Artistic Representation of Me as Wile E Coyote (Property of Warner Bros.)
This year I’m attempting to write a novel in 22 days. For posterity, to record my trauma, and for your amusement, this is the diary of Days 6-8.
NaNoWriMo 2014 – DAYS 6 & 7 (15 Days to Go)
So. This is what happened on Day 6.
After a long, tiring day at work, I was ruminating in the shower (where many great and magical things happen) about how to get my 500 words done as quickly as possible so that I could fall into a coma, face-down, on my bed.
Dimly, underneath that thought, there was a more awake and dedicated writer thinking deep writerly thoughts. If I recall correctly, the thought process in my head went something like this:
Ok, so I think I’m doing something wrong. I’ve written 5000+ words in a day before and it wasn’t this painful. Maybe I need to rethink how I’m writing.
Yes. That was definitely how it went.
… all right, fine. That’s the edited version, improved with the benefit of hindsight. What was really going through my head was something more like this:
Oh my sweet @#$@#^ it hurts to write. Everything hurts to write. It feels like each keystroke is forcing a chainsaw deeper into my literary soul. Like I’m writing the leavings of a festering cat. Like I’m… like I’m… WHY IS EVERYTHING SO GODDAMN TERRIBLE? WHYYYY?!
Then this happened.
What happened? Well, I realised there was a better way to set up my story, that changed the way the characters were introduced and also the nature of my main character. It sounds simple set out this way, but to be honest, I think it was the result of several elements, including this excellent post by Kristen Lamb on developing your own voice as a writer, that had been percolating in my brain for the entire last week of misery.
And with that different way to set up the story, I realised there was a different way to write it, too, that might suit my style of writing better. Specifically, not trying to write everything from point A to Z, with everything in between. Instead, just dreaming up individual scenes that I could put together later.
Again, sounds simple. But this was breakthrough material for me. Hope in the darkness and all that. It also felt a little bit like running off a cliff and then thinking I was flying, simply because I was falling. But whatever. Worth a shot, right?
Totally worth a shot (Property of Warner Bros.)
So Day 7 came.
And I wrote 5,000 words.
It took me longer than normal, but more importantly, it felt less like I was shredding my eyes on my screen and more like I was at home. Yes, the writing was hard. Yes, I still hit a wall around 3,300 words, which seems to be my natural limit (for now). But I got there. And it didn’t all suck. I think.
Now, I’m too jaded to think I’ve struck my writing goldmine yet, so the cynical part of me that loves Phillip K. Dick is just waiting for reality to invert and for me to be stuck at the bottom of a writing abyss again, painfully scrabbling to get out. I also know that there’s a lot more for me to learn, and that this might be just another step on my path to get to where I want to go.
But I like to think at least I’m moving.
NaNoWriMo 2014 – DAY 8 (14 Days to Go)
I wake up disoriented and ready to write my standard ‘rest’ day of 500 words. And then I look at my plan and realise today’s a proper rest day. 0 words. Achieved!
So it’s a good chance to plan my novel and also take a glance back. It’s been one week since I’ve started and I already feel like a different person to when I started out. I’ve gained friends (Thanks Felix, Piper, Claire, Victoria, and Brandon!) and I’ve written 21,500 words over the course of 7 days. I’m both proud and terrified of what to come, but more importantly, I’m looking forward to meeting more people and getting more involved in the fantastic online community of writers.
Thanks again for reading. See you all next week!