Monday, November 30, 2015

Nanowrimo is Officially Over!



So it is now officially December, and I am pleased to say that I did complete Nanowrimo 2015 by writing 51,234 words. YAY! Oh stop it you!


That being said, I still think I'm going to stick to my guns from my previous post. Writing isn't just about one month--it's about writing every single month. I plan on self publishing my first book in late February/Early March and a second somewhere around May. There may be a third book done by the time the year is over, but I don't want to put the cart before the horse.


In any case, congrats to everyone who participated in this year's Nanowrimo. Don't ever stop writing! It's simply the best.

Wednesday, November 25, 2015

The End of Nanowrimo (For Me)

 
I really meant to write more blog posts about Nanowrimo since this is my first time really trying it out, but life happens. I'm sure all of you know what it's like to get busy with all the festivities and with work.

Anyway, this year was a rousing success. It's just barely Thanksgiving, and I've completed 45,000 words. Though the sequel to Skies of Madness will most likely clock in at around 80,000 words, I am certain that the last 5,000 words will be easy to fit in on the remaining days of November.

That being said, I don't think Nanowrimo is for me. It's great to have such great motivation that others are right here with me--typing madly to get to that blessed 50k word count. However, it didn't suit me very well as a writer. I felt almost panicked when I didn't get my word count in and quite frankly the whole word count thing just seems so pedantic. I'm more of a 'write a chapter/scene' sort of person to feel a sense of accomplishment.

For instance:

Example 1: Guess what? I just finished my 1,667 word quota for the day!
Example 2: Guess what? I just finished the scene where my protagonist meets his nemesis for the first time.

To me, that 2nd example is far easier to get excited about, and that's what gets the writing done. It's not the daily word count or even monthly quota. The whole point of writing is to tell a story. If a book is only 49,000 words but tells a full story without all the fluff that a 70,000 word novel might, I would rather read the 49k word novel.

When I pick up a book at a bookstore, I'm not looking at it like, "Oh, this looks like it's 80,000 words. That's so interesting! I must have this book!"

I guess to sum up, I won't be doing Nanowrimo anymore. It's great if it motivates you or someone you know. Fantastic! Keep the writing going! But it's not for me. I know what works for me and I'll stick to it.

Thursday, November 12, 2015

Nanowrimo 2015


As I'm nearing the end of the second week of Nanowrimo, I'm met with a mounting sense of apprehension mingled with doubt. Can I finish 50,000 words this month? 

You would think that since I managed to finish my first book already that that would provide a way to move past the self-doubt, but it doesn't.

Here I sit at a little under 16k words. 5k of those don't count because I wrote them in June. So, that leaves me with just 11k and I'm almost feeling unequal to the task. To get it done evenly for the 30 days in November, a writer should write the recommended 1,667 words per day. That makes me 9,000 words behind! Sigh.

Wish me luck!

Wednesday, November 4, 2015

Developmental Edit Part 2


I am so grateful for today--this moment. Suffice it to say that I am reeling from the beautiful compliments that my editor paid to my writing. 

She found dozens of errors that I need to correct, and I was beginning to worry about the integrity of the story. Then she wrote 3 pages of comments about how I could strengthen the story, and I cannot help but feel touched when she mentioned several times how much she loved the story.

Doubt, as any writer will tell you, is a plague that we are never fully rid of. Doubt makes us believe that what we have spent months or even years crafting is just a steaming pile of shit that was once our hopes and dreams. 

My editor gave me hope after pointing out all my flaws. I will be forever grateful.

You build on failure. You use it as a stepping stone. Close the door on the past. You don't try to forget the mistakes, but you don't dwell on it. You don't let it have any of your energy, or any of your time, or any of your space.       -- Johnny Cash

Monday, November 2, 2015

Developmental Edit Part 1


So I finally found a good editor and just received my first half of the developmental edit. Seeing as it has been read by about fifteen people now, I was surprised that she found things that are glaringly obvious. How could I miss those?!

Example:
He made his way in the direction of the shout. After a few moments of dodging the traffic of mages and witches[AG1] , Keiron reached the boy.


 [AG1]This is the first mention of witches. Are they different from mages?

It was upon reading this comment that I realized that I had completely forgotten to explain the differences in classes of magic users. Thankfully, this will be corrected, and I'm glad that this wasn't published with such an erroneous lack of clarification.

I was beginning to lose faith in finding an affordable, reputable editor, but I think I finally have. Not only has she renewed my faith in the editing process, she has made me realize how indispensable editing is to the entire manuscript.