Camp NaNoWriMo. Are you in?

03 Apr 2013 12 Comments

by PartlyPixie in Camp NaNoWriMo Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Obligatory crocus spring image

Happy spring!

Before I get too deep in my own thoughts, go sign up for Camp NaNoWriMo. I'll wait.

Yes, you do have time. Camp lets you set your own word count goal, so no excuses. Go sign up.

Because, writers, it's time to bloom again.

It's been a long winter, and now the world is creaking out of hibernation, and I, too, am stretching myself out into the sun after composting the last of winter's lessons into my flesh.

It doesn't matter what we have done before, what last year did or did not hold for our writing.

Accomplishment or failure, we can begin again, with no regard for the past. We can creak our rusted fingers into typing shape, wrench our minds from anxiety of swim suits and middle squishiness, and focus on what matters to us.

The page, the story, the word, the chat rooms, the creativity.

Time to bloom, time to let the words sprout from the gray covering of the old life. Time to write, and write with the joyous abandon of not caring about anything else than how many words an fit into thirty days (or 27 of you start today, like I am).

Camp NaNoWriMo. Are you in? I am.

 

Guest Post: Embracing Incoherence (or, Rambling for Focus)

18 Nov 2012 2 Comments

by irowboat in I might not be in my right mind here, NaNoWriMo, NaNoWriMo Tips, Slightly off Kilter, unsticking, Writing Tools Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

It’s me again, taking over so you don’t have to.

A lot has happened in the last couple weeks, but we’re now 18 days and some change into November, just a smidge past halfway. If you multiply 18 days (and some change) by the Golden Ratio (1.618, a.k.a. “Phi”, a.k.a. “ϕ”), you get 30, or at least a reasonable facsimile thereof. How many days hath November? Not a coincidence.

That’s right, you’re at the Golden Ratio, the perfect spiral, the only-thing-that-makes-sense part of your story. If you’ve done NaNo before, you’ve already done your math — 30,000 words are miles behind you, and the wind is blowing comfortably through your hair.

30,000 words. Sound familiar?

So not only is it the most-perfect-hardest-time in your novel, it’s also the Night of Writing Dangerously in San Francisco. How—as a non WriMo—do I know it’s in San Francisco, you ask? Because I dropped your usual host off at the airport at a time that was not quite obscene, but also uncomfortably close to far-too-late. As I write this, she and at least one typewriter-toting maniac are snacking and binge drinking wining and dining and writing with 229 other writers.

“So how does this help me?” you ask. And just because I’m barging in here to hassle her with not-terribly-subtle notes about how far she should be, I’ll tell you.

Refocus on the goal: 50,000 words. 30 days.

Discover your story. Go faster, further. You’ll learn more about your voice. I know from watching Michelle that you’ll grow in your capacity to adapt, and everything will start coming together. It may not happen in just one NaNo, but it’s like watching the explosive delicacy and wonder of a time-lapse flower unfolding. You don’t think the Vikings reached North America by stopping and digging out their cartography kit at every glimpse of distant shoreline, do you?

What follows is actual dialogue (very lightly edited for consumption) between yours truly, and the lass who is going to strangle yours truly. Sometimes, it helps to have someone looking pointedly at the goal.

…picking up mid-conversation…

partlypixie: I’m tired of these stories I can’t end well. It started so damn well. But this month has been crazy, so I guess a coherent story on top of it all is a lot to ask of myself, eh?

irowboat: Stop whining. The point isn’t coherence. It’s 50,000 words. So knock it off.

irowboat: You’re leaping ahead into the “I’m publishing” phase. Not the discovery phase.

partlypixie: You’re so right, I really am.

irowboat: NaNo is discovery.

partlypixie: Yes

partlypixie: Thank you. That really, really helped.

irowboat: btw, that was 164 words you spent. Thought you should know.

partlypixie: Pfffft

…a couple days later…

partlypixie: With all this writing, themes are repeating so much I might as well be writing just 3 over and over. I don’t know if I have it in me to write something distinct.

irowboat: Then write something hazy and diffuse. Sounds stupid and patronizing, but I mean you just write; this is the month—of all months—where you excise every concern about what you’ll end up with. That’s what they look up to you for; that feverish, wild-eyed abandon, the acceptance and embracing of the incoherent. Readysetgo!

If you’re even the vaguest hint like me, the temptation is there every moment to edit that sentence just a little – not even trying to perfect it, just nudge it a little to let it make sense. Well, since you were foolish enough to stop in and check this out, you get the same care and watering I give as the stern WriMo wrangler (with a heart of cogs and fables): Stop fussing with it.

