NaNoWriMo 2010 - Day 5

[ladyseishou]

Day 5 - 25 days remaining

I do a first draft as passionately and as quickly as I can.
I believe a story is valid only when it's immediate and passionate,
when it dances out of your subconscious.

If you interfere in any way, you destroy it.

- Ray Bradbury



A popular writing aid that is a favorite for many Wrimos is Dr. Wicked's web site: Write or Die, a particularly fiendish creation wherein you type in a word count goal and a time and start to write. Simple enough, right?

Well the catch is that if you stop writing there are evil consequences that range from annoying pop-ups that remind you to keep writing to a mode that will actually erase your hard work if you dally too long.

I think what work bests about this method is the incentive it provides to keep you writing, that the fear (or annoyance) of "punishment" actually acts to beat down the voice in your head that urges you to stop, rewrite, rethink, redo... In other words, it helps you help yourself to kill your "inner editor" so that the words of your story can flow, immediate and raw, passionate and real.

And there will be typos. For me, lots of typos. And your characters may not stick with your original outline, change sex, and adopt a new point of view. But if you give them the chance, who knows what new really cool stuff you'll discover?

Today's Word Count: 8,333! Did you beat it? Tell us about it! Excerpts? Questions? Frustrations? Amusing typos?

...Keep Writing!

Comments

Up over 11000!

[kallistixf]

So I went crazy and put a whole chapter up on my journal: Muses, Moirae, and a TWIST.

I'm not wild about punishment-based approaches to motivation.... for me they just add stress and negativity. Different strokes for different folks!

Re: Up over 11000!

[ladyseishou]

I agree about the stick approach to things. Doesn't work for me either - in fact I tend to freeze up like a deer caught in the headlights. I like carrots. Well, I like carrot-shaped chocolate better. But as you say, different strokes...

Looking forward to reading your chapter!