Noveling in January

[Aufilia]

This is a thread for anyone who's working on a novel -- from the first words to the final revision, from category romance to literary mainstream, from elves to hard-boiled detectives -- if you're writing it, we invite you to join us. This is a group where we can discuss our projects and goals, share tips and tricks, ask questions, and encourage and commiserate with our peers.

New to the thread? Please jump right in! We'd love to hear what you're writing and how it's going!

[Aufilia]

How about an end of 2008/start of a new month checkin? I'll throw out some questions (and answer them myself)... but feel free to add to the list!

How is your project going?
As of the end of 2008, I've finished the first editing pass of the first 2/3 of my novel. It's still nameless but oh, well! I have 64,772 words at the moment and I'm thinking I might have around 75,000 at the end of this editing pass. Since my genre (fantasy) calls for 80k+, I'll be aiming to add 10k-15k words before I'm finished with it.

What surprised/amazed/impressed you most about what you've achieved so far?
- That I've actually managed to plot out a story that will hit the word length I had in mind. How did THAT happen?
- That I've had such a good time writing this novel and that I still LOVE it. I've written stories I really believe in before, but usually I go through a lot of "this suuuucks!" before I get to the end.
- That I've kept at it so steadily. I am never this good about writing steadily on anything! Seriously, I have churned out an average of 1 finished short story per year for the last 5 years.

What hasn't gone so well/disappointed you/been an unpleasant surprise?
- What's disappointed me most is that I didn't get to writing this seriously and steadily years ago! Oh, the time wasted!

Any lessons you've learned about yourself, about writing a novel, or about life in general as you work?
Some years ago I went to a professional SF/F writers' workshop and I find that I'm still learning some of the lessons that they attempted to impart to us. The two that have "clicked" with me in a new way (and which I was highly skeptical about before) are:
- Creativity can be a learned skill. As in, you can learn to be more creative, you don't just have to wait for inspiration to strike before you write something. :
- Writing every day (or nearly so) is one of the best ways you can improve your writing. Set a word goal or amount of time for every day, and fulfill it, and you will feel the difference. :

Do you have any writing-related resolutions or goals for this year?
This is my entire resolution for 2009 (I like to keep 'em simple). At the workshop I went to, at the end, we half-seriously swore an oath related to what they'd tried to teach us. I've kept all of the oath except the first two lines, which are: "I will write every day. I will finish what I write." So since writing every day since October has been so inspiring to me, I am going to do my best to write every day in 2009. I'd like to do 1000 words if I'm working on something new, and some equivalent amount of time/effort if I'm revising.

[midnightwriter]

Hi, i'm new!

I'm about 5K into my literary novel with a mystery element. i have the rest of the novel loosely outlined, but very losely, as i don't like outlines. I have no idea how i'm going to tie it all together, i'm not even sure wheather the missing girl will be found alive or dead, and who kidnapped her (it is a subplot). But i do know the ending (except the missing girl part)!

Happy New Year, everyone!

ania

[midnightwriter]

by the time i replied the entire OP got really complicated

i'll be back later with more details!

ania

[Aufilia]

Ooooh, I've always thought a true mystery would be tough to write. I'm sure I'd either foreshadow WAY too much or else everyone would get to the end and go "huh?".

Chugging along so far. My writing group is going through my chapters 10 & 11 this week, and then there's a 2-week break because we decided to hold our winter party in January instead of right before Christmas. Meanwhile I'm editing chapter 22 out of 30. I think it might be good that I'll have finished my first pass when they're only halfway through because I can set it aside and just take comments and not work on it for awhile. Then it will be more fresh when I get back to it... I hope.

[midnightwriter]

I spent way too much time figuring out what to blog about

reread my my first chapters and made some changes.

it is not a true mystery--i'd get lost. but they say there are formula for those, where they'd tell you stuff like: you first clue would be here etc.

mine has a mystery element --no one, including me, knows the details about the murder

i like your resolution to write a little bit every day. it helps SO MUCH! but lately i've been giving myself a bit of a break...no sure why...

[enfpintj]

Originally Posted by Aufilia

As of the end of 2008, I've finished the first editing pass of the first 2/3 of my novel. It's still nameless but oh, well! I have 64,772 words at the moment and I'm thinking I might have around 75,000 at the end of this editing pass.
wonderful!

- That I've actually managed to plot out a story that will hit the word length I had in mind. How did THAT happen?
Yeah, this I'm not so sure about for my story. I am writing scenes out of order, because that's the only way I could make myself start writing. I have written the scenes I was interested in or thought would be easiest.

- That I've kept at it so steadily. I am never this good about writing steadily on anything! Seriously, I have churned out an average of 1 finished short story per year for the last 5 years.

- What's disappointed me most is that I didn't get to writing this seriously and steadily years ago! Oh, the time wasted!
This is what I want to begin. I need to do it steadily, everyday. I'm supposed to be doing it now, yikes

- Creativity can be a learned skill. As in, you can learn to be more creative, you don't just have to wait for inspiration to strike before you write something. :
I did hear this before, but have never done it much. I heard an author say that she couldn't tell the difference between what she wrote while inspired and what she sloughed through
- Writing every day (or nearly so) is one of the best ways you can improve your writing. Set a word goal or amount of time for every day, and fulfill it, and you will feel the difference. :
I'm trying to do this

I'd like to do 1000 words if I'm working on something new, and some equivalent amount of time/effort if I'm revising.
Me too

I bolded my answers in the quoted section. I have yet to figure out how to do the quote thing properly.

