Total word count: 13,729
Words written today: 0
Yup, zero words written today, I know. Same for yesterday. My reason for yesterday is that I had a paper & a presentation to prepare for my Colonial Literature class and I had gotten home late from work/school. My excuse today is that I spent my hour off writing this post on the marketing behind the new Twilight book instead of working on my novel. Why? Because I'm not sure where to go next.
Which brings me to my topic: organization. Not all of the work that goes into a novel is writing. Sometimes you need to stop, take a moment, and figure things out. I have so many ideas bouncing around in my head, build up from the last 6 years since I dreamed up this novel, and I don't know where half of them go anymore. There is a huge hole in my narrative, some of these plots no longer exist, some need to be taken out to spare the world. So tonight instead of writing I went down into The Archives, which is the name I have for this semi-organized mess in my room where I keep all my writing things. I have finished copies, rough drafts, edits, & random loose scraps with notes that make no sense anymore. Tonight I went through, found everything that related to The Conqueror and refreshed my memory on everything. Also in my room I have a bulletin board with all the major plot points from the original idea still up there from 4ish years ago. It makes me wince to look at some times. I took all the scraps & I typed them up into two doc files on my laptop, for characters & misc ideas. I also have a paper from earlier tonight covered in questions about where am I going or notes on what things I definitely need to work towards.
I haven't figured out much, but it's a work in process. Hopefully this weekend and next Monday (no school!) I can do more work on these. For right now, I need to work on the outline for my research project in Ethics, and tomorrow is devoted to a literary review of all my sources for Comm Theory. College is not all parties, my friends.
EDIT: I finished my outline fairly quickly & had about 12 minutes before bedtime. I still don't know what's going to happen next (it's less a matter of what will be in the chapter as which chapter is next, narrator-wise) but I didn't want to spend a lot of time figuring it out, so I put in a blank chapter and moved past it. This was a chapter I had almost forgotten until I went through The Archives, but one I think needs to say. So I wrote 224 words before midnight & before I got word blocked.
Help: What is the word for when someone goes "aargh?" Like out of frustration? There is a word for it. It is a word I can't think of. Please to be helping me with it.
Total word count: 13,953
Words written today: 224
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Monday, March 29, 2010
General; The Wall
I won't normally do this, make more than one post a day, but I just had a conversation with my friend and I thought it was worth noting. Funny that this would happen just after I hit The Wall, but there you go.
He told me how when he writes he'll start, then he'll hit a wall, get discouraged, and stop. He'll go back and look at the story, but he never gets further than that wall. My advice to him was to stop planning. If it's not working, so you try something new. Push through and get past that wall, doesn't matter how you do it, so long as you get past. Only once you're on the other side do you look back and figure out what worked and what didn't. If something isn't how you like it, you change it, but first you get past that wall.
Here's what I told him:
He told me how when he writes he'll start, then he'll hit a wall, get discouraged, and stop. He'll go back and look at the story, but he never gets further than that wall. My advice to him was to stop planning. If it's not working, so you try something new. Push through and get past that wall, doesn't matter how you do it, so long as you get past. Only once you're on the other side do you look back and figure out what worked and what didn't. If something isn't how you like it, you change it, but first you get past that wall.
Here's what I told him:
You reach a wall, you do something to get past it. You climb, and if that doesn't work, you dig. You do not stop to look at the wall. The more you look at the wall the bigger and longer and thicker it's going to get and you'll start thinking you can't get past that wall anymore.
