Nanowrimo: Week 1, Scrivener and 23k

Day 1 of NanoWriMo is upon us and I'm 23k words in.

No, I didn't write them today. I wrote those words nearly 6 months ago. I'm doing NanoWrimo with a project that has already been started. I used to feel like this was cheating. NanoWriMo is about beginning and finishing an MS in 30 days. But it dawned on me this year (my fourth year trying to do it), that finishing a story isn't the only way to win. Reaching 50k is the easiest and perhaps most popular way of doing it.

Besides, 50k might not even be a whole story for genre writers like myself. My current WIP is Sci-Fi (/ ugh, dystopian, maybe?) and I think it will run about 70-80k. So this headstart will help me reach 2 ways of winning, reaching 50k and actually completing the story I want to tell.

I've never won NanoWriMo before but I really intend to this year. I feel like I've been able to address my common problems so that while writing a novel (especially one that involves world building) can often be like this:

I'm hoping this year, I'll have an experience more like this:

Writing like a Got-Damn Disney Princess

1. World Building
1. Only this past year have I successfully created a well developed world and characters for a story to grow. This took me 5 months for a High Fantasy story--Like I said, I'm not really a high fantasy writer. I found it much easier to create a sci-fi environment
2. Outlining/Plot
1. I can't talk about Scrivener enough. Without it, I wouldn't have been able to write my novel. I wrote 113k words in 5 months. I'm sure I can do 50k in thirty days as long as I have my precious, precious software. I've never been good at outlining but Scrivener makes it incredibly easy.
3. Pacing/Momentum
1. I'm usually very enthusiastic about things from day 1 to like day 14. But the middle of the novel is hard and worse than hard, its daunting. It's the point where you feel like you don't want to keep writing. Like your story is shit. Like the world might as well just end now cus you're an idiot who never should've picked up a pen (or downloaded Scrivener). However, I just read Stephen King's "On Writing" and I've also learned so much about perserverance throughout the past couple of years. I'll probably do another blog post on this but basically "You can always edit if you have something written. But if you don't write, you can't edit." So breeze through the middle--fuck it, put in shit you know you won't ever keep. Whatever gets you to the next scene. Just keep putting one word after another.
4. Dependence
1. Writing, "they" say, is a solitary art. But I'm a social person. Hearing other people's ideas or even the sound of them typing, turns me on (in a way. No lawsuits please). In the past, I've never gone to the write-ins or bothered with writing buddies. But this year I'm going to go the extra mile to really experience this amazing event. I've already completely filled out my profile, complete with picture and even an excerpt.

So those are my four issues and what I am hoping are their solutions. I feel good. But then again, it IS only week one.

The End: It's Okay Not to Celebrate

I recently finished my book

 

(But for real though)

It was 500 pages, 112 plus words of love, created and scrivener and sent off to my awesome beta readers. My friends were hype and I appreciate their unwavering support. But I wasn't excited. 

I worked on the book for six months straight, outline to edits. I woke up and wrote. I went to work. I came home and wrote. I went to sleep and woke up and wrote. If I wasn't writing, I was taking notes, making sketches, thinking about it, dreaming about it. For five months my novel consumed my free time. Then I finished it. 

You know? 

When I created a PDF of the project, I was stuck between sadness and awe. But I wasn't happy and I wasn't excited. I felt lost and empty.

 

(Not exaggerating)

To put this in perspective--I have a life. 

I have a girlfriend, I have friends, I did other things when I wasn't writing (occasionally) and I also have other hobbies. But my book brought me unthinkable joy. It was the first Epic Fantasy I'd ever written (I used to be big on Urban Fantasy) and I learned so much about myself while I was writing it.

I learned I LOVE world building. It's like a drug. I learned I love long stories. I learned I have an impressive imagination. And I learned just how thirsty I was for some QPOC in a "traditional" fantasy story. 

Y'all, this experience was REAL.

 

(I might've seen Jebus)

And then it was over. 

I've never felt like this when finishing a book. I'm usually excited to start querying. (And I still am). But a part of me was a little sad the ride was over. A part of me was ready to start outlining my next book. I made myself go out and have a drink. But I didn't really want to. I wanted to wrap myself back in writing. I wanted to make sure I was "busy". Querying is hard. It's scary. It is LAME. and for me querying is a sign that things are really done. I've done all I can and it's time to send things out into the world. It's kinda like when Wilson left Chuck because he realized he didn't need him anymore. He was returning to civilization.

 

(No shade, though. ( -_') )

And so there this novel was, teaching me another thing about myself that I didn't know. I really love writing. 

That sounds silly. 

But I think prior to this I was writing with the goal of getting published. I may have written this last novel just because I enjoyed writing it. I think that showed. And when I was done, I missed the world and the characters and the excitement of build up. I wanted it again, so I began another book. But the end of the novel wasn't a milestone for me. Finishing the novel wasn't a great accomplishment. It marked the end of a happy thing.

I don't know y'all. I might have attachment issues.

My First Author Interview!

Since September of 2013 I've really been making a game plan to get my shit together. That meant:

• Outlining a novel and committing to finish it
• This meant publicizing it! I feel like I, personally, can't back out of something if everyone knows I'm doing it. 
• Reading more
• Connecting with other writers
• Editing for other writers
• Attending events and conference
• Writing every single day 
• Try to get some short stories published
• Take a Gotham Writer's Workshop
• Apply for Fellowship

That last one is particularly difficult. Sometimes, you want to come home and relax.

That feeling when you take off your bra after a long day at work

However, since making this commitment, I've averaged about 10k words a month. I need to speed it up a little to be done by February--but I'm still impressed with myself. Especially since I think my writing for this project really isn't too bad!

  I booked my ticket for AWP (Association of Writers and Writer's Program) and attended an event at the Brooklyn Historical Society, that spoke about race and speculative fiction! It's been a fun ride and so far my hard work has culminated in the following:

Click Here

Needless to say, I'm feeling pretty good! And this young lady inspired me to come up with a list of 

Writing Goals for 2014

•  Finish the Novel
• Attend three more writing events outside of AWP
• Query 20+ agents (I tend to under-query and give up)
• Write and Submit 3 short stories
• Outline and begin draft of next project
• Read 10 books
• Tweet one new writer a day (I've met some great people this way)
• Publicize this blog
• Edit for someone in my genre

This is going to be such a good year--it's already off to a fantastic start! That isn't to underestimate that the publishing industry isn't terrifying and difficult. It's basically a war. I'm ready though.

So. Fucking. Ready