The (w)right words.

For me--hands down--the hardest part of writing a novel is, well, the writing.

That sounds more moronic than I meant it to. Let me clarify: For me, the most difficult part of writing is sitting down and pulling the story out of my head. It's the capturing of it on paper. I'm not the most disciplined writer ever (if you couldn't tell), and I delude myself into thinking I'm too busy to write all the time (I'm not. But I am a black-belt in the art of time wasting.)

How does one combat extreme lazy and still get words to paper (almost) every day?

Well, it's a process, but mainly, I force myself to. There's really no other way. Many new writers are amazed at how hard it is to keep writing, especially once the newness of an idea has worn off. When the shininess has faded. (Consequently, this generally unknown difficulty is what makes many nonwriting people think that writing 'isn't a real job--anyone could do it.' Um. No.)

So. To get that story written. Some use the BIC Method, which stand for Butt-in-Chair. Some go a step further and subscribe to the BIC-HOK (Butt-in-chair-hands-on-keyboard).  Others use incentives, set daily word counts, etc. I don't use bribes, mainly because I end up outsmarting myself (that sounds conceited. it's not meant that way) or cheating. (<---Usually this one. ie: Instead of writing 500 NEW words, I'll EDIT 500 words...deal??) I'm also fairly impatient with myself, so it's really no surprise that I get all irritated and sometimes have internal debates* like the following:

WriterMe: Should probably be writing now.
LazyMe: But I know the story. It's not going anywhere.
WM: Should probably get that on paper.
LM: But--
WM: No buts. Write.
LM: Arg, okay. Oh look, chocolate chip cookies!
WM: You're just like all the others.

But eventually I sit down and write words. And sometimes that's all it is--writing words. It's turning down (not off, because I can't do that) the inner editor and just writing the story. Making that lump of clay. It's the only method that works for me, because as much as I love the writing process and creative process as a whole, I like completing things more. The Write Words Method (WWM) gets me a crap ton of clay to work with and refine.

Once the WWM gets me a completed WIP, that's when I move into the Right Words Method (RWM). RWM is about choosing the perfect words or phrases to show this scene. Finding the best way to elicit emotion--sometimes changing one word can alter the perception or emotion a reader has, even subconsciously. Right words means pondering if I made you care about these characters (are they sympathetic?). Are they 3-dimensional? Is that a typo? It's during the Right Words time that my inner editor gets to run wild, and ultimately, whip a work in progress into manuscript shape.

So, what's your method for going from blank document to manuscript? Do you bribe yourself? Combat the lazies like me?

The Battle. Thankfully sleeping doesn't always win.

*For the record, I do not have dissociative identity disorder (DID), or as it's more commonly known, multiply personality disorder (MPD). I just have an overwhelming and distracting case of chronic lazy.

NaNo Update, Day 12

I'm at 17, 281 right now. Technically, I should be at around 18k, but life happened in the middle of the week and I was unable to get any writing time in. At one point, in fact, I was behind by about 5k--I've narrowed it down to only about a thousand words behind, which makes me pretty happy. Or atleast lessens the drowing feeling...kinda.

Hopefully I can catch up today.

As far as yesterday, I really struggled to get going. I wasn't sure what I wanted to throw at my characters next (read: I'm pantsing the hell out of this WIP) and was generally feeling pretty blah. Being ~5k behind schedule isn't a fun feeling and can be more than a little overwhelming. Thankfully I got in a groove a couple hundred words in and went on from there, finishing with a few thousand that I'm okay with.

Try as I might, I can't seem to get ahead for anything. But I'll settle for being close, for now. Maybe, once I sit down to write today, I can get on a roll.

How's your NaNo going?

Currently listening to: the tv blaring and Wednesday the MonsterCat meowing.

Things I've learned

over the past few blogless weeks include

1) I stink at blogging. ...This is a bad lead-off sentence I think.

2) Writing a master's thesis also stinks.

3) Weddings 400 miles away are, well...a long way away. (I never said these were going to be riveting.)

• (3a. Optimistic (read: one size smaller) ordering of bridesmaid's dress is a poor decision for a harried grad student. I'm still recovering from the lack of oxygen.)

4) Going for a run with a person who is required by contract to maintain a high level of physical fitness (read: a U.S. Marine) is a poor, poor idea on part of harried, fluffy grad student. Emphasis on the fluffy part. And the harried. Probably more the fluffy.

5) There is no five, because five is the number of DNA primer pairs I'm using for my thesis. And frankly, the number five stinks. I've grown to hate poor old five, and it's kind of sad really. It's not five's fault.

6) I'm all out of learned things. (This is probably bad.)

In other updates, I broke 55k in my WIP. *Wootwoot!* I'll wrap up a short first draft at around 65k, and then I plan on letting it sit for about a month whilst I forget everything and focus my attention on the idea that's been clamoring (with cymbals) in the back of my head for MONTHS. I'm so excited about the new project, but I'm determined to finish the current WIP first. Must. Finish.

Right now I'm reading GENERATION KILL by Evan Wright. Final verdict is still out (I'm only about 6-7 chapters in), but I will say I'm enjoying it thus far. I'm dying to get my hands on Lee Child's new Jack Reacher book, THE AFFAIR, as well as read a couple other books of various genres that I picked up in a bargain sale. Life would be better if I had more time to read.

Other than that, nothing much going on in my life. How're all of you?

WordCountStuffs.

Short post here, as I don't have much to say (count yer blessings). Latest WIP busted into the 20k-ish range, which makes me pretty happy. I've seen on other blogs and AW that loads of writers reward themselves when that pesky word count reaches certain milestones: I think that's a wondiferous idea. I think a celebration every 10k is warranted, so obviously I get to have twice the party. :). Yes, I'm back-partying, cuz it's mah prerogative.

Anyway, whilst celebrating my two word count parties--I'm eating 2 cookies right now--I'm trying to remind myself not to enslave my person to that darn button, no matter how fun it is to click (sometimes). *Sigh*

It's hard being so complicated. I mean conflicted. I mean confused. Compulsive?

Anyways, I have a funny feeling that this rough draft is going to end up on the shorter side.

Tools --> Word Count sez so.

/writerfail.

*****

ps. Tell me I'm not the only one who struggles with the WC issue(s). Support group? Stepwise program? Something (besides more cookies)? (Ignore the last, more cookies is always a groovy idea.)

Productivity--I haz it.

It's shaping up to be a good week here: in the past two days, I've cranked out 7k that I'm pretty happy with--yaya! Even though it's just a rough (first) draft, I'm really seeing ways I can iron this story out and make it fun/interesting/something-someone-somewhere-will-wanna-read.

Hopefully, this weekend will be even more productive, but we'll see how that goes. *fingerscrossed*

So how's your writing going? Any goals met?

hayyyyyyy :)