Indeed.
My novel, as some of you may know, is a re-telling of Hamlet.
...
Well, darn.
However, it won't keep me down. This re-telling is going to be so awesomesauce that those ones that were planned will be thrown out in favour of mine.
Gulp.
Wrimo out!
--
Day 4
It's only four days since I started out on my quest, friends. Can you believe it? No, I can't either.
I apoologise for the following post. All the stuff I have to get done has made me brain-dead.
You may be aware of my propensity for procrastinating. You may also be aware of all the stuff out there on the Internet to stop people like me from doing what it is in our nature to do.
I downloaded one of these things. It's called Q10. It makes your entire screen go black, and anything you type comes up in tiny orange type.
Shall we do pros and cons? Yes, let's do pros and cons.
The pros:
- You can't go on anything else (ie the net) without saving and exiting. It might not seem like that big a deal, but dudes: I'm lazy as owt. It really works.
- You can set a word count goal! Hurray!
- You can't really see what you're writing
- There's no spell-check
- It saves as a .txt file, which will mean a lot of fiddling about later on
- It has that thing where it skips a line when you press enter, like this:
- See?
- You can't format (centre, left, italics, etc)
I also feel like writing my lovely Hamlet re-telling is helping me to crawl out of the writer's block cave! Huzzah! I'm still having to toil, but today I kind of enjoyed the work -- I went 8% over my goal because of the feels! YAY!
Just wait til Day 7. I will be crying into the Internet's shoulder.
Wrimo out!
--
Day 7
You may remember me saying I would be crying by today. Well, I was right, but it's more because of the intense heat, high pollen levels, and large amount of open windows than any issues with Camp.
However, that brings me to one of the points that I don't like as much about writing a novel in a month -- the lack of feels other than 'I have to get this done'. I mean, giving myself a deadline is extremely necessary (I take years to finish novels when I don't have one), but I like meandering my way through a story line. I like taking a minute or a day or a week, whatever I feel like, to soak up the feels of a scene. I like to take time to plan my chacters' next move (by which I mean to let them plan it themselves).
But that's irrelevant, because working like that won't get anything wrote, and I can always catch up on feels while I'm reading it for editing purposes. It can just feel a little bit empty sometimes.
Other than my wingeing, though, it's going okay. I didn't hit my daily word count yesterday because it was absolutely boiling and I had to play at a concert (an annual one which was the first one in three years to A: be warm and B: be inside with hot stage-lights trained on the players), but I have been writing five per cent or so over most days anyway so I didn't go under the word count I was supposed to be at.
Hurray!
I can't think of anything else, I'm too busy watching the Tennis to think properly. I promise a better round up on the tenth.
WriMo out!
--
Day 10
I totally forgot about this post, so I'll keep it quick.It turns out that today is the day that I start crying (inside). I'm running out of writerly energy, or something. Maybe it's because my brain decided to go against Shakespeare and re-write the plot, making it all harder. Maybe it's because my characters (after quick consultation with my brain) decided to have a bit of a fight, even though one of them is the only person that the other character will trust. Maybe it's because the character with trust issues ran off to his girlfriend who he was supposed to be driving away and have no real connection with. Maybe it's because, just after I'd resigned myself to that, his girlfriend decided she had standards and was strong enough to say no to someone who didn't understand the word. Maybe it's simply because I'm sick of feeling like I have to do something every single day, even though it's the summer holidays. Maybe I'm just being mopey. Who knows, but I'm falling behind my word count for the second day since you last heard from me. Day 8 was the first time; this was when the plot first started to go kaput. I caught up and wrote past my word count yesterday (there were feels) but now I've started writing late in the day because I've been out with friends all day, and I've been trying to get away from it because I just can't get anything to happen the way I want it to.
Sigh. Not as short as I thought. I've got another 800 or so words to write. Darn.
WriMo out!
--
Day 13
You may remember day 10's entry. Ironically, I got my writer's block fixed after writing that post, and finished up my word count plus more, I think. So, you know, hurray for me then.
Today, however, I am back to the self-same slump. My characters have pulled themselves back into line, and the plot with them, but I have got to the bit that I hadn't prepared for, and it doesn't bode well at all. Not at all at all at all. I won't get into the specifics, but let's just say that this novel either has to find itself a deus ex machina or stop being an almost exact replica of Shakespeare's Hamlet, because I don't have the foggiest how I'm going to write myself out of the corner I flung myself in. Sigh.
