The Zoeyoey Blog

NaNoWriMo Fail...or is it?

2011-12-03T06:13:00.000-08:00

Well I didn't do it did I?
But then, I knew I wouldn't. I wouldn't get to finish Nano in quite the way I wanted to, but y'know what? I'm still really proud of what I have achieved. I've got the first part of my book done, characters I love and a plot that exciting.
I also have this blog, which I plan to continue, and if the other stuff (like my job, trying to be a good mum, wife, daughter, sister, auntie etc) hadn't had to be dealt with, then I'm sure I would have got more down, but even so, I'm not being too hard on myself. I'm loving what I'm writing right now, however little, so as long as I'm getting something down each day, then that's okay with me.

So to everyone who did do NaNoWriMo, those of us who didn't reach the target and those of us who did, you have my hearty congratulations. We're all winners, even those of us who just wrote 500 words instead of 50,000 - at least now we have our opening paragraphs!

Birth Of A Novel Chain - NaNoWriMo

2011-11-22T08:31:00.000-08:00

It's going well, another 1000 words down today and I have a real excitement about the next scene, so much that if I get time tonight after taking my son to football practise, I might actually get some more down.

So how are the rest of my Birth of a Novel group getting on? Pretty darn good actually, check out their blogs (links below) to see. And if you're writing, here's a short clip to inspire:

Angela H.
Anna M.
Brooke Busse
Charity Bradford
Elizabeth Davis
Elizabeth Poole
Fida Islaih
Huntress
Jen McConnel
Lena Hoppe
Mia Hayson
Miranda Hardy
Nyxie Moon
Tessa C

Another Nano month

2011-11-21T08:59:00.000-08:00

I don't think I'm going to finish Nano.

My word count is only at 15,000 and I'd need double that if I were going to be any where close to succeeding. Running a business and taking care of my family has meant that this week, I didn't get as much time as I'd have liked to write, so I'm going to give myself another month. Go right on into December until I get this first draft down.

See I'm loving the process of writing without caring and I think it would be a mistake to stop doing that until I reach the end. Oh but it's hard, I really, really want to go back and re-write the beginning now I know a little more about my characters. And I have to work another event into the opening chapters because the plot doesn't make sense without it, and then there's the first scene which is all wrong for my main character and.....I could go on but I will not touch it.

That's what I've always done in the past, and that's why I have several books that aren't finished and the ones that are have taken me way too long. So this is the new plan, carry on like it's Nano until it's done.

I heard from an agent today who wants me to re-write my adult book and make it into a young adult book. To tell the truth, I'm really excited about this idea. The book has a theme that can be hard to believe set in an adult world, but if I make the main character younger it could work, I'd just need to.....oh but wait. See? I'm doing it again. Leaving one project to start on another.

The agent has said this editor will work with me on the book in January so I have December to finish the first draft of the one I'm writing. So hopefully (I'm ever the optimist) by Christmas I will have a first draft done of my Nano book and have a clean slate to work with the editor changing my other book.

That's the plan anyhow.

PS. I was doing the school run today and overheard this mum say the sweetest thing. Her kid was asking her if Father Christmas was real and she said, 'if you don't believe you won't receive.' I've not heard it before and I like that. I think it pretty much works for most stuff. Might just be my new mantra.

Brilliant Liz Gilbert clip

2011-11-14T06:46:00.000-08:00

So I'm writing like mad, not quite up to the word count I'd like, but certainly close enough but what's even better is that the story is really beginning to take shape.
I'm a bit delighted with how it's going actually, already I can see that the beginning I've written is now totally wrong, and I need to introduce a certain character much sooner, but, anyhow, it's getting done.
I was talking about this to a friend the other day, and she sent me this video clip of the wonderful Liz Gilbert taking about a new way to think about creativity.

So, if you're writing or creating of any kind, and get those moments (who doesn't) when you want to throw it all out, this one's for you. Enjoy.

Birth Of A Novel Chain - NaNoWriMo

2011-11-08T11:38:00.000-08:00

Oh no, I'm not doing too good with Nano today.

I've thought about my characters and plot a lot but haven't actually managed to put anything of substance down.
Life just gets in the way sometimes, so I've only managed a measly 500 words, taking my word count to 7,321. Which means that I'll have to really pull my finger out to catch up later this week.
My goal for the end of the week is to be near to 15,000 words.
I'll need to write 2,500 words a day for that...I think it's doable, I'm up for the challenge (and kind of looking forward to it!)
I'm really glad I'm part of the Birth Of A Novel blog chain - I actually feel a little guilty for my Tuesday report being so bland! So please, if you're looking for much more productive people, check out the other participants:

Angela H.