The Conqueror, Chapter 11; Sacrifices
Total word count: 13,729
Words written today: 498
Writing is just like any other job or hobby, it requires sacrifice if you want to be good at it. Sometimes you sacrifice your time to write your novel, sometimes you sacrifice your novel to spend your time on something else. If you want it bad enough, you make the sacrifice, you make it a priority. Today I sacrificed some time in class to work on my novel. Yes, in class, during lecture. I can take notes and write my novel at the same time...but I will admit that I probably won't know that material as well now. I could have just listened to the lecture, instead I decided to divide my time and work on my novel. I sacrificed that part for my writing. Tonight I'll put aside my writing so I can do my homework (for advanced writing, but trust me, it's not the same). It takes time and it takes management and writing, it takes sacrifice. You don't give everything up for writing and you don't put your writing aside for everything else. You work it out, you budget your time, you figure out what's most important and what needs to be done first. That's what I did today. I wrote 498 words during class and that's all I had time for today, but maybe tomorrow I won't need to sacrifice my writing time. I can't see what tomorrow's going to hold, maybe it'll give me hours, maybe it won't. So I make sacrifices today, in case I can't make any tomorrow.
Words written today: 498
Writing is just like any other job or hobby, it requires sacrifice if you want to be good at it. Sometimes you sacrifice your time to write your novel, sometimes you sacrifice your novel to spend your time on something else. If you want it bad enough, you make the sacrifice, you make it a priority. Today I sacrificed some time in class to work on my novel. Yes, in class, during lecture. I can take notes and write my novel at the same time...but I will admit that I probably won't know that material as well now. I could have just listened to the lecture, instead I decided to divide my time and work on my novel. I sacrificed that part for my writing. Tonight I'll put aside my writing so I can do my homework (for advanced writing, but trust me, it's not the same). It takes time and it takes management and writing, it takes sacrifice. You don't give everything up for writing and you don't put your writing aside for everything else. You work it out, you budget your time, you figure out what's most important and what needs to be done first. That's what I did today. I wrote 498 words during class and that's all I had time for today, but maybe tomorrow I won't need to sacrifice my writing time. I can't see what tomorrow's going to hold, maybe it'll give me hours, maybe it won't. So I make sacrifices today, in case I can't make any tomorrow.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
The Conqueror, Chapter 11; My Novels are Ambitious
Total word count: 13,231
Words written today: 2,005 (almost makes up for yesterday!)
Talking with my best friends today, it has been pointed out to me that my novels are big, ambitious, and have a broad scope. I both agree and disagree with those. I don't necessarily think that my novels are big, but they certainly have a large cast, with multiple narrators (or at least The Conqueror does). There is no definite hero or main character, there is a cast of primary and secondary characters. And yes, it has a broad scope, but these aren't worlds hanging in the balance. The issues would still be there, whether or not my characters were involved in them. In Zenith, Rob was merely a catalyst for something bigger than himself, but the situation predated him. In The Conqueror the characters are involved in the resistance effort, but the narrators, for the most part, are not the ones doing the fighting. They are related to the people who are, or in love with them, or tied to them in ways they can't quite explain. These are the people who are hurt outside the field, not by bullets, but by worry and loss, the people whose lives change and can't do anything about it. It's about them and it's about more than them. So, yes, I have a broader scope than other YA novels.
But are they ambitious? I'm not so sure. I'm not saying that I don't hope to accomplish something with my novels, because that would be me lying to you. I do want to do something. I don't think for a second that I could stop a war or end racism or keep the world turning, but I do hope that maybe, just for a second, you'll think about these things. Think about what you're doing and how you're doing it and what message that sends. I write about wars and diversity and friends and family and love and loss because these are a part of our lives. That's not grandiose, as one person said, and I don't think it's ambitious, either. These are things we live through every day, and maybe it's on a bigger scale, but that doesn't make it any different. I just want you to look at the bigger picture, see yourself as something far more infinite than you could imagine. Maybe that's ambitious, but it's possible. That's what I write about.
I won't always leave quotes, but I just found this one via sheismargo's tumblr:
Words written today: 2,005 (almost makes up for yesterday!)
