Let's remember, as we head into day 3--and I'm so glad to see so many have showed up here to challenge themselves! -- that it isn't a wordcount competition. Even within one form or genre people have waaay different processes. One person can go fast and do thousands of words in a sitting. Someone else may write one paragraph but be doing a great job at getting back into the mind of their story. (And obviously, poems are different altogether.) I've always enjoyed the fact that UAA MFAers banter and joke -- I don't want to put any kind of lid on that in this unofficial format. But we don't want people to get self-conscious, even unconsciously so, about their wordcount low, or high.
One anecdote: I spent years writing my first novel. I wrote another one, now published, in 9 months. A friend's mother asked me how the writing was going, I told her what I'd just finished, and she said something like "Isn't that way too short a time for writing a novel?" It's definitely not, but that comment stayed with me. It actually inhibited me for a while. Only recently have I been talking with friends about how we sometimes actually slow ourselves down because we *think* we are suppose to be writing at a certain pace or other, whether that's faster or slower. If I tell myself a novel takes 3 years, it takes 3 years. If I tell myself it might be neat to write a super-fast-draft in 3 months and then revise at a more leisurely place, that might work, too (see 90-day Novel by Alan Watt). Find your own pace, do what you can. Either way, the numbers ALWAYS work in our favor. Even 300 words a day= 2000 words a week = 100,000 words a year. Even 100 words a day = a novel in 3 years. Isn't that nuts? Now go forth: write, log, banter, have fun!
Totals: 3 hours, 992 new words (most of which will likely be pruned), no revision, 1/2 page journaling, and some really necessary reorganizing of ideas for stories/quotes/themes into a more accessible format for future mining.
Yesterday: Scrapped the novel idea from day one of this writing challenge when I realized I had basically (almost exactly) come up with "The Talented Mr. Ripley," a movie I've never seen. Oh well. Matt Damon wins this round. Fretted over coming up with another idea, wrote some blog posts. Today: Finally came up with another novel idea that I actually like. Wrote several pages of notes, and a few pages of the actual story. A lot of the pressure is off now that I have something concrete to work on.
Two poems! One immediate post-waking up (no inhibitions!), one right after a polyamory meetup, a meaningful conversation, and a walk in a beautiful city square, all alive at night. :) Written on a step of some random house! Feeling I'm 15 again :) Figuring out I need to do WAY more of these kinds of activities to be productive. And alive. Also, thanks again for this initiative -- it really keeps me focused on the needs of writing. Logging is immensely helpful too, all the awareness that comes with it. -Olga
Glad it's helping, Olga. The accountability is really helping me, too. I am relearning the value of a half hour, which I'd forgotten but use to know well when my kids were babies!
Wrote some minutes this morning, some minutes this evening...not sure how many. Possibly "finished" the revision I've been working on. Word count plus and/or minus some. Spent more time tromping around autumn hillsides picking blueberries, which probably counts as literary too.
Properly chided for marveling at Ben's word count over day numbers one and two, I'll make no mention of my own word count tonight, other than to say Mr. Fry only showed up for about 137 of those unmentioned words. Nevertheless, like Ebola in West Africa, my streak continues.
450 words exactly, which is satisfying as a nice round number even though it's as much a character sketch as a scene. Not sure if it'll even stay in the story, but it was a fun. Left the Mariners game early to fit in some writing but the Ms predictably did not make me regret that decision.
Andrea, I think it's literary when you call it "autumn," not literary if it's "fall."
3.5 hours, 4000 words. Mostly in the form of a YA story about riding dragons. I didn't set out to write that, but I did and I enjoyed it. I'm going to keep enjoying it tomorrow until it is done. I thought about naming the dragon Mr. Fry, but that felt too obvious, and also like stealing.**
I wrote stuff and deleted it for about two hours this evening. Finished a blog post and journaled a bit. Picking blueberries is as literary as it gets. And yum, too.
Forgive me if this a duplicate post but I can't find the one I posted originally so maybe I didn't post it correctly. I can't do word count at this stage because I'm mostly revising and tinkering with a word here and there. 2 hrs is my minimum goal per day. Today, I spent half that time digesting comments from my Bread Loaf workshop.
This morning I wrote for about fifteen minutes, and then, driving to work, I listened to a David Sedaris piece about writing his diary. (It's in Understanding Diabetes with Owls). On the way home, I listened to it again. I thought about the role of my diary, which seems mostly to consist of working through my emotions - a pressure valve of sorts, or - as Sedaris says, "a girly, keep-out this-means-you type of thing." I know that when I read old diaries, they remind me that I've always had the same problems, the same frustrations. I think about the way he uses his diary - a reporter's notebook in which he jots down anything that strikes him during the day, and then the next morning, he sits down at his computer and "fleshes it out." Maybe I'll try that for a change.
How do you use your diary or journal? Or do you even have one? Sometimes I find I have to choose whether to write in my journal or write "for real." I only have so much energy and time. Lately the pressure valve has taken priority. -Darla
Let's remember, as we head into day 3--and I'm so glad to see so many have showed up here to challenge themselves! -- that it isn't a wordcount competition. Even within one form or genre people have waaay different processes. One person can go fast and do thousands of words in a sitting. Someone else may write one paragraph but be doing a great job at getting back into the mind of their story. (And obviously, poems are different altogether.) I've always enjoyed the fact that UAA MFAers banter and joke -- I don't want to put any kind of lid on that in this unofficial format. But we don't want people to get self-conscious, even unconsciously so, about their wordcount low, or high.
