NaNoWriMo 2017: The Final Analysis

Hi Folks!

Well I didn’t get to the desired amount of 50k, but I did get my story on paper. The new manuscript for Book 3 sits at 105 pages for about a 25K word count. Guess I will not be putting in a request for the NaNoWriMo 2017 winner t-shirt.

How Can My Story Be Complete?

I tend to write in a dialog heavy style and later add in other things like exposition, description, body language, and beats. Those 108 pages are probably around 75% dialog. Which of course means it will easily go to 300 pages.

Why Did I Wait Until December 13^th?

I flew out to New York City on Nov. 29^th and didn’t get back until Dec. 7^th. Between  unpacking and catching up on many home chores, this is the first chance I’ve had to sit down and write a blog post.

Did I Do Any Writing While Away?

You know I brought my trusty laptop along and got in a few nights of editing Book One. Only a few chapters are left to edit. Of course, that means I’ll be sending out copies to Beta Readers quite soon.

All in all, I can say that NanoWriMo 2017 went well. How did you do on your project?

NaNoWriMo 2017: Week Three Round Up

Hi Folks! This may come as a surprise. My NaNoWriMo 2017 project is on paper. Did I achieve 50k words? No. Which naturally begs the question how I could possibly be done?

I’ve mentioned before in other posts that my writing procedure can be somewhat awkward when compared to others. Many authors write 115K words and then delete about one-third of their first draft. My drafts tend to expand. Sometimes I don’t add any beats, body language, inner thoughts, descriptions, or appeals to the senses. There are times when I simply blast out page after page of dialog.

I usually turnout what I call draft Version 0.5, which is dialog heavy. The reason for my peculiar style is the desire to get the story on paper first, and then worry about the embellishments later. My first few chapters will have all of the standard extras and then I start drifting into dialog.

As of now, my word count is 24,394 totaling 108 pages.

Hope your NaNoWriMo project is going well.

 

NaNoWriMo 2017: Week Two Round Up

Hi Folks!

I did catch up over the long weekend and basically maintained a par score word count. However, on Monday night, Little Frankie kept us up most of the night. I muddled my way through Tuesday resembling a tired zombie. I missed a whole day of writing.

The current word count for NaNoWriMo 2017 is 20,854.

Courtesy of NaNoWriMo

On the bright side. When I was up around 3am I made the most of that time. Although too tired to write, I managed to edit some chapters from book one. The beta reader manuscript for book one stands at twenty completed chapters. Only 55pages left to edit from the previous draft.

How are things going for you? Tell me about your project or tell me why you don’t have one.

EVERYTIME YOU REPLY – LITTLE FRANKIE DOESN’T CRY

NaNoWriMo 2017: Setting A Proper Goal

According to Chris Baty in his book “No Plot? No Problem!” a deadline is one of the most powerful writing tools around. Deadlines are what keep all those newspapers and magazines generated on time, after all. That’s why every NaNoWriMo event has one. However, NaNoWriMo’s set goal of a particular word-count by a specific date is a goal that cannot be amended. Therefore, for NaNo, quality is the goal that should be tweaked.

Courtesy of NaNoWriMo

The Principle of Exuberant Imperfection

According to Chris, in order to make something beautiful, you first have to make something ugly. This is the definition of Exuberant Imperfection, and is one of the principles where my thinking was completely wrong (I mentioned wrong thinking in a previous post concerning NaNoWriMo 2017). At times I used to stare at my screen trying to craft a perfect beat, or to replace a weak weasel verb. But I’ve learned now that the first draft is not the time to be doing that. Neither is the second draft, for that matter.

Have you ever seen a board freshly ripped from a log? It’s ugly. Once I made a pot rack that started as such a board, jagged and with an uneven surface ten times rougher than a burlap sack. The first thing I had to do was plane the wood to make it look like a piece of stock that one would buy in a Home Depot type of store. Only then could I shape it into its final form.

However, do not misconstrue my meaning. The object is not to aim low, but rather not to set an unattainably high bar. Remember the wise words of Hemingway, “the first draft of anything is a piece of shit.” Just write and keep writing; worry about the small details later when you edit.

How Will You Approach NaNoWrimo 2017?

Have you been setting the bar too high? I know I have done that in the past, and therefore this year will be different. Let me know if this way of thinking will help with your NaNoWriMo 2017 writing project.

 

 

Every Time You Reply – Little Frankie Doesn’t Cry

 

#NaNoWriMo 2014, 3 day Summary

For the first three days of NaNoWriMo 2014, here’s what I have accomplished:

Nov. 1^st

Drove to Boise, Idaho and attended a NaNoWriMo write-in at the Meridian Library. I pumped out about 1,200 words in between cigarette breaks and meeting other authors.

Went to the NaNoWriMo kick-off party at Fuddrucker’s and met many more local #indieauthors. What an interesting crazy crowd. 🙂

Image Courtesy of National Novel Writing Month

Nov. 2^nd

It was Sunday and I attended Mass as usual. After breakfast, I managed about 1,400 more words. Had to make dinner and watch a couple of episodes of #StarTrek Enterprise with my wife. It was Sunday and we needed some couch-cuddling time.

Nov. 3^rd

Now I’m really proud of myself. I managed to #write 1,620 words today to add to my count. What’s so great about that you may ask? I’ve seen other authors posting 4,800 or more words in a day.

Well, consider the circumstances. Did some research on heating furnaces and then went to a hardware store to get supplies to fix a leak in ours. Wrote a bit more and went to the dentist. Got home, wrote still more, then made dinner.

I’m proud of that 1,620 word count on a busy personal day.

I must say that on account of NaNoWriMo, I #amwriting more than usual.

How are your word count and goals holding up during NaNoWriMo 2014?