NaNo Plans
October 14th, 2008
Be warned: I’m typing this in a new bit of writing software that I’m not too used to yet so if this post seems a little off that’s why.
Ah, what a wonderful day. Went to Borders (book store) with Keiyou while my Husband was in class and sat around for a good four hours writing. It was beautiful. I love days like this when the planets seem to align just right and let me do my own thing via noveling.
Alas, though the planets may have been aligned I didn’t get nearly as much done as you’d think I would in four whole hours but I did bust a nice three and a half pages out. Not to mention the facts that one: my writing is uber tiny and two: we were in a public place that while usually mildly distracting turned out to be very loud today but I suppose it could be worse. I could have had my laptop with me and procrastinated the whole time on the internet. *smiles ruefully*
I think I’m starting to get a vague idea of how I’m going to handle the NaNo this year. I didn’t even realize I had a bit of a plan swimming around in the back of my head until a new writer buddy of mine (Chibi) mentioned something along my same line of thinking- which just goes to prove that great minds think alike. :)
See, the outline, and when I say that I mean a very vague/basic kind of outline, for Kat’s Tail is all done- a fact that leaves me dancing at random and singing nonsense all about the house. It’s the first time ever that I’ve gotten so close to feeling like it might just be possible for me to write what I consider a book.
Anyways, so my basic outline is done. I know where my plot is going and what my character’s motivations are. After that was done I started another outline, breaking it down a little and writing a little more specifically what happens in each scene or chapter- not actually sure if I have chapters but I’m splitting it down some invisible line that I can more feel than actually think about. Whenever I finish a good fairly vague chunk of that I go and make ‘another’ even more detailed outline that includes dialogue, descriptions, thoughts, feelings, and everything else. It’s very akin to a first draft but still very NaNo style (which is good practice at this point) as I don’t allow allow myself the liberty of a back button and well,… my spell check is in an entirely different piece of software than the one I prefer to use for my story writing.
Every time I re-write the entire story I add more detail. I write a good three or four chapters by hand before I go and type them up in rough draft form. It’s nice and it makes me feel more confident in the fact that I know my characters. My greatest fear in story telling, one of them, is that I write one think and then contradict it like twelve chapters later because most of this stuff is in my head without help from eternal sources. :) That and it’s wonderful to see a stack of papers like physical evidence that I really am achieving something and not just playing on the internet all night as I’m prone to do on occasion.
Anyways, as I’m already NaNo-rebelling, I think I’m going to continue my very basic outline of all the chapters and scenes and I’ll just hold off on actually typing it up until November. This way I’ll get a whole bunch of outlining done and I can just zoom along in my writing. Everything else though I’ll still be doing in traditional NaNo fashion. No looking back, no editing, racing against the clock, and freeing my self from all the rules. It truly is beautiful.
I’ve made a few new writing buddies via the blogosphere recently and it’d be awesome if you could give them a look sometime. Both are excellent writers in my opinion.
Chibi of Illuminated Words and Willow of The Ranting Willow.
Well, that’s it for this post. I have a whole bunch of other thoughts (and two short stories) I’ll be jotting down for your pleasure in just a few minutes but until then please let me know what you think of the new look. The header I made myself with verbal help from my husband and sis. The base design isn’t mine but the coloring and the center are. I’ve also change WW the site over to this look. Hopefully I’ll get that all revamped nicely soon. :)
Happy writing everyone and best blessings!
You know, I thought it was interesting that you say you plan so much. Are you sure that you’re not overplanning? Sometimes if you plan too much, you loose enthusiasm for the ending of the story. Your outline needs to have flexibility, and that’s always something to keep in mind. For example, your plot might have all of the goals for your story, but not how you’re getting to those goals. Then you’ve still got surprises along the way.
Also, editing during a story tends to be a bad idea in my opinion… I find it much easier if you just write the story and then edit afterwards. So what if there is a contradiction in chapter twelve from chapter one? It’s not like you can’t edit it later, right?
Chibi: :) Indeed. No, I know I’m not over planning because as I’ve said I try to keep it pretty vague. I write down the things that have to happen plot wise and then when I do the actual writing I let my pen lead the way. This is the first story I’ve done this sort of planning before so it’s hard to tell what’s too much or too little but I know that right now it feels very comfortable. Hopefully I don’t get distracted by a mental shiny object- that aside I don’t see myself losing interest anytime soon. I have done that before, not with this outlining system but a few years ago in another style I used to write- let’s just say there were a lot of unfinished projects.