Anna M.

Brooke Busse

Charity Bradford

Elizabeth Davis

Elizabeth Poole

Fida Islaih

Huntress

Lena Hoppe

Mia Hayson

Miranda Hardy

Nyxie Moon

Tessa C

Writing for sanity

2011-11-07T11:04:00.000-08:00

Had a bit of bad news over the weekend so didn't get much writing done. I should have, in hindsight.
I know that whenever I get down, the best thing to do is write, but at the time it feels like it's the last thing I want to do.

Instead, after taking my boy to the cinema and out for lunch, when I had the whole afternoon where I should have been writing, I did nothing but read, eat and surf the Internet. That's something else that I must avoid when I'm down, the Internet. No good ever comes of using Google to try and solve problems, no comfort can be gained from reading about other people who are also struggling with the same issues. There's far too much self pity to indulge in when you take that route, so why do I always do it?

Anyway, I'm making it out much worse than everything actually is. I think I'm taking procrastination to a whole new level here!

I did however, get some writing done today. And I also sent out my picture book to several agents so I feel I've made up for my lazy day and been quite productive. And, as always, I feel better for writing.

I don't think I'm ever going to be able to stop writing, even if it's just for my mental health and emotional state. I wonder if all writers are the same, if when they stop writing, and haven't got a plot to pick at they begin to over think everything else in their life and then slowly go insane.

I wonder if it's the same for all creative energy, that if you don't use it, it just implodes in one way or another....what do you think? Does writing make you happy and do you miss it when it's not in your life?
I know I do.

Nano: Day 5

2011-11-05T05:15:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm not doing to bad. I'm up around five and a half thousand words, ish, so I think it's pretty good going. I'm going to try and write a bit more later on so that I can really bump up my word count, because with it being bonfire night tonight (and a whole night out planned) I don't exactly know how productive I'll get to be tomorrow. And it's also much harder to get anything done with it being the weekend and a husband and son in the house. I know, listen to me, just making excuse after excuse, but I'll tell you something; I'm starting to really enjoy it in a way I didn't think was possible.
Although everything I'm writing is pants, there is a story starting to evolve and with it, some characters that I'm having a lot of fun with.
My basic plot is about two women who come into money, money that they can't be seen to be spending and for some reason, writing about the nature of greed, extravagance, and how daft some people can be with money is turning out to be really fun. And there is also this great liberation in writing and not really caring about how it reads, writing without constant editing is freeing, and I'm loving it. But that's what nano is all about I suppose isn't it?

Word Meters

2011-11-02T08:03:00.000-07:00

I just found, via this blog some really great word-count-tracker-things.
I adore this one which lets you not only enter how many words you've written but also your mood (ranging from 'very frustrated' to 'joyful') and shows how you're feeling about your work.

If I've done this right, the picture with this post should show you the mood 'ready to shoot computer,' and I think we all know how that feels.

I would have it in my side bar but it's a little too big, so I've had to settle for it at the bottom of my blog. Instead, as I need one in my sidebar because I'm a needy, obsessed kind of writer, I've used the word count gadget from here

I wonder with all this word count obsession if it's normal. Do proper, published writers still think 'ah well, I did x number of words today, so it doesn't matter if I don't get dressed/brush teeth/ etc' or if you get to a certain point, after writing for a while, when you're just lost in what you're creating and don't care if you've put down 50 or 500 words.
For me, I can never see me being that kind of writer. I like to know. I think the word count tool is the most used tool on my desktop. That and spell check of course.

So I started a blog

2011-11-01T08:02:00.000-07:00

I know. I know I haven't got time for this, I know what time I spend writing on here, I should be writing on my book but what the hell. I wanted a blog so I got one.
I'm writing a book and I figured this would be a good way to document how I'm doing, also, as I just started Nano, I wanted somewhere to put my little word-count-thingie and feel all proud when I look at it. (I'm hoping for proud, really rooting for a proud feeling here) I just have to work out how to get the damn thing on this page.
So there, first post done, lets hope the next entries are more entertaining than this one.
x

PS. Is there no spell check on here? I rely heavily on spell check. This may be a disaster.