Cookies of Discontent: Nano '05 blogs

[stacer]

Hey, if it's a motivational thing, that's great!

[MsFish]

I have just under 3,000 words so far.  Only 9,000 words short of today's goal, but hey, that's pretty good considering I also wrote a 2,500 word outline, and started from scratch this morning.

Ironically I wasn't even up to 3,000 on my other novel yet.  It was going that slow.  So I guess the switch was a good idea.

[Chimera]

The fairytale one.  I'm starting from scratch--rewriting what I have and going from there.  I've almost finished a detailed outline (something that never happens to me) and I have about 2,000 words on the body.  (Albeit, not consecutive words, but that *never* happens to me.)

Consequetive words are highly over-rated.

You know my strange style of writing and why I feel this way. I write dialogue several chapters apart before I get the action and plot sequences in between filled in. Which is fine--except that putting together all the pieces later can be frustrating. But if it's how you write, it's how you write. Congratulations on finding a project that inspires you!

(I have to say, though, that I'm a little disappointed it wasn't Rachel that took your fancy. I wanna see more hairy backs!)   J/k

[Fellfrosch]

I'm very happy that your new book is working out, Fish--especially if it means no hairy backs. As for not writing consecutively, that drives me bananas, but I write very organically, and it's very hard for me to know what's going to happen later if I can't build up to that point and see what feels right.

[MsFish]

Thanks, Fell.  
I wrote my first book consecutively, and then when I wrote my second I skipped ahead to write scenes I was excited about, and made a complete mess out of the thing and had to piece it back together.  I swore I'd never write out of order again...and I haven't written in order since.

[Fellfrosch]

13, 565 as of tonight. I am well pleased.

[stacer]

I'm still at under 4,000. I didn't get home from FHE till 9 something and then had a number of things to do. It's 10:30 and I want to write, but can't find the mental energy. I'd like to do this in my spare time, but I find my spare time demands that I sleep. I think my creative energy is sapped right now anyway--I've got 3 books to edit in two months, and it's going to take quite a push to do them well, plus all the extras that I've got to get going on. I haven't looked at the slush pile for two months. Those poor authors are probably hating me and telling all their friends what a slow response I have.

You know, it was one thing when I edited textbooks or a magazine about industrial electrical motors. Coming home and writing was my creative outlet. But right now I'm coming home and don't even want to read, let alone write. How do you find the creative energy when you're sapped? I really do want to at least finish this story, but I'm not sure it's going to happen while I'm worrying so much about my day job.  Yet I'll always have a day job (for the foreseeable future), so I have to learn how to get around that somehow.

[Chimera]

I skipped ahead to write scenes I was excited about

Yep. That's how I'm writing right now. When a scene becomes clear to me, I write it. But being in a writing group forces me then to sit down and write all the stuff that happens in between these scenes. So I am writing both incoherently and coherently--I'll write a consecutive scene for an hour, and then go write a scene I'm excited about that takes place several chapters away. Then I have to figure out to get from where I am to what I've written. Of course, I change things as needed. Which means I have more rewriting to do, and that I am still kind of in the stage of "discover as I go" writing, but at least I am writing.

But this is my first novel (that I am forcing myself to finish). Which is a lot different from writing a short story. As I write more and more, I may develop a more stream-lined style of writing. For now, this works.

[Fellfrosch]

I know exactly what you mean, Stacer. Becoming a professional writer was one of the worst things to happen to my novel writing, because it's very hard to do something at work all day and then come home and do the same thing all night. Our brains need a break--not a rest, just the chance to do something very different. It's only in the past four or five months that I've been able to get into a regular writing schedule, but even then I need frequent breaks to recharge the creative portion of my brain.

[Nessa]

When a scene becomes clear to me, I write it....I'll write a consecutive scene for an hour, and then go write a scene I'm excited about that takes place several chapters away. Then I have to figure out to get from where I am to what I've written.

I do that, too. It's a terrible habit, but I've found that if I don't write what comes to me right away, I lose it, and that's upsetting, especially when it's good stuff.

I think my creative energy is sapped right now anyway.... Coming home and writing was my creative outlet. But right now I'm coming home and don't even want to read, let alone write. How do you find the creative energy when you're sapped?

Too familiar. I had a tech writing job for several years, and that didn't sap my energy and creativity as much as having kids has. I wrote prolifically in high school and college, but as soon as I gave birth <slurp> there goes any creativity down the sink. Perhaps it's the sleepless nights. Perhaps it's doing the same messy stuff day after day. But finally, after years, the writing bug has bit again. So I think creativity ebbs and flows, depending, and just because it's gone now, doesn't mean it's gone forever.

[MsFish]

Becoming a professional writer was one of the worst things to happen to my novel writing, because it's very hard to do something at work all day and then come home and do the same thing all night.

This is why I haven't tried to find a job writing, like everyone seems to think I should.  I'd never write my own stuff again.  On the other hand, working retail numbs my brain so badly that I have plenty of time to plan things through, and I really need to use my brain when I get home from work.  It actually works quite nicely.

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

Both blogs, after a week of inaction, are back in vogue. Give them some love.

[Chimera]

There are some challenges, however. Last night I didn't get 3000 words because in the middle of the word "several" the 'A' key stopped working. For no discernable reason. All the other keys on that laptop work fine. 'A' does nothing. Strange.

e, if your 'A' key stopped working, how did you write the blog?   You must have written it at work or something.

I've never had that happen to me. Is there maybe something stuck in the keyboard under the 'A' key so it can't be pressed down? Very strange. I don't know how you'll write without 'A'--it's kind of essential. Although you could use a substitute and Find and Replace later. Like @ or # or *.

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

I write most of my TWG content at work. I get paid to do this stuff, can you believe it?

The key depresses, but nothing happens, even if I pound on it (which I admit probably didn't help matters at all, no matter how good it felt at the time).

My wife suggested the alternate key at the time as well. Theproblem is, I touch type, entirely. I'll go for hours without ever noticing my keyboard at all. I only saw the 'A' problem because I was going back to change a word. Thus, using @ (the natural first choice) or really, anything not in the exact same location as A would be extremely obnoxious and reduce my productivity. I shall have to use the tired old desk top (fondly dubbed Poopster) for typing this month, I suppose. Shouldn't be too bad if I don't try to run ANYTHING else at the same time.

[The Jade Knight]

Forgive me, but I must admit it feels good to be (by some miracle, or, in your case, calamity) ahead of you E, in word count.

Unfortunately, I fear you'll have caught up to me in a few days, and that would spoil all of my fun.

*sigh*  I'm so slackerish.


I once had a problem with keys not working when my keyboard got wet.  It was fine after a few days of drying out.  As a rule, though, I never type onto my laptop directly.  I use an external keyboard to save my laptop keyboard the wear & tear (and for the convenience of having a numpad).


And I want to see that NWN module.