Made it!

Yes, my first ever NaNoWriMo is complete: 50,292 words and 9 hours to spare. Now come the decisions, which I’m sure many of my fellow NaNo-ers share.

Do I finish it? I’ve left my two main characters disrobing prior to their first steamy sex encounter – so I know what they’d say. This was always an experiment to try out a new (to me) genre. I have some great characters, a decent story and a couple of locations with flesh on their bones. And a cat. I don’t think I have a choice BUT to finish it.

But do I finish it NOW?

At the beginning of 2009 I was working on a different novel, a space opera, which I’ve left on hold to go play in the NaNoSphere. My writing crit group read a scene from it a few days ago and told me under NO CIRCUMSTANCES was I to delay working on the piece any longer. Which is lovely and sweet and encouraging, and I’m very grateful of course. The trouble is, I haven’t finished the world-building and plotting it needs for me to move forward.

The NaNo novel was comparatively easy to plan, being set in the ‘real world’, and I’ve really enjoyed being able to sit down and churn out two or three thousand words a day. I don’t know that I want to go back to plotting. But I need to plot the space opera before I move forward.

There’s the dilemma. Finish the novel that’s been steaming along, maybe at a gentler pace now we’re heading towards Christmas? Or go back to the space opera, which I know in my bones has a better opening, even though it’s not yet grown its own skeleton?

My plan – for the time being – is to take a couple of days off, meditate, walk, play Wii Fit Plus and not go near EITHER. Whatever my Muse (bless her!) and my subconscious decide between them will be just fine with me. And the steamy scene will keep.

Yep, it’s true. I’m right on target to hit the 50K words by the end of the month, woohoo!

Best of all, I seem to have slipped into a new relationship with the writing, one where judgement is suspended and the words just flow. I’m not sure whether this is a consequence of the blessed NaNoWriMo philosophy of “quantity, not quality” and the constant reminders that it’s OKAY for the first draft to be crap. Or perhaps it’s that I’ve finally hit my stride with the new handwritten approach to writing. I suspect both; but mainly I think it’s the latter.

Handwriting feels like a closer connection to my Muse. It has elements of ritual and reverence. It requires a different kind of preparation before setting out: the choice of paper (looseleaf or notebook); the pen (medium or fine nib): the ink (currently I’m devoted to a lovely deep turquoise called Sea-Blue). It’s quick and easy to knock out a hundred words while waiting at the doctor’s surgery. It doesn’t require power points or batteries, only sufficient light to see and a place to put my folder.

It’s a fluid, feminine way to write which – for me – draws on the right-brain, intuitive part of my creativity. Screens and keyboards are fabulous and I love the cut-and-paste flexibility of my word processor, and the planning ease from programs such as Scrivenor.  But that techno environment brings out the worst of my Inner Editor. It’s too cold and hostile an environment for a first draft, like trying to hatch an egg in a fridge.

Lynda Barry provided a wonderful NaNo pep talk on the advantages of handwriting, and I wanted to applaud every point she made.

The NaNo WIP was begun by dictating my planning into Scrivenor, using MacSpeech. I’ve used a variation of the Snowflake method mixed with J A Marlow’s Scrivenor outlining approach. I’m handwriting each scene and counting words by hand at night. When it’s all written, I’ll be dictating it into Scrivenor and using that process as a first-pass edit. So far, the plan is working. I’ll let you know how it goes.

It’s Day 2 and already I’m feeling some doubt. The word count for Day 1 came out at just over 2800 (go me!), but this morning I made the fatal mistake of re-reading it. Hoo boy…. in came the Inner Critic just SCREAMING for a chance to edit.

Which is, of course, the point. NaNoWriMo – I’m told – is about quantity, not quality. It’s a way to get the Inner Critic to shut up for a while and just let the words flow, no matter how rubbish. And just as water standing in the pipes too long starts out brown and gritty, my first words on a new project can be particularly rubbish. And I KNOW this about how my process works. So why don’t I remember until after I’ve gone through this inner debate?

