I'm catching myself thinking I don't want to work on this stupid novel anymore. I need people to yell at me and tell me to write totally dumb crap that I'm going to completely delete later, because its all about the word count, yo.

Also I need people to tell me to ditch all my friends asking me to do fun things this month because they're all secretly Cylonsfrom the future trying to distract me, because the hidden themes and messages in this novel successfully motivate the proletariat into revolutionizing against their future Cylon overlords and getting appeased with free healthcare benefits.

Or something.

Actually, i think I've just been sitting on so much crap in my head from all the stuff that's been happening in my life lately that I needed to dump it out on paper, journal entry style. I think I'm still going to count the words anyway. There's probably going to be 5,000+ words of mental crud that's going to pad my word count this year by the time I'm done, though.

Glad you figured out something that worked.

I was going to suggest you do housework, like I did today. It's amazing how creative you can be when you areforced to do menial labor. Plus, my apartment is now alotless dusty, covered in only half an inch of dog hair instead of a foot, and my bills are paid.It is a lot less distracting to have this stuff done than it was to have it all hanging over my head and staring me in the face. I'm working on making up my wordcount now.

Don't quit! The journal entries are great. Mine has all kinds of stuff like that in it. You're doing great so keep it up. Your subconscious is probably on the verge of something great for your novel. Don't listen to the Cylons. Make Cylon toast instead like Sheldon did in Big Bang Theory :D

If you get stuck, use one (or more) of those plot twists NewMexicoKid posted. There were some pretty good ones. Or the Dare threads.

Don't give up. My word count is pretty down, mainly due to energy drain from my job. Darn it, I hate having to work because I like eating and living indoors. I've been having bigbursts of writing on my days off and I have three extra off this week. Here's what's boosted my count on Friday.:

I have the basic story but it is pretty short for me. I've been using flash backs to fill in the history of the main character. She also communicates a lotwith family members and people back home by texts and emails. Not sure you're setting but all sentient creatures communicate, don't they.

Hopefully I won't be working overtime today.

Carol CJEGV

Hi, Brian

I was going to look up your novel synopsis on the regional NaNo Faces graph and also see who might be close to you on word count, but it looks like you never joined the regioal graph ::-(

I see your novel is Planet of the Titans, a fantasy novel; and I know you frequently write comedy.

Maybe it would help for you to tell us about your novel and let us do a pre-story wall on it These kinds of things can sometimes reawaken ones love for ones novel.

And do bear in mind that our reginoal word war against OCGR needs your word count! Patriotic duty!

The biggest thing, though, is that you're a very, very talented writer. It is a crime to let that talent go to waste. So reconnect with your novel, get back on the saddle and write!

--Tim

Let us know when you're in the IRC. Yelling/motivating sometimes works better when it happens in real-time. :) http://nanowrimo.org/forums/usa-illinois-naperville/threads/178064

Also, how about having a couple of your characters engage in a role-playing game--something that they need to do to solve some problem they're facing in the real-world, and it's (for some totally valid reason that you can think of) limited to text boxes where they have to describe things, and communicate to each other that way--sort of like an IM--having two characters go back and forth on something, with some funny exchanges can go as fast as journaling, and you may be able to use it to advance your plot.

I did join the regional graph though. I posted in the thread and see myself on the graph. I think you just didn't see it :)

cableshaft wrote:I did join the regional graph though. I posted in the thread and see myself on the graph. I think you just didn't see it :)

Oh my goodness--you're right! I was browsing this morning on my Android tablet--it's hard to do searches on it.

So it looks like Paige (PBJ63010) is very close to you in word count. Perhaps you can be word count buddies!

Ugh. This post. I NEED motivation now that I am home. I have to write 2,193 words per day just to hit 50K. Those days on vacation KILLED me. I'm home and as soon as my daughter is in bed tonight I will be online for some word wars if anyone wants to join in. :)

I'm going to be moving up that chart just you wait and see. :)

PBJ63010 wrote:Ugh. This post. I NEED motivation now that I am home.