Ah, if that happens I just leave a note for myself within my outlines. I’ll correct it much later when it’s time to do the re-writing but that’s not for a long ways down the road. My style is fairly free though it may not sound like it at first. No spell check, no backspace, no editing until I’m done getting the whole thing done. Getting it finished is way more important to me than making it look pretty. :D:D:D
Indeedy!
whatever you write, enjoy. being mindful in each moment is key, but i don’t have to tell you this. :-D
i’ve written shorts and novels with detailed plans and no plans, and both ways have worked and not worked: with the over-planning it did grow stale; with the no-plan i got lost. but other times it all worked out well (imho). i think you have to go with what feels right. if it doesn’t pan out you can always try again another way. i’ve done that, too. so long as you’re feeling it, it’s good. :-D
oh, and the header pic is gorgeous.
Hey Spirit: Thanks so much for stopping by my blog. I love the layout and color scheme of yours. Very relaxing. About Nano…I totally forgot it was coming up this year. I think I will end up being a perpetual “unofficial” participant. Every time it rolls around, I’m in the middle of a book or project.
Right now, I’m gearing up for a web promo tour in celebration of my urban fantasy HOW TO TAME A HARPY being chosen as a finalist in the American Title V competition (sponsored by Dorchester Publishing & Romantic Times magazine). But your post kind of kicked me into gear because I’d like to do Nano, so I will attempt (stress the attempt) to write a 10k novella during that time.
I think the competition is a great way to meet other writers and to create a writing support system, since we’re all in this “race” together.
Oh — and as a side note — I agree with Chibi’s opinion that editing during the writing process can actually do more harm than good.
Since I’m a former editor, it’s a habit I really try hard to break, but still find myself doing. I end up writing something and then having to go back to the beginning because I don’t think it flows well. But again, that’s the great thing about NANO. You don’t have to put out a perfect manuscript. Just the word count. After that, we have all the time in the world to revise our babies to death.
Happy writing!
Michelle Lauren
HOW TO TAME A HARPY
American Title V Finalist
**Voting starts soon. Check my site to see how you can keep me in the competition + also how you can win some free goodies during my promo tour**
http://www.michellelaurenbooks.com
http://www.myspace.com/michellelaurenbooks
thanks for the shoutout :)
I’m still procrastinating like crazy, but I feel like tonight, I am going to do that first vital step – the overall outline. Things’ll fall into place after that. I think. :p
Rt: Hello!!! Muchly agreed and nope- you don’t need to tell me that. It was a hard lesson to learn but one I won’t soon forget…. not without a fight at least.
Indeed! For me it’s a bit of a balance too, I know what over planning feels like. I’m quite capable of doing it during my long hours of procrastination if I let my mind take the reins long enough on that matter but I try very hard not to because I know that just doesn’t work for me. Having no plan… well, that works well for my poetry but not much else. I feel uprooted without some sort of idea laid down on paper to the general direction I want to go. I don’t need to write out all the ideas just a vague road map so I can make plenty of stops and changes along the way. :)
Thankies!!! :D I thought it was very fitting this blog but I’m still thinking of toning down the color bright/dark thingy, something about it is still making my eyes go a lil weird.
Michelle: Hello you! It’s wonderful to see you over here. Before I forget (as I tend to do with most things) I wanted to let you know that I’ve added you to my blogroll.
There’s nothing wrong with unofficial! :) I prefer it that way with most things, somehow is almost, keyword being almost, takes the edge off the stress and makes it a little easier because goodness knows we writers are a stressed out bunch as it is but who isn’t these days, right?
I’m happy to hear I might have helped a little, I personally can’t imagine not doing the NaNo. It helped me out so much last year and though I came out with many lessons learned from it… It’s like re-reading a really good book. You always come back with something you missed the first time around even though the words haven’t really changed and it’s the same book, it’s that we change over the course a year (much more than most people realize) and with that new viewpoint we take in so much more, alas, I’m babbling again. :)
Muchly agreed, I don’t see my revisions as editing as much as I see them as expanding. When I write another outline I’m not changing the old one at all (my poor spell check is cringing at that knowledge and I know my poor sister, who’s avidly been reading everything, cringes through all my errors and I still don’t change it. :P), I’m just putting more into it. :) I don’t personally look forward to the day when I finally go and read back on everything I’ve written. I smile because of the word count but I know the second I go and look back at my first draft I’ll want to edit it… so I don’t. :) It’s good to be reminded of that though- we writers are brought up in school to write so differently from our true creative potential… it’s hard to break old habits. :)
Lol, that is true. I like that last line, I might have to quote you someday. :D
Thankies and Peace and also, good luck on the contest. :) I hope you get it!
Willow: No problem, I like to support those blogs I love and yours is definitely on my list. Sorry if it takes me awhile to come around sometimes but when I do come around I’ll leave you so many comments you might not know what to do with them all! :D
Good, good! That first step is often the hardest to make but it’s all a river after this and not even the biggest dam can truly stop that instinctual natural flow that we writers possess. Lol, and procrastination isn’t a bad thing. If I didn’t procrastinate so much I might not have ever come up with half my current projects. :D
Good luck to you Willow and let me know if you need someone to rant at. :D