Post NaNo: Other Projects and Editing

Post NaNo now, and glad but also sad to be away from that story. I mean it's weird not to have it open all the time anymore and I do feel like I suddenly have tonnes more time on my hands. Which means I'm back to the story I was working on before and have been editing for ages now, on and off. Even started redrafting query letters today, something I started a few months ago, before NaNo etc happened. That's kind of terrifying in itself. Feeling my way through that one.

Looking over the story (my children's story, and the one I'm back to focusing the most on now that NaNo is over) again, and at that point where I think if I read these chapters and these words again, I might... well, I'm at that point where I can't see anything wrong with it anymore, although I know there is much that is still wrong.Argh. So frustrating. Guess I need to try and find someone to have a look for me sometime!

The familiar panic is rising though - what do I work on? I want to work on this, but I can't spend all my time doing it, and then there's the other project I typed up before NaNo and am eager to get editing - although I'm making myself wait until at least December. I dont' want to burn out. Too much. And so I keep skipping around, looking at one thing and then another, unable to settle. Typical!

In other news, Christmas is coming! I made mince pies with a friend on Sunday which was very exciting, and today we settled down to Love Actually and The Holiday, which made us even more festive.

The end of November approaches...

Hit 60k yesterday with my NaNo novel which I am elated with. My 70k goal disappeared a little while ago, because somehow I seem to have run out of story and I physically can't type much more - my hands keep hurting and I think this is a sign to have a rest! 60k is more than I have ever done on a NaNo novel before in November so I am very happy with that and relieved to have got there - and early too. I am very surprised at myself!

As always coming to the end of NaNo is both sad and a relief. I love the experience and everything, and just writing a story every day, but this year in particular, I have realised there are other things I want to be working on/editing, and lots of poetry to do that it is has been a little tough and I think my hands are screaming out to me. Or maybe that's just the cold and rain. That's what I'm telling myself, haha! It has been a good experience though to aim for more words and I am glad I did, because it shows me I can, but I am looking forward to leaving this story be, and get on with some editing of another project I am really excited about and can't wait to work on. In a few days.... I'll take a few days off, focus on some poetry (or at least I'll try, I'm not very good at leaving things be) but I do have poetry stuff to do.

On another note I would like to say that we've posted the first writing prompt over on the Shine forums which I would love for you all to get involved in! Go check it out here.

Under a month until Christmas too - that is a scary thought. So much to do before then! And under three weeks until the end of this term, how did it go so quickly?

How is the end of NaNo looking for everyone this year?

 

50k!

I hit 50k the other day, yay! Very happy with that, but also kind of stunned. I don't think I ever hit it this early before. I'm still ploughing on, although I think I may be going for more like 60k now rather than 70k, but it will still be more than my usual giving up about one hundred words after 50k, so that's good right? I still have chapters planned so I want to get them done.

Hope NaNo is going well for everyone else still.

In other news we've started a blog over at Shine, go check it out! 

I also wanted to post a link to this, which I saw on twitter the other day. It's really cool to see how another writer uses their notebook, and I love Lani Taylor and Daughter of Smoke and Bone, so I really enjoyed reading that, and found her tips really interesting. So go check it out and get inspired.

NaNo Update

NaNo is going well. On 46k, so nearly at 50k! Earliest I think that I've ever got there (not that I've got there yet). I guess that's because I'm aiming for more, and I will keep on going until the end of the month and see where I get to. It's all rather exciting. Although my chapter plan is letting me down a bit and I keep getting frustrated with it. You know how you plan stuff out and think it will be enough to fill the chapter and realise that it's really not, so you start well, blabbing... and my goodness, really you have nothing to say and you're let by your planning which you think is so thorough. Yeah, so I've been dealing with that and trying to fill words and it's been up and down. But hopefully it's on the up now.

Last weekend I was kinda low, which was horrible and I couldn't really do anything except sit and be sad and cry and watch Gilmore Girls (which I'm now addicted to) and eat lots of biscuits. Monday morning I suddenly had tonnes of energy, which was very scary and lots of creative energy, so this week has been full of ideas and productivity (sort of) and it's been good. Hopefully I'll stay on this high, because that would be nice. I hate the lows, especially ones like that. It was scary.

Anyway, off to do some writing, hopefully get to 50k, write some poetry, do some reading, some other writing and planning and art and exciting things. I hope. In reality it'll probably be youtube videos and scrolling through tumblr but I may surprise myself....

Hope NaNo is going well for everyone else!

NaNo Blues

I seem to be charting my NaNo experience in poetry this year:

NaNo Blues

Struggling to find words

To put to paper.

Nothing comes to mind,

And I stare at blank

Pages, my hands hesitating

Above the keys, dirty

With crumbs from the biscuits

I have consumed in the attempt

To find some words

To put to the page

And I’m still sat there,

With nothing to say,

Wondering why the elaborate

Chapter plan I made has let me

Down only eleven days in. 



Although I did hit 30k somehow earlier, so am chuffed with that. Just disheartened with my story at the moment.

Poetry Thoughts

Woah guys, so I never thought I would get as into poetry as I have. I used to do it, but thought it was silly but now I'm learning about techniques and ways of making poems better and I love it.

I like the way that every word has to count.

I like the way that structure is important and so few words can say so much.

Thinking about all these techniques and ways of making a poem work is making me really enjoy it.

Sorry for the essay on poetry, I'm completely immersed in it at the moment, and I like the contrast between poetry and prose, and doing NaNo. It's nice to be doing completely different constrasting things alongside one another. 

Also, did I tell you guys that I read some poems out at a poetry reading/open mic thing? I was terrified, but it was actually really awesome and I really enjoyed it! I surprised myself there, but it was good fun.

We had an interesting discussion in my poetry seminar the other day. I capitalise all the first letters of each line in my poetry,  partly becasue word does it and I hate the green squiggly lines, but also because I like it looking neat on the page and that's just what you do - right? I hate things looking messy on the page. Maybe that's just a strange control freak thing, because believe me in normal life I am the messiest person ever. But apparently (and this is an ongoing debate clearly in the poetry world, which I am going to do some more research into) that is old fashioned and not necessary.

I know most of you are fiction writers, but what do you guys think?

NaNoing along...

NaNo's going well so far! Hit 10k yesterday, and haven't really done any today becuase I've had other stuff to get done and a proposal/essay to finish, which I'm a bit worried about because I have no idea if I've done the right sort of thing, and my portfolio for the end of term sounds a bit wishy washy. But anyway.

I wrote this the other day, on the first day of NaNo while I was brainstorming some poem ideas, and thought I'd post it as I just typed it up. Thought you guys might find it slightly entertaining. Maybe.Who knows. Indulge me.

November First

Furiously tying 1,000

Words before nine am -

That’s what NaNo does

To you. Immediate feeling

Of satisfaction, something

Already done, and plenty

Of time to go.

That eager anticipation

As the days countdown –

November is around

The corner and you know

What that means.

Over the world the

Same madness reigns,

Writers furiously scribbling

Desperate to reach

Their daily word count

And I am wasting time

By writing this poem

Instead of topping up

My word count.

 

Hope everyone's NaNoing is going well!