So, fellow NaNo-ers, how's it coming? Are you staying on top of your goals? Flagging behind? Have you suddenly sprouted extra fingers and are simultaneously banging out two separate scenes in your novel? (If so, can I borrow a pair?)
I'll admit, I'm behind. Because, well, I'm not the best at sitting in front a computer on the weekends so, yeah...
BUT, I will catch up. All I have to do is write 5,000 words and I'll be good. Think I can't do it? Think again!
I have some secrets up my sleeve. Okay, not secrets, but some nifty tools that help me out. And, because I'm feeling generous today (and riding a sugar high brought on by a powdered donut), here are some of the things I use to keep me on track.
Write or Die. I'm usually pressed for time and always easily distracted, so Write or Die by Dr. Wicked is a great tool to keep me on track. I usually write about 1,000 words at a time (to keep it down to manageable chunks) but you can set it for as many as you want (I think up to 50,000).
Pandora. I like to use music to get me in the mood to write, and nothing is better for that than a personalized radio station. If I have a certain theme in mind for a story, then I can enter a similar music style and create a station. For The Morgue Tree, I'm going with a lot of Breaking Benjamin, Fireflight and Paramore. Yep, it's emo.
Revising. This might sound a little counterproductive, but it helps me narrow the focus of the story. While using Write or Die, the things I write can be either raw genius or pure garbage. I do a lot of pruning and polishing, and, by doing this, usually have a stronger hold on the story. I usually add words, too. And, since I'm a perfectionist, I can feel more comfortable about moving on with the story, knowing that it's not a lot of crap just taking up space.
How about you? Have any tips that keep you on track? And are you on track?
We must be channeling each other's thoughts today, Brandi because I wrote pretty much the same post! Hahaha! I LOVE Fireflight, by the way. Now I must go on YouTube and watch their music videos.
ReplyDeleteWrite or Die - I love that!
ReplyDeleteJai
I love the write or die program! But sometimes it does frustrate me when I'm stuck on a project and the screen suddenly goes blood-red, pushing me to write something when nothing's coming at all! lol! I'm getting used to it though.
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm a big reviser as well. When I sit down and work on a project, I usually start by reading the section before what I'm trying to write, and more often then not I start adding or deleting words until it feels right. Only after that can I go on. :)
btw, thanks for listing Pandora: I didn't realize it was out there, and now I love it! Definitely a jewel among music sites. :D
I can't help doing some pruning as I go either, but I've done much better with cranking stuff out to be rewritten later. My brainstorm scenes as I see them. Total suckage, but by writing them, I have a better idea of that part of the arc. I also have places where I wrote some note to myself in brackets, a placeholder for something I want to revise and/or expand, especially if research is required. I have lots of passive sentences, bland sentences, adjectives and adverbs like confetti, anything that looks lousy as long as the idea is solidified into wordage.
ReplyDeleteI'm about a thousand words behind, but at least I made today's goal plus some.