Slowly but surely...
I managed to write two entire chapters last night - writing it directly into the blog post window. That's odd for me. I normally compose in Word 2000 and then cut and paste into the blog (or whatever forum I'm posting my writings to). You're not supposed to go back and edit what you write during NaNoWriMo, but I had to. I'm too much of a perfectionist to cast my compulsion to edit by the wayside.
Actually, reading back on the thing, it's not that bad. I'm not happy with the characterizations so far, but I'm treating it as a first draft anyway, so I can always go back and fix it later on. My main concern is that what I put on the page doesn't resemble the rambling I've seen on other blogs done on the NaNoWriMo site. Maybe it's just pride, I don't know. I just don't want to look like an idiot. As I mentioned in my earlier post, there are some really good NaNo blogs, though. I saw one that should really be published material. The guy is good and evidently doesn't know it. If it were mine, there's no way in hell I'd post it on the internet. I'd post a link to that site here, but I lost track of the URL and now I don't feel like paging back through to find it again. I should have bookmarked it. Oh, well. It basically served the purpose of setting a standard for me to emulate in my own writing.
Characterization - the one hurdle I can't seem to jump on the first try. Why is it that I can envision the characters in my head but can't force them through my damned hands and into writing? I feel sort of lost without C_W now. That writing group was one in a million - I could believe the criticism I got there. But, such is life. On the other hand, I know that I've outgrown writing groups and should start trying to write something of substance. I just posted this long rant on the paranormal board about people these days being unable to think and process things for themselves. I think I'm guilt-projecting, wishing I had the massive brain-power of a Faulkner or a Thoreau. It's not that I'm a stupid person, I just lack good communication skills. That, and I'll admit I'm out of touch with real people. I study them, trying to pick up subtle things that makes them individuals, but then I feel like the proverbial cold-blooded scientist studying pygmies. I see them, but I just don't F___ing understand them. That's why my characters are so wooden. I have not a clue what makes people tick. The simple knowledge of that drives me crazy.
Anyhow, I'm writing on. I think I can add another 4,000 words to the blog novel by Wednesday, if all goes well. I do have a lot of irons in the fire, including that insurance exam next Saturday, but I don't want it to distract me from working on the story. I already have the next two chapters in mind, I just need to force them out.
Until later,
Jillian
A chronicle of my adventures in the business of writing and publishing.
What the heck IS this?
This is a compilation of my blogger & journal entries I've made since approximately 2004, mostly concerning my writing and other what-nots and what-ifs. I have 4 other blogs which I'm going to combine with this one, so to those who know me, bear with me.
Sunday, November 07, 2004
Saturday, November 06, 2004
When All Else Fails...
When you're a horror writer and you can't think of anything scary to write about, join a paranormal group. You will find the craziest stuff in there. Because I like to write in this genre, I frequently browse through the paranormal sites for new ideas when none come by me on their own. I recently joined the ------list on -------, mostly looking for information on Shadow People, which is supposed to be the subject of my NaNoWriMo blog-novel. Instead, I've been drawn into weird conversations over time portals and trans-dimensional travel. Though from a writer's standpoint, I AM interested in those subjects, I didn't find much on Shadow People. One guy says they're 'spirit guardians' (another name for guardian angels). Others say they're simply a new form of entity like a ghost or a demon, while still more people say they're aliens traveling in between dimensions. Lots of theories to kick around, that's for sure. At any rate, I should get started on my blog. I need to write at least 1,200 words per day to make the 50K mark. I think I'll start tonight, after what I've learned from -------------------.com.
It's not easy just to sit down and pound out a novel. I can sit here tonight and write 7,500 words, no sweat, but the ideas have to come to me. I've already outlined the novel, and now I need to work on character sketches so that the story can begin to take on its full shape. I've browsed some of the other NaNo blogs, and some are pretty good, while others are simply confusing. I don't want to churn out a 50K load of crap, though. That seems pointless to me. I could write my version of James Joyce's 'Finnegan's Wake," and compose the novel in dream-speech. I could write 50K worth of gibberish and it would all be the same as far as anyone else is concerned. Does anybody really read these things, anyway?
Well, I'd better get started. I had the perfect opportunity today - everyone was gone and I was alone at home. I ended up surfing the net instead, wasting even more time. Somehow writing has become a chore - something my mind wants to do but my body is fighting it. I'll just start typing tonight, basing the new chapter(s) on myoutline, and see what happens. Sooner or later I'd like to finish a decent novel that has a ghost's chance in hell of being published. It's difficult, though. I think I'm pushing myself way too hard.
That's all for now -
Write on,
Jillian
When you're a horror writer and you can't think of anything scary to write about, join a paranormal group. You will find the craziest stuff in there. Because I like to write in this genre, I frequently browse through the paranormal sites for new ideas when none come by me on their own. I recently joined the ------list on -------, mostly looking for information on Shadow People, which is supposed to be the subject of my NaNoWriMo blog-novel. Instead, I've been drawn into weird conversations over time portals and trans-dimensional travel. Though from a writer's standpoint, I AM interested in those subjects, I didn't find much on Shadow People. One guy says they're 'spirit guardians' (another name for guardian angels). Others say they're simply a new form of entity like a ghost or a demon, while still more people say they're aliens traveling in between dimensions. Lots of theories to kick around, that's for sure. At any rate, I should get started on my blog. I need to write at least 1,200 words per day to make the 50K mark. I think I'll start tonight, after what I've learned from -------------------.com.
It's not easy just to sit down and pound out a novel. I can sit here tonight and write 7,500 words, no sweat, but the ideas have to come to me. I've already outlined the novel, and now I need to work on character sketches so that the story can begin to take on its full shape. I've browsed some of the other NaNo blogs, and some are pretty good, while others are simply confusing. I don't want to churn out a 50K load of crap, though. That seems pointless to me. I could write my version of James Joyce's 'Finnegan's Wake," and compose the novel in dream-speech. I could write 50K worth of gibberish and it would all be the same as far as anyone else is concerned. Does anybody really read these things, anyway?
Well, I'd better get started. I had the perfect opportunity today - everyone was gone and I was alone at home. I ended up surfing the net instead, wasting even more time. Somehow writing has become a chore - something my mind wants to do but my body is fighting it. I'll just start typing tonight, basing the new chapter(s) on myoutline, and see what happens. Sooner or later I'd like to finish a decent novel that has a ghost's chance in hell of being published. It's difficult, though. I think I'm pushing myself way too hard.
That's all for now -
Write on,
Jillian