[Bella Catalina]

Originally Posted by Aufilia

How about an end of 2008/start of a new month checkin? I'll throw out some questions (and answer them myself)... but feel free to add to the list!

I did post a couple of times in December, but life got in the way (the weakest of excuses, lol)

How is your project going?
I'm close to finishing my first draft. This novel was my 2007 NaNo project, and a story that first started begging to be written about nine or ten years ago. I'm making myself write every day to finish it.

What surprised/amazed/impressed you most about what you've achieved so far?
I never finish anything, so actually finishing this will surprise me, assuming I do finish.

What hasn't gone so well/disappointed you/been an unpleasant surprise?
After reading the Twilight series , I read that the author didn't write chronologically and decided that was how I'd attempt NaNo. Um. Yeah, won't be writing that way again. Too hard to go back and write the scenes that while necessary, are either difficult to write or don't interest me as much.

Any lessons you've learned about yourself, about writing a novel, or about life in general as you work?
Prioritize, prioritize, prioritize! Create time to write, because otherwise I will never do it. Making myself write, even stream of consciousness, to build the habit, even if I don't feel like it. And the obvious, take a notebook everywhere. Inspiration can strike any time. Oh, and that I can think the best if I lock myself in the bathroom or soak in the tub.

Do you have any writing-related resolutions or goals for this year?
To do morning pages every day (Julia Cameron); to finish my first draft by January 15 & have it ready to query by September; win NaNo 09; and complete a first draft of the next novel I am planning.

[greenmamato2]

I'm hoping to *start* writing my first novel this month. I'm doing the research portion right now... my goal is to start writing in the next 2 weeks.

How is your project going?

Its at the beginning - I'm doing the research right now. I'm reading a book called "Hooked" at the moment that discusses new ways to successfully begin a novel, what catches the eye, keeps the reader there, and what publishers look for. Its VERY interesting and I feel like I've learned a lot, and will be able to side step a lot of problems that I'm sure I would have made otherwise.

What surprised/amazed/impressed you most about what you've achieved so far?

I'm doing it. I'm actually going down this road and not just saying "someday." Today is that day. I'm really happy about that.

What hasn't gone so well/disappointed you/been an unpleasant surprise?

When I ran the plot idea past my family they all seemed to placate me with "nice" and "good" type comments. Its a good indication that they can't see the details and the characters in my head the way I can... it will have to be my writing that describes it the way it should be... and I'm not going to show anyone until I'm ready to have it critiqued. I have to keep my confidence up about it to stay strong with writing.

Any lessons you've learned about yourself, about writing a novel, or about life in general as you work?

Aside from not expecting the level of excitement from your loved ones as you feel, I'd say I have learned that I do have a novel in me somewhere, and that its not just a dream... its a reality. Its happening, and I need to look at it in the present. Not a future goal, but a present action.

Do you have any writing-related resolutions or goals for this year?

Whether it winds up being a GREAT novel or not, I want to have a finished, edited, proofed, critiqued, COMPLETED manuscript sent off for publisher queries by the end of the year. If it gets published, great. If not, hey - I wrote a NOVEL.

[Sagesgirl]

Wow, January already! I was all set to crack open that "Noveling in December" thread.

How is your project going? I made time to write for the first time in a while, today. I wrote for slightly over an hour; not quite 61 minutes. I'm up to page 60 now, and getting the meatiest part of the plot started. I've intro'ed the hero to the werewolves, let the protagonist & hero get into a little argument, and now she's conducting an interview with one of the victims. (No dead bodies in this one; I hate the clichè that the magical folks are never called in 'til there's been a murder.) I had to quit when my eyes started crossing. (And yet, I somehow manage to be here on the internet!)

I'm happy with how well this is progressing. I have an outline, but the scene I am working on right now isn't in it. That's OK, though, because it's a necessary one. My outline is flexible like that (I've got it all on index cards, & I've rearranged the order a couple of times already).

What surprised/amazed/impressed you most about what you've achieved so far? Like someone else has said, just that I'm sticking with it. And that it's coming together so easily. This is a type of book I've wanted to write for a while now. It's deeply rooted in Texas, in our folklore & traditions, and it has my own view of a magical, modern Earth, and I've already fallen in love with the heroine, even though I did not have her come into my head first, as is typical for me. I created her for the story I wanted to tell, and that's worked out a lot better than I'd expected it to, to be honest.

What hasn't gone so well/disappointed you/been an unpleasant surprise? I am tripping myself up over political correctness. It is impossible to write a San Antonio-based story filled with nothing but white people. But I'm white. I did grow up in a minority community, so I can usually do a good job with minor characters. But I'm perhaps trying a little too hard. I just tonight changed what one character was eating because it could be perceived as a stereotype. It is not, in this case; it's something that makes perfect sense if you know folks around here, but I don't want to seem insensitive or racist. And now I'm somewhat angry with myself that I gave in to self-censoring there. (Which I guess also answers the question about what I've learned about myself!)