ReplyDeleteOne anecdote: I spent years writing my first novel. I wrote another one, now published, in 9 months. A friend's mother asked me how the writing was going, I told her what I'd just finished, and she said something like "Isn't that way too short a time for writing a novel?" It's definitely not, but that comment stayed with me. It actually inhibited me for a while. Only recently have I been talking with friends about how we sometimes actually slow ourselves down because we *think* we are suppose to be writing at a certain pace or other, whether that's faster or slower. If I tell myself a novel takes 3 years, it takes 3 years. If I tell myself it might be neat to write a super-fast-draft in 3 months and then revise at a more leisurely place, that might work, too (see 90-day Novel by Alan Watt). Find your own pace, do what you can. Either way, the numbers ALWAYS work in our favor. Even 300 words a day= 2000 words a week = 100,000 words a year. Even 100 words a day = a novel in 3 years. Isn't that nuts? Now go forth: write, log, banter, have fun!
Totals: 3 hours, 992 new words (most of which will likely be pruned), no revision, 1/2 page journaling, and some really necessary reorganizing of ideas for stories/quotes/themes into a more accessible format for future mining.
ReplyDeletePS to yesterday: yes, I need to read Oryx & Crake!
DeleteYesterday: Scrapped the novel idea from day one of this writing challenge when I realized I had basically (almost exactly) come up with "The Talented Mr. Ripley," a movie I've never seen. Oh well. Matt Damon wins this round. Fretted over coming up with another idea, wrote some blog posts.
ReplyDeleteToday: Finally came up with another novel idea that I actually like. Wrote several pages of notes, and a few pages of the actual story. A lot of the pressure is off now that I have something concrete to work on.
Oh darn. I would have enjoyed reading Talented Mr. Ripley again. Good movie AND great book.
DeleteTwo poems! One immediate post-waking up (no inhibitions!), one right after a polyamory meetup, a meaningful conversation, and a walk in a beautiful city square, all alive at night. :) Written on a step of some random house! Feeling I'm 15 again :) Figuring out I need to do WAY more of these kinds of activities to be productive. And alive. Also, thanks again for this initiative -- it really keeps me focused on the needs of writing. Logging is immensely helpful too, all the awareness that comes with it. -Olga
ReplyDeleteGlad it's helping, Olga. The accountability is really helping me, too. I am relearning the value of a half hour, which I'd forgotten but use to know well when my kids were babies!
Delete*used*
DeleteHow cool is that! Happy for you. "The wedge," I think, some people call it. Sometimes time swells like this -- or an intense half hour of work... -O.
DeleteWrote some minutes this morning, some minutes this evening...not sure how many. Possibly "finished" the revision I've been working on. Word count plus and/or minus some. Spent more time tromping around autumn hillsides picking blueberries, which probably counts as literary too.
ReplyDeleteI have only the deepest admiration for po-ems about blueberries.
DeletePo-eems.
DeleteI think it's poims. (poyms)
DeleteI would write the shit out of a po-em (po-eem, poim?) about blueberries, just for you, Dan.
DeletePerhaps we should have a blueberry poim write-off.
DeleteProperly chided for marveling at Ben's word count over day numbers one and two, I'll make no mention of my own word count tonight, other than to say Mr. Fry only showed up for about 137 of those unmentioned words. Nevertheless, like Ebola in West Africa, my streak continues.
ReplyDeleteIt's the slow blade that penetrates the shield.
Delete450 words exactly, which is satisfying as a nice round number even though it's as much a character sketch as a scene. Not sure if it'll even stay in the story, but it was a fun. Left the Mariners game early to fit in some writing but the Ms predictably did not make me regret that decision.
ReplyDeleteAndrea, I think it's literary when you call it "autumn," not literary if it's "fall."
440 words at the end of the day. Tomorrow I aim to put writing first, and go longer.
ReplyDelete3.5 hours, 4000 words. Mostly in the form of a YA story about riding dragons. I didn't set out to write that, but I did and I enjoyed it. I'm going to keep enjoying it tomorrow until it is done. I thought about naming the dragon Mr. Fry, but that felt too obvious, and also like stealing.**
ReplyDeleteI wrote stuff and deleted it for about two hours this evening. Finished a blog post and journaled a bit. Picking blueberries is as literary as it gets. And yum, too.
ReplyDeleteYou link that blog post on facebook?
DeleteNow I did.
DeleteHilarious blog post, Teresa. Carrots are the only thing worth eating anyway.
DeleteThanks, Ali! And it was fun to see photos of you on the Turnagain Arm.
DeleteForgive me if this a duplicate post but I can't find the one I posted originally so maybe I didn't post it correctly. I can't do word count at this stage because I'm mostly revising and tinkering with a word here and there. 2 hrs is my minimum goal per day. Today, I spent half that time digesting comments from my Bread Loaf workshop.
ReplyDeleteThis morning I wrote for about fifteen minutes, and then, driving to work, I listened to a David Sedaris piece about writing his diary. (It's in Understanding Diabetes with Owls). On the way home, I listened to it again. I thought about the role of my diary, which seems mostly to consist of working through my emotions - a pressure valve of sorts, or - as Sedaris says, "a girly, keep-out this-means-you type of thing." I know that when I read old diaries, they remind me that I've always had the same problems, the same frustrations. I think about the way he uses his diary - a reporter's notebook in which he jots down anything that strikes him during the day, and then the next morning, he sits down at his computer and "fleshes it out." Maybe I'll try that for a change.
ReplyDeleteHow do you use your diary or journal? Or do you even have one? Sometimes I find I have to choose whether to write in my journal or write "for real." I only have so much energy and time. Lately the pressure valve has taken priority. -Darla
Idea farm. Soul catharsis. Unabashed self-pitying. To Do list.
Delete