Every time your cursor goes up, you could be writing the next word. Every time your hand touches your mouse, you can only write words that are missing half the good vowels or common consonants.

If you’re even sort of close to hitting the 1667-word-a-day pace, that 30,000-word wall is the perfect (yes, I’m being self-referential) time to give up on your outline, ignore your urge to flip to your notes document to jot miscellanea (PROTIP: just write your notes in your story); the perfect time to give in, grab hold of every errant thought, and—with all your writerly might—bind them together like an army of Lovecraftian, madness-inducing, literary horrors.

Embrace them now. Remember this is National Novel Writing Month.

Going insane, losing hair/sleep/relationships, sorting out the gibberish – that’s what National Novel Editing Month is for.

(These 756 words were brought to you by the word ‘rambling’.)

NaNoWriMo Tips: stage directions and other lessons from script writing

02 Nov 2012 12 Comments

by PartlyPixie in NaNoWriMo, NaNoWriMo Tips Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

(Why are you reading blogs? Go write! )

If anyone knows where this came from, let me know.

When I was younger, I spent a lot of my time (13 years) involved with all things theater. Acting in, writing, and directing plays all taught me a lot about storytelling, and about writing.

Playwriting and screenwriting is writing distilled down to an impressive science; instead of a whole block of text to connect with our audience, all there is is dialogue and action. Everything about a script is meant to give as much information possible in as little space needed, and while that seems like the opposite of NaNoWriMo, the last thing we want to waste is time fumbling with what we have already written, searching for what we already said.

I've noticed this year that a lot of the habits I developed as a playwright (yes the wright is where I got my NaNo username) have helped me immensely in my noveling, helping me to pad my word count, keep characters straight, and probably to smooth out the editing process in the future.

Here are some of them:

  • Leave yourself stage notes. You know that scene where we achingly work so hard at crafting the signs of subtle frustration in our main character? Chances are that on re-reading, we will have been too subtle and we won't remember what was going on. Take a cue from scripts, and leave yourself notes like (Mark is angry) and (she's holding the dagger), so as directors we can keep track of the action and not let it get muddled in our word-spewing haze.
  • Tell, don't show. I know, this is like breaking the first commandment, but there are times when we just don't want to deal with a scene, or we suddenly have lost track of what we are writing. When a play is a little confusing, one character usually sits and explains it all to help the audience out. To get past something we don't want to spend time on, nothing works like a quick bit of telling. Let a character have a flashback, dream sequence, monologue, or step out as a narrator and just blurt out a big bunch of story.; anything just to get the plot moving again.
  • Name extra characters simply. Not all characters need real names. While naming main characters can be one of the more enjoyable parts of noveling, naming an entire cast is exhausting and impossible to keep track of. Unless a name is required, most plays and movies will have extra players named their function, like “party guy” or “suitor seven.” This saves precious time trying to remember what we named someone, and also adds to our word count a little. And as a bonus, when we go back to edit, we know exactly who everyone is instead of running into something like the banquet scenes in Game of Thrones (I actually used action figures with post-its to get through reading those).
  • Cast of characters. At the top of each script is a section describing each main character: age, description, disposition. A lot of up keep a character bible of some kind, but I prefer this quick sketch just to keep referring to in case I can't remember if my main character is a ginger or brunette, or what accent someone speaks with. We can add small details as we go, but it isn't as rigid or as cumbersome as a full biography (though if you're really stuck for words, biographies are fair game for extra word count).
  • Create a morgue. My script writing teacher always told us to never throw out dialogue. Instead, he gave us a notebook with a headstone on the cover, and instead of throwing out stuff, we glued it in there for later resurrection. Every time you write something you don't like, just cut and paste it onto another document, or just move it to the bottom of the screen under a MORGUE heading. And count them. Keep all of the words you write, even if you change stories or write something you do not use. This isn't writing 50,000 words of coherent plot, this about writing 50,000 words. Put the cut ones in the morgue, and maybe they will get to live again one day.

I hope some or all of these help. Please do not hesitate to message me with any problems, sticky situations, or panic attacks. I want everyone to finish NaNoWriMo, and I'll do whatever I can to get us all there.

 

That's it for today. We have novels to get to!

 

 

 

NaNoWriMo Prep: Disconnect Your Speedometer

15 Oct 2012 2 Comments

by PartlyPixie in NaNoWriMo, October Tags: , , , , ,

No, not literally.

This summer, we had a massive heat wave here in Salt Lake, and a curious thing happened after driving around in 102° F heat for a week solid. My speedometer stopped working.