Do you have any writing-related resolutions or goals for this year? Just to finish! I want to get the whole thing written and then revised as necessary, and perhaps start to shop it around, but I'll settle for finishing it. I'm very bad at actually seeing long projects through to the end. But this one I am determined to complete.

[jennlindsey]

How is your project going?

It's trucking along better than I thought I would! I am super-meticulous and over-revise as I write, so I'm trying to keep my process "loose," if that makes sense. I just joined a critique group that meets 2x a month, and that has been a godsend!

What surprised/amazed/impressed you most about what you've achieved so far?
That I've managed to put my own insecurities about publishing again aside, and emerge from the deadly consecutive combo of serious illness and new mamahood with enough brainpower/ability to articulate *anything* on a page!

What hasn't gone so well/disappointed you/been an unpleasant surprise?

How slowly I work. And how hard it is to find time and space as a parent in which to work without bankrupting myself on childcare.

Any lessons you've learned about yourself, about writing a novel, or about life in general as you work?

That I have to let go of my inner critic even more after having been previously published -- the pressure I put upon myself is merciless and counterproductive.

That writing hundreds of pages you don't use is absolutely *not* a waste if it helps you discover your story.

That newspaper articles are your best friend for story sparkers.

Do you have any writing-related resolutions or goals for this year?

Oh yes -- whether they're too ambitious or not remains to be seen.

-- Apply to low-res MFA program (and hopefully get in)
-- Finish a draft by May (pipedream, I know!)
-- Send some kind of creative nonfiction/essay to Brain, Child mag

[Aufilia]

Whaaat, no one's posted in days? Don't make me come up with more long questionnaires!

I'm chugging along with my novel. I'm up to chapter 24 of 30, and I feel like I've reached the quagmire of my revisions. Up to this point my chapters have been averaging 2600 words. The entire last 6 chapters of my novel total 6500 words. I'm missing like 1/3 the plot and 2/3 of the words so I'm doing less revising and more new writing.

My writing group is reviewing my chapters 10 & 11 tonight. These chapters contain the first major crisis for my protagonist -- there's violence, threats of violence, a narrowly-avoided rape, and my protag has a big emotional crisis. I'm kind of afraid there's too much but we'll see how it goes.

[Bella Catalina]

I'm having one of those "and what makes you think you can write a book?" weeks. Ugh. Stupid insecurities. I am soooo close to completing it, too. I am desperate to finish it, shelve it, and then come back to it in three months, with fresh eyes (I can hope).

[Sagesgirl]

I wrote a bit today, but not much. I'm trying to decide whether to throw in some violence or not. I did get a tiny bit of description of the heroine worked into it. She's apparently darker complected than I'd realized when I started. I'm kinda going off on a tangent with respect to my outlined plot, but it's still relevant stuff so I'm not sweating it.

I'm also strongly considering writing a short story or two featuring my heroine. I've got one already; I need to polish it up some & see if it's good enough to shop around. I wrote it for a 'zine, but I don't think it (the 'zine) ever came to fruition.

[Aufilia]

Bella -- How much more do you have left? I hope you've gotten some writing in.

Sagesgirl -- When in doubt, throw in more violence! Well, ok, that's been MY motto but I don't know if it'll work for you.


My writing group critiqued chapters 10 & 11 this week and sadly, after 6 chapters not a single one of them had noticed the big thing I was trying to imply that happened in chapter 4. Apparently I need way less subtlety.

[midnightwriter]

Well, I haven't written much at all. I wrote a couple if fast synopses--just to see where I'm going. I brainstormed a bit with a friend. I feel I'm not able to focus this month at all.

[wordmommy]

Can I join in?

My problem is that I have three projects going on right now and I'm not sure which one I should work on. From a practical perspective, I'd say the finished novel, but I'm thinking that MASSIVE rewrites are in store and I don't know if I'm up to that.

The fantasy is the one calling me, so I'm thinking I should tackle that one.

But then the Southern lit/magical realism one is the one I feel has the most commercial potential, so it feels like the responsible thing to jump on that one.

Sigh.

I think the muse is going to win tonight, but I wish things would simplify...

[Aufilia]

Hi Heather! You have a lot on your plate. If it was me I'd go with whichever one was calling to me the most. I'm weak-willed that way.


I think my new least favorite part of writing a novel is the ending. Ugh, ugh, ugh!! I'm working on revising chapter 25 (out of 3) and my progress has slowed to a snail's pace. I finally sat down and started re-writing this chapter from scratch last night, because I just could NOT fix what I already had down.

[wordmommy]

Rewrites are so hard. I'm going through and scratching up my finished novel's first chapter right now. It feels more...organic, but it's going to cause problems in the rest of the story.

[Aufilia]

Is your new first chapter a big style change?

I am feeling like I'm going to end up rewriting most of the last few chapters. 25 is working out much better, though, so at least I feel like I'm making big improvements. I think there might be 1 or 2 other scenes I might keep more or less whole.