So I've been lazy. I wrote "THE END" sooner than I expected in my first-ever completely written by hand novel. And I haven't really penned another word since then. But I have done some writerly things.1. I got Control Issues back from a beta. I made a few minor adjustments, took a page of notes, and wrote about 50 words in an existing scene to round it out a bit. Here's my hint so it makes it look like I've done a lot: Turn on Track Changes. Then I can see what I've deleted, and what I've added in. It makes me feel accomplished. No snarfing.
Then I got back another section from someone else. And now I have a lot of work to do, but I have an idea of how I want to make changes, so that's good.
2. I started typing up the hand-written novel. Got bored. I did 1500 words just to see how many pages in the notebook it would be. It was about 5. So by my rough estimation, I wrote approximately 40,000 words. It's a middle grade novel, so that's pretty good.
3. I had a major breakthrough in stewage on my dystopian fantasy. This is my NaNo novel with the girl-who-pretends-to-be-a-boy. I knew I'd really written myself up a creek and didn't really know how to fix it.
Stewage. Stewage. And more stewage.
I have to post 15 pages of this novel for a crit buddy, and I'm rapidly approaching the spot where I didn't know what came next. The Deletion Line, I'm calling it. That line you know everything afterward is trash, but you don't know how to make it not-trash? Yeah, that one. So I really needed a breakthrough.
Thank goodness for the bad weather that forced me to drive super slow behind a huge truck to work.
And then I had to work up the courage to actually, yanno, hit the delete button. I kept going around and around, copying and pasting into a new document, thinking I could "just change this" or "just take that out" and everything would come together. Um, no. That didn't happen.
So I took a deep breath and selected everything past The Deletion Line. Reached for the delete key. Pushed it down.
Whew. And now I'm free to write whatever I want. I'm not constrained by what I had written before. It could be totally different--and it probably will be. But I feel so...free.
So what have you been working on the past few weeks?
10 comments:
NIce week...I think you got a lot more done than you realize!!! And BTW, love the word stewage, not sure why...just love it!!!
Good job on progress. Even the delete key can be progress....
I finished my book. Hope to send off the partial I've been procrastinating on Monday. :)
I'm trying to get back in the writing groove but after moving have found it had to get settled enough.
Realizing what needs to go is progress.
I love the feeling of freedom you mentioned when you're not stuck trying to work with something that should be deleted.
I'm also trying to get back into the writing groove. I dread the day though when I have to go through and edit. That will be probably my most difficult part. Good job on your progress though.
I agree with Christine - stewage is an awesome word! And congrats on reaching "the end." I always feel good on a day like that. Just cuz.
Nice post and I know sometimes the ending comes all to soon!
I have taken a beak from fantasy and am working on a YA Sci-Fi, although I may have it as an adult, options are open. It's great though and going so much better than I imagined--for now at least! lol
Hitting the delete button always feels so counter intuitive! I worked so hard and I have to delete it? Eke! Way to be strong and now you really are free! Now I've got to go muster up the same courage... wish me luck!
It's true that hitting delete is really a lot of work.
Lady G - good luck on the partial!
Travis, yeah, moving is terrible. Just being without the Internet gives me the shivers.
Annie, you've made good progress this week too!
Eric, I actually like editing. It makes me feel like I've make something better. It's sort of like cleaning. It's terrible, I hate it, but I'm so proud when I'm done. And I have something good to show for it, yanno?
Katie, stewage, verbage, dinnerage. -age can add spice to any word...age. LOL.
Sara, you are a writer in my genre! I have a YA sci fi. Ah, isn't YA sci fi great? Yes, yes it is.
Janyece - *courage vibes* Think lions...and yellow brick roads...
Yay, freedom! It's good you felt that way after you hit the delete key. Sometimes I feel like...oh no...now what do I do with all this blank space!?
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