But it didn't stop dead, laying at the bottom of the dial like a sunken boat. Instead, it hovered at twenty miles per hour, the needle staying completely steady no matter how fast I went. Unless, that is, I went below twenty miles per hour, and then it began flailing wildly back and forth until I either came to a dead stop or drove faster (either of which would return the needle to 20mph).

Luckily, I only drive manual cars, so I had some cues about my speed, and I never got pulled over (imagine that exchange!), but I never pass up an opportunity to learn something about life, writing, and everything wherever I can. And learn I did.

I stopped paying attention to how fast I was going, and started paying attention to other drivers and the road, and when I knew I needed to be places. The only feedback I had was the gearbox, the road flying past, and the dancing needle when I slowed down below 20mph. And I did what I had to to arrive at my destination when I needed to be there, never knowing how fast I went between the start and end of my journey.

It was freeing, frightening, and instructive. And now I do my best to ignore the speedometer – fixed with the cold weather – and to pay more attention to my surroundings and just getting where I am going.

I have noticed a lot of my fellow writers planning their daily word counts, planning their plots, planning their everything in preparation for November.

The logic seems good: to reach 50,000 words, all we need to do is write an average of 1,667 words each day. And while this seems to be a reasonable, steady pace, I have yet to meet any piece of writing that is either steady or reasonable. Why should we expect the process to be anything but chaotic?

Stop worrying about speed and planning. Break the damn speedometer, and pay attention to the terrain instead.

All novels and stories have their own biorhythm, their own unique terrain; some corners need to be navigated slowly, other bits are long straightaways where we can really test how fast the old girl can go. Sometimes we are running late and need to speed, other times the road is crowded and dangerous and we must slow down and make creeping but steady progress toward the goal, the end.

We don't need to worry so much. The only plan needed is this: start at the beginning, work steadily to the end, and finish on time. Speed up, slow down, climb hills, and take detours (the best part). It may take some of us longer than others, but the distance driven is the same for all.

Enjoy the journey. Relax. And write.

 

Also? Never backtrack! The backspace key is for when the cat or the kids “help” with typing. This road is one way only—forward.

 

NaNoWriMo Prep: Write Something You Want to Read, with pep talk

14 Oct 2012 7 Comments

by PartlyPixie in NaNoWriMo, October, unsticking Tags: , , , , , ,

Choosing what to write for NaNoWriMo is a challenge. It has been a challenge every month this year for me, and sometimes I lose a few days at the beginning of the month to just trying to find that thread of plot I feel has the energy to carry me through.

There are a lot of options to try. This NaNo novel is supposed to suck and be all over the place and need tons of fixing. We are supposed to stumble and trip and wonder where the fuck we are and why munchkins are singing to us. It's all part of the fun.

Oh , Calvin. How wrong you are.

This is a great time to try out a new genre. Write fantasy if we are historic fiction writers, try our hand at erotica (and henceforth discover a new world of paranoia about leaving the word processor open when we got to bed), tackle some slip of an idea that wanders though our minds from time to time, or see if we really do have a talent for writing hard core science fiction. Anything can happen in November.

Magical robots that can only perform spells while wearing blue lipstick made in the gama quadrant! Why not? This is NaNo!

It's suppose to be a romp, a fun time of exploring our deeper selves and writing tons of words in delirious, caffeine-induced hazes at three in the morning. It's a time to watch ourselves write despite anxiety and perfectionism clawing at our ratty minds and finally, for just a month, not caring what they say.

The universe isn't even the limit. We can throw every writing rule we ever learned out the door for the sake of word count, word count, word count. No one ever needs to see what we did. (And most of mine, no one ever will. Never.)

But even with all this freedom, let me tell you: a month is short, but 50,000 words is a long ass time. Especially if we are stuck with a story we don't like, or a character we wouldn't be paid to spend time with, let alone try and live in their heads.

When choosing what to write next month, make it wild, amazing, free of restrictions or tight and controlled by some silly outline you'll probably throw out later (I know you did one). Make it wild, change directions and narrators and point of view just because its NaNo and we can for once.

No matter what you make it though, choose a story you would want to read. No one will judge, no one will care. This is for you and you alone; you're becoming a writing superhero, who cares if all you feel like spending time with is a story about five breasted whores? Or that same old star crossed lovers stuff everyone keeps writing about? Or snakes attacking people with swords made by elves? Or anything at all.

Write something you would want to read, and no matter what happens, it will be all the more fun along the way.

Now go throw out that damn outline and have some fun already.

 

Six Down, Six to Go! (Holy crap, we’re halfway there!)

