Yesterday began my writing oddyssey, and the good news is that I did exceed my daily quota. I was feeling pretty happy about that, thinking, "Say--this whole writing thing is easy! I'll be done in two weeks!" Then I reread the opening of the NaNoWriMo book, wherein Baty outlines that everybody feels euphoric and powerful when they start, only to crash somewhere in week two. So I'm still optimistic, but trying to be realistic. I'll take Baty's advice and try to get as far out ahead of the minimum as I can this week so I have some breathing space.
I am confused about what I'm writing. I was really excited about the prospect, but I've run into the same bugaboo I usually do: namely, I have what I think are interesting characters and no plot at all. Baty suggests that one will magically appear if I just keep typing, so I'll trust him on that one. Still, he writes as if most people walk in with a plot in mind and just have to find its depth and complexity; it even sounds as though a lot of the writers are writing one chapter after another, which almost never happens with me. I have little vignettes, scenes and images in my head in no particular order. So that's what I'm putting down right now. We'll have to see if they congeal into any useful mass at any point.
I'll try to post today's update on the actual day; piles o' grading and ending a hyperactive, kind of unpleasant evaluation period have kept me hopping. The good news is that I should be granted tenure this semester; the better news (for me) is that I don't feel nearly as trapped by this as I thought I would.
I've got more grading to which to get. Keep the cards and letters coming in--the staff here really appreciate them. More muffin baskets, too. Later I'll tell you about my new writing totem and my promise to get myself my own for-real laptop if I can publish this beast when I'm finished.
3 comments:
Awesome. That sounds like a great start.
Again, and I'm sure you've heard it and read it about a million times now, but everyone keeps bringing it up around here, too: if you've got interesting characters, their motivations and interactions create the plot. Just let them go at whatever they want to go at.
I'm envious of you; I'm looking forward to November when I'll have an opportuntity to do this as well. In the meantime, I'll content myself with the work my teachers want out of me, I suppose.
How long did it take you to count 3000 words?
That handy "Word Count" function on Microsoft Word works like a charm...
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