WriMo out!
--
Day 16
Well, it's all been going on in the past three days, I have to say.I have given up on Q10. I don't know if I mentioned it in that previous post, but the thing didn't have scroll bar and the longer my novel got, the longer it took to get to the bottom of the page so I could actually start the thing. Grr.
I did the unthinkable, guys. I copied it all into MS Word.
I know, it hurts me, too.
I also, after a bit of nagging from my mum, 'But what if the thing with the battery breaks the laptop?' etc., have downloaded Dropbox. I thought it'd be a bit like Google Docs, but actually it's just a folder on your computer that you can get at from the net. It would be cool if it didn't want to sell more space to me.
And Day 13, I think, was The Day That It All Went Wrong. I mentioned how the novel had now stepped into the unknown with no hope of survival, and it's possible that that will still be the case. I barely wrote anything on Day 13, just about caught up on Day 14, and then yesterday I just lost all my motivation. That lack of motivation is still quite obviously there, unfortunately, which is why I am writing this now. Hopefully it'll jump-start my brain, but I don't know.
On another note, my Inner Editor is very unhappy with my lack of research and the marked change in the whole tone since I stepped into the unknown. This part could very well be a sequel to the first part, if the first part was long enough to count as a novel on its own.
I don't think that was 'another note', really, but there you go.
On another another note, in case you were wondering about the whole 'I have no clue how he'll get out of this' line from my last post, I still don't. I'm leaving it until a certain point that I've fixed in the future of the novel to worry about how that will work. I might have to kick Shakespeare when he's down and change one of the best parts of Hamlet to suit my personal preferences.
Hurray!
Well, we'll see how far it's been driven into the ground on Day 19, I suppose.
WriMo out!
--
Day 19
So, it turns out I was using hyperbole on day 13. Just about hitting your word count? It's cool. It's a nightmare and hard and a total love/hate thing, but it's fine. It's not the end of the world.
What is the end of the world is feeling like you have to drop your word count goal.
Gasp.
I know, it's lame. It's like losing, except worse because you know you're going to win without putting half as much effort in at all. Basically, it's like cheating. However, it was out of my control. I missed two days (and possibly today; I've got a headache already and I've only been checking Tumblr) because of a really bad migraine. I can see what you're thinking: two days, pah! That's not that much to make up -- but the thing is, when you're wimping out of your word count as it is, it's difficult to see how you would make two/three days of words up. I'm going to try, of course I am. But I'm not going to put too much pressure on myself -- I've already learnt that that's a pointless thing to try and do. Besides which, of course, my novel will never end regardless of it's word count.
In other news, Dropbox is SO slow on my phone it is ridiculous and was a waste of time downloading the app.
WriMo out!
--
Day 22
You may remember that I put my word count down to 45K because I'm a wimp. Well, I put it back up again, because the stats told me that I didn't actually have to write as much to catch up as I thought I did. Of course, that was before I gave up at 750 words yesterday because I felt so shattered, but, you know. I still don't have to write a load more a day than I originally did. And I've finally got to a place where I can actually get back to the plot, which is always good.
But nine more days, people! Sigh. I don't know if I have nine days more energy left in me. Which is a shame, since I really want to actually be able to finish this first draft. I stopped everything else I was doing because I really wanted to write this. Sigh.
Keep your fingers crossed for me.
WriMo out!
--
Day 25
These days have started going faster. It feels like yesterday that I posted for day 22.So, day 25... the day that you can start winning. I think I won on maybe the 27th or somesuch in November, but not this time. I've got a good 12,000 words to go and no understanding of how I am actually going to get to the place that I will have to get at some point: the end. Just a couple of days ago, I felt like I was going to run out of story before I got to the big 50K; today, I feel as if I'll get to 100K before my characters actually do each other in like Shakespeare intended.
Speaking of what Shakespeare intended, this isn't so much a re-telling of Hamlet now as a thing that was origjnally a re-telling of Hamlet. I'm pretty sure that his uncle insn't going to be the one to kill him. And his mum has to die at some point, too. And I don't know what to do about Laertes, because he has to die too and he also has to be Hamlet's uncle's right-hand-man and all sorts of things that should happen in the end don't seem like they'll stick with the characters. Oh, and Hamlet's got another best friend and another murder to do.
