Tag: fiction

A (Belated) NaNo Pep Talk (via Let The Words Flow)

Great to discover published authors who are enthusiastic about National Novel Writing Month.

When I discovered NaNoWriMo a few weeks ago, on 2nd of November, to be exact, I didn’t stop to think if it was a good idea or not. Afteryears of planning to write a novel “one day”, NaNoWriMo gave me the opportunity to sit down and just get on with it.

What I am writing is 90% rubbish, I know that. But I can forgive myself. After all, it is just a silly challenge and who would expect perfection in a novel written in 1 month? Anyway, please excuse me …. got to go. I have 2,009 words to complete today.

A (Belated) NaNo Pep Talk FYI: I posted this on my personal blog last week, but I figured it's worth repeating, given the number of anti-NaNo articles that have flooded the internet lately, and given the number of LTWF readers that are participating in NaNo!   ~ By Sarah J. Maas   ~~~ Okay, some of you might know that I’ve never done NaNoWriMo, and I’m not technically participating this year, but I AM in the midst of writing a top-secret new WIP. So while I don’ … Read More

via Let The Words Flow

6000 words behind schedule

After 3 days of non-writing, massive catch up today. Still 6000 words behind schedule but am motoring on. And the plot is becoming more exciting…..

How is my MA application going? Well, I have had an email asking for a sample of my written work, no more than 5000 words of fiction. After some agonising, I have decided to submit a sample from my current NaNoWriMo project. It may not be polished, but it has vigour and immediacy to the writing. The alternative is a short story I have been working on, but that has been edited to death and only comes to over 1,000 words. So NaNoWriMo it is.

11,000 and rising

Woke up this morning in a great mood. Yes, 11 thousand words – and a plot to go with them. No stopping me now!

Then I made the foolish mistake of re-reading the beginning of the story. Oh dear. What a load of utter rubbish. Why am I bothering? After a very strong coffee, and a stiff inner talking to, I decide to carry on. Nobody is going to read this. Its just an exercise in unfettered creativity. Keep going….

A plot, a plot, my kingdom for a plot…

My word count on NaNoWrMo is approaching 8,000. But I woke up this morning, certain that a plot would have formed in my head, only to be disappointed. Plenty of ideas – twists, turns, situations, etc. But how to thread them all together.

I sit down with a large sheet of paper and do a Mind Map. Now, it becomes clearer. Yes, I know where this is going.

Desperately seeking a plot.

NaNoWriMo word count is rising steadily. Great. I am telling the story from the POV (Point of View) of the main character as a first person narrative. My characters are alive and kicking. The words are flowing. But wait! What about the plot? What is going to happen? To who? Where? When? I am going to sleep on it and hope the solution comes to my unconscious mind during the night.