As we enter week 2 I am still feeling optimistic and most importantly, I am still enjoying my story! I was worried that I would start to hate it and writing would be a chore but so far, so good. I know there is always time but at the moment I am loving it!
Word counts for the last few days:
Monday
638 words before work.
1,270 words during 1 hour sprint with usual crew!
108 words after sprint.
Day 7 total - 2016
Tuesday
701 words before work
1,464 words during hour sprint
Day 8 total - 2165
Wednesday
892 words before work
1,236 words during hour sprint
Day 9 total - 2,128
So grand total so far is 18,842!!!
I am still keeping my weekly routine of writing before work for as long as I can and then taking part in an hour sprint in the evening wth fellow #ROW80ers. I am pleased I have managed over 2000 words a day as work is getting more hectic and I may (just may) have a day off at some point!
One thing I noticed was that I wasn't reading anything at all at the start of NaNo. In the lead up I was reading PD James to get in the right mindset but once I started writing my murder mystery I kept worrying I would just regurgitate what I was reading into my book so I stopped reading. But I miss it. I need the escapism. So I have started an Adele Parks book called 'Tell me something' and I am enjoying reading a bit each day when time allows.
Thinking back I am so pleased with how my writing at my parents went. It felt good that they knew what I was doing and as I was only there for a couple of days I didn't feel I could lock myself in my room so I set up camp on their dining room table. They were really supportive offering to make me a coffee and saying how impressed they were with my dedication. Made me feel like I really want to achieve this and win NaNo!
This weekend I am staying at my friends and she will be away for the saturday night so I will have lots of time to write so I hope to write more than 2,000 words a day. She knows about the challenge and is hugely supportive so I am looking forward to it. And I get to spend time with her! A change is as good as a rest and I might try and find out if there are any write ins in Exeter that I could maybe attend.
Lena and I will be checking in over at Fun not fear! on Friday so make sure you check it out and let us know how your NaNo is going.
Hope everyone's week is going well!
Wednesday, 9 November 2011
Sunday, 6 November 2011
ROW80 Check-in 6th November
The first week of NaNo is still going well for me, I can't believe it hasn't yet been a full week! Right, let's go to the word counts first!
Thursday
712 words before work
1,159 in one hour sprint
279 in 20 minutes after sprint
Day 3 total - 2150
Friday
312 words before work
1,488 words later in afternoon
Day 4 total - 1,800
Saturday
2,313 words in just over two hours
Day 5 total - 2,313
Sunday
1,269 words in one hour in afternoon
928 words in 50 minutes in the evening
Day 6 total - 2,197
So grand total so far is 12,533 words!!!!
I was slightly disappointed with Friday's word count as I have been secretly aiming for 2,000 a day to start with to give me a bit of breathing space if needed when work gets busier in the coming weeks but it was my first day out of my 'NaNo routine' so I did expect to not hit my secret target. On Saturday I had a big family celebration so I got up and just poured out my words. I have to say it was odd doing all my words that day in one chunk. Even though my friday morning word count wasn't as high (mainly due to sheer tiredness!) I like having a bit done in the morning and then I enjoy going back to it later that day and mull it over whilst at work throughout the day.
Before NaNo started I thought I would write when I get in from work before a make some food but I haven't been able to do that, I have been too hungry! From getting in from work to my sprint date I have just over an hour so I have time to refresh before I sit down and write! The sprints are still great and anyone is welcome to join us on the #ROW8 hashtag, check out Lauren's check-in for all the time details, I get so confused with the time differences! All I know is it is 7pm UK time! I seem to do a 20 to 30 minutes 'cool down' after the sprints where I finish off the scene or paragraph I have been writing.
Thursday
712 words before work
1,159 in one hour sprint
279 in 20 minutes after sprint
Day 3 total - 2150
Friday
312 words before work
1,488 words later in afternoon
Day 4 total - 1,800
Saturday
2,313 words in just over two hours
Day 5 total - 2,313
Sunday
1,269 words in one hour in afternoon
928 words in 50 minutes in the evening
Day 6 total - 2,197
So grand total so far is 12,533 words!!!!
I was slightly disappointed with Friday's word count as I have been secretly aiming for 2,000 a day to start with to give me a bit of breathing space if needed when work gets busier in the coming weeks but it was my first day out of my 'NaNo routine' so I did expect to not hit my secret target. On Saturday I had a big family celebration so I got up and just poured out my words. I have to say it was odd doing all my words that day in one chunk. Even though my friday morning word count wasn't as high (mainly due to sheer tiredness!) I like having a bit done in the morning and then I enjoy going back to it later that day and mull it over whilst at work throughout the day.