Talking with my best friends today, it has been pointed out to me that my novels are big, ambitious, and have a broad scope. I both agree and disagree with those. I don't necessarily think that my novels are big, but they certainly have a large cast, with multiple narrators (or at least The Conqueror does). There is no definite hero or main character, there is a cast of primary and secondary characters. And yes, it has a broad scope, but these aren't worlds hanging in the balance. The issues would still be there, whether or not my characters were involved in them. In Zenith, Rob was merely a catalyst for something bigger than himself, but the situation predated him. In The Conqueror the characters are involved in the resistance effort, but the narrators, for the most part, are not the ones doing the fighting. They are related to the people who are, or in love with them, or tied to them in ways they can't quite explain. These are the people who are hurt outside the field, not by bullets, but by worry and loss, the people whose lives change and can't do anything about it. It's about them and it's about more than them. So, yes, I have a broader scope than other YA novels.
But are they ambitious? I'm not so sure. I'm not saying that I don't hope to accomplish something with my novels, because that would be me lying to you. I do want to do something. I don't think for a second that I could stop a war or end racism or keep the world turning, but I do hope that maybe, just for a second, you'll think about these things. Think about what you're doing and how you're doing it and what message that sends. I write about wars and diversity and friends and family and love and loss because these are a part of our lives. That's not grandiose, as one person said, and I don't think it's ambitious, either. These are things we live through every day, and maybe it's on a bigger scale, but that doesn't make it any different. I just want you to look at the bigger picture, see yourself as something far more infinite than you could imagine. Maybe that's ambitious, but it's possible. That's what I write about.
I won't always leave quotes, but I just found this one via sheismargo's tumblr:
I cannot teach anybody anything, I can only make them think.
- Socrates
Saturday, March 27, 2010
The Conqueror, Chapter 10; The Unmarked Trail
Overall word count: 11,269
Words written today: 107
Oh look, I've made it to day two! That's good. However, I fear I may be far too exhausted to write much tonight. Actually, I know I am. I'm heading to bed early tonight. All of tomorrow is dedicated to writing and laundry.
I've found that there comes I time in every novel when suddenly you look around and realize you have absolutely no idea where to go anymore. You had a set of directions, or a map, but they only led you so far in your journey. The second page was missing, or an area was torn off by accident. Maybe you got lost, maybe you just hadn't planned this far, whatever the case, you're not sure where you're going. During Zenith this came somewhere around chapter 27, but it seems to be coming far sooner in The Conqueror, in chapter 10. I know what I'm doing for this chapter, and I know what I'm doing for the next one. After that? After that it's a loose array of random plot points and no clear pattern anywhere. The points I have are nonessential or free-floating and I'm not sure what to do with them. I have an end in mind, but no idea how to get there.
The Unmarked Trail is not all bad, though. Maybe you're not sure which road to take, but that just gives you the freedom to take any road. So when you reach this point, take chances, push your way through the brush and make your own way. If your only goal is to make it out of the forest, then you can go in any direction and still be okay.
This reminds me of a quote from Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, which I will leave you with:
Words written today: 107
Oh look, I've made it to day two! That's good. However, I fear I may be far too exhausted to write much tonight. Actually, I know I am. I'm heading to bed early tonight. All of tomorrow is dedicated to writing and laundry.
I've found that there comes I time in every novel when suddenly you look around and realize you have absolutely no idea where to go anymore. You had a set of directions, or a map, but they only led you so far in your journey. The second page was missing, or an area was torn off by accident. Maybe you got lost, maybe you just hadn't planned this far, whatever the case, you're not sure where you're going. During Zenith this came somewhere around chapter 27, but it seems to be coming far sooner in The Conqueror, in chapter 10. I know what I'm doing for this chapter, and I know what I'm doing for the next one. After that? After that it's a loose array of random plot points and no clear pattern anywhere. The points I have are nonessential or free-floating and I'm not sure what to do with them. I have an end in mind, but no idea how to get there.