01 Jul 2012 4 Comments

by PartlyPixie in I might not be in my right mind here, June Tags: , , , , , ,

First of all, a quick shout-out to my 12noveling sister. This was her last month of the project, and she did an amazing job, especially considering that she never wrote anything nearly this big ever before and she chose actual genres for each month. I barely know what genre I will write in until the day I begin writing! She’s finished up the year with 3 manuscripts and I am totally proud of her.

Secondly, what a month! I’m so tired I can’t even feel it any more. And yes, that is partly because I got myself in a time crunch and had to write 12,000 words today. If you ever want to know what it is like to be truly without a clear thought in your mind, give this a try. So you can all forgive me for the rather nonsensical and teensy post tonight. It is 2:30 in the morning where I am, and I have decided to stay up late with a celebratory glass or five of wine. Ok, a celebratory bottle of wine.

Don’t look at me like that. I earned it.

In Which the Writer is Absurdly Excited

15 Mar 2012 5 Comments

by PartlyPixie in March Tags: , , , ,

Day Fifteen: 31,617 of 50,000

I’m a little excited about getting my iPad when I finish this novel.

I’m also shocked and really proud of the word count I’ve been able to rack up with that particular carrot on a stick. And it’s made me wonder what it is that’s really so different about being excited. Surely there’s a limit to what’s humanly possible, right?

But if I’m able to crank out 3-6,000 words each day to get this far, then what has made that seem so difficult in the past? The only thing I can find is how I react to my inner editor, or the voice I affectionately call the Evil Critic.

This is what my usual conversation with the Evil Critic usually looks like:

Evil Critic: “What are you writing? Where is this going to go?”

Me: “Uh, I don’t know really. I’m just sort of… writing.”

Evil Critic: “Well that’s dumb. Stop it and find something actually good to write.”

Me: “I don’t want to stop – it’ll work out. I mean, I understand your point, but I really just need to keep going.”

Evil Critic: “It isn’t okay to suck you know. That’s a lie.”

Me: “ I can’t deal with this now. I’m trying to write.”

Evil Critic: “It isn’t like you’re ever going to write anything good anyway, I suppose. Maybe all you can do is suck. Why didn’t you go to college again?”

Me: “Now you’re just being mean.”

Evil Critic: “No, I really mean it. You should have a real career, since you’re so determined to keep writing stories that go nowhere. It’s a nice hobby, but you’ll never really get better.”

Me: “I’m ignoring you.”

Evil Critic: “Don’t make me sing.”

Me: “Writing now. For real.”

Evil Critic: “What do you want to hear? How about that song they always played when you were in High School. Remember high school? You sucked there too.”

Me: “Fine, I’ll go make some coffee before I write. Maybe you’ll be done then.”

 

Lately, the conversation goes more like this:

Evil Critic: “You know, what you’re writing is kinda stupid.”

Me: “ipad.”

Evil Critic: “No seriously. A guy finds a frozen fairy in the forest? How contrived can you get? You’re already running out of ideas and it’s only March!”

Me: “Don’t care. ipad.”

Evil Critic: “It isn’t like you’re ever going to write anything good anyway, I suppose. Maybe all you can do is suck. Why didn’t you go to college again?”

Me: “ iPad.”

Evil Critic: “No, I really mean it. You should have a real career, since you’re so determined to keep writing stories that go nowhere. It’s a nice hobby, but you’ll never really get better.”

Me: “The faster I finish, the sooner I get my iPad.”

Evil Critic: “You’re a loser.”

Me: “Busy writing. iPad. Go away.”

Now if only I could get as psyched about getting to eat some chocolate when I finish a novel.

But I suppose what I ought to take from this (besides an iPad) is that when other things fail, I’m not above being lured to greatness by incentives. And yeah, I know there is incentive in the whole getting-published-eventually thing, but it’s powerful to know how good I am at pushing past my own barriers when there’s a shiny waiting at the end too.

So now I’m curious if I can finish the novel by tomorrow night.

You know, when my darling Irowboat goes and picks up my reward.

From the Apple store.

Did I mention I’m getting an iPad?

Musing Upon Shitty First Drafts

22 Feb 2012 12 Comments

by PartlyPixie in February Tags: , , , , , , ,

Day Twenty One: 37,279 of 50,000 words

I write fast. And messy. It’s how I’ve learned to do things.

It’s because at heart I’m a classic overthinker; if I don’t get words on the page before I have a chance to analyze what I’m doing, it doesn’t happen. Perfectionism is the middle name of my little editor gremlins. We talked about perfection earlier in this blog, so I won’t backtrack until I have something new to say on that matter…

But my message is this – get it down on the page fast and dirty. Fix it later.

This is what is commonly called a Shitty First Draft.