Something that helps me to write faster is to sketch out what is happening in the next several scenes that I want to get done for the day. I have an outline, but it's high level. Stuff like, where, who, the goal or some conflict sketched out. And this year's outline is less complete than in previous years. (October was a tough month for me.)

So I go through and add stuff like:

Riva is tired of Derrick asking when she's going to retire.

Derrick doesn't want to go to the theater rehearsal.

She does.

They argue.

Debate having another pint.

Go.

Meet up with...

At some point, while doing this, I'll get into the scene a bit and I'll write anywhere from 100 words to several hundred, with what happens next. Then I'll hit a point where I'm not sure what to write. It might be another character. (I have several POV characters.) So I go back to the simplistic,

Candice is at a coffee shop with ...

Shows a video of her nephew. Her brother leaves abruptly. (He can't handle seeing images of his nephew because it reminds him of his dead son.)

And I'm off writing again.

Then, I go back to 'fill in' those simple sentences after I've done a few scenes. I find it much easier to add description, and have a conversation/argument/disagreement. Sometimes it takes two more passes, but I add words with each pass. I leave a little extra white space, or write the word ADD, to make sure I can tell where I've written just a start, rather than the actual scene or summary. Sometimes the part of the scene I'm stuck on can be handled with a summary, or a transition to the next scene. And that becomes clearer once I'm clear what comes after it.

KatherineWriting wrote:

PBJ63010 wrote:Ugh. This post. I NEED motivation now that I am home.

Something that helps me to write faster is to sketch out what is happening in the next several scenes that I want to get done for the day. I have an outline, but it's high level. Stuff like, where, who, the goal or some conflict sketched out. And this year's outline is less complete than in previous years. (October was a tough month for me.) So I go through and add stuff like: Riva is tired of Derrick asking when she's going to retire. Derrick doesn't want to go to the theater rehearsal. She does. They argue. Debate having another pint. Go. Meet up with... At some point, while doing this, I'll get into the scene a bit and I'll write anywhere from 100 words to several hundred, with what happens next. Then I'll hit a point where I'm not sure what to write. It might be another character. (I have several POV characters.) So I go back to the simplistic, Candice is at a coffee shop with ... Shows a video of her nephew. Her brother leaves abruptly. (He can't handle seeing images of his nephew because it reminds him of his dead son.) And I'm off writing again. Then, I go back to 'fill in' those simple sentences after I've done a few scenes. I find it much easier to add description, and have a conversation/argument/disagreement. Sometimes it takes two more passes, but I add words with each pass. I leave a little extra white space, or write the word ADD, to make sure I can tell where I've written just a start, rather than the actual scene or summary. Sometimes the part of the scene I'm stuck on can be handled with a summary, or a transition to the next scene. And that becomes clearer once I'm clear what comes after it.

Awesome tips. Thanks so much for sharing. :)

I had to give myself a pep talk this morning. I validated, but felt no particular thrill to have the purple bar since I'm not close to done. I'm in the middle, and middles can be tough. It's where I sometimes get tired of my characters, their conflicts, their goals, their friggin' lives. It's where I second-guess my story idea, thinking there was probably something more exciting I could have chosen, where I think nostagically of last year's novel, or wonder what might be exciting for next year. But, I know I really, really want to finish this novel. So I keep writing.

At the rate I'm writing, I have at least seven more days of having to write 3,333 per day, and maybe eight, nine or even ten. (My outline is less robust for the last few chapters, so it's hard to judge how many actual words I'll need to wrap things up. I might even have to write more than 3,333 per day to finish, but I'm trying not to think about that.)

I can do it. (And, incidently, it should make me a strong contender in Tim's 18K challenge, and help in our regional word war.)

If you're an evening writer, you actually have 11 days. I do most of my writing first thing in the morning, so ten more mornings for me, with the occasional evening thrown in.

Ten more days of writing. I can do it.

So can you.