Never mind. Today was a blissful mix of catching up with a long-time-no-see girlfriend, and vegging out on the couch with the lovely hubby. Tonight I’m back on the horse and by this time tomorrow, I’ll have the daily average word count right back on track.

Because I’m not re-reading any more. No way, no how.

I’ve done my planning. I have my scene lists. I know what the next scene is about; and the one after that; and the one after that. If there are inconsistencies or minor plot holes, they’ll get fixed AFTER November. My Inner Critic can knock itself out then. For now, I’m sending it to its room for a nap.

Which reminds me, I forgot to introduce the cat in scene 2.

Darn. Must make a note…

It’s less than a week to my very first NaNoWriMo and I’m a typical virgin: excited, eager, terrified and wondering what my friends will say.

It’s a great concept. Participants have exactly 30 days through the month of November to write a 50,000 word novel. The huge online community offers a myriad wonderful distractions: blogs, fora, Twitter, Facebook, etc.  So many procrastinations, so little time.

With its short timeframe, NaNoWriMo is an ideal way to try new things. First, I’m tackling a genre I’ve never tried, although I have used elements of it in other works. “New Leaf” will be a sexy thriller romance with no speculative fiction elements. Although having said that, I can already feel paranormal elements scratching at the door.

Secondly, I’m doing more planning than I normally would. My first novel, “Kindred Spirits” went through major restructures and re-drafts; there has to be a better way. I thought I was a pantser, but perhaps I need a better GPS to keep me on track. I’m trying out the Snowflake Method as described by Randy Ingermanson, and I’m finding the process more valuable than I’d imagined. Characters are already becoming interesting and complex, making story demands I’d not anticipated.

Most of the actual writing will be done by hand, since the only other practical option for me right now is MacSpeech Dictate voice recognition. We are still learning to love each other – sometimes it turns into a sulky teenager and simply refuses to listen, and on those occasions I send it to its room to think about its behaviour, then we try again later.

I aim to blog regularly throughout the process, imagining that my hordes of readers are spurring me on to the heights of fabulous word count and great story. Right now, I’m off to find out more about Vanessa, Anthony and Bradford. Wonder what they’ve been up to overnight …

Thanks to Merrilee Faber over at Not Enough Words and Anna at Quills and Zebras for a fun word challenge!

The rules are this: write a story that is 26 sentences long. The first sentence must start with the letter ‘A’, and every following sentence begins with the subsequent letter of the alphabet, ending with ‘Z’. Easy, right?  Sure…

Here is my crack at it. Let me know what you think.

(Warning – may contain a swear word…)

** Update! Ruzkin over at Scribbles & Dreams is in on the game too!

____________________________________

All along the seafront they came.

Bevies of them slid through the waves, flopping themselves up onto the darkended shoreline. Charlie wasn’t sure whether to run away, take photos or try and capture one. Digging cold fingers into the sand, he rolled out of the way just as a huge specimen crashed onto the spot he’d been lying.

Elephant seal, he thought, but he couldn’t be sure in the dark – he just knew it was black and shiny.

“Fuck me! Get away, ye big blubbery bastard!” He didn’t wait any longer. In a few minute more, the beach would be overrun with the damn thing. Just one was large enough to crush a man. Kneeling up for a better look, he realised he’d made his decision. Leaving, and leaving NOW, was his only option.

Moonlight greyed the eastern sky, and at last he could make out a path through the dark shapes. Not enough light yet to make out what they were, he thought with a shudder, but enough to get away. One cautious step at a time he crept towards freedom, but a hole in the sand tripped him and his camera felll out of his hand and bounced off the flank of the nearest leviathan.

Photography forgotten, he fled. Quick as thought, he bolted through the patchwork of dark and light. Running at full pelt, he didn’t see the tentacle keeping pace, slithering along beside him.

“Stop!”

Turning to see the source of the voice, he tripped again, sprawling full length on his belly. Underneath him the tentacle wriggled, then erupted out of the sand, rolling him onto his back.

