. Just slam those words on the page, and edit later.
6. Once you reached your goal, set the manuscript aside for a few weeks. Work on something else. Then, like me, you can go back to your story with a fresh perspective. A little distance is a good thing. While writing, authors can get a little too immersed in their stories, or their characters, and not see flaws or gaps that might be obvious to a first-time reader.
7. When you get a good first draft, hand it off to a critique partner. I have three critique partners, and each one finds something different within my stories, just as each reader will bring his/her own frame of reference to each story.
Because really, I didn’t participate in NaNoWriMo for the little blog sticker (though it does make me proud to be able to post it, I admit). My real goal was to finally commit to a story that I’d had in mind for five years – yes, five long years. Why did it take me so long to get it on paper, finally? I wasn’t organized.
I’m spending the rest of December revising my NaNoWriMo story. Hopefully I can complete that by the new year, and then – come January, I begin a new novel. A new adventure. A new journey. As Rudyard Kipling said, Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind.
I intend to be plenty high next year.

NaNoWriMo Goal Achieved!

Whew! Yesterday, I was sidetracked from writing by the usual real-life interruptions – grocery shopping and other Thanksgiving Day preparations – so got back to my computer pretty late. I was so close to 50k, I could taste it as vividly as I knew the tang of the cranberry sauce would be. So when I finally got back to writing, I couldn’t stop until I’d surpassed the NaNoWriMo goal.
But reaching the NaNoWriMo goal is one small part of the entire project. Much writing, research and ever-important revision awaits me before I can truly feel I’ve finished (if I ever can reach that point – whenever I re-read a story, I always find something to change).
When I finish the first draft and turn to revision, POV will be an ever-present consideration. As I mentioned, this is the first time I’ve used head-hopping in the style of the romance genre, so it must be done in a concise manner. Speaking from only one character’s perspective might seem an easy thing to accomplish, but in fact, in any given novel in which there’s a hero and a heroine, not two perspective exist, but three. The third is the author herself. If you’ve ever been reading a novel and been totally engrossed in the story until you came across a statement that seemed to come from neither the hero or heroine, or anyone else in the story, well, that’s a case of authorial intrusion. The writer inserted herself into the story as narrator, and unless it’s done exceptionally well, it’s often not a welcome experience for the reader.
The Short Story Writing site provides examples of authorial intrusion. More succinctly, Rob Parnell describe authorial intrusion as the writer including a personal opinion about a character, situation or scene, or anything else your characters themselves could not be aware of.
Some authors intentionally incorporate authorial intrusion. The Great Gatsy is an example.
Anne M. Marble’s Headhopping, Authorial Intrusion, and Shocked Expressions explains very clearly the POV problems that trip up many a writer. Under the Shocked Expressions subhead, it’s important to note that no character can describe the expression on his or her own face (and conveniently placing the character in front of a mirror is not cool).
Although I’ll be busy revising for quite awhile, it feels great to have achieved the goal.

NaNoWriMo, Day 22, Beginning of Week 4

At 40,438 words, I am struggling toward 50k. To put me to shame for my hand-wringing and whining, I found this feature article on the NaNoWriMo site. And I thought 50,000 was tough. This lady not only aimed to complete three 50k novels, but exceeded the goal at 183k. Not only that, but she is one of the successful participants whose 2006 novel will be published this year. Congrats, Anna! And all hail, NaNoWriMo goddess!
So – one week left. I’m actually kind of proud I managed to get even that many words done this week. Suffice it to say it was a week of strange and somewhat frightening occurrences. Blogging took a back seat to keeping the wood stove going during the daylong power outage (with the power line laying across my driveway), and writing when the power came back on. In addition to filling out contracts for the two stories accepted this week, I was also asked to complete revisions on another story for The Wild Rose Press before they would consider it.
Such is the writing life. I love it!

NaNoWriMo – Day 8, Week 2

I came across another blog about NaNoWriMo the other day, seeking others’ opinions on whether it was a worthwhile endeavor or not. Some of the responses surprised me.
While some recognize it's an exercise in writing to stimulate their creative juices, others look down their noses at it. They insinuate that no one could possibly write a novel in a month, and anything written in that time must be garbage.
They obviously didn’t read the NaNoWriMo mission statement. Yes, the goal is to write nonstop, if possible, from November 1 through November 30. Yes, you will have some trashy parts you’ll need to cut. Hey, that’s what revision is all about.
Who writes a bestseller the first time through? Tom Robbins reportedly goes over and over and over and over each sentence meticulously until he’s satisfied it’s exactly the wording he wants. (Definitely not a NaNo-er.) All stories have to be edited. But, as author Jodi Picoult said, you can always edit a bad page, but you can’t edit a blank page. As a bestselling novelist, she should know.
And in fact, some of the books begun during NaNoWriMo have gone on to be published. It isn’t the fact that I’m participating in it that makes the difference, it’s the fact that I’m sitting down every day and making an effort to write. One of my favorite quotes is from author Barbara Kingsolver, who said: "Chain that muse to the desk and get the job done!" A credo echoed by Robert Ringer: “What separates professional writers from amateurs is that they take action and start putting words on the computer regardless of whether or not they are motivated. In my experience, after I force myself to start writing, a seamless transition takes place and I become motivated."
My current word count? As of yesterday, 12,485. Getting there! A feat, considering I switched stories after three days (I found the research I thought I’d lost! Woo hoo!)
As Ray Bradbury so aptly said: "Go to the edge of the cliff and jump off. Build your wings on the way down."
So if you’re doing NaNoWriMo, and someone pooh-poohs your efforts, tell them to take a flying leap!
Happy writing!

