NaNoWriMo 2011 - Day 22
Nov. 22nd, 2011 12:01 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ladyseishou posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
nano_writersWrite even when you don't want to,
don't much like what you are writing,
and aren't writing particularly well.
— Agatha Christie
There comes a time when almost every writer develops a dislike (read: loathing) for their story. The causes are as varied as the writers themselves but most common is a certainty that the writing is substandard and/or the story itself is trite/overdone/stinks like yesterday’s garbage. This mind set leads to an intense desire to abandon said story and to (a) start over, (b) stop writing , or (c) drown one’s sorrow in strong drink.
But guess what… your story? Just as good as when you started writing it a couple of weeks ago. Really it is. This is not to say that it’s ready for the New York Times Best Seller list (that won’t happen until it’s been through one or more rewrites) but it’s not time to hit delete or haul out the paper shredder either.
What you need to do is finish your story. Even if you don’t want to or don’t like what you’re writing or you’re absolutely sure the writing could be done better by a chimp banging randomly on a typewriter. Finish your story. Then let it sit a week, a month, let it breathe and then pour yourself something good and read it - start to finish. You'll be surprised to see how much there is that’s really good and the love, the enthusiasm, the respect will be back.
Of course this will only work if you don’t give up!
The word count today is 36,674! Questions? Comments? It’s all good - really! Keep writing!
(no subject)
Date: 2011-11-22 07:14 am (UTC)Got to drop Chekhov's Hailstone on a character :D
Got to pick up on another piece of foreshadowing as well :D :D
And I have two more foreshadowed things to reveal, and one's going to be neat, even if it's not at all how I'd originally planned to end the novel :D :D :D
(no subject)
Date: 2011-11-23 03:08 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-11-23 02:39 am (UTC)...Still have 10,000 to go to hit my target. *has to keep reminding herself of that* but, well, it still feels awesome to cross that official line! :D
Congratulations!!!
Date: 2011-11-23 02:59 am (UTC)Beautiful! Beautiful! *applauds and throws streamers and launches the balloons* Congratulations on crossing the 50k Finish Line! Take a bow - you deserve it! And then finish that story! Good luck!
Re: Congratulations!!!
Date: 2011-11-25 12:10 am (UTC)Thank you! The story is going to take more than the 60k, unfortunetly - but I think I'll be able to drag myself back out of the 'I want to do SOMETHING ELSE NOW' stage by the end of November, so it will HOPEFULLY be done in a more timely manner than, um, the first in the series? (...Six years and still four chapters to go. Must go beat that up some more this weekend. XD I have time now!)
(no subject)
Date: 2011-11-23 05:52 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-11-25 12:10 am (UTC)(no subject)
(no subject)
Date: 2011-11-25 12:10 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-11-23 05:44 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-11-23 05:53 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-11-23 05:54 am (UTC)Congratulations!!!
Date: 2011-11-23 05:59 am (UTC)You did it! Fantastic! *throws confetti, steamers and passes out chocolate chip cookies* You've passed the 50k marker and now comes the fun and exciting part when you discover where your story ends up taking you! Good luck!
(no subject)
Date: 2011-11-23 05:14 pm (UTC)