TheCrystallineEntity
Istar
I'm steadily catching up on typing after two days of just notebook writing. I'm at 8,000 words with six-ish pages left to type for today. 
-
Welcome to the Fantasy Writing Forums. Register Now to join us!
NaNoWriMo 2017!
- Thread starter Chessie2
- Start date
Fluffypoodel
Inkling
Did another 3k session and really starting to wonder how long I'm gong to keep up this pace. If I keep going at my current rate I'll be over 100k by the end of the month. that would be great but I'm also worrying about quality at that point. the majority of my mind is saying to get it done and out of the way, that I'll spend the same amount of time doing a less strenuous revision after I finish the rewrite so that's what I'm going with for now.
TheCrystallineEntity
Istar
I'm caught up to 10,000 words.
The trouble is that the next two parts are a story within a story about the main 'antagonist' and I have no idea how long to make it [mainly for pacing reasons]. I was thinking 20,000 for both parts.
The trouble is that the next two parts are a story within a story about the main 'antagonist' and I have no idea how long to make it [mainly for pacing reasons]. I was thinking 20,000 for both parts.
Garren Jacobsen
Auror
Calling ti a night at 1707 and dozing off for a bit in the middle of that.
FifthView
Vala
1752 today. Had a great time introducing a new POV.
Myth WeaverI seem stuck at half speed or less this time around. 400-600 words a night; usually I do double or triple that during NaNo.
Still on Chapter Three. Lewis is at the Monastery, but the 'monks' are assuming distinctive personalities of their own, so what was supposed to be a thousand word chapter could be double that.
Worse, I might be staring the 'Curse of Chapter Four' straight in the face. In writing, there is the first page, the first chapter, the fourth chapter, the tenth chapter (or roughly 30,000 words) and then the last few chapters. Each represents a hurdle or potential hurdle to the author. Writing that first page overcomes the challenge of that blank whiteness. Finishing the first chapter is an illusionary victory; this site is littered with works that stopped at chapter one or shortly thereafter. But, push past that, well, there's the curse of chapter four. Past this point, the characters are introduced, the challenge set, and you are off into the ever so muddy middle, lost in a wilderness of verbiage and plot details. I usually have a vision and an outline to carry me past this point, a crutch to lean on.
This time, that crutch appears to be a frail twig. Chapter four, I can do. Chapters five and six, I can at least attempt, though the visions are dimmer. But then things get murky. I may have to do more outlining and brainstorming.
Still on Chapter Three. Lewis is at the Monastery, but the 'monks' are assuming distinctive personalities of their own, so what was supposed to be a thousand word chapter could be double that.
Worse, I might be staring the 'Curse of Chapter Four' straight in the face. In writing, there is the first page, the first chapter, the fourth chapter, the tenth chapter (or roughly 30,000 words) and then the last few chapters. Each represents a hurdle or potential hurdle to the author. Writing that first page overcomes the challenge of that blank whiteness. Finishing the first chapter is an illusionary victory; this site is littered with works that stopped at chapter one or shortly thereafter. But, push past that, well, there's the curse of chapter four. Past this point, the characters are introduced, the challenge set, and you are off into the ever so muddy middle, lost in a wilderness of verbiage and plot details. I usually have a vision and an outline to carry me past this point, a crutch to lean on.
This time, that crutch appears to be a frail twig. Chapter four, I can do. Chapters five and six, I can at least attempt, though the visions are dimmer. But then things get murky. I may have to do more outlining and brainstorming.
FifthView
Vala
Did another 3k session and really starting to wonder how long I'm gong to keep up this pace. If I keep going at my current rate I'll be over 100k by the end of the month. that would be great but I'm also worrying about quality at that point. the majority of my mind is saying to get it done and out of the way, that I'll spend the same amount of time doing a less strenuous revision after I finish the rewrite so that's what I'm going with for now.
Get it done and out of the way.
Quality is only a big issue during and after revision, imo.
For me, quality is an issue during this Nano sprint, but I'm doing all I can to stay near the word count curve, and that means letting myself feel happy when the first third or half of what I write each day is pretty good. When the exhaustion kicks in, what follows is a cluster of ugly brain mash.
A few areas will obviously need intense revision. Repetitive word use, Uninspired prose for a bit of the description. Occasional overmuch exposition, telling, and on-the-nose narration. Hazy POV focus or lack thereof.
Then the issues of larger structures. I introduced a new POV in the second scene of the second chapter and will bounce back to the original POV character in the third scene. I think it works ok for now, but starting the second chapter with that new POV would maybe be better? Dunno at this point. I might have a prologue-ish thing with that POV instead, by the end of things, to make the sudden appearance late in Ch. 2 less jarring.
But all that is stuff that can be handled in revision.
One problem I'm having is a lack of sleep, since I've been writing to near midnight. Still getting up early. So as the work week wears on, I'm more tired when I sit to write...which slows the writing the next evening or else makes the writing clunkier. Vicious circle.
Fluffypoodel
Inkling
Get it done and out of the way.
Quality is only a big issue during and after revision, imo.
For me, quality is an issue during this Nano sprint, but I'm doing all I can to stay near the word count curve, and that means letting myself feel happy when the first third or half of what I write each day is pretty good. When the exhaustion kicks in, what follows is a cluster of ugly brain mash.