Pants(er) on Fire

In November, for many writers, meticulous plotting methods go out the window. It’s pantser all the way, if you’re a NaNoWriMo participant. The idea is to sit and write, write, write. Don’t let the words flow – let them gush (my word count is now 7747). No stopping to correct misspellings or consider, hmm, was that the right word choice? If in doubt, bold or highlight a suspect word or phrase so you can find it later. In December, after you’ve surpassed the 50k goal and are ready to revise.
Last month, I did a basic outline of where I thought I wanted my story to go. Not the same as plotting, which doesn’t allow much leeway if your characters decide to shanghai your story across a wild tangent you’d never have thought of until you were in the moment. For that very reason, I’m not a big believer in plotting.
But how, exactly, is plot defined?
In the article What is Plot, Anyway?, James Scott Bell defines plot as something that will take shape within a manuscript, with or without planning. Either way, the plot must move readers through the story. Bell provides an overview of his LOCK plotting system: Lead, Objective, Confrontation and Knockout.
Okay, but what, exactly, does plotting entail?
Linda Cowgill’s Plotting Along breaks plotting down into three basic steps: Arrangement of Events, Causality and Conflict - all of which lead to an emotional payoff for the reader.
According to Martha Alderson, Goals Define the Plot. Use both short-term and long-term goals to ground your readers along your protagonist’s journey.
Noah Lukeman, author of bestsellers such as The First Five Pages and The Plot Thickens, provides a set of exercises in 8 Ways to Bring Fiction to Life to help you define your character, and thus determine which circumstances will provide the most impact for a reader based on that character’s weaknesses.
Once you have plotting down, David Freeman suggests Adding Emotional Depth to a Plot Via a Subplot. Using American Beauty as an example, he describes how having a subplot parallel to the main plot can add emotional depth to a story.
If you're not into charting out your plot in the Snowflake Method, (I don't have enough left brain to even comprehend it), try something more flexible: the index card system. This method at least allows you to shuffle the cards as needed when your characters take an unscheduled left turn.
If you're like me, however, and think plotting is akin to John Lennon's description of life - Life is what happens to you when you're busy making other plans - then start with a roughed-out story idea and just write.
If you need some guidance about pantsing it, check out Chris Baty's No Plot? No Problem! Chris, btw, happens to be the NaNoWriMo organizer.
Happy writing!

NaNoWriMo, Day 1

It's November 1 - day 1 of NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month. How did I do my first day? Not too bad. The daily goal is roughly 1700 words, and I surpassed that with 2606.
I'd hoped for more, but had a setback when I couldn't find my background research on the story I'd hoped to write. I'll have to look for it again later. Because I have several story ideas queued up, I fell back on the next in line. Apparently every other NaNoWriMo participant tried to log onto the site at the same time I did. It crashed, and I couldn't upload my word count there, so I'll have to try again tomorrow.
And speaking of falling back, don't forget to turn those clocks back an hour tonight!

From Zero to Novel in One Month

Writers, start revving those keyboards now. November is NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month, just a few weeks away. The month to write by the seat of your pants starting November 1 and not stop until the end of the day on November 30 (yes, it’s a Sunday, that’s beside the point). To participate, just set your brain to stream-of-consciousness mode, place your fingers on your keyboard (I sometimes like a paper first draft, but not this month) and write. Silence the inner critic and save the editing for later. The objective of this month is to get as much down in your first draft as possible, like a monthlong timed writing session. As the NaNoWriMo site cautions: “Make no mistake: You will be writing a lot of crap. And that’s a good thing.”
Why is it a good thing? Because writing without over-planning can unlock some new story lines you might not have anticipated. Because in truth, all first drafts suck – the real story comes out in revision. So plan on using December to revise. After a short break, of course, to lend perspective. And to allow you time to recover from the post-NaNoWriMo party.
According to the NaNoWriMo site, 101,510 writers participated in 2007, with 15,333 “winners,” or writers who uploaded at least 50K to the site for verification.
But the goal is not to “win” (although they do send a certificate and Web badge). The writer’s goal is much more personal. At the end of the month, you’ll have enough words toward a good start of a novel, if not a full 50,000-word draft. (What publishers are looking for 50k novel, I wonder?) And even if you only end up with half that, it’s still a good start. It’s 25,000 words you didn’t have down before. When you break it down by day, it seems much less daunting. To reach 50,000, you need only write 1667 words a day for 30 days. Less than 2k a day! Hey, that’s not so scary.
In past years, I had many excuses not to participate – my kids were too needy, my job sucked between 40-60 hours a week from my life, I had no story ideas. This year, my kids are old enough to fend for themselves (in theory, at least), I count myself among the nation’s jobless, and my only remaining problem is: which story idea do I choose? So 2008 will be my first year.
Or, if you’d rather perfect the fine art of procrastination, check out Leigh Michaels’ article, The Top 11 Ways Not to Write Your Book.