The Unmarked Trail is not all bad, though. Maybe you're not sure which road to take, but that just gives you the freedom to take any road. So when you reach this point, take chances, push your way through the brush and make your own way. If your only goal is to make it out of the forest, then you can go in any direction and still be okay.
This reminds me of a quote from Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, which I will leave you with:
One day Alice came to a fork in the road and saw a Cheshire cat in a tree. Which road do I take? she asked.
Where do you want to go? was his response.
I don't know, Alice answered.
Then, said the cat, it doesn't matter.
Friday, March 26, 2010
The Conqueror, Chapter 9
Overall word count: 11162
Words written today: 625
Fridays are always hit or miss writing days for me, generally because I tend to write more late at night and I don't have that option on Fridays. I work at 6:30 on Saturday mornings, so a reasonable bedtime the night before is a must. Today I managed 625 words which is not fantastic, but far better than anything else this week. I went three days without writing a word, partially because of the crazy amount of schoolwork I had to complete (6 pages of papers just last night) and partially because I've been having a really rotten week. And by really rotten I mean "exceptionally exhausting" and "terribly trying" and other such alliterations. Getting back to writing, accomplishing something, felt good, like visiting and old friend or watching a favourite movie. (Which I also did tonight by introducing my best friend to Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium, but that's beside the point)
In those 625 words I finished the 9th chapter of The Conqueror and introduced one of my favourite characters, William. He's a bit crazy, usually drinking, and generally hilarious. He used to work in the palace, before the Overthrow, and now he works for the resistance. If you've read my novel Zenith, or heard me talk about it, you might be thinking that he's very similar to Fagan/Gramps, and in some ways he is, but in many others he's very different. Still, I think those two would get along rather well, especially over a good meal.
Words written today: 625
Fridays are always hit or miss writing days for me, generally because I tend to write more late at night and I don't have that option on Fridays. I work at 6:30 on Saturday mornings, so a reasonable bedtime the night before is a must. Today I managed 625 words which is not fantastic, but far better than anything else this week. I went three days without writing a word, partially because of the crazy amount of schoolwork I had to complete (6 pages of papers just last night) and partially because I've been having a really rotten week. And by really rotten I mean "exceptionally exhausting" and "terribly trying" and other such alliterations. Getting back to writing, accomplishing something, felt good, like visiting and old friend or watching a favourite movie. (Which I also did tonight by introducing my best friend to Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium, but that's beside the point)
In those 625 words I finished the 9th chapter of The Conqueror and introduced one of my favourite characters, William. He's a bit crazy, usually drinking, and generally hilarious. He used to work in the palace, before the Overthrow, and now he works for the resistance. If you've read my novel Zenith, or heard me talk about it, you might be thinking that he's very similar to Fagan/Gramps, and in some ways he is, but in many others he's very different. Still, I think those two would get along rather well, especially over a good meal.
Meet the Lunatic
Hello everyone, chances are if you're here, you already know me, but if you don't, here's the basics. My name is Jez, I'm 20 years old, and I'm an as of yet unpublished writer. I've written all sorts of stories in different genres and lengths and I'm working on getting some of them published. On 19 February 2010, I finished my first complete novel, Zenith, clocking in at 55,940 words. It's a science fiction story set in the future when aspiring film director Rob needs to help his grandfather keep one of the last farms and hide an airplane in a time when air travel is illegal, all with the help of a young cyborg named Risty. This is also the novel I wrote for NaNoWriMo in 2009, which I finished!
This blog is to replace my vastly outdated one and to keep track of my writing with updates on word counts, troubles, and celebrations. Hopefully there will be more celebrations than hardships.
And since you're probably wondering, the name of this blog comes from a quote in Cornelia Funke's Inkspell.
This blog is to replace my vastly outdated one and to keep track of my writing with updates on word counts, troubles, and celebrations. Hopefully there will be more celebrations than hardships.
And since you're probably wondering, the name of this blog comes from a quote in Cornelia Funke's Inkspell.
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