NaNoWriMo – 30

Current Word Count: 60,693

Even better is this:

DONE.

I am totally exhausted. I was up past 2AM, seized around the throat by the novel, finishing it up and putting an end to it.

Is it any good? Probably not. I like it, but I recognize flaws in it that I can overlook, since I knew I had to put them there to solve certain problems. Someone else would probably see nothing but the flaws. Well, they’re never going to read it, so who cares?

The main thing is that I did it. It’s done, a story with a beginning, a middle and an end, not just some pages, sketches and notes to revise forever.

It feels great. At least, it would if I could feel anything other than exhaustion.

NaNoWriMo – 29

Current Word Count: 58,505

Finished the revising bit, and wrote out a version of the Bad Guy’s Motivation Explanation that used all the notes I wanted to use. I think his motivation, and his missteps, are pretty well limned. There’s a good argument between him and my POV character. Though the work is a whole lot of talk, I kind of like it.

Now all I have to do is end it, which is kind of already done but needs to be shaped. For the record, my alcoholic secondary character lived after all. OH, and I also came up with a title. Didn’t have a title for the thing until just today. Funny how that works, eh? Sometimes a work searches for a title, other times a title searches for a story.

Woo Hoo, etc, brief spin of party noise-maker. I am not in a state of panic.

Effusive congratulations to FilthyRottenAngel and Cullen Waters for completing the NaNoWriMo journey. Henry, I’m sure you’re almost there and Kerry, next year you’re going to compete or I will, uh, hold my breath until I’m underwater. RVH ought to do one as well, but I sure wouldn’t want to read it.

Love on all of ya. More later, maybe.

UPDATE: “We are down to the wire folks, we are down to the wire.” I’m working on the last few paragraphs.

NaNoWriMo – 28

Current Word Count: 56,200

Should be done with revising shortly, I’m on page 92 out of 100 and I know the last couple of pages are sketched-out notes for things I want to have happen, but haven’t yet fleshed into writing.

This is actually pretty exciting. It’ll be nice, after all these years, to actually accomplish something (other than splitting infinitives). Provided I do finish, that is.

Later that same day: 57,007

Largely finished with revising, though the sticky bit near the end is still somewhat sticky. Then I decided to write part of the ending I’d been mulling over. Actual writing, not revising.

Wow, about 500 words in a fifteen minute span. Cool.

There’s a lesson here. “I must not revise. Revision is the mind-killer. Revision is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my writing. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the writing has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.”

I’m sure old Frank wouldn’t mind my bits of…revision. Oops!

NaNoWriMo – 27

Current Word Count: 55,606

Sick as a dog today, so I didn’t do as much as I wished to. I was hoping to be done with revising, so that tomorrow I could move on toward the ending I need to write. Starting to feel a little bit panicked about the approaching deadline. Funny how “five days” seems like all the time in the world, but “three days” seems like not enough time to accomplish the simplest tasks.

I am finding, on balance, that I like the story, and I like the characters. Always a plus. And the revising is going well, though I miss the raw creative stuff, writing out the story and having it invent itself. Like the bit where a powerful, deadly, nearly indestructable monster, who kills people for the bad guys, turns out to have his own agenda. Didn’t expect that, but it was sure cool when it happened.

Ah well. I’m really hoping this doesn’t end at midnight on November 30. We’ll see, worry about that when it gets here. See you later.

NaNoWriMo – 26

Current Word Count: 55,130

Pretty decent number, I must say, oh no question, that is definitely a number to be reckonned with, eh?

Here we are, on the third day of revising. I’m on page 52 of 97, so it seems to be coming along all right. I’m right in the middle of my “Good” Opposing Force’s attempt to explain what he’s up to. There’s some stuff in there that I think I’m going to have to simply tear out, and replant, but I’m not worried too much about word-count being affected. Obviously, I’ve completed that aspect, though the story itself remains unfinished.

And now I have to think of what might happen on December 1st, after I’ve finished this story. Will I continue working on other stories, or has the imposed-from-without deadline been the sole motivating force behind this work?

I’m rather dreading the answer to that. Still, it’s a few days off. Plenty of time.

Way cool numbers on the rest of you, at least according to the NaNoWriMo main site. As you have saluted me, so I now salute you all. Couldn’t have gone this far without you. I may actually buy your books in HARDBACK.

NaNoWriMo – 25

Current Word Count: 53,100

Second day of revising, and it’s still going pretty well. I’m trimming and inflating here and there, and the whole thing’s not reading as bad as I’d feared…says the person who actually wrote it, and who thus would have a tendancy toward forgiveness. An actual physical reader might entertain an opinion which would differ substantially.

And I think the conversation pieces hold up pretty well. I was afraid, with all the talk, it would seem like an Isaac Asimov story, but I’ve got enough other stuff happening that I think the story holds interest. Again, says the author.

Still got to write the actual ending, but we’re five days away from the finish line. I’m not terrifically worried.

