Saturday, April 28, 2007

Bllllllllahhhhhhhhhh...

9998 written chronologically.

13,636 that I just had to write because it was in my head, but I won’t count it properly because I’ll probably change it, cut it, whatever.

10,098 already cut.

And that all adds up to 33,732.

Words, words, words...

I’ve done this before and lived to regret it. I know I shouldn’t be getting excited. I’ll hit 30,000 somewhere in the middle of the summer and go ‘Fuck this is shite!’

My plans for the summer are this:

  1. Discover quiet contemplative places in paris.
  2. Write
  3. Blog
  4. Go quietly insane
  5. Go to London and visit family and friends
  6. Write
  7. Go quietly insane
  8. Get a damned picture of those rook/ crows/whatever big black bird sitting on a cross in the cemetery
  9. buy a new notebook because the blue one will be finished.

This morning I was really rather terrified by this plan. I’m trying to get excited about it, but I remember last summer where Alex Glossop was all pally and forthcoming and then went and fucked off somewhere where God only know’s who’ll find him. OK I admit I abandoned him by buggering off on holiday and getting all wrapped up in finding a new flat, but man I wasn’t going to be telling his story from under one of Paris’s bridges was I? Anyway, I’m all there for the boys this summer. Not Alex he still hasn’t come back from wherever, but there are some new boys and a rather feisty little she-cat who has yet to show her full colours, but she’ll come out I’m sure, I hope...

If I stick up one of those word count bars will that be the kiss of death?

Does it matter that I know that the first draft is like a roller coaster ride through my brain in an effort to get this down?

Will I get the first draft down during the summer? Am I being over optimistic? Would December be more realistic?

See points 4 and 7 are really going to happen.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

insanity might not be a bad thing (you've got it all planned anyway), 'cos sometimes it does help me regain my sanity.

your summer plan looks highly probable. go for it. who knows...you might achieve more than what you have planned or hope for.

Unknown said...

I think it is good to have a plan/strategy for a book (I go for the wing and the prayer method) but I think it is what ever works for you. Not much help there.

I used a wordcount bar for a while on the blog but then deleted three chapters and it looked as if I was going backwards! As I don't tend to worry very much about numbers i chucked it away.

4 and 7 are essential. You wouldn't be doing this at all if you didn't have a little insanity - all healthy!

Unknown said...

Actually CS and Minx, I don't think 4 and 7 are going to be much of a problem, it's 2 and 6 that I'm worried about. And OK CS I'll go for it, with December as a back up date if all else goes wrong. Yeah and I agree with you on the word count bar in that last year I put one up and it was great when it started going up, but when it went down it just all went horribly wrong. And besides I have no idea how long the thing is going to be. I keep adding bits that are absolutely crucial to the plot, like a dog. Yep the dog is crucial, but I won't be character profiling the dog.

Marie said...

Go for it, V!

As for insanity, join the club. I often wonder if I should just pack it in with the novel writing but the reality is I can't. I've just got these stories that need to be told and so many ideas that keep building up in my imagination that won't go away. If anything, I think I'd go insane if I did just give it up. In other words, dreaming up stories, creating characters is what keeps me sane.

Best of luck.

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