Before NaNo started I thought I would write when I get in from work before a make some food but I haven't been able to do that, I have been too hungry! From getting in from work to my sprint date I have just over an hour so I have time to refresh before I sit down and write! The sprints are still great and anyone is welcome to join us on the #ROW8 hashtag, check out Lauren's check-in for all the time details, I get so confused with the time differences! All I know is it is 7pm UK time! I seem to do a 20 to 30 minutes 'cool down' after the sprints where I finish off the scene or paragraph I have been writing.
It is interesting looking at tweets on the #nanowrimo stream as lots of people talk about not particularly liking the words they are writing. Whilst I know there will be A LOT of editing I don't think I have written any sentences that I hate. Remind me of this when I start the editing process! I am happy with the level of planning I have done so far and am writing through my story in order. They have just found the body so we are now having the police interviews. I am loving my detective who is based on Andrew Lincoln.
Sigh.
On related news Lena and I posted our first Fun not Fear! check-in on Friday with a little mash up of links. It had been great to hear how people have been getting on.
Ok, off to check out some check-ins and then get an early night before the week starts all over again!
Wednesday, 2 November 2011
ROW80 Check-in 2nd November
My first NaNo has got off to a good start! Do you like the way I say first like it won't be my last? I really don't think it will be as I am loving the buzz and motivation and excitement I am feeling as a result of taking part. Whilst I can't keep up with the #nanowrimo twitter stream as there are SO MANY people taking part it is constantly updating I feel like I am not alone in this mad challenge! I also wonder why I didn't take part in CampNano as I was not at work during August and it would have made this a lot easier!
On Monday after my brilliant weekend away I was easy on myself and simply read through my outline and plot to refresh my brain. I also did some practical jobs so that I would be able to focus solely on writing atleast for the next few evenings. I did not sleep well as I was so excited though! This was not great as I was tired when I woke up on Tuesday.
Here is how the last few days have gone:
Tuesday
584 words before leaving for work.
1,112 words during an hour sprint with newtowritinggirl and laurengarafalo
352 words in 30 mins after sprint.
Day 1 total - 2048
Wednesday
611 words before leaving for work.
1,194 words during an hour sprint with the same lovely ladies as above.
220 minutes in 20 minutes after sprint.
Day 2 total - 2025
So grand total so far is 4073!!!!
Not bad for two days work! The sprints have been great motivation and we are planning on doing them on weekdays if our schedules allow. I have written a little bit after each sprint because we stop dead to count our numbers and I have wanted to finish a paragraph or scene before I stop.
I do feel I could write more tonight but I am very tired and I don't want to push too hard as I am already over my goal for both days. Morning writing has not been as hard as I thought it would be but I do plan the night before where I am going to start so I know straight away where to start.
I checked out some check-ins earlier and it seems like everyone is doing great at NaNo or their ROW80 goals....keep at it everyone!!!
Don't forget to check out our first Fun not Fear! check-ins on Friday with a few links thrown in!
On Monday after my brilliant weekend away I was easy on myself and simply read through my outline and plot to refresh my brain. I also did some practical jobs so that I would be able to focus solely on writing atleast for the next few evenings. I did not sleep well as I was so excited though! This was not great as I was tired when I woke up on Tuesday.
Here is how the last few days have gone:
Tuesday
584 words before leaving for work.
1,112 words during an hour sprint with newtowritinggirl and laurengarafalo
352 words in 30 mins after sprint.
Day 1 total - 2048
Wednesday
611 words before leaving for work.
1,194 words during an hour sprint with the same lovely ladies as above.
220 minutes in 20 minutes after sprint.
Day 2 total - 2025
So grand total so far is 4073!!!!
Not bad for two days work! The sprints have been great motivation and we are planning on doing them on weekdays if our schedules allow. I have written a little bit after each sprint because we stop dead to count our numbers and I have wanted to finish a paragraph or scene before I stop.
I do feel I could write more tonight but I am very tired and I don't want to push too hard as I am already over my goal for both days. Morning writing has not been as hard as I thought it would be but I do plan the night before where I am going to start so I know straight away where to start.
I checked out some check-ins earlier and it seems like everyone is doing great at NaNo or their ROW80 goals....keep at it everyone!!!
