What's live-blogging? I got the idea from Daphne Unfeasible, who live-blogs queries sometimes.
Throughout the day, I'm going to be updating my status on writing. My goal? 10k words in one day. Heck yeah.
Live Blogging
Woke up after a crazy dream in which my mom got turned into a washing machine during a family vacation in Japan. For some reason, my father, brother, and I still decided to go to Tokyo Tower...but I got left behind in the subway with my mother the washing machine. I fought off a Japanese gang by yelling French at them. I believe I've mentioned it was a crazy dream? Off to eat Toaster Streudels to forget about it!
-At the start of the day: 31k words done.
-10:30 is later than I wanted to get started, but Toaster Struedels and a shower and taking the dog out take priority. Argh. Stupid need to not stink.
-Just realize that I'd rather write than shower. Sounds like a good "You might be a writer if..." joke.
-Just realize that I'm writing this to not actually get started on writing the novel. The novel is a bit intimidating. But I'm bigger than it, and I'll beat it up if I have to, and I'll take it's lunch money and call it a pansy. Hope it doesn't have a mean older sister.
-Crap. Remembered today is #queryday. Trying hard to ignore it.
-10:41. Crapcrapcrap! Turning away from #queryday!
-10:45. Look at ms. Hate everything I wrote last night.
-11:45. 32k words...but that's after cutting nearly 500 words. Boy am I mean to these characters, though.
-11:55. Must break for lunch...and then I must do a week's worth of dishes.
-6:19pm. Quick update. As my father was coming over for supper, I had to wash the dishes (otherwise, they never would have gotten done, trust me!) So, I wash the dishes...then I have to clear all the junk off the table...then I have to vaccuum...then, just when I sit down to start writing again (literally I had just loaded up the document), my father arrives at the house an hour early! So I had to jump up, forgo writing for a while longer, cook supper, wash up...but on the bright side, the father took the husband out for the night to the family cabin in the mountains so they can go turkey hunting tomorrow. So it's just me and the dog, with the crickets in the background, and ALL NIGHT to write! FINALLY! And I've got so much guilt piled on right this second that I'm not even bothering to check email/blogs/twitter...after this update, straight back to work!
-6:38. You know that scene in Monty Python and the Holy Grail when everyone on set screams "GET ON WITH IT!" I totally feel that way about this scene I'm working on.
-7:04. I need more Easter candy.
-7:14. I'm worried I use onomatopoeia too much.
-7:28. Just killed the second victim. It's at about 32k words...I'm worried that's too long in the book to just be getting to the second murder. But not worried enough that I'm going to stop writing. Just trying to keep track of my thoughts for when I do turn to revisions.
-7:38. 32,700 words. And I'm making the second murder count. *evil grin*
-7:40. Just realized that I've only done 2k of my 10k goal. Stupid goal. *grumbles*.
-7:44. Ugh. I'm grossing myself out with this dead body description.
-7:51. Stopping for some quick research online on poison.
-8:32. When I stopped for some "quick research online," I ended up watching The Daily Show with Jon Stuart. I'm making up for this lapse by chugging a Mountain Dew. Yellow dye #5, do your worst!
-9:16. When it gets hard to write, I tend to write shorter chapters. Don't know if this is good or bad...
-9:29. Yellow dye #5 did little to help. I'm taking a breather--15 minutes and then back on track!
-10:18. My 15 minute breather turned into 45 minutes. It's because I picked up Poison Study...but it did make me realize something. It's good to make promises, and then slowly answer them. In Poison Study, Yalena is a food-taster; her job is to discover poison in the Commander's food. Obviously, her job promises at least an attempt of someone to poison the Commander--and therefore her. This is making me think about what sort of inferred promises I've made with my characters---and how I can dangle the fulfillment of that promise in front of the character (and jerk it away, and dangle it again, etc. etc.)
-11:04. 34k words. I am clearly not going to make 10k words today--I've only made 3k, and I'll be lucky to make 2k more. But I've got a clearer idea of the "dots"...and now I just need to connect them.
-11:16. It's weird to write words that I know without a doubt I'll cut/change/rearrange later. But I've got to get those words down before I can get the next ones down. It sounds strange even to me, I know. *sigh*
-11:41. 35,600 words. I got it back. Those quick words are coming back.
-12:22. 36k words. That's a little over 5k words written today. And I think that's just about my limit. Besides, it's no longer Friday!
Overall Reflections:
I found it helpful to live-blog. Sometimes, just venting my frustration with a passage helped me get back on track. Sometimes logging on and realizing how many minutes/hours it's been since I last wrote reminded me to keep track.
In the end, I've got one scene I like, one scene I LOVE, and a few short scenes that I think will have to be cut/revised pretty heavily...but the dots have been laid out, and some of the lines connected, and in the end, it was just a good writing day. Hurrah!
9 comments:
LOL! what a day! Good luck!
Go, go, go! I'll check back later! :)
if the dishes have waited this long, they can wait another day. Keep writing!
Only a week's worth? I'm going to try this one day--when I get brave like you! :)
Wow, cool idea!
Ooh, I feel like I'm writing right along with you! Have fun!
OK, so I wish I had read this last night. I was like, I'm going to write 5k today! I wrote 2 1/2 and was beating my head on the table the whole time. Queryday didn't help either. Totally addicting.
I'm hoping to write more tonight. Wish me luck!
What are you doing!? Don't write a novel! No one has EVER written a novel. NO ONE. Many people have written sentences. Some people have written chapters. And some of those people have turned around and after writing all that, had a novel. Which is much, much, much easier. You can't get intimidated by a sentence. You can get intimidated by a novel.
Also! What I do is stuff like [FIX THIS THING ON POISON, LATER] and skip the research, for fear I'll accidentally watch an episode of the Daily Show.
Good luck!
I've gotten to over 5K in a day, but never 10k. Hmmm. You're making progress!
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