Well, as I had hoped would happen this spring, I'm finally just a few short days away from one of the biggest writing events of the year - JulNoWriMo!
I will be completing my first full rough draft of [i]Plan C[i] in 31 days in at least 50,000 additional words - a daunting overtaking, to be sure, but there's no time to finish it like the present.
I'm feeling a nervous apprehension. It is going to be a CRAZY experience, one unlike anything I've ever attempted thus far; however, I'm certain that it will grant me the needed momentum to bring this story to life.
To prepare, I've typed up a rough description of the events I plan to cover each day over the month of July. Each is very sparsely described (only about three lines to detail close to a full chapter), as I plan to leave myself the allowance to make alterations to the plot as needed - or, as NaNoWriMo's Chris Baty would put it, plenty of room for "Exuberant Imperfection."
I, of course, will do my best to keep running word count tallies (and chapters, if the numbers are available) when possible. Can't wait to see what happens next! Wish me luck!
Till next time,
-R
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Friday, May 29, 2009
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Huzzah!
So, update:
I took a hiatus from writing Plan C in the month of February. I know, boo. This was mainly because I was still undiagnosed with stress migraines as well as bombarded with the most insane midterms week thus far in my college career. But now, thankfully, the craziness has ended, and I can now get back to work over spring break next week.
Coincidently, I ended up being unable to attend last months critique group due to inclement weather and my poor sense of direction. (re: I got lost.) On the positive side of all of this, I still have five printed copies of my first chapter to submit on Thursday, and I didn't feel compelled to commit academic suicide to finish chapter two before now. Chapter two, however, is forthcoming and should be completed by the start of April!
And, finally - in other, more exciting news - I have learned about JulNoWriMo! (www.julnowrimo.com) Similiar to NaNoWriMo, this competition takes place in July! This is PERFECT because it will be smack dab in the middle of summer break, and I shouldn't have too much other than work to consume my time. Mark my words, I'm going to do this! Also, appropriately enough, this July will be exactly a year since I first began planning the novel. It's like KISMET!
Anyway, more intensive spurts of novel writing should take place within the next week. I've definitely missed working on it and can't wait to work with my characters again!
Till next time,
-R
I took a hiatus from writing Plan C in the month of February. I know, boo. This was mainly because I was still undiagnosed with stress migraines as well as bombarded with the most insane midterms week thus far in my college career. But now, thankfully, the craziness has ended, and I can now get back to work over spring break next week.
Coincidently, I ended up being unable to attend last months critique group due to inclement weather and my poor sense of direction. (re: I got lost.) On the positive side of all of this, I still have five printed copies of my first chapter to submit on Thursday, and I didn't feel compelled to commit academic suicide to finish chapter two before now. Chapter two, however, is forthcoming and should be completed by the start of April!
And, finally - in other, more exciting news - I have learned about JulNoWriMo! (www.julnowrimo.com) Similiar to NaNoWriMo, this competition takes place in July! This is PERFECT because it will be smack dab in the middle of summer break, and I shouldn't have too much other than work to consume my time. Mark my words, I'm going to do this! Also, appropriately enough, this July will be exactly a year since I first began planning the novel. It's like KISMET!
Anyway, more intensive spurts of novel writing should take place within the next week. I've definitely missed working on it and can't wait to work with my characters again!
Till next time,
-R
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Things are rolling along!
Well, I'm very pleased to announce that I was able to reach a certain level of productivity over Christmas break! I completed a preliminary draft of my first chapter while I was home, and since classes have been back in session, I've been able to work on part of the chapter two rough draft!
Word Count: 3,675 / 4,623
Page Count: 14 / 18
Current Chapter: 2
As you might have noticed, I've added a second set of digits to the tabulated word and page counts. This second amount includes any additional prose writings that go above and beyond the current, chronological chapter work. (These are excerpts that might be included in later chapters... somewhere.) So far, I have nearly a thousand extra words that I've been playing around with when the inspiration as struck me.
On Thursday night, I will be meeting with my critique group for the first time with a completed chapter. I'm excited to hear the feedback on my work - and a little nervous as well. I'll be sure to update as soon as I can on any further developments - and perhaps possibly put up a few small excerpts!
Until next time,
-R
Word Count: 3,675 / 4,623
Page Count: 14 / 18
Current Chapter: 2
As you might have noticed, I've added a second set of digits to the tabulated word and page counts. This second amount includes any additional prose writings that go above and beyond the current, chronological chapter work. (These are excerpts that might be included in later chapters... somewhere.) So far, I have nearly a thousand extra words that I've been playing around with when the inspiration as struck me.