This is probably why I don't feel like it's ever going to end -- because I don't have a clue how it's going to end, not really, even though I think I just said above that I do. I don't know. This is why I don't write thrillers or detective novels or anything like that. I just don't have the brain power to mastermind a murder (let alone like five or however many). Although it is nice to be able to write on a Sticky Note on your computer (for the whole world to see), 'The train isn't a safe place to plan to murder someone'. That was a fun moment of my life.
In other news, I read a blog post about word wars/sprints, and how you could just do the magainst yourself. I tried one yesterday, just made myself write as much as possible as fast as possible for fifteen minutes, and it really speeded up my time for getting my 1700 words or so done. I've mentioned before how I hate having to rush things and not having the chance to stare out of the window and contemplate life and everything and soak in feels, but I did actually quite enjoy writing that fast. It makes me feel productive.
And I need to be productive right now.
WriMo out!
--
Day 29
The novel, however? Not so much. I'm still not sure how to kill off Hamlet or his uncle or Laertes or the new person that I somehow accidently added to the hitlist. His mother is dead, though, which I suppose is a start.
I'm getting supremely weary of this novel, but still it's all fascinating me. I originally aimed for a writing style reminiscent of The Silver Linings Playbook and The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer -- mystical but simple and understated. I don't think that writing style will be particularly obvious in this first draft, but it's a feeling I have constantly while I'm writing it (even if it is hidden under a pile of fatigue and moaning). Hamlet, to me, is Shakespeare's greatest play because Hamlet is his greatest character. There are so many layers to him
I'm not going to say I've been recreating that -- I don't think it's possible -- but I've been trying, and it's been wonderful to attempt to make a character so wonderful and alive.
In short, unless the next two days fall to pieces in a hail of bullets or something, this is the best NaNo I've ever done.
Let's ignore the fact that it's only the third, people. Just enjoy the moment.
[Edit: I forgot to mention that the Stats page on the Camp website lied to me. It turns out that it's been giving me false hope all along, because its 'Words per Day to Finish on Time' thing counts the day that you're on, even if you've updated your word count for that day. Thankfully, I noticed this before Something Bad Happened and I found myself supremely unable to hit that 50K. Yesterday I got to the point where my daily word count matched up with what I started with having to do (when I worked it out myself because of the website lying). So, yay!]
WriMo out!
--
Day X
Hopefully it will at some point, though, because I'm very proud of it and can't wait until it's finished and had a bit of time to sit so that I can go back to it, read it, and realise that I've made a bigger mistake than Frankenstein did when he made his monster. And then I can follow in Frankenstein's footsteps even more by attempting to make it better and just killing everyone I love.
Maybe not the last bit. But the rest of it is exactly what will happen. Don't worry, 'rinos -- I will continue to bother you incessantly with my blathering about it.
WriMo out!
---
Hey, everybody! I'm doing NaNoWriMo YWP this year. 45000 words. Yes, you heard me. And, as if I didn't have enough to do, I've decided to let you creeps into my writing world once a week. I'm gonna post these little updates on my home page and also on their own little dedicated page. Just in case anybody was super-curious as to how I'm doing.
Okay, it's procratination. If procrastination was an Olympic sport, I wouldn't even have to practise. Though of course, procrastinating about procrastinating is impossible because then you're actually procrastinating, so actually nobody would be practising...
Sorry. Back from my little brain-holiday.
Yesterday, unfortunately, was a bad day for Day 1, since I couldn't actually read properly and had a headache (after-effects of a migraine I'm blaming on NaNo-stress). I only got 1,100 words done when I was hoping for 1,500 at least (to hit my target) or 2,000 at best (for back up for days when I struggle at hitting my target). Unfortunately, that's just the way the world rolls sometimes. However, it also means that I have to do my '2000 at best' just to catch back up today. As you can tell, the pressure is seriously ruining my creative juices at the moment, so I'm procrastinating instead. Hurrah!
