As I sit here outlining the chapter that ends in the first big plot twist, one that will surely make everyone go "WTF?!", possibly even to the point of quitting the book out of its insane randomness, my mind started wandering to things it shouldnt be. Things such as word count.
Ive never written a novel before, so I have no idea how long this will turn out to be. The goal for Nanowrimo is 50,000 words. I'd prefer at least 65,000 words. Average novel length I think gets up around 80,000 or more depending on the genre.
At the moment, though, Im not too worried about novel length. Rather, I was thinking more about the length of my outline. Again, having never written a novel, I have no idea if I can mathematically calculate an average length for my novel based on my outline. An amateur's guess is "double" the words, but it will likely be higher than that (I like to play it conservative). I just want to have an outline that is long enough to be transformed into a full novel.
So... the only thing I have to go by is my full outline for book five. I'd written it up in college, and from what I'd remembered of it, it was massive. Sitting here working on book one, I decided against better judgement to go back to the other outline to see how many words it was.
To my shock and amazement, the full outline was a paltry 10.5K words. Im less than 4K away from that mark and I still dont feel I've reached Act 2 yet. Im still in the beginning of the story. Granted, after the next couple chapters I'll be in the middle. But I just cant believe that the outline I'm working on now is going to trounce the other one a few times over.
Im not sure what that says about these outlines. Either Im getting way too detailed with my current one, or the other outline was garbage. Personally I'd like to think the other outline was very amateurish. That story needed a lot of molding, and thats why I ultimately jumped back in time four books to help flesh out the characters and story behind it all.
It will be years before I ever get back to book five, so for now I'm going to keep it out of my head. But I certainly am very excited to get in there and spruce it back up.
And that was what I was trying to articulate to myself by writing this. My excitement for rewriting the book five outline doesnt have to go unquenched. Once I finish the outline for book one, its going to get a rewrite. And then the book itself will get its first draft in November. There is nothing but exciting times ahead, and it starts with this afternoon.
Stop worrying about word count. Start worrying about what Elena/Aidan are going to do after their meeting gets cancelled. Then worry even more about their conversation after the plot twist occurs.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Clouds Cover the Stars
Finally got through a side chapter I'd been thinking about for the past few days. Id been running headlong through the main plot thread and decided to do a one-off chapter to introduce some characters coming later down the line. What I didnt expect was how hard that was going to be.
I think the main reason I had a problem with it was because its based on an idea I had less than a week ago. I didnt have very many details thought up, so I was kinda making it up as I went. The initial end product was not very satisfying at all.
I left it for a couple days, then came back and made it better, but it still wasnt what I wanted. I finally took a step back and realized I was spreading a small conflict across too many characters. I ended up axing one of the characters, deciding he served no purpose and lessened the impact of another character. It helped a lot. Im glad to see deleting things doesnt necessarily mean having to start over, and that it can actually make things better.
I was also able to make the conflict more sensible and not confined to a small area. I expanded it a bit, and now I feel the chapter is do-able. It'll probably be short, but thats how exposition should be. At least, thats how I'd prefer it, as long as it gets the point across and gives the reader enough time to get a feel for the characters.
Tomorrow I'm jumping back over into the main plot. Things are about to start heating up here. The first really big twist comes in the next chapter, so I'm certainly looking forward to outlining how I want it to unfold. Writing it in a draft will be another reward, but alas, I have to wait until November :(
I think the main reason I had a problem with it was because its based on an idea I had less than a week ago. I didnt have very many details thought up, so I was kinda making it up as I went. The initial end product was not very satisfying at all.
I left it for a couple days, then came back and made it better, but it still wasnt what I wanted. I finally took a step back and realized I was spreading a small conflict across too many characters. I ended up axing one of the characters, deciding he served no purpose and lessened the impact of another character. It helped a lot. Im glad to see deleting things doesnt necessarily mean having to start over, and that it can actually make things better.
I was also able to make the conflict more sensible and not confined to a small area. I expanded it a bit, and now I feel the chapter is do-able. It'll probably be short, but thats how exposition should be. At least, thats how I'd prefer it, as long as it gets the point across and gives the reader enough time to get a feel for the characters.
Tomorrow I'm jumping back over into the main plot. Things are about to start heating up here. The first really big twist comes in the next chapter, so I'm certainly looking forward to outlining how I want it to unfold. Writing it in a draft will be another reward, but alas, I have to wait until November :(
Saturday, July 3, 2010
At That Time of the Night...