A few areas will obviously need intense revision. Repetitive word use, Uninspired prose for a bit of the description. Occasional overmuch exposition, telling, and on-the-nose narration. Hazy POV focus or lack thereof.
Then the issues of larger structures. I introduced a new POV in the second scene of the second chapter and will bounce back to the original POV character in the third scene. I think it works ok for now, but starting the second chapter with that new POV would maybe be better? Dunno at this point. I might have a prologue-ish thing with that POV instead, by the end of things, to make the sudden appearance late in Ch. 2 less jarring.
But all that is stuff that can be handled in revision.
One problem I'm having is a lack of sleep, since I've been writing to near midnight. Still getting up early. So as the work week wears on, I'm more tired when I sit to write...which slows the writing the next evening or else makes the writing clunkier. Vicious circle.
Thanks for the encouragement! I'm going to keep going and worry in revision. It had been my hope that this draft would be of a more refined quality and ready to get looked at but the farther I get into it the warier I get. DOn't get me wrong, Its much better than the first draft but there are still issues. I understand the sleep issues. I've been staring midnight in the face more often than I would like but I suppose that's the life.
POV issues have been giving me some trouble as well. I seem to have chapters that are longer than I anticipated. I might pair them down later but they are still going to be big. I've been fooling around with the idea of splitting the perspectives within the chapter but I'm not sure. If it continues into the future I might consider it but I want to keep the chapters with one POV each. The struggle.
FifthView
Vala
I'm in a slightly different boat, because I'm pantsing a first draft. Before Nano began, I had more or less decided I'd have two POVs. But as I began to write the first chapter, it stretched to over 5K words in the single POV, and I'd begun to think that maybe I would write the whole thing in that single POV. The first chapter came to a satisfying endpoint in its particular arc. I began the second chapter with that POV leaping forward three days to the point where the fearful anticipation threading through the first chapter's events was about to culminate, wrote a very good scene taking the MC to that cliff, then realized that having the second POV take over in the second scene would be great. All that anticipatory stuff leading to this catalyst—forces and characters coming together—set up that first character, and this second character's POV would allow me to observe that first character's reaction to this turn in his life. While also allowing me to have this balance between two side that will form the whole schismatic theme of the novel.
Anyway...heh, maybe I'm being vague. I could probably as easily rewrite the first chapter to include the first scene of the second chapter, and just start the second chapter with the second POV. The only thing is that holds me back from making that decision, besides the Nano sprint, is that I'm fairly certain at this point the first POV character's POV will be the primary POV of the book. The second POV is important also, but secondary in my opinion. So I think I'll probably not want whole chapters devoted to that second POV.
- Thread starter
- #70
Suppose it's a personal preference, but I mix povs in my chapters all the time. I do, however, keep one pov per scene and separate them with a *** to keep things tidy.
FifthView
Vala
Yeah, I have scene breaks. Mostly, I've wondered if the long first chapter and then first scene in the second chapter in the single POV make the sudden introduction of a second POV a little clunky. I'm not too worried about it. Once I have the whole draft finished, I'll be able to get a better feel.
Fluffypoodel
Inkling
I'm not against mixing my POVs. I have five in From the Ashes but they don't actually run into each other for a few chapters so my worries come, I guess, from continuity. If I want to switch perspectives within a chapter, fifteen chapters in, will that throw off immersion? If I write it well then I suppose it wouldn't but I could avoid the issue altogether if I do it earlier to set the precedent. Then again I am rather attached to the single POV chapter. The idea of withholding pers[ective form the reader, forcing them to wait to see a character's internal reaction is what I like to see in fiction so I want to include it in my own.
Like what was said before. Revision can fix these problems. I'm just trying to look forward to make those processes a bit easier.
Like what was said before. Revision can fix these problems. I'm just trying to look forward to make those processes a bit easier.
- Thread starter
- #73
I hate withholding perspectives, lol. It enrages me when authors do it, so I don't do it. Funny how we're all different but hey, it's what makes the world go 'round.
Fluffypoodel
Inkling
Agreed. Suppose we'll see how it pans out in the coming weeks.
TheCrystallineEntity
Istar
If I did ten pages a day, I'd be done by either in 12 days or 16 days [roughly]. I don't know if I'll manage to do ten pages a day, though. I'll be lucky to get five done a day. According to a bunch of math I did, I could do five pages a day and be done in 24 days.
Antonius
Scribe
Eight days in and I'm already struggling. I've written just over 7000 words. Averaging 1000 words/day.
Tom
Istar
Things have been busy lately, but NaNo has been slowly but surely dragging me in. I'm definitely not in it to win this year, but I still would like to give it a shot. It tends to keep me on track and writing every day.
- Thread starter
- #78
2537 today. Would have done more but I kept fooling around on Canva.
Don't give up! Even if it's just a few words a day, don't give up!
Fluffypoodel
Inkling
You can do it!! Don't give up!!
Fluffypoodel
Inkling
Closer to 4k than 3k today so I will chalk that up as a win. The chapter is about half finished and it makes me happy, not that I'm cruising through my word goals but that I'm setting up the story as I want it to be. In the past I've struggled with getting out of a scene too quickly, of resolving conflict without problems. I seem to be moving past that and I am grateful that the many hours of practice and revision are paying off.