Don't forget to check out our first Fun not Fear! check-ins on Friday with a few links thrown in!
Sunday, 30 October 2011
ROW80 Check-in 30th October
It has been a good week and even though I haven't been able to do any preparation towards NaNo over the last few days (apart from the constant thinking and musing before I go to sleep!) I feel as prepared as I can be for Tuesday!
On Wednesday after check-in I did several hours of preparation including downloading Scrivener and having a play with a plot cork board on that. On the train on Thursday I worked on my character notes (including alibi's) for atleast two hours and made notes on some twists and turns.
Since Friday I have been on a Hen weekend for my lovely friend I am being bridesmaid for on the 3rd of December....yes, I know, 3 days after the finish of NaNo! I am determined to use the first two weekends to get extra writing in so the last few days of NaNo aren't too horrendous! Lauren tweeted me asking what a Hen Weekend was and I am not sure if there is an American version? It is basically a celebration of the bride or 'hen' getting married and it can be an evening out, a day at a spa, a weekend away, anything really that suits the bride and lets the bride have a good time with her friends (and sometimes family) to celebrate her upcoming wedding. The men have a stag party to celebrate too. For my friend's we went to London and amongst other things we learnt the dance routine to Beyonce's Single Ladies at Pineapple Dance Studios...it was amazing! Early night tonight though, thank goodness the clocks went back and we got an extra hour in bed today!
I knew I would not be able to do anything towards NaNo and I have to say I really enjoyed taking a bit of a step back from planning and knowing the weekend would be busy I was more motivated to work harder earlier in the week. As this is my first NaNo I don't necessarily know what I need to do personally in order to be ready but I hope I have done enough. I am accountable here as from Tuesday my ROW80 goal will be to write 1,667 words a day. My family and some friends know I am doing NaNo which is great accountability and also working with Lena on our Fun not Fear support group means hopefully I have all the accountability and support I will need to get my through.
I will aim to check-in briefly (with word counts) here on a Sunday and a Wednesday and we will check-in briefly at Fun not fear on a Friday!
Good luck everyone who is taking part in NaNo and hope every ROW80er out there has a great week!
On Wednesday after check-in I did several hours of preparation including downloading Scrivener and having a play with a plot cork board on that. On the train on Thursday I worked on my character notes (including alibi's) for atleast two hours and made notes on some twists and turns.
Since Friday I have been on a Hen weekend for my lovely friend I am being bridesmaid for on the 3rd of December....yes, I know, 3 days after the finish of NaNo! I am determined to use the first two weekends to get extra writing in so the last few days of NaNo aren't too horrendous! Lauren tweeted me asking what a Hen Weekend was and I am not sure if there is an American version? It is basically a celebration of the bride or 'hen' getting married and it can be an evening out, a day at a spa, a weekend away, anything really that suits the bride and lets the bride have a good time with her friends (and sometimes family) to celebrate her upcoming wedding. The men have a stag party to celebrate too. For my friend's we went to London and amongst other things we learnt the dance routine to Beyonce's Single Ladies at Pineapple Dance Studios...it was amazing! Early night tonight though, thank goodness the clocks went back and we got an extra hour in bed today!
I knew I would not be able to do anything towards NaNo and I have to say I really enjoyed taking a bit of a step back from planning and knowing the weekend would be busy I was more motivated to work harder earlier in the week. As this is my first NaNo I don't necessarily know what I need to do personally in order to be ready but I hope I have done enough. I am accountable here as from Tuesday my ROW80 goal will be to write 1,667 words a day. My family and some friends know I am doing NaNo which is great accountability and also working with Lena on our Fun not Fear support group means hopefully I have all the accountability and support I will need to get my through.
I will aim to check-in briefly (with word counts) here on a Sunday and a Wednesday and we will check-in briefly at Fun not fear on a Friday!
Good luck everyone who is taking part in NaNo and hope every ROW80er out there has a great week!
Wednesday, 26 October 2011
ROW80 Check-in 26th October
Things are moving along nicely this end, I think! I am still quite new to plotting and outlining so I am doing what I can before Tuesday and the start of NaNo but whether I am doing enough and everything I will need, that remains to be seen!
As I am off work this week I have definately done a couple of hours preparation a day for the last few days and will do that after posting this check-in. Today is all about writing my scenes on post-its and identifying what needs to happen in each scene e.g. making some people look suspicious, information that needs to be revealed, character traits that need to be shown. At times I think I have bitten off more than I can chew writing a murder mystery but then I think, why not? Might as well give it a go!