The first big challenge of an upstart novel writer is finding the time to write and sliding it into the daily routine. Without it being routine, writing remains a chore. Its something "extra" to your day that often will end up being cut, thus the "writer" ends up quitting before they really begin.
This is something Ive had problems with in the past, but now Im starting to accept it as part of my day. I have a feeling Im going to become very antisocial over the next few months, because I know if I interrupt this routine too much I might lose it again.
My writing time seems to pop up around 9:00 PM and lasts until I go to bed. On nights before work this poses somewhat of a problem, as I only have about an hour to make progress. However, I think that for now this works to my advantage. I can work in small spurts, allowing me to reflect on the direction Im going and anticipate what will come next. In other words, I wont run out of story to write because I'll never have caught up to the story in my mind. Not until the epilogue rolls around, anyway.
***
I finished up Chapter 5 tonight and Im going to start Chapter 6 when Im done writing this post. Something that surprised me about Chapter 5 was that when I got to a certain point, I became very frustrated. Id just written about a scene that didnt sit well with me, and it was the first time I had encountered such a disappointment so far in the outline. The characters were acting in a way that, to me, didnt make sense, and yet for some reason I wrote them that way.
And then I had an epiphany. I was looking at this character (we'll call him B) through the eyes of the main character. And, as it turned out, the main character got pissed at character B for acting in a way that did not make sense to him. But it did make sense for character B to act that way. The main character had been betrayed.
In short, I felt the feelings of my main character and saw character B's actions as out of character. I became frustrated with myself that I'd just messed up, when really I hit the nail on the head. If even I, the author, got pissed at character B, then I know the readers will, too. And that makes me feel happy, because thats how I want them to feel.
I think Ive officially been bit by the story bug. All hope is lost for me.
Chapters Outlined: 6 (Includes Prologue)
Rough Word Count: 5104
This is something Ive had problems with in the past, but now Im starting to accept it as part of my day. I have a feeling Im going to become very antisocial over the next few months, because I know if I interrupt this routine too much I might lose it again.
My writing time seems to pop up around 9:00 PM and lasts until I go to bed. On nights before work this poses somewhat of a problem, as I only have about an hour to make progress. However, I think that for now this works to my advantage. I can work in small spurts, allowing me to reflect on the direction Im going and anticipate what will come next. In other words, I wont run out of story to write because I'll never have caught up to the story in my mind. Not until the epilogue rolls around, anyway.
***
I finished up Chapter 5 tonight and Im going to start Chapter 6 when Im done writing this post. Something that surprised me about Chapter 5 was that when I got to a certain point, I became very frustrated. Id just written about a scene that didnt sit well with me, and it was the first time I had encountered such a disappointment so far in the outline. The characters were acting in a way that, to me, didnt make sense, and yet for some reason I wrote them that way.
And then I had an epiphany. I was looking at this character (we'll call him B) through the eyes of the main character. And, as it turned out, the main character got pissed at character B for acting in a way that did not make sense to him. But it did make sense for character B to act that way. The main character had been betrayed.
In short, I felt the feelings of my main character and saw character B's actions as out of character. I became frustrated with myself that I'd just messed up, when really I hit the nail on the head. If even I, the author, got pissed at character B, then I know the readers will, too. And that makes me feel happy, because thats how I want them to feel.
I think Ive officially been bit by the story bug. All hope is lost for me.
Chapters Outlined: 6 (Includes Prologue)
Rough Word Count: 5104
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Mythology from Mythology
I got a little sidetracked again tonight, but in a very productive way.
First off, I finally got a name for another character that I'd had on the list for a while. The name suits him very well, and Ive developed his personality/character a bit from it. I havent had any physical interactions with him yet, its all been through dialogue of other characters, but his piece of the puzzle is slowly starting to come togther.
Where I got sidetracked, though, was in thinking about how real world mythology affects the mythology of my story. I ended up Wikipedia-ing some Irish folklore and Judeo-Christian mythology, and this research helped me spruce up details for later down the road. It helped to loosen the "constraints" of the world as I have it currently designed.
That being said, I didnt get much new story down, so my outline is pretty similar to where it was last night. However, I have some more background to build off of, which I think is more important at this stage. Hopefully tomorrow I'll be able to finish off this chapter and start on the next one, although Im not sure where its going to start. I think its going to be a long one, so I know what the weekend has in store for me.