More later, possibly.

NaNoWriMo – 24

Current Word Count: 51,185

Happy Thanksgiving to all and sundry. I’m celebrating by being the only one at work (which means I can write). You can celebrate by watching a swell Thanksgiving special–why, how about The Star Wars Holiday Special! That’s a traditional Thanksgiving show that would put everyone in a nice thankful mood.

Also happy 200th post to me, of which this is it.

As for the novel…I wrote the antagonist’s speech last night as a speech, in a separate document. Like he was lecturing a class, or something. I then intercut my POV’s remarks and questions into it. I did a lot of this via beer, which helps loosen up the ole writin’ gland a bit, though toward the end I ended up with something I’m not sure I follow. Here’s a bit of it:

“I’m no longer worried that I don’t understand you. I’m worried that you don’t understand me. Understand anything other than yourselves. Your dreams have grown so vast and all encompassing, you no longer understand what it is to have nothing.”We understand nothing. We came from nothing! We know all too well what nothing is!

I’m sure once I break out the old Fireball XL-5 Decoder Ring, that will make perfect sense AND work in context, somehow. As it is, well, as Jerry Lee Lewis might have sung once, “It Was the Bud Light Writing, Not Me.”

I’m sure once I break out the old Fireball XL-5 Decoder Ring, that will make perfect sense AND work in context, somehow. As it is, well, as Jerry Lee Lewis might have sung once, “It Was the Bud Light Writing, Not Me.”Most of the rest of it, though, I’m fairly happy with. He sounds like a sympathetic Doctor Doom in a way, and when you see what he’s trying to do, you can stand back and say, “Yeah, I can see where that would make sense, where you could look at that and say it’s a good idea.”

I don’t like the traditional evil villain (“There’s not enough light for me to read, so throw another peasant on the fire”). I prefer my villains to do what they do because of a different perspective. To be, in essence, good men working toward bad ends.

Or something. I’m still not sure my antagonist’s goals are all that bad.

UPDATE: Current Word Count: 52,070

Well, I can’t get anywhere with my ending, though I know what should happen and about what order it should happen in, it’s just resisting my ability to write it.

So I’ve started on the awful part: revising. And truth to tell, it’s no worse at the beginning than it is at the end. That’s something of a relief. Though there’s definitely adapting that needs to be done, so that what I have will match up with what I’ve got. But it’s coming along at an okay clip. And I’ve only cringed, like, twice.

NaNoWriMo – 23

Current Word Count: 50,065

How about that. I actually did it. At least in terms of making the word-count goal. I still haven’t finished the story, though it is getting close. Just felt like posting the number.

More later, perhaps.

Site Update: This is my 199th post.

UPDATE: Now up to 50,475.

I’m having the one guy explain his side of what’s going on to the POV character, but boy, writing this conversation is like steering a shopping cart. It wants to go everywhere but straight down the aisle.

Maybe I’ll just have someone say, “Hey, what’s the sound?” followed by a whistling noise, then an explosion, and the words THE END.

Wouldn’t fit with anything, but heck it would end it all. More later, possibly.

NaNoWriMo – 22

Current Word Count: 49,502

Ran into a bit of a snag, today. To put it in non-writing terms: There I was, the vegetables chopped, the sauces prepared, the wine allowed to breathe, the settings and plates all arranged on the table. The only think I lacked was any idea of what kind of food to make.

My POV character has been caught between two opposing forces since about the mid-point of the book, or so, and it’s getting time for me to resolve those forces. The only problem is he, like the author, has no idea what those forces are up to. It’s not as blunt as good versus evil, in fact it’s much vaguer than that. We’ve spent more time with one representative than the other, but that doesn’t mean his cause is the right one to pursue. Both my forces are good to their own purposes. I suppose. Like I said, no idea of what they’re on about. They tend to make noises about how what they’re up to is incomprehensible to outsiders. Pretty good dodge for “I don’t know,” isn’t it?

I suppose that’s the problem when one starts writing with only a bare notion of what to write about. At least I have several days to think of something.

UPDATE: I think if I ever become a published author, and make a bit of money at it, I’m going to install a swimming pool. I get more useful ideas in the pool than I do almost anywhere else.

I have an idea of what my two forces are oppossed about, and why they’ve come to their respective viewpoints, and why they disagree with their opponents.

Still no idea of how to resolve the whole thing, but it’s a start.

NaNoWriMo – 21

Current Word Count: 48,650

Not a terribly productive day, but that’s all right. I wrote some stuff last night that was pretty bad, so I had to remove it and then make up for that. At first I was afraid I had a Killer Line in there, but I didn’t so no worries there.

It’s getting to the point, obviously, where I can’t just throw stuff in there and “make it work” later on. I have to start closing the elements down, like closing an umbrella, so that it all intersects at an ending.

It’s a bit harder now. The words don’t flow as easily, but they’re still coming.