I have been checking out my regional NaNo forums and hope to meet up with some people during November for local write ins. I have been reading lots of blog posts about NaNo, some of which will appear on mine and Lena's NaNo support group Fun not fear! link mash up on Friday. There are some tips I really like such as writing throughout the day in small chunks, not necessarily sitting down to write 1,667 words in one chunk. For me, on a work day this will look like some writing in the morning before work (shudder!), some when I get home from work and some after dinner. For some reason thinking that I don't have to write my daily amount in one lot makes me feel better. I also like the idea of stopping mid sentence or paragraph so I know where to start the next time I sit down to write. Time will be of the essence so I won't want to sit staring at the screen for 20 minutes before writing a word. I know this might happen but I want to do what I can to try and prevent it!!!
I hope everyone is having great weeks and for those of you taking part in NaNo, hope your preparations are going well!!! Less than a week to go!!!
As I am off work this week I have definately done a couple of hours preparation a day for the last few days and will do that after posting this check-in. Today is all about writing my scenes on post-its and identifying what needs to happen in each scene e.g. making some people look suspicious, information that needs to be revealed, character traits that need to be shown. At times I think I have bitten off more than I can chew writing a murder mystery but then I think, why not? Might as well give it a go!
I have been checking out my regional NaNo forums and hope to meet up with some people during November for local write ins. I have been reading lots of blog posts about NaNo, some of which will appear on mine and Lena's NaNo support group Fun not fear! link mash up on Friday. There are some tips I really like such as writing throughout the day in small chunks, not necessarily sitting down to write 1,667 words in one chunk. For me, on a work day this will look like some writing in the morning before work (shudder!), some when I get home from work and some after dinner. For some reason thinking that I don't have to write my daily amount in one lot makes me feel better. I also like the idea of stopping mid sentence or paragraph so I know where to start the next time I sit down to write. Time will be of the essence so I won't want to sit staring at the screen for 20 minutes before writing a word. I know this might happen but I want to do what I can to try and prevent it!!!
I hope everyone is having great weeks and for those of you taking part in NaNo, hope your preparations are going well!!! Less than a week to go!!!
Sunday, 23 October 2011
ROW 80 Check-in 23rd October
Very quick check-in today as I am just in from an amazing weekend at a University friend's wedding and I need to quickly pack as I am heading to my sister's house for a few days.
This week has gone well with my cast list written and thanks to a productive train ride on Friday every character has a brief description and I am trying the technique of finding a famous person who looks like each character to help me with descriptions. I am fairly daunted as the chick-lit piece I was working on before had three main characters and a handful of secondary characters but this piece has 21 characters (not all major characters obviously) so I am concern about keeping track of them all!
I have definately done 30 minutes a day and probably exceeded it as I am constantly scribbling bits down and saving notes to my phone. I can pretty much guarantee whenever I get in my car to drive somewhere a brilliant idea strikes.
I am not at work this week so the next three days especially are all about the NaNo prep. I need to create a fictional village, flesh out character profiles and work out my sequence of events. Oh and also work out everyone's alibis and break the murderers so they can actually commit the murder! SO MUCH TO DO! But am grateful we have a school holiday so for a few days atleast I am not confined to evening hours only. Next weekend I am away (well from Thursday) and I might be able to grab bits of time but really I want to crack on over the next three days.
The end of November seems to be filling up quickly with work things so I want to try and get a good start to NaNo and really use my weekends to get some extra words in. I am so excited to start writing and loving reading tips and hints other writers are blogging about. Don't forget to check out mine and Lena's NaNo Fun not fear website if you are taking part in NaNo or can offer some support and encouragement to those who are if you are not!
I will be around checking out check-ins tomorrow morning as now I am running late and not packed! Hope everyone has had a great week!
This week has gone well with my cast list written and thanks to a productive train ride on Friday every character has a brief description and I am trying the technique of finding a famous person who looks like each character to help me with descriptions. I am fairly daunted as the chick-lit piece I was working on before had three main characters and a handful of secondary characters but this piece has 21 characters (not all major characters obviously) so I am concern about keeping track of them all!
I have definately done 30 minutes a day and probably exceeded it as I am constantly scribbling bits down and saving notes to my phone. I can pretty much guarantee whenever I get in my car to drive somewhere a brilliant idea strikes.
