Day 21: NaNoWriMo 2012

And then we crossed the finish line...

Tis' ture. Last night (or I guess it's technically this morning) at 12:37 AM, I stopped writing and saw the word count total: 50,373.

I'm not done yet. About two scenes to go which may add up to 2,000 more words, but it feels great to have passed that line.

I have to prepare things for Thanksgiving today, but I  plan on squeezing in another hour out of today.

Wish me luck.

Day 21's total: 2,677
Overall: 50,373 

And since it is Thanksgiving Day in the US, I want to thank all of you who have been emailing, commenting, tweeting  or encouraging through Facebook.

A writer's journey is a lonely one by design. You don't write by committee. But you do need the motivation of the community. So thank you for being part of my community. You are my tribe and I hope you know, I am part of yours.

Fight the good fight!

Day 20: NaNoWriMo 2012

On the 20th day, I took a one day break...

Not really.

I didn't write yesterday. I had planned to take it off. But let's be honest, is a writer really ever off-duty?

I spent the night with some friends and I picked their brains to help add details to my story. I am fortunate that I have a circle of friends who are professionals in various industries. Yesterday, I spoke to the attorneys. Asked them about injunctions, court procedures, feasibility of certain court decisions and more.

Why? Because I needed to make sure that the court ruling that I had in the story rang true. Although my story is not a courtroom story or a police proecedural, I want to make sure that I will not get browbeat over boneheaded "facts." The narrative needs to ring true and keep the reader firmly planted in the story world.

In an earlier post, I mentioned that I was not worried about the lack of upfront reasearch because I would write around it. However, when the opportunity is there, you have to jump all over it. Ask questions. Listen to real stories so that you can add elements of reality. Discussions like these have a tendency to add new material that you had not thought of.

On Friday, I will see my friend who is a sourgeon. He better be ready for me.

Fight the good fight!

Day 19: NaNoWriMo 2012

It's looking good my friends...

I think (hope) that there's enough left in the story to help me slide across the finish line. I found this on the NaNoWriMo.org web site. Stats! I love stats.

According to this, all I have to do is write 210 words per day to hit the 50,000 word goal. I write more than that on my daily blog :)

All joking aside, I need to hunker down and finish strong -- and I don't mean with the word count. Now it's about making the end worthy of the journey my characters have had to endure.

Day 19's total: 2,279
Overall: 47,696

Fight the good fight!

Day 18: NaNoWriMo 2012

Slow and stead as she goes...

The story is now in Act III. The battle has started and one by one my hero is tying the loose ends. The mystery is getting unraveled, but an unplanned event or two are about to kick my hero and team right in the shin.

This is when I get a burst of enthusiasm and try to go nuts on coffee just to reach the end. But this time, I'm going slowly. A satisfying mystery is not about who did it, but why they did it. It needs to resonate at a primal level. Ideally the reader will nearly feel for the antagonist.

Day 18's total: 1,130
Overall: 45,417

Will I wrap it up before I have to carve up the turkey and ham?

Let's see what I can get done tonight.

Fight the good fight!

Day 17: NaNoWriMo 2012

Even on bad days, make sure you write something.

Yesterday was just not meant to be. All plans went out the window right around 6:40 in the morning and then it got worse.

But I was committed to writing something--anything.

So I did.

Day 17's total: 166
Overall: 44,287

I know, I know. Pitiful, right?

But I assure you it was a solid paragraph!

Having said that, this is why it is more powerful to have a weekly goal than a daily word goal. A daily goal not achieved could have a detremental psychological affect. I have plenty of psychologicical issues. I don't need more.

So in the final analysis, a bad writing day, but a solid week.

Fight the good fight!

Ara

Day 16: NaNoWriMo 2012

On the sixteenth day of NaNoWriMo, my manuscript gave to me...

A stinkin' headache!

Yes, my dedicated readers and cheerleaders. A headache. Why? Plot problem. I am about to break into Act III. But the I don't feel that the Fhit has hit the Shan yet. In other words, I don't think the situation is bad enough for my hero.

To break into Act III, the hero must feel that there is no other choice but to enter that final battle. The hero must feel that death (physical or psychological) is imminent and the only choice is to face his fears.

I don't think I have that. What I have is okay... but okay is not good enough. It needs to be awesome. Courageous. Unexpected.

And it's a shame because up to that point I was tearing through the word count.

Day 16's total: 2,416
Overall: 44,121

Now, I have to take a step back and possibly do a bit of clean up work.

Wish me luck. And don't forget...

Fight the good fight!

Day 15: NaNoWriMo 2012

And on the 15th day of writing, I discovered a new twist...

The stinkin' butler did it after all!

Okay, that's a joke. I don't have a butler in my story. I have a man-servant.

As I was writing a scene, I knew that I was getting to an important part in the plot -- the darkest point in the story, where it seems like everything is lost (called the Dark Night of the Soul in the Save the Cat! framework). So as any self-respecting writer would do, I ran away from my desk.

Sometimes, I have to get myself worked up for a scene. I need to bring as much emotional depth as I can muster. So as any self-respecting writer would do, I got a spoon and ate Nutella out of the jar.

Right then, I realized why one of my characters exhibited some physical characteristics. She had done something twice in the body of the story that just came out naturally. I didn't question it, I let it go on. But now, as I allowed the Nutella to coat my soul, it came to me why. What it really implied.

I got the energy boost I needed (not from the Nutella per se) to tie out little details that would lead to a twist in Act III. It's fantastic when the author doesn't even suspect the twist coming.

Not a marathon stretch last night, but a respectable day.

Day 15's total: 1,384
Overall: 41,705

Fight the good fight! (and get some Nutella)