First off, I finally got a name for another character that I'd had on the list for a while. The name suits him very well, and Ive developed his personality/character a bit from it. I havent had any physical interactions with him yet, its all been through dialogue of other characters, but his piece of the puzzle is slowly starting to come togther.
Where I got sidetracked, though, was in thinking about how real world mythology affects the mythology of my story. I ended up Wikipedia-ing some Irish folklore and Judeo-Christian mythology, and this research helped me spruce up details for later down the road. It helped to loosen the "constraints" of the world as I have it currently designed.
That being said, I didnt get much new story down, so my outline is pretty similar to where it was last night. However, I have some more background to build off of, which I think is more important at this stage. Hopefully tomorrow I'll be able to finish off this chapter and start on the next one, although Im not sure where its going to start. I think its going to be a long one, so I know what the weekend has in store for me.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
No time is wasted time
...unless you spend almost an hour trying to force a name on a character by looking up word meanings in different languages on the Internet. This is a trap Im going to have to be careful to avoid in the future. A perfectly good name came to me before I even sat down, so I am looking back on the time spent not advancing the outline with sad eyes.
If I ever get the "No, thats not good enough" vibe, I need to remind myself that this is just an outline. I can change the name later.
If I ever get the "No, thats not good enough" vibe, I need to remind myself that this is just an outline. I can change the name later.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Of the Airship Academy
Tonight I wrapped up the largest chapter outline I've done so far. It turned into something far bigger in scope and much more interesting than I had initially intended. The big ticket item for me was to introduce Terria, but it turns out she only had a very small part. In fact, her role in this first book may be minimal. I know of at least one more scene where she will appear, but other than that she may not be around.
This is one of the surprises Ive discovered that comes with breaking down your ideas on paper. The story just seems to write itself, at times disregarding your original intentions. I had planned on introducing Terria as somewhat of a heartless bitch with a large role, but this first story doesnt have much use for her so she gets cameo appearances. Id love to see more of her but if its not what the story needs, then I'll save her for later.
Instead, Sam came into the picture and with a bigger role than I had conceived for him at first. Im not sure how many more times we'll see him in this novel, but so far hes had a major influence on the main character in a way I didnt expect.
Oh, and also, the idea I had for the airship was just really flipping cool. I cant wait to describe that beast in all of its glory.
Outline Progression
Chapters Completed: 5
Rough Word Count: 3586
This is one of the surprises Ive discovered that comes with breaking down your ideas on paper. The story just seems to write itself, at times disregarding your original intentions. I had planned on introducing Terria as somewhat of a heartless bitch with a large role, but this first story doesnt have much use for her so she gets cameo appearances. Id love to see more of her but if its not what the story needs, then I'll save her for later.
Instead, Sam came into the picture and with a bigger role than I had conceived for him at first. Im not sure how many more times we'll see him in this novel, but so far hes had a major influence on the main character in a way I didnt expect.
Oh, and also, the idea I had for the airship was just really flipping cool. I cant wait to describe that beast in all of its glory.
Outline Progression
Chapters Completed: 5
Rough Word Count: 3586
Sunday, June 27, 2010
The Writing Writer
This post has nothing to do with Coheed and Cambria.
OK, so I'm changing the purpose of this blog. Originally it was meant to be a journal where I could write about abstract ideas that I was incorporating into my novel. Yeah, this is another one of those blogs.
In the past I've started up some sort of blog or note systems to communicate my progress to whoever was listening. But in the end I defeated myself before I even began by posting schedules and other riffraff that had no business being out in the open, let alone being put to paper at all.
Ive thrown out the schedules, thrown out all sorts of restrictions and boundaries. Im not sure if I will even continue writing in this blog, as its just another distraction from what I should be doing. That is, to say, writing.
Thats why Im changing the purpose of this blog. Rather than a form of communication to the outside world, Im going to use this as a personal journal of my journey to get this job done. Everything I write in here will be to support myself and my writing. Im leaving this public for now, for anyone to read, but at some point I may change that.
This story is all I have left of my "dreams." Its been floating around in my head for, I dunno, ten years? It has become this huge, epic beast and it is very, very intimidating. It could either be world-changing or it won't get published at all. I feel I've finally found a solid starting point, so hopefully there won't be anymore "hey I've written four chapters!" and then starting over from scratch on a new story.
