NaNo - Day ohmygod there’s only nine days left!!
Eek!! I haven’t had a lot of time to write the past little while. I have managed to write 10,000 over the past week, but I’m still behind where I wanted to be. I currently have 39,375 words written for NaNo. I’ll be able to hit 40,000 tonight easily, but I was hoping to be closer to the end by now.
I’m at that point in my story where I’m not entirely sure where I want it to go. I could start to wrap things up and move it into the final act, but I’m not at the word count where I want to be doing that yet. I think I’m going to have to throw in at least one more dead body to make this work, maybe even go back a chapter or two and add some stuff in. And to make matters worse, I still haven’t worked out all the bugs for my heroine’s internal conflict.
Isn’t NaNo fun!!
I’ll keep pushing forward and hope I can fix everything up when I hit the other side. At least I know the second draft will be interesting. 
My day job has been keeping me pretty busy these days. I’m finding I’m gettng very tired when I come home at night, so it makes writing a challenge. I’m trying not to push myself too much, but it’s in my nature. I’ll be able to have a bit of a rest once December comes. Then we’ll be in to Christmas fun and my last vacation of the year will be on me. I think I’ll be taking a break from everything that week- even writing. Well…we’ll see.
How is everyone making out?
November 21st, 2007 at 9:23 am
Hey Christine - Sounds like your making terrific progress!!
And if I may be so bold as to offer a few words re word count because when I was struggling with the same issue in Law of Averages (albiet in reverse! - I was way over my count), so many people told me this: Don’t worry about word count. Tell the story as it should be told.
I know that contradicts what NaNo is about, but if extra scenes are thrown in just for word count, it might weaken the integrity of your story.
November 21st, 2007 at 9:47 am
Thanks Wylie! You know I tend to get sucked into the whole word count thing so much. You’re right of course, I need to simply tell the story the way it needs to be told and then worry about word count after.
But I have to say, I was hoping for at least 60,000 for the first draft and then go back and try to add another 10,000 in the second. It seems to be how I work. I’m just scared I have too much sex in this one and not enough plot…
November 21st, 2007 at 10:43 am
“You’re right of course, I need to simply tell the story the way it needs to be told”
I can’t take credit for that gem. It was much wiser people who told me! Including my editor, Thomma Lyn, Red, Nicholas, Leah… all those talented people can’t be wrong! And once I FINALLY listened to them, I realized the story was better for it.
Nicholas’s advice was the most succinct:
“Don’t worry about the number of words. A story should take as long as it needs, and it is the end of the tale that is the target, not the word count. As Mozart said about notes in his operas “I use as many as are required: no more and no less.””
Hmmm,… can one really ever have TOO MUCH SEX? LOL
November 21st, 2007 at 1:26 pm
LOL Wylie about Mozart! One of my mom’s favorite jokes is from ‘Amadeus’, when one of the courtiers tells Mozart, “Too many notes.” Yeah, right.
Christine, I find NaNo fatigue really sets in during this third week. It does for me, that’s for sure. The early exuberance wears off and I hit a point where I would need to take some time and let the plot simmer in my mind for a bit. But with NaNo there’s no time for simmering.
November 21st, 2007 at 1:30 pm
I have to agree with Wylie. That’s why I had to officially drop Nano. I just wasn’t feeling the muse on it. The muse has been bugging me for the SDoS story so that’s what I’ve been working on.
And you take a break from writing. LOL I’ll believe it when I see it!!!!
November 21st, 2007 at 1:40 pm
Christine, I am sending good vibes your way so you triumph sweetie! And too much sex - is there such a thing? LOL! I worried that about mine too but a fresh eye will just open possibilities, no?
Hugs!!
November 21st, 2007 at 1:46 pm
“…throw in one more dead body” that just made me chuckle out loud at work. And there is no such things as too much sex LOL
November 21st, 2007 at 8:57 pm
I was reading the comment trail, and I just loved the advice Nicholas gave to Wylie! Yes!
And best of luck with your NaNo novel. I hear you on looking forward to the second draft. My NaNo novel is in pretty good shape considering how fast I wrote the dang thing (and how mercilessly I gagged my inner editor, LOL!), but it definitely needs significant revision.
Happy Writing this weekend!