November Noveling...

[MommyHawk]

October Noveling

Ok, whether you're chugging along with your days/weeks/months/years old novel or participating in NaNoMo, let's be miserable and joyful in our writing journey together!

Today I'm editing while 'watching football' at my FIL's...my DH's idea of a wonderful Sunday...at least I have my chapters to keep me company

[allgirls]

wrote 2330 trashy words for NaNoWriMo

and edited the first twelve chapters of my real novel which really went well after purging in the nano writing!

Inlaws come tomorrow...gonna do the nano stuff first then put the novel on hold for a bit...if I can...

[Bella Catalina]

delurking to say hi

It's NaNo time : which means dropping my WIP for a month (and hoping for fresh vision when I go back to my WIP).

My muse dropped a YA story idea in my lap at 11pm last night, and seeing as my other plot seemed a little lacking (and therefore not something I wish to undertake during the craziness that is November), I've decided to run with it.

This is my third NaNo, and hoping for third win this year. Is anyone else challenging themselves to aim for more than 50K? I am toying with 65K, but I don't want to set myself up for failure--we've just found out we may be moving back to HI for 6 months and if we go, they want us there before Thanksgiving...

[Miss Information]

I wrote 2370 words for NaNo today on 4 hours of sleep (had a Halloween party last night). I am actually having a lot of fun, for never having attempted anything this ambitious before (longtime blogger though).

I actually feel like I have a lot of energy. When I reach a place where I feel like taking a break, I have energy to tackle some housework. I write a little, clean a little, go back to writing...I hope I can keep this up. I was worried I was going to have to ignore the housekeeping for a month in order to do this, but really, I think this is very do-able.

[shanna-cat]

sigh.... have been undecided about nano for some time now and think im gonna have to pass. i am so far in my WIP that i don't want to stop now but just finish the darn thing! 97000 words but my ending still sucks and i am editing away like crazy in the beginning. i am supposed to have chapters 1-5 ready by tomorrow for my lit agent to go over for a second edit and i am no where near ready

it's such a catch 22- really want to be done with this book but at the same time couldn't imagine not writing it anymore!

[shanna-cat]

i am struggling to re-write a scene that doesn't seem to want to be re-written... but i know it needs to be done!

[JennyClaire]

subscribing --- 1/2 way through 3rd revision --- need to locate a writing class and readers --- my 2-yr-old hated daycare, so I won't be going back to work anytime soon --- whether this gives me more or less time for writing remains to be seen...

[lach]

6000 words on NaNo so far! I'm starting an old story I wrote from scratch, though. I don't know if that's cheating, but it does make it easier that I already have some characters in my head and know vaguely where they're going.

[JennyClaire]

Originally Posted by shanna-cat

i am struggling to re-write a scene that doesn't seem to want to be re-written... but i know it needs to be done!

I hate those scenes. They don't seem any easier the 2nd or 3rd or 4th time around... Good luck to you!

[Bella Catalina]

Originally Posted by shanna-cat

it's such a catch 22- really want to be done with this book but at the same time couldn't imagine not writing it anymore!

I'm feeling the same way about my current (non-NaNo) WIP. I have maybe four or five scenes left to write in the middle of the book (and FWIW, I think my ending sucks, too), and while my MCs appear in future books, it's more in passing. I have lived and breathed these characters (on and off) for two years now and I am stalling because I don't want to say goodbye.

Originally Posted by lach

6000 words on NaNo so far! I'm starting an old story I wrote from scratch, though. I don't know if that's cheating, but it does make it easier that I already have some characters in my head and know vaguely where they're going.

That's what I did for the book I mentioned above for NaNo 2007. It's an idea that had maybe 10-15K down and had been floating around since 2000 or so, but when I rewrote it for NaNo (from scratch), the characters took me in a different direction than I'd originally planned. Run with it

[MommyHawk]

Originally Posted by Miss Information

I wrote 2370 words for NaNo today on 4 hours of sleep (had a Halloween party last night). I am actually having a lot of fun, for never having attempted anything this ambitious before (longtime blogger though).

I actually feel like I have a lot of energy. When I reach a place where I feel like taking a break, I have energy to tackle some housework. I write a little, clean a little, go back to writing...I hope I can keep this up. I was worried I was going to have to ignore the housekeeping for a month in order to do this, but really, I think this is very do-able.

but are you ignoring blogging for NaNoMo?

[MommyHawk]

Originally Posted by shanna-cat

sigh.... have been undecided about nano for some time now and think im gonna have to pass. i am so far in my WIP that i don't want to stop now but just finish the darn thing! 97000 words but my ending still sucks and i am editing away like crazy in the beginning. i am supposed to have chapters 1-5 ready by tomorrow for my lit agent to go over for a second edit and i am no where near ready

it's such a catch 22- really want to be done with this book but at the same time couldn't imagine not writing it anymore!

did you make your deadline? how'd it go? what's your book about? if it's not TMI

[MommyHawk]

Originally Posted by shanna-cat

i am struggling to re-write a scene that doesn't seem to want to be re-written... but i know it needs to be done!

kill your darlings! they'll resist, but you just have to cut them off...