But story-wise, it's going brilliantissimo. I'm a bit annoyed that I am now writing from two different perspectives when my added one is a really difficult way to go (the guy's a saint, so I can't be mean or judgemental about anyone when he's narrating), and I'm kind of annoyed that what started off in my head has been blown to the four winds, but it's also interesting. I have a new, sneaky, vicious little character called Cathenna, and I don't have a clue what her motives are. I imagine they'll be exciting. My only problem, story-wise, is that I'm not as excited by Lantern (POV1)'s side of the story. It's a bit boring and like everything else I've been writing lately, when I really hoped it'd be a bit of a break with some nice sarcasm and just general attitude instead of lovey-dovey feelings stuff. Ugh.
Anyway, I'll see how it goes. Don't forget to check in next Friday for a new update!
WriMo out!
--
Day 9
So, we're officially into the second week, and this post is my first full-week one. Hurrah!
In case you were wondering, the troubles I spoke about on day 2 went away almost as soon as I'd finished writing the blog post, and I got all inspired, which was good. So were the next couple of days. They were cool.
And then, unfortunately, school started back up, and it was all rainy and miserable outside, and I got all uninspired for Monday's words. Then on Tuesday, I just didn't have the time to meet my word count, since I went to the Ilkley Grammar 6th Form open evening.
Wednesday was the day before my first maths exam, yay, so I was trying to ignore NaNo so I could revise. Obviously, that didn't happen, since I hate maths revision, but I was also all PMT'd (sorry for those of you will delicate sensibilities) so I didn't feel very much like writing. I think I hit my word count, though. Maybe.
Thursday was bad. Not only were Ofsted in, not only did I have a (not too bad) Maths exam, but, unfortunately, we all found out about something terrible, which I must warn you is actually a bit off topic: a boy in our year, in our classes, at school, had been jumped by some Greenheaders, not far away from school. I don't think anybody felt very good or safe on the way home. It's cast a pall over all of us, but, thankfully, the guy (whose name I won't disclose for privacy from the big wide world) is out of hospital (yes, hospital) and feeling better.
As is becoming a habit, I don't imagine I quite hit my word count yesterday.
Today I'm not feeling the vibes either, but hopefully, having a bit of a break and a think through the medium of this post will have helped. Hopefully. Anyway, see you next week; let's hope things are looking up!
WriMo out!
--
Day 16
So, for those of you who are riveted by my school life, I will be in an even worse mood next week, as I have mock exams in just about every subject. Yeah. They told us yesterday.
Bad mood.
But back to this week of NaNo. It's been alright, I suppose, though it's still been a very write-for-the-word-count kind of deal. I've kept up to my word count, just about, but that's all I can really say. Even when I've had a giant plot idea, which would usually make me go 'yayyayyayyayexcitingyay' was like, 'meh, now how do I get it into motion'.
I think I'm depressed.
However, I shall persevere. I will find myself at the end of November with a good word count and a finished novel, I promise.
WriMo out!
--
Day 23
Of course it's not going well, what are you actually expecting?
It's not been too bad this week, actually. I'm not getting much done today, probably 'cause the Mocks of Doom have made me all tiredified (you can use my new word as proof), but the rest of my week was good. I'll tell you my secret: reading. I know, that's what everyone says, but it really worked. I was reading Book 7 of the Weather Wardens series (check it in the list!) and it was the best book ever -- the good guys weren't going to win. They honestly didn't seem to have a chance and that made me look at my novel in a whole new way and I was suddenly bursting with words to write. Hurrah!
So, yeah. I will hopefully catch up on my word count tommorow. Oh, and my sleep.
WriMo out!
--
Day 30
Oh, yeah, it's my birthday, oh yeah, I won (but it's not my birthday)! I
won NaNoWriMo. My novel isn't finished just yet (I am doing my usual
thing of procrastinating right now, even though I'm totally excited and
hyped up), but I've got 45000 words! I didn't think I could do it, but I
have. Hurrah!
Not much more I can say about it, is there?
If you wanna read my novel, you're gonna have to wait until it's a) written and b) edited, but when it's done I might let you have a little peek at it. Maybe.
Got your own NaNo accomplishments you wanna share with the world? Feel happy to post it in the comments, I would love to know how you guys have done.
Not much more I can say about it, is there?
If you wanna read my novel, you're gonna have to wait until it's a) written and b) edited, but when it's done I might let you have a little peek at it. Maybe.
Got your own NaNo accomplishments you wanna share with the world? Feel happy to post it in the comments, I would love to know how you guys have done.
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