On Thursday night, I will be meeting with my critique group for the first time with a completed chapter. I'm excited to hear the feedback on my work - and a little nervous as well. I'll be sure to update as soon as I can on any further developments - and perhaps possibly put up a few small excerpts!
Until next time,
-R
Monday, January 5, 2009
Happy 2009!
Well, another new year is finally upon me. It is my fervent hope to make this one the most productive yet! I've been trying to take advantage of winter break (particularly this past week) to make some major headway on the planning stage of my novel, as well as completely finish the initial draft of my very first chapter. It has been an exciting, if not unnerving, process!
I find my writer's block attempting to stymie me at every corner, but I have managed to fill in a few of the "big picture" holes, one of which that has completely changed the direction of the second half of the novel. However, I am pleased by this particular brainstorm - it is more plausible than what I had before, as well as a much larger obstacle for my protagonists to have to work through! (An ultimate solution, unfortunately, is, at this time, still pending. Of course.)
As a new system in this blog, I hope to keep a running tally of word, page, and chapter count. Hopefully, it will help to keep me more accountable so that I will write as often as I can. For now, it's a humble beginning, but it will soon grow.
Word Count: 1,127
Page Count: 4.5
Current Chapter: 1
My next critique group meeting is on February 5th, so my tentative goal is to have the first two chapters completed by then. Wish me luck!
-R
I find my writer's block attempting to stymie me at every corner, but I have managed to fill in a few of the "big picture" holes, one of which that has completely changed the direction of the second half of the novel. However, I am pleased by this particular brainstorm - it is more plausible than what I had before, as well as a much larger obstacle for my protagonists to have to work through! (An ultimate solution, unfortunately, is, at this time, still pending. Of course.)
As a new system in this blog, I hope to keep a running tally of word, page, and chapter count. Hopefully, it will help to keep me more accountable so that I will write as often as I can. For now, it's a humble beginning, but it will soon grow.
Word Count: 1,127
Page Count: 4.5
Current Chapter: 1
My next critique group meeting is on February 5th, so my tentative goal is to have the first two chapters completed by then. Wish me luck!
-R
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Next year: NaNoWriMo
One of the difficulties of balancing a full-time schedule of college classes, work hours, and (the semblance of) a social life is that, inevitably, something ends up getting shortchanged. Unfortunately for me, my writing project is the thing that I've ended up having to place on the back burner for the past several weeks. However, I do have a few positive bits of news to report!
Over the past few months, I've had an opportunity to attend a few sessions of my new writing critique group, and I've managed to receive some amazing encouragement and feedback. Best of all, I've received the motivation I need to start actively moving past the mere planning stage. Outlining is extremely helpful to me, but, at the same time, it tends to keep me a bit stuck. I find it too easy to begin to distance myself from my work and keep painstakingly plotting for every little contingency. Not only does this begin to suck the spontaneous pleasure out of the project, but also I find myself afraid that I may never actually move beyond pages of endless plot summaries and character profiles.
Thankfully, I received the stimuli I needed to start actually writing the thing. Even though I've been working on my outline sporatically since July, I still have a (significant) few more holes to get filled in, but I suppose, at least for this first draft, that I'm going to try to tinker with and explore my characters and let them begin to reveal aspects of themselves as we go. (Those who have worked with creating and writing original characters will understand how this process works.)
With that said, my major goal for this coming Yuletide season (and extended break from college classes) is to complete the first one or two chapters of Plan C. Can I do it? I think so! I've started to jot down a rough outline of the first 1 and 1/2 chapters as well as having begun a working draft for the first few pages. I just wish that I was finished with the last few (academic) writing projects of the semester...
Until next time...
I'd much rather be novel-writin'.
-R
Not to write, for many of us, would be to die. - Ray Bradbury
Over the past few months, I've had an opportunity to attend a few sessions of my new writing critique group, and I've managed to receive some amazing encouragement and feedback. Best of all, I've received the motivation I need to start actively moving past the mere planning stage. Outlining is extremely helpful to me, but, at the same time, it tends to keep me a bit stuck. I find it too easy to begin to distance myself from my work and keep painstakingly plotting for every little contingency. Not only does this begin to suck the spontaneous pleasure out of the project, but also I find myself afraid that I may never actually move beyond pages of endless plot summaries and character profiles.
Thankfully, I received the stimuli I needed to start actually writing the thing. Even though I've been working on my outline sporatically since July, I still have a (significant) few more holes to get filled in, but I suppose, at least for this first draft, that I'm going to try to tinker with and explore my characters and let them begin to reveal aspects of themselves as we go. (Those who have worked with creating and writing original characters will understand how this process works.)