I am not at work this week so the next three days especially are all about the NaNo prep. I need to create a fictional village, flesh out character profiles and work out my sequence of events. Oh and also work out everyone's alibis and break the murderers so they can actually commit the murder! SO MUCH TO DO! But am grateful we have a school holiday so for a few days atleast I am not confined to evening hours only. Next weekend I am away (well from Thursday) and I might be able to grab bits of time but really I want to crack on over the next three days.
The end of November seems to be filling up quickly with work things so I want to try and get a good start to NaNo and really use my weekends to get some extra words in. I am so excited to start writing and loving reading tips and hints other writers are blogging about. Don't forget to check out mine and Lena's NaNo Fun not fear website if you are taking part in NaNo or can offer some support and encouragement to those who are if you are not!
I will be around checking out check-ins tomorrow morning as now I am running late and not packed! Hope everyone has had a great week!
Wednesday, 19 October 2011
Wednesday 19th October ROW80 Check-in
So far this week has gone well and I did an hour of character work/plotting/reading for NaNo/researching on both Monday and Tuesday. On Monday I made a list of all the characters I wanted and gave them all names and ages. Then I woke up on Tuesday and crossed two of the hotel staff off....I just didn't think I needed them! Still a long way to go and am hoping to complete some character profiles tonight but have had a hectic day and am sooooo tired. We will see. Feels good to be an hour over my goal of half an hour a day.
However I may need to call on this hour this weekend. I have a friends wedding and I am away from Friday till Sunday. I hope to do some work on the train but on Saturday there is no chance and I am ok with this. I am off work next week as it is half term so hopefully when I am a bit rested and have some daylight time on my hands I will really crack on with plotting and sequencing the scenes of my story.
NaNo has been on my mind alot and when I have days like today when I have not stopped between 7am and 7pm it makes me think how on earth am I going to NaNo? Think I have mentioned before I am hoping to get some words done before work in the morning (eeek!) and I think the weekends will be key.
I also will be able to get through it because Lena and I have our NaNo support group blog up and running! I must say here that Lena never ceases to amaze me with what she achieves and she has definately done most of the work to our site. You can find it here Fun not fear! The name fun not fear came from several online conversations Lena and myself had about wanting to take part in NaNo but wanting it to be as fun as possible. Our plan is to post a small post on a Friday (a NaNo check-in if you will) with short updates of how we are getting on and we will also link other blogs that we have read relating to NaNo aswell. We would love it if people stop by and let us know how they are getting on or to cheer on others if you aren't taking part yourself. We won't post apart from this as we don't want to distract ourselves from our writing too much! There is also a linky page where you can add your NaNo profile so people can buddy you.
Please do stop by and read the welcome and introduction and if you want to know more about us you can click on the 'About us' in the top right hand corner. The preparation for the site has got me so excited for NaNo itself and I love a bit of accountability!
Ok, off to look at some people's check-ins and to hopefully do some character work.....hope everyone is having a good week!
However I may need to call on this hour this weekend. I have a friends wedding and I am away from Friday till Sunday. I hope to do some work on the train but on Saturday there is no chance and I am ok with this. I am off work next week as it is half term so hopefully when I am a bit rested and have some daylight time on my hands I will really crack on with plotting and sequencing the scenes of my story.
NaNo has been on my mind alot and when I have days like today when I have not stopped between 7am and 7pm it makes me think how on earth am I going to NaNo? Think I have mentioned before I am hoping to get some words done before work in the morning (eeek!) and I think the weekends will be key.
I also will be able to get through it because Lena and I have our NaNo support group blog up and running! I must say here that Lena never ceases to amaze me with what she achieves and she has definately done most of the work to our site. You can find it here Fun not fear! The name fun not fear came from several online conversations Lena and myself had about wanting to take part in NaNo but wanting it to be as fun as possible. Our plan is to post a small post on a Friday (a NaNo check-in if you will) with short updates of how we are getting on and we will also link other blogs that we have read relating to NaNo aswell. We would love it if people stop by and let us know how they are getting on or to cheer on others if you aren't taking part yourself. We won't post apart from this as we don't want to distract ourselves from our writing too much! There is also a linky page where you can add your NaNo profile so people can buddy you.
Please do stop by and read the welcome and introduction and if you want to know more about us you can click on the 'About us' in the top right hand corner. The preparation for the site has got me so excited for NaNo itself and I love a bit of accountability!
Ok, off to look at some people's check-ins and to hopefully do some character work.....hope everyone is having a good week!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)