Friday, November 11, 2005

Sparse Grass 

NaNoWriMo is a stretch, especially when you can't think of a way to describe a sandy clearing sparsely populated with, umm, grass. Or when you can't think of another word to describe 'sticky outy bits.' In particular, sticky outy bits of rock, just so we're clear.

My only plan in the beginning was to write 1666.6 a day, making up ahead of time for a day I know won't include writing, and not to drink red wine every night of November. To free my creative mind, I'm writing in the genre I least like: fantasy.

Reasons to write a fantasy:

  • I don't care enough to worry about getting it wrong.

  • I can give my characters any name I like and not be reminded of a cousin or a guy who went to school with me or a character from an Aussie soap.

  • I can pinch elements from my own environment to form the setting - but if I get it wrong, it doesn't matter! Much.

  • If my characters get caught in a tricky situation, maybe they'll discover they can fly or move through walls (or maybe not, I'll see).



Reasons not to write a fantasy:

  • My characters probably shouldn't talk like members of my family.

  • Maybe walking through walls has been done to death.



Problems I've Encountered So Far:


  • I kept writing 'so and so looked/felt/heard whatever' instead of just describing the scene.

  • My characters feel and hear disproportionately more than they see and one character can't see well in bright light or at night (but she's very strong and she has a love interest, so there ends her resemblance to anyone we know).

  • I've decided to write a chapter of 5000 words every three days but this stuffs up any natural rhythm I might have going.

  • I stay up till the early hours trying to finish my quota and don't find time to blog.



Lessons Learnt So Far


  • I can write 17 161 words of fiction in 11 days

  • I didn't know I could be so corny - I'm not sure if this is a fun revelation or cause for concern.

  • I'm not the only person living in the south west to be doing NaNoWriMo!

  • The dog still needs to be fed


// posted by Deanne @ 16:31
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