With that said, my major goal for this coming Yuletide season (and extended break from college classes) is to complete the first one or two chapters of Plan C. Can I do it? I think so! I've started to jot down a rough outline of the first 1 and 1/2 chapters as well as having begun a working draft for the first few pages. I just wish that I was finished with the last few (academic) writing projects of the semester...
Until next time...
I'd much rather be novel-writin'.
-R
Not to write, for many of us, would be to die. - Ray Bradbury
Saturday, October 4, 2008
A Little Bit of History (or: Let's Get This Party Started!)
After procrastinating on starting this blog for a few days (procrastination is the writer's curse!), I've finally decided to buckle down and get to it. Although this may not be the most original way to for me to kick off a new blog, any story has to tell its beginning, and this is mine.
I am a junior who is currently attending a small private college in Southern California. I'm majoring in English with a great enthusiasm - throughout my life, reading and writing have always been my first loves. Even as a small child who was under or around the age of 10, I would compose a variety of stories that, at the time, drew upon characters from various fandoms I enjoyed. A few choice and memorable examples of these would be Beauty and the Beast or Super Mario Bros. (Yes, really.)
For a time during high school, I was caught up in actively writing (rather terrible) fanfiction for a few fandoms that were currently popular at the time. Please pardon if I decline to mention them here because they, unfortunately, are probably still circulating around the perpetual time capsule of the Internet. Trust me, they're quite amateurish and not worth drawing any attention to here. However, I am very much thankful for the experience because it really provided me with my first opportunity to write short fiction for a reading audience of more than one. (The "one" being myself.) It was definitely my initial exposure with putting my ideas out there into the void for others to evaluate, and I definitely learned some valuable skills about the craft (most of which I'm still in the process of refining).
In the immediate year or two after graduation, I finally began concocting a few original characters of my own. They have gone through quite a few different stages of development before they became the "people" that they are now. It's been exciting to see the nuances and angles that they have received since they were first conceived of and, so far, their reception by others has been unexpectedly positive. It is my hope here, in this particular little section of the World Wide Web, to continue feeding the current spark of writing inspiration that I have. My first serious undertaking in novel-writing, currently entitled Plan C, is off and running at full force.
At current, my schedule (with college classes, homework, work, ministry, and a passing semblance of a social life) is pretty jammed, so this page may be updated only infrequently. Mostly, it's important to me, as a writer, to document this amazing and completely unpredictable experience.
But above all, I'm working on this project for the fun that comes with creating a living, breathing soul made of ink and paper. Finally, I'll be able to flush few of these crazy characters out of my head and onto the written page (Cornellius Frayne, I'm talking about you.) Of course, if, along the way, others enjoy reading what I might have to say... that would be pretty rewarding, too!
Until next time,
-R
I am a junior who is currently attending a small private college in Southern California. I'm majoring in English with a great enthusiasm - throughout my life, reading and writing have always been my first loves. Even as a small child who was under or around the age of 10, I would compose a variety of stories that, at the time, drew upon characters from various fandoms I enjoyed. A few choice and memorable examples of these would be Beauty and the Beast or Super Mario Bros. (Yes, really.)
For a time during high school, I was caught up in actively writing (rather terrible) fanfiction for a few fandoms that were currently popular at the time. Please pardon if I decline to mention them here because they, unfortunately, are probably still circulating around the perpetual time capsule of the Internet. Trust me, they're quite amateurish and not worth drawing any attention to here. However, I am very much thankful for the experience because it really provided me with my first opportunity to write short fiction for a reading audience of more than one. (The "one" being myself.) It was definitely my initial exposure with putting my ideas out there into the void for others to evaluate, and I definitely learned some valuable skills about the craft (most of which I'm still in the process of refining).
In the immediate year or two after graduation, I finally began concocting a few original characters of my own. They have gone through quite a few different stages of development before they became the "people" that they are now. It's been exciting to see the nuances and angles that they have received since they were first conceived of and, so far, their reception by others has been unexpectedly positive. It is my hope here, in this particular little section of the World Wide Web, to continue feeding the current spark of writing inspiration that I have. My first serious undertaking in novel-writing, currently entitled Plan C, is off and running at full force.
At current, my schedule (with college classes, homework, work, ministry, and a passing semblance of a social life) is pretty jammed, so this page may be updated only infrequently. Mostly, it's important to me, as a writer, to document this amazing and completely unpredictable experience.
But above all, I'm working on this project for the fun that comes with creating a living, breathing soul made of ink and paper. Finally, I'll be able to flush few of these crazy characters out of my head and onto the written page (Cornellius Frayne, I'm talking about you.) Of course, if, along the way, others enjoy reading what I might have to say... that would be pretty rewarding, too!
Until next time,
-R
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