2015 Nano

By far the most difficult NaNo. I thought I'd run out of story at 40k words; but I didn't expect to have so much trouble getting any tangential inspirations for the last 10,000 words. 

I also didn't expect to be ill for most of it. 

But even after the doxycycline kicked in, I would never have finished it without the encouraging emails from my friend Barbara; and several phone calls with my mom, who let me ramble through story points. 

Thanks to them I finished, even though I averaged 500 words an hour for 6 of the last 10,000 words. 

New November. New NoWriMo

So NaNo again. 

Barbara and I are doing a presentation at the library on sticking with NaNoWriMo so I started looking at this again. 

I missed this. 

Last week in October?!

ALREADY?!

Editing

I've tried--repeatedly--to figure out some method for editing my manuscripts. Not the line edits--word choice, sentence rhythm, the notes let's say--years of writing poetry have helped me there. 

No, the story structure and chapter/scene level edits seem to well pick your cliche: slide through my fingers, something something wisp, something something phantom. 

I just can't seem to get them to make any  sense in my head. 

There seem to be two major schools if thought: 

1. Print out your MS and mark it up with stickies and a pencil;

2. Draw pictures. 

Now. I'm bad with THINGS. I've spent the past five years of my life trying to get rid of objects. Data is fine! Virtual stuff--I can organize that. But give me a physical object and I'm frozen. 

And I'm a word person. That whole info graphic thing? It's easier for me to read a spreadsheet. 

So, I'm a bit loath to print out a ton of paper. I've done it, but it's just confusing me more. Also, reading a bunch of 8 1/2 x11s or A4s (work has accustomed me to translating to the British from the American) well, that's unwieldy at best. 

But as always, Scrivener to the rescue! 

"What if," I thought, "What if I made my first draft into a mobi. And sent it to my Kindle? And... Used my Kindle's notes and highlights...?" 

Oh. Yes. That. 

55647

Validated today on first day. 

Just wish I were done with the story! 

50095 official; 50370 Scrivener

So I finished the monthly goal around noon.

Now I just need to finish the story. only 25-30k more words to go!

Oy.

36230, chapter 5

Chapter 5 is complete, and I'm at 36k words. About right for an 80k word novel in 12 chapters, but I can't help thinking I'm a bit behind (also I'm not sure if what i have planned for the leadup to the final scenes will actually work).

I had wanted to get through chapter 6 today, but it looks like I'll finish 06 tomorrow. Finishing 50,000 words will not be much trouble--I likely will have that Friday--but it'll be a lot harder to get the STORY done. That, I'm not so sure about.

The story itself should take at least 75k words--the question, of course, is whether or not I can get that many done in less than two weeks. I'm not quite halfway there, but I should pass 40,000 words tomorrow. But I don't think I'll have enough time, late in the week, to write all the words.