I know we talk about this a lot as writers. It’s such easy advice to dispense. We tell each other that Earnest Hemingway himself said it: “First drafts are always shit.”

But really, don’t we all think we don’t really need that advice? I mean, surely each individual, if they’re diligent enough and go slowly enough, and are gifted enough, it will all be genius from the start. Right?

We’ve all had that feeling of sitting down and writing a perfect or near-perfect short story. The Muse was in a good mood that day, and gave you a gift. Shouldn’t all writing be like that?

Well, I’m not published. Yet. But if you even wonder how I do this – keep up the word count, write sometimes 10,000 words in a day – if you want to do something similar, you’ve got to let go of your standards and write.

It took me seven NaNoWriMos to figure it out. Last year in the middle of skipping around and following the tangled ball of yarn that my plot was becoming like a kitten on crack-laced catnip, I realized:

Wait… This is how things get written. You fucking write them.

That’s the moment I decided to try the theory out for realz, and this 12 novels project was born.

(As a side note, muses are fickle bitches. One day they help you spin gold from dust motes. The next day they’re cheating on you with the no-talent hack down the hall.)

So you can be assured, each month as I post my word count, it’s all one big Shitty First Draft. Sometimes, I get a few lines of prose I treasure, or a bit of dialogue that makes me squirm in glee. Other times I skip scenes I don’t feel like writing all together, leaving a note like

***Something bad happens. Damon wakes up in a warehouse.***

Because I don’t have time or words to slog through a scene I’m not ready for. Hell, it may not be a pivotal scene anyway. What is necessary is the next chapter, the one that tells what he does after things fall apart, when he has to fight off the vampires and find his way, barefoot and bleeding, back home.

It’s all one big Shitty First Draft.

Stories meander, they give me characters I have to chase around because they change constantly, I write scenes I won’t ever use at all – but every time I write, shitty or not, something valuable, priceless is happening.

Because as if by magic, my sucking is sucking less.

And I’m getting a confidence that when I sit to write – muse or not – I will get more story down on the page. Even if it’s a pained 500 words and I walk away feeling like a zombie and things like that last post happen.

(And I’ll always post my zombie posts, just so you guys know I’m not doing this like it’s pie. It’s not. It’s work.)

So now, my friends. Get your word processors up, put your inner editors to bed, drink a few shots of liquor…

And write shit. Absolute total garbage. You have my blessing.

And if you happen to write something beautiful, creative, imaginative and instantly publishable?

I suppose we can forgive you.

Eventually.

No matter what, it’ll get you where you’re aching to go. I promise.

One Down, Eleven to Go

28 Jan 2012 6 Comments

by PartlyPixie in January Tags: , ,

Day 27: 50,646 of 50,000

I’m going to go get some sleep now.

In Which the Writer is Too Tired to Make Sense

18 Jan 2012 3 Comments

by PartlyPixie in January Tags: , , , ,

Day Eighteen: 33,024 of 50,000

I’ve fallen behind on my word count; I would prefer at least a solid 36,0o0, but life is life and it gets underfoot like a hungry cat.

Sometimes, a girl just needs her space. From the people who live in her head.

I needed to get away from the words for a minute and deal with some life pressure, get laundry done, pet my cat, return a few emails, and somehow fall incredibly behind on sleep.

I also needed to step far away from the story and let it mature, let it speak and whisper to me and to itself as I took a rest from creating it. It’s been a cranky teenager, and I’ve been the over-controlling parent.

Funny thing is, when my story finally sorted itself into a clear (well, clearish) line for me to follow, it looked a lot like the story I was getting ready to tell from the beginning. Only better. Much. Better.

Ok, confession time: I threatened my novel. I looked it in the eye and said “Look you little punk, there are eleven more stories coming after you, and I can just throw you in the fireplace if you don’t work out. Shape up or get ready for the incinerator.”

Maybe it was the sleep deprivation talking. I don’t know.

All I do know is that the novel has decided to play nice again, and there are some changes to make. This means I had some backtracking and re-writing of a few key scenes to do. I generally avoid scene re-writes in the first draft, but it had to be done for me to move forward.

Now, it’s grown so rich and detailed I’m worried that this story can’t be completed within 50,000 words this month. If there is a worry to have, this is the best of them.

I have also found a favorite line:

“I don’t know why I hit him. It made sense to my fist, and when I’m in certain moods I don’t argue with my fist.” 

Yeah, I like it.

That is all for now. We’ll be back to a more slept kind of blogging within a few days.

And until then, here is a beautifully lucid thought.

Goodnight.

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 377 other followers

%d bloggers like this: