Tag Archives: word count

Meet My Inner Editor

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I thought today I’d talk more about my inner editor.  We all have one, and it’s the voice in the back of my head that keeps telling me to fix my grammar and check my spelling.  It’s that voice in the back of my head telling me that my writing is terrible, my ideas are terrible, and my characters are lifeless and boring.  Every year, I do NaNo, it gets easier to ignore her while writing.  I have no idea what she looks like,  but she seems like an Isabella to me.  She seems pompous, and has an air of superiority surrounding her. 

This year, I’ve managed to almost completely ignore her.  Not completely, of course, but I’ve gotten a lot better at just writing, which to me is what NaNo is all about.  The poorly written sentences, the inconsistencies, and the terrible (and yet oddly funny) spelling errors can all be fixed later.  You can’t edit it if there’s nothing to edit.  Ignoring Isabella means I can focus on writing, and not have to be bogged down with the worry that it won’t be good enough.  It is a rough draft, it’s not supposed to be perfect.  Accepting that has gotten easier every year as well.

Secret Service Novel: 41,839; I feel like the pace on this one has definitely slowed down, but there’s still plenty of ideas to go around.  I think I’ve settled on a direction for this one, so we’ll see how that goes.  But if it doesn’t work out, then I’ll have no problem trying to find a new direction to go in.

Harry Potter Sequel: 44,342; the ideas just kept coming forth today.  If I can write an extra 667 words today, I’ll be a day ahead! 

2006 Sequel:  43,415; the complaining/venting seems to be working out rather well so far, but it is getting a little old.  Hopefully, I’ll have inspiration for something in the next few days, or failing that, I can always go back and write one of those chapters I know I’ve skipped over.  I’ve lost my muse on this one, I’m hoping I can miraculously get it back in the next few days.

Grandtotal: 129,596; today was a good day for getting ahead (at least for one novel).  I’m hoping that I can continue to get ahead today, with the hope that on the 30th, I won’t be writing until 11 pm and scrambling to get my word count verified, because that’s usually when things go wrong.  I’ll be very superstitious the next few days to be on the safe side!

What I’m Thankful For, Writing Style

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I thought that today I’d talk about what I’m thankful for, in terms of writing.

  1. First, I’m thankful that I heard about NaNo.  It’s been a big part of my life the last few years, and it’ll be a big part of my life for years to come.  I’ve meet a lot of great people through NaNo, and it’s one of the few things that I can really depend on.
  2. The fact that I’m able to keep writing everyday, and for the joy that writing brings me, even when my characters drive me crazy and do things I never intended them to do.
  3. Writing has kept me sane, giving me a way to get these ideas out of my head.  At the times when I felt my worst, it’s given me something to focus on, and my way of dealing with everything going on around me.

It’s a pretty short list, but doing NaNo every year is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.  So onto my wordcount!

 Secret Service Novel: 41,839; I worked on this one while watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade, and miraculously didn’t get all distracted by it. 

Harry Potter: 40,655; I’ve been working on this one off and on, while waiting for food, and when I got bored. 

2006 Sequel: 41,684; I worked on this one last night.  I’m still not sure if I’ll work on it tonight or not.

Grandtotal: 124,178; I didn’t get as much writing done as I had hoped, but I’m not worried about it either, since I’ve been doing pretty well.  And after all, it is Thanksgiving, so a huge number was low on the priority list.

The End Is Near

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I thought today I’d talk about writing during thanksgiving weekend.  Usually I’m catching up on thanksgiving, which has always been the one day that saves me every year.  I normally don’t do much on thanksgiving.  I have an aunt who likes to do most everything as far as thanksgiving goes, and everyone usually brings something.  And of course, the fact that I barely have to do anything means plenty of time to write.  This will be the first year that I’m not catching up.  While I might not finish early, thanksgiving will be a good time to get some extra writing in.

Secret Service: 40,182; I’m hoping to get ahead tonight, but if I don’t, there’s always tomorrow.

Harry Potter: 40,018; all kinds of things are happening!  Hermione has plans to take the potion with fred, george, ginny and luna, and everyone’s getting suspicious.

2006 Sequel: 40,123; I’m hoping to get ahead on this one as well, but like I said with my secret service one, if I don’t there’s always tomorrow.

Grand total: 120,323; I’m just under 30,000 words to 150k!  It’s gone by so fast, and the last 10,000 words are some of the easiest words to write.

Everything But Writing

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Today was one of those days where I managed to do everything but write.  I did get some writing in this morning, but it was a struggle.  Today was a last-minute-thanksgiving-shopping-day, running around trying to find thanksgiving napkins and lets make pumpkin bread for thanksgiving day.  Hopefully I can get myself to focus today, because tomorrow I’ll be more distracted.

Secret Service Novel: 36,724; kiora and dustin aren’t really talking to each other right now, except for when they have to.  Kiora’s dad was apparently in hiding, and when he disappeared, it was so rushed that somehow a bunch of secret service agents forgot about brining kiora with them.  you’d think my subconscious would remember that.

Harry Potter: 38,343; things are moving along slowly.  the giant prehistoric chicken finally made an actual appearance!  it wasn’t as dramatic as I’d hoped, but if I can get myself to edit, it’ll be much more dramatic.

2006 sequel: 38,413; I’m hoping I can get some complaining/writing in for this one, but it won’t be a priority until I get the writing done for the secret service one.

Grand total: 113,480; with each passing day, I’m writing less and less at a frantic pace.

Every Story Needs A Giant Prehistoric Chicken

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I’m pretty impressed with myself this year.  I’ve managed to write over 100k with contractions, not splitting up words like however, or using any other word padding techniques.  In the past, I’ve used song lyrics, not used contractions, and I’ve split words like however and nonetheless into multiple words. 

Every year I’ve had a character mention or do NaNoWriMo, and this year is no different.  I still need to work it into my secret service novel, but that should be soon.  It did get me thinking about other things I need to include in my novel this year.

  • The giant prehistoric chicken naturally needs to make an appearance.
  • mr ian woon also needs to make an appearance.  No NaNo is complete without him.
  • the traveling shovel of death
  • a bunny.  The only reason i’m writing 3 novels is because of too many plot bunnies.
  • ninjas!  (or ninkas as I like to call them).  pirates.  vikings.  Some kind of ninja, pirate, viking war!

Secret Service Novel: 35,152; still need to write today, but if I don’t, I have no doubt I’ll be able to catch up.

Harry Potter: 35,126; I still need to write for this one as well.  Watching Deathly Hallows Part 1 certainly gave me a couple ideas, so all in all the distraction was well worth it!

2006 Sequel: 38,413; I’m surprisingly ahead with this one, so it’s doubtful I’ll add to this one tonight.  But since I’m a couple days ahead, I’m not too worried about missing a day.

Grandtotal: 108,691; a lot of words, and hopefully I won’t have to resort to nefarious means to get 150k.  However, nefarious means are certainly in my bag of tricks if I need them.

My Thoughts Are Turning Towards December

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Every year, I tell myself I’m going to keep writing something once November’s over.  And yet, I somehow manage to not write much of anything the rest of the year.  And yes, every year I feel like I get a little closer to actually writing post-November.  I feel like this is the year that I’m actually going to keep writing, adding more to what I’ve written, but at a more leisurely pace.  We’ll see how it actually works out, of course, but this is the year where I’ve felt like I’ve actually meant it, as opposed to previous years when it was more of a I-should-do-more-writing during the year. 

Secret Servivce Novel: 33,522; there’s so much to think about with this one!  This one is the one that I’m most likely to finish post-November, since there’s so much to work with on this one.  A lot of the decisions I’ve made with this one are mostly because of the conflict and tension they cause.  I was kind of thinking one simple kiss would be sufficient to prove my point, but if there were more to their relationship, and it developed more than I had ever planned, the consequences would definitely be more severe.  and of course, creates even more conflict/tension, and provides some very interesting choices for not only dustin and kiora, but those around them.

Harry Potter and the Giant Prehistoric Chicken: 35,008; I’m pretty likely to keep writing this one once November’s over.  I’m not sure why, but I’m sure the giant prehistoric chicken is behind it.

2006 Sequel: 38,413; It’s doubtful whether I’ll keep writing this one after November.  If I do, it’ll probably be every once in a while, but it’s not high on my priority list.  I want to say I’ll need a break from it for a few weeks, but given that I usually don’t go back on work on stuff, it’s doubtful I’d do so after a break. 

Grand total: 106,943; I’m surprised that I managed to write anything, considering it’s been cold and rainy, and my fingers can barely move because they’re so cold.

Sleep is Important

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Lack of sleep makes for an interesting day writing wise.  I’d say I got maybe an hour of sleep.  While I did get a lot of writing done, as I might as well be productive if I’m just going to sit and wait to be tired, when it comes to writing later in the day, I write even stranger things than normal.  I’m honestly surprised I didn’t fall asleep at the Living Room this morning.  Here’s a few tidbits from sleep-deprived writing:

  • “I am never reading barry potter.”  (who’s barry potter?)
  • “I’m hpping you don’t forget the.”  (forget what?  that you never ended the sentence?)
  • “Do you think he was in on it?” kiora saidked.  (don’t say or ask when you can saidked)
  • ancoient rines (what’s ancoient rines?  is it like ancient runes?)

Note to self: never write when I’ve only gotten an hour’s sleep.

Secret Service Novel: 33,522; I’m rather amazed I stayed awake long enough to write anything for this one.  Things have a taken an interesting, unexpected (and possibly illegal if it keeps up) turn.

Harry Potter Fanfic: 32,373; My attempt to write this one today hasn’t gone well, mostly because I felt like I was going to fall asleep.  Hopefully my nap will give me enough energy to finish today’s quota. 

2006 sequel: 35,674; at least something productive came out of my inability to sleeep.  I also realized that I’ve given up on trying to figure out a plot for the second half, and instead am going to complain about everything.  Chloe’s been complaining most of the last 6,000 words or so, and since complaining is good for my word count, I might as well run with it.  It is fictionalized complaining, as it’s Chloe who’s complaining about everything.  I’ll see where it goes.

Grand total: 101,569; I’m relieved that I’ve passed the 100k mark!  150k is firmly within reach now!

Writing Elsewhere Can Be A Big Help

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Today was certainly different in terms of writing.  After writing a whopping 7689 words, today’s writing was a tad difficult, because I didn’t want to get anything done.  I was also way too distracted at home, so I decided to go to Starbucks in a Barnes and Noble.  Given that there were no power outlets, and given that my battery sucks (and needs to be replaced I might add), I knew I had to work fast.  I didn’t need to write too much today, since I wrote around an extra 1800 words yesterday.  I’ll admit to being distracted by the shiny, new books, but I did manage to find a copy of a book I’ve been looking for and flipped through.  I didn’t expect there to be so many kids, but then again, the mall is down the street from a couple high schools, and it’s friday, so it shouldn’t be that surprising.  I was pretty productive regardless, so the trip was well worth it.

Secret Service Novel: 30,826; I’m still around 847 words short of my goal, but after my trip to B & N, I feel oddly inspired and productive.

Harry Potter fanfic: 31,749; the roughly 667 words I managed to write at home were a struggle, but once I got to B & N, my struggles were gone.  It’s amazing what focus can do.

2006 Sequel: 32,359; I’m thankful I’m all caught up; however, I’m still not sure what direction I should go, so the 1200 words I wrote today were a struggle.

Grand total: 94394; there’s not much to add to what I’ve already said.  there’s no doubt I’ll get to the 150,000 I aspire to write, even though I’m struggling a little right now.

Things Are Moving Along!

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Things are moving along in NaNoland. 

  • Hermione’s researching up a storm, and the professor’s are starting to figure out something’s going on because it’s weird, even for Hermione. 
  • Harry’s having dreams that may or may not be predicting the future. 
  • Chloe came close to committing suicide again, and blames her mother for everything that’s gone wrong in her life. 
  • Dustin wants to get married someday, but his job takes up too much of his time.  There’s potential for him to give it all up but it would depend on the girl, and if she’s the “right girl.” 
  • Kiora’s aunt Audrey is the one behind the threats, and probably the kidnappings too. 
  • Blake has dropped off the face of the earth, and I have no idea where he is or what he’s doing. 

Secret Service Novel: 28,444; Kiora and Dustin are now in Texas.  This changes their relationship forever.  I remembered the title: Turning Point seems appropriate since getting secret service protection changes Kiora’s life forever.

Harry Potter fanfic: 30,285; things are really starting to move along.  Hermione’s considering a teaching career post-Hogwarts, so she’s working with McGonagall, Flitwick and Bill Weasley to help her decide if she wants to teach and in what subject.

2006 Sequel: 29,023; I wrote 2,000 words today for it, which makes me happy, and really helped close the gap that I had.  Being a thousand words behind is very manageable. 

Grand total: 87,752; I’m happy with this number.  It might not be where I want it to be, but I can live with it.  I like the pattern of Harry Potter/2006 sequel/secret service novel.  I’m doing well with the 1st and last novel, so I figure it’s a good day if I can start off with something that’ll boost my confidence, followed by something I’m struggling with, followed by something I’m doing well with to remind me that something is doing well.

I Tried To Take A Break…

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I’m a big advocate of writing every day during NaNo, because catching up the last week can be stressful, especially with more than one novel.  Given the fact that I’ve always had to play catch up the last week, I’d know.  It’s weird knowing that I probably won’t spend thanksgiving weekend catching up.   

Today, or at least this morning anyway, I wasn’t feeling my whole writing…magic…mojo…whatever.  I’m feeling confident in my ability to catch up on my secret service novel and the harry potter fanfic if I actually take a day off from writing this month.  However, I’m at a huge crossroads with my 2006 sequel.  Do I want to do the whole chloe’s-having-trouble-writing-and-her-life-is-an-absolute-mess thing or do I want to focus more on her family troubles and trying to find her dad?  I seriously have no idea what direction to go in.  So I just leave it alone for a day or two and I hope I can catch up.  Or I can just have chloe rant about something, she’s better at it then I give her credit for.

Secret Service Novel: 27,821; this novel is easily my favorite of  the 3.  Then again, it’s the one that I’ve been planning the longest, so it’s no wonder that I’ve become rather attached to it. 

Harry Potter Fanfic: 28,373; I’m glad I got the Week 2 struggles over with during week 1.  This one is probably my second favorite.  Harry Potter does have a special place in my heart, so it’s definitely a sentimental favorite.

2006 Sequel: 27,018; I’m hoping that I can figure out where to go with this one.  A day of writing this one, or at least a day where I do little writing for this one may help out. 

Grand total: 83,212; that’s a lot of words!  I’m slowly getting there.  I can do this.