It’s a good news bad news kinda thing (NaNo Day 6)

Posted by Frank Cote on November 6, 2017
Posted in: news and views.

Well it happened. I skipped a day. I guess that’s bad news.

Still, there’s a lot of good news.

I did make it to 8300 words and change.   With my built in buffer, aiming for 2000 words a day (and getting more), I’m very much still on track.   I am taking that as a win.

Some more good things:

  • I wrote on Sunday.   At first I did not feel up to it (I was sick overnight Saturday, so Sunday morning was not at all a good morning for yours truly), but once Scrivener was up and I typed the first 100, the next 2000 words came fairly easily.   Let me repeat those last two words for emphasis because I need to remind myself, fairly easily.
  • While I do feel a little aimless in my story right now, I have a rough map of where I’m going and I’m heading that way scene by scene.  Each scene comes up, I know what I want in it and so far it’s great for word count.  Whether I’m writing dialogue for my characters or I’m world building by description, the word count for that is pretty high.  The aimless feeling isn’t slowing me down.  I figure I’ll dial it in as I go and if I don’t write “The End” at the end of November, I can just keep going until I do right?
  • I’ve identified my main problem, the main block to my writing.  It’s not really news to me, but what is news to me at this is time is that this is really the ONLY problem I have that blocks me.  Butt In Chair Time. Let me be clear about it.   It’s not that I don’t have the time.  I have PLENTY of time.  I can sneak in words anywhere at anytime.   My problem is STARTING.  Actually opening up Scrivener and typing actual words.   I can do 2000 words easily.   I’m so thrilled at how everything is coming out, when I actually write.  The hardest part of my day, as evidenced so far, and for some reason it feels harder today and yesterday than it did on November 1st, is firing up Scrivener and writing down the first dozen or so words.  I’m finding that once I cross the 100 word barrier (around there, it’s not an exact number), I have no problem going back in and adding to my WIP all day.   Conversely, I noticed yesterday that once I crossed 2000 words, well all bets were off and despite wanting (in my head) to catch up for Saturday’s lack, it was easily to just “do it later” (translation:  Not do it at all).   I figure that’s less of a problem (if my only problem becomes that I ONLY write 2000 words a day, I am blessed indeed), so one thing at a time.
  • Going into week two, in general, I’m not feeling a drag yet.   I’ve got things to write.   I’m going to hit 10K today.  We will see if the slump catches me by surprise.   I’m hoping to keep it at bay til week three.
  • I’m committed to my goal of writing crap.  As such my first draft right now is messier than I’ve had in years (feels like my first nano draft of Revenant).  I take this to be an extremely good sign.

 

Something I’m wondering about as I write, I would love to find a way to do word counts on parts of novels that I know and love.  Sometimes I wonder if my scenes are too long or too short and it would be a real education to get stats to compare.   I’m drawing zip on information online.   I guess I can always import my kindle versions into word or something and just do it manually.

Well…I’m off to write that first 100 words to break today’s ice.