Well week 8 is going well so far for me and I hope it continues!
On Monday I wrote for 40 minutes and wrote 1,093 words. I also officially signed up for NaNoWriMo this coming November! Now I am officially signed up I am getting really excited and I need to think about to my outline etc. I also was brave and emailed Nicole at http://universecityblog.wordpress.com/ as she asked for volunteers to write a guest post about writing. Even though I was worried about my lack of experience it seemed like a really good opportunity so I am excited to get started on that....once I decide what to write about!
On Tuesday I wrote for 40 minutes in the morning and managed 843 words and later that day I managed to squeeze in another 15 minutes and wrote 316 words so my word count for Tuesday was 1,159.
This morning I wrote for 50 minutes and managed 956 words which takes my word count to 20,129! Champagne all around! It feels good to have broken the 20,000 word barrier. I guess I am aiming for 80,000 words so maybe I am a quarter of the way through? I do worry that I am further through my story than I should be at 20,000 words but I know I need to do A LOT of editing and adding in of descriptions etc. when I revise my first draft. But for now I will keep on writing.
I have enjoyed my writing this week as I have been writing some 'fun' scenes. I had written several emotional scenes recently and I think I was losing sight of the type of book I was trying to write. Yes I want there to be emotion but I want there to be fun scenes that help you visualise and understand the characters.
I plan to post my non check-in post tomorrow. I think it is going to be about first/opening lines as I keep thinking about this lately. Mainly because I don't think I have a good enough first line. In fact, I know I don't!
Off to check out some check-ins!
Sidebar - I am starting to think about when I return to work next Friday. I have lovely long summer breaks (this one has been 5 and a half weeks...don't hate me) and I have been able to push myself to write over a 1,000 words most days but what will happen when I am back at work? NaNo requires 1,666 words a day. This is definately going to be a tall order but I am hoping that because I will not have so much time to write I will be more productive when I can write. My logic may be warped but for now it is the logic I am sticking by.
Yay, I am so excited that you've broken 20K! I'll be looking forward to your guest post over at Nicole's blog as well.
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean about being more productive when you have less time. I ran across a blog post about becoming more productive, and one of the tips actually suggested limiting writing time by using some sort of alarm. The pressure makes one write faster, or at least use the time more productively.
I've been thinking a lot about what I'll need to do to get in the swing of things for November, and I think making a writing schedule for myself is definitely a must, along with plenty of pre-planning. I'll have October to see how I adjust to juggling school and work with writing, so hopefully by November I'll have my technique down!
So maybe there is sense in my logic! I just feel when I am at work I have evenings and in them I need to write. When I am on holiday I can spend the morning saying I will do it this afternoon and the afternoon saying I can do it this evening!
ReplyDeleteI think I need a schedule too and may try and get in the habit of writing for ten minutes or something every morning before work...will have to see about that though but even a hundred words would help!
Way to go, Em! You have some awesome word counts.
ReplyDeleteIf you're shooting for 80,000 words and you feel like you're too far along in the story, maybe you should consider making it shorter. Does it HAVE to be 80,000 words? I've been reading much shorter works lately, and they're good, too. Would it be a disaster if it came in at 70,000? Just some things to think about. I always panic when the story goes too fast, so I know how you feel. :0)
You're doing great!
Oh, wow, great work! I'm always envious of people with attention spans long enough to get them past fifteen minutes at a time like me. Keep up the great work!
ReplyDeleteAnd is it really almost sign up for NaNo time already? I better get planning...as if I don't have enough projects, but at least you always known when NaNo's coming.
(I'm also the type to be more productive when I'm busy. I think it's just the momentum and the energy propagating things forward and all that sort of thing).
@lauralynnelliott - you are absolutely right about not needing to be 80k...I would be more than happy with 70! I am just going by the 'average' chick lit word counts. I will keep on writing and see what happens!
ReplyDelete@lsengler - with the time I have had on my hands I should probably have achieved a lot more! There is some NaNo buzz on the #NaNoWriMo feed....lots of time to sign up ut I definately need to get planning!
Thank you both for stopping by!
Your word counts are fantastic. I got 1,006 words done on Monday, 804 yesterday and am determined to get my quota and make up for my slacking. NaNo is a blast. I've done it for the last two years - talk about motivation :) Timed is my best writing, sounds like you do it too. Good luck, you're doing great.
ReplyDeleteNice progress! And congrats on signing up for NaNoWriMo.
ReplyDeleteI probably won't do that this year. But last year's NaNo is what started the WIP I'm now polishing up and getting ready to publish (at 93,000+ words). Yes, after the first 50,000 from NaNo, there was a lot of editing, polishing, Beta readers, etc. But the bones were there.
Thanks for stopping by my blog.
Congrats on your progress and continued good luck! *cheers loudly!* I just posted my ROW80 update and mentioned the need for me to make a schedule with all the stuff I have going on right now...I'm hoping to get used to the schedule in September and October, so by the time NaNo comes around in November I will be used to fitting everything in! I think it's going to be a busy fall for many of us!
ReplyDeleteWAHOOOO!!! Look at you go :) That's fantastic - wonderful job on all that writing! And good luck with the Nano!! I can feel all that creative energy buzzing around :) Way to go!
ReplyDeleteMarie
You're making awesome progress!
ReplyDeleteAbout your first line -- I often start a story and then I realize later that I started off at the wrong point in time. So it comes out boring, boring, boring until...BAM! And that BAM is the actual beginning I'm seeking. I try to tell myself it isn't wasted time/energy, because I'm learning about my characters & world and can write the actual story with more finesse. Intros & conclusions (and titles) are always the toughest, in my experience! :)
Thank you all for stopping by! Off to check out your check-ins if I haven't already!
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