For the past few weeks Ive been writing a chapter-by-chapter overview to get things started. When I was writing the "original" novel in college, I spent my time between classes writing an overview that turned into a 40 page achievement. The only problem is that that novel is the fifth one in the series, so I wont be looking at it again for quite a while.
Ive been having a lot of fun with the new "first" novel. I started pulling ideas together around April (I think) and it has evolved quite a bit since then. Ive surprised myself with some of the ideas Ive come up with. There were a couple instances where I was laughing and flailing my arms wildly in the air as I danced around the living room. Well, not really, but you get the idea. Some awesome heart-wrenching, plot-driving twists that make total sense and are just, well, awesome!
Im having a bit of trouble keeping focused at the moment because Im about to jump into a couple exposition-driven chapters, and a lot of the fun/actiony stuff doesnt come until later. But Im still finding new and cool things to write about that are building up the characters.
Hell, these first three books (aiming for a trilogy, then two more trilogies after) are going to blow away everything I thought up for the original novels. Its a very traditional supernatural fantasy/scifi, as far as plot goes, but holy magoly is it epic.
So I guess I should get back to work on the overview now. From time to time I'll probably come on here and post my personal thoughts on characters or chapters or plot lines. Im going to do my best to keep things spoiler-free, but if it gets to the point where I HAVE to talk about something to help me progress, I may privatize this blog. I'll also post my progress so I can look back and see how long it really took to do all of this. I'll need that reassurance for if/when I start working on novel #2.
"...And the only sign of life is the ticking of the pen
Introducing characters to memory like old friends..."
OK, so I'm changing the purpose of this blog. Originally it was meant to be a journal where I could write about abstract ideas that I was incorporating into my novel. Yeah, this is another one of those blogs.
In the past I've started up some sort of blog or note systems to communicate my progress to whoever was listening. But in the end I defeated myself before I even began by posting schedules and other riffraff that had no business being out in the open, let alone being put to paper at all.
Ive thrown out the schedules, thrown out all sorts of restrictions and boundaries. Im not sure if I will even continue writing in this blog, as its just another distraction from what I should be doing. That is, to say, writing.
Thats why Im changing the purpose of this blog. Rather than a form of communication to the outside world, Im going to use this as a personal journal of my journey to get this job done. Everything I write in here will be to support myself and my writing. Im leaving this public for now, for anyone to read, but at some point I may change that.
This story is all I have left of my "dreams." Its been floating around in my head for, I dunno, ten years? It has become this huge, epic beast and it is very, very intimidating. It could either be world-changing or it won't get published at all. I feel I've finally found a solid starting point, so hopefully there won't be anymore "hey I've written four chapters!" and then starting over from scratch on a new story.
For the past few weeks Ive been writing a chapter-by-chapter overview to get things started. When I was writing the "original" novel in college, I spent my time between classes writing an overview that turned into a 40 page achievement. The only problem is that that novel is the fifth one in the series, so I wont be looking at it again for quite a while.
Ive been having a lot of fun with the new "first" novel. I started pulling ideas together around April (I think) and it has evolved quite a bit since then. Ive surprised myself with some of the ideas Ive come up with. There were a couple instances where I was laughing and flailing my arms wildly in the air as I danced around the living room. Well, not really, but you get the idea. Some awesome heart-wrenching, plot-driving twists that make total sense and are just, well, awesome!
Im having a bit of trouble keeping focused at the moment because Im about to jump into a couple exposition-driven chapters, and a lot of the fun/actiony stuff doesnt come until later. But Im still finding new and cool things to write about that are building up the characters.
Hell, these first three books (aiming for a trilogy, then two more trilogies after) are going to blow away everything I thought up for the original novels. Its a very traditional supernatural fantasy/scifi, as far as plot goes, but holy magoly is it epic.
So I guess I should get back to work on the overview now. From time to time I'll probably come on here and post my personal thoughts on characters or chapters or plot lines. Im going to do my best to keep things spoiler-free, but if it gets to the point where I HAVE to talk about something to help me progress, I may privatize this blog. I'll also post my progress so I can look back and see how long it really took to do all of this. I'll need that reassurance for if/when I start working on novel #2.
"...And the only sign of life is the ticking of the pen
Introducing characters to memory like old friends..."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)