notes from NaNoWriMo 2012: part 2
One of the biggest things I learned from NaNoWriMo 2012 was to keep writing and keep moving forward.
Sounds like a big, huge 'duh', I know.
But, lets stop and really think about this. The writing classes I've taken are centered around short stories or individual scenes, so I've fallen into the trap of writing bits of a story. I focus so much time and energy on certain points of my story that I'm left with basically a fleshed-out outline. The classes make it seem that if you can just nail these key scenes, the rest will just fall in place. Well, maybe for some writers it does. Not for me.
I loved the constant linear motion of my NaNo journey. It kept me pushing through the rough patches and motivated to see my characters through my worst writing and their worst moments.
Have I kept it up in December and January? Yes! Because I love the thrill of finishing.
Is my current WIP done as in start-e-mailing-it-to-agents-done? No way! But one draft is completed and behind me. I just finished my read-through and I can see where theres too much and where theres not enough. The margins are filled with ideas and notes and new dialogue. Yet, if I hadn't completed the first draft, I would never know where these issues were.
So, I find it's best to keep going and don't look back. I don't even read my previous day's work, I just jot notes on my note card to give my brain a nudge the next day. It makes for some pretty terrible transitions and repetitions, but thats what editing is for, right?
Sounds like a big, huge 'duh', I know.
But, lets stop and really think about this. The writing classes I've taken are centered around short stories or individual scenes, so I've fallen into the trap of writing bits of a story. I focus so much time and energy on certain points of my story that I'm left with basically a fleshed-out outline. The classes make it seem that if you can just nail these key scenes, the rest will just fall in place. Well, maybe for some writers it does. Not for me.
I loved the constant linear motion of my NaNo journey. It kept me pushing through the rough patches and motivated to see my characters through my worst writing and their worst moments.
Have I kept it up in December and January? Yes! Because I love the thrill of finishing.
Is my current WIP done as in start-e-mailing-it-to-agents-done? No way! But one draft is completed and behind me. I just finished my read-through and I can see where theres too much and where theres not enough. The margins are filled with ideas and notes and new dialogue. Yet, if I hadn't completed the first draft, I would never know where these issues were.
So, I find it's best to keep going and don't look back. I don't even read my previous day's work, I just jot notes on my note card to give my brain a nudge the next day. It makes for some pretty terrible transitions and repetitions, but thats what editing is for, right?
Comments
Post a Comment