[MommyHawk]

submitted a chapter to the writing critique group I'm in...if I ever do something like this again I'll make sure to submit 2nd draft versions inlue of 1st! 1st drafts are HORRIBLE! I know. I wrote one But the second draft starts making the whole book so much better. Here's to hoping they like it...

although I know enough now to stop myself from trying to make them happy. It's my book. Although they do have some good pointers, they are not my agent/editor/publisher...and I'm thinking I might stop going soon anyway since I can't afford all the paper to print out everyone else's chapters! I do enjoy editing though.

I just say Nathan Bradford's "1st paragraph" contest a week too late. I'd love to hear what he thinks of mine

[1jooj]

I've also set down my WIP for a month of NaNo. I'm a little over 7k w into my new project. I don't like it when I feel like I get to the point where I'm pouring in schlock because it's word count over content, but I'm getting over it and (I hope!) strengthening the discipline to write daily.

My other WIP, in the meantime, is taking shape in my mind. I realize I need to go over a lot of the previous work I'd done on it and salvage, rather than discard and start clean over. There was good thought and good work in there. So, at least that's good news.

[allgirls]

I'm on track for nano..I'm treating like the artist pages...just writing it all first to get it out of the way..

I've started editing my novel also and what I"m finding is that I LOVE the last half but the first half needs a lot of work....I think I need to really rewrite the first 15 chapters...I guess I just improved along the way


My inlaws come back this morning and will be here for a week.

Kids are off until Monday...

It's gonna be interesting!

[shanna-cat]

Originally Posted by MommyHawk

kill your darlings! they'll resist, but you just have to cut them off...

i have conflicting opinions on this idea... yes i understand wanting to be objective in your writing so you can have a better sense of what is 'good' and what isn't... but isn't liking what you write part of the passion with writing?

i frequently go through and heartwrenching as it is, cut out chunks that i enjoy but don't do much for my story. how much cutting is neccasary?

[shanna-cat]

Originally Posted by MommyHawk

did you make your deadline? how'd it go? what's your book about? if it's not TMI

yes, i was up insanely late trying to put it together but i got it all turned in! haven't heard back yet from her but we're scheduled to meet next week so hopefully it will go well. last chapters i turned in she pretty much tore apart and told me it sounded like a 'goosebumps' novel- yikes.

my book is about a young girl who discovers that she is a strange mythological creature (a nymph) and with that realization comes a whole world of danger and history. because of her lineage she was hidden at a young age and raised unaware of her true identity until late in adolescents when she begins to phase into a nymph, and the needs the help of others like herself to learn how to control herself so the phasing doesn't kill her.

I love the book and even though i have been working on it consistantly for over a year now i still feel like i have so much to do! i am going to jump for joy when i can officially say that it's done.

[allgirls]

Originally Posted by shanna-cat

i have conflicting opinions on this idea... yes i understand wanting to be objective in your writing so you can have a better sense of what is 'good' and what isn't... but isn't liking what you write part of the passion with writing?

i frequently go through and heartwrenching as it is, cut out chunks that i enjoy but don't do much for my story. how much cutting is neccasary?

Oh my don't kill your darlings just because they are your darlings!!!

Keep the ones that carry the story, that create your voice, that are pure inspiration and necessary bits of beauty.

Kill the ones that sort of sit there, outside the main story, make it fumbly or are superfluous. You know when they trip you up.

But yes..some, often many, of your darlings get to stay as long as they are purposeful!

Allgirsl

[allgirls]

I'm about 2000 words short on my nano schedule but I've managed to revise up to and including chapter 7 of my wip.

My little one wound up with pneumonia and the inlaws just left yesterday.

I am so happy they were here when she got sick...it was great not to be alone with a sick baby doing it all. She is well now, still on antibiotics for 4 more days but coming along fine and returning to school Monday.

I also got a part time job that will work with the kids school schedule at an upscale consignment shop that is very crunchy and sells slings and cd's and all sorts of funky organic toys and stuff. I'm happy I will have a little income, still be able to do the television gig and have time to write!!!

Oh...and the Michael Jackson Anthology that I contributed to has been released! I am so proud of my little poem, being included with works from a poet laureate and a friend of Michael Jackson and fantastic international artists and human rights activists. I can't wait for my copy to arrive! I've posted a link in my siggy. It'll be available on Amazon soon too

I get to go to the launch party in Toronto and meet everyone...I'm so happy! It's my first "writer" think

Glad everyone is still writing up a storm! I should update my word count on my nano page I guess!

And another poem was accepted into a Canadian Poetry Journal!

Oh..and I blogged today too...yep..things are looking up again!

Yay..I'm writing again!