Venturing one terrified glance upwards, Charlie was stunned to see his camera, still intact, held out to him in the delicate webbing of a second tentacle.

Warily he reached out and took the dangling strap in one hand. Xanthous spots shimmered yellowy-green along the gleaming black flesh.

“Yours, I think,” said the voice, a strange blubbery kind of sound.

Zoology definitely didn’t prepare him for this.

Is it just me? Or has 2009 been crazy time for everyone else too? Someone told me yesterday it’s 12 weeks to Christmas, which brought on an attack of end-of-year contemplations.

I don’t indulge in New Year resolutions. But I generally do a kind of end-of-year roundup of what-I’ve-learned and what-do-I-want-more-of. I shan’t impose that on you, gentle reader, but I can’t help reflect on what a weird year it’s been.

And in amongst all the craziness, I have FINALLY complete the manuscript for Kindred Spirit and it has been forwarded to Bernadette Foley at Orbit Books Australia for consideration. You may remember it was one of the works picked up for the inaugural QWC/Orbit Manuscript Development Program in 2008. Clearly, it needed more development than most!

Now I have a new Work In Progress. Working title is Starstruck, but that will change once I think of something better…  ;-)

OK, so blogging became a major drain and heavy energy because it was A-A-A-ALL about being SERIOUS…   ACK!!

Meanwhile I fell in love with Twitter – 140 characters, what’s not to love? So now I’m back to the blog in the new short form.

Quick update – arm injury still present; finally taking 4 weeks off work away from keyboard; home computer time is all one-handed..  another reason for keeping it short!  Do have voice recognition software (thanks J-A) but still miss my fast typing.

Anyone have suggestions for rapid healing of tennis elbow??  

please excuse this week’s entry w/out caps.

brilliant lesson about self-care – did a task for work that i THOUGHT i had to do because nobody else would (oh my, can you smell the stench of burning human flesh??? – but i digress…)

anywho, that choice resulted in an rsi type injury and now i have to keep keyboarding to short bursts or not at all (hence the 1-handed blog)

which means this weekend’s intensive edit is not going to happen.

aaargh!

wow, that is one way to finally, once and for all, get the message to JUST SAY NO!!!

Just stumbled across Dr Wicked’s Write or Die page – how cute! Pick how long you want to write for, start typing and if you stop SOMETHING HORRIBLE HAPPENS! You can set the level of horribleness and you can pause ONCE during the attempt.

Haven’t tried it myself yet as it’s time for bed and I have a sore arm (ooh I’m good at the excuses…). It’s one to check out over the weekend or next time I get completely stuck. Wahay!

I’m feeling the need to immerse myself in SF so have just signed up for TWO events which are serendipitously cheek-by-jowl on the last weekend of March.

A few weeks ago, I submitted to go into the Vic Writers’ Centre “Year of Speculative Fiction” program with Lucy Sussex. Now feeling quite clever about this, BTW, since several people subsequently emailed me to suggest it, haha! Best of all, I’ve submitted a new novel, so it’s a FABULOUS incentive to get the current one wrapped up by my intended deadline of 9 March (yes, I know, just over a week to go, so what am I doing spending time blogging?) First session is on 28 March.

Have also just now booked in for the world-building workshop at Supernova with Jennifer Fallon and Sonny Whitelaw, and that’s on 29 March! Chose the option that includes an ms assessment of 1000 words within 30 days of the workshop – can you see where I”m going with this? Cunning plan to get as much expert critiquing as possible nice and EARLY so this one doesn’t take <ahem> years to write. 

Talk about an immersive weekend, floating on a sea of creativity … bliss.  I hope to catch up with the excellent Marianne de Pierres as well, probably have to wade through scads of other adoring fans   

So it’s back to Kindred Spirit for now. The chisels, planes and sandpaper are all put away and I’m now buffing with the polishing cloth. Bits are lovely and shiny, others are still stubbornly matt but the gleam lurks underneath. Thanks to J-A and F who have kindly agreed to do a final read for me.

Onward and upward!