Last time, everyone! I'll sum up the whole project in a couple paragraphs.
Over the course of twelve weeks I learned a lot about the novel writing process. This project was only a microcosm for the entire process. A real novel would take months to plan out and write. I flew by the seat of my pants (probably more than I should have). Real novelists most likely do a little more outlining plotwise than I did. The worldbuilding would take a little more effort. Editing and revision would also be a major part of the process (and the step that is most dreaded). I basically just wrote a tiny portion of a novel, and what I did can barely be compared to the real deal. I also learned a lot about my own limitations. There were several times in November where I could have done some writing outside of third period, but I chose to do something else (like read fanfiction and look at Pinterest). I was aware of my procrastination and laziness issues before this project, but I never knew how big they were until it was assigned. Besides that, I think the biggest thing I need to work on regarding writing is motivation. Just writing 50 words every now and then is better than not writing at all, so I should set a daily or weekly word goal to ensure I actually write something. I enjoyed doing this and gaining something from the experience. Hopefully I'll be able to do something like Genius Hour again in the future. Until then, I need to get my act together. "A person is a fool to become a writer. His only compensation is absolute freedom. He has no master except his own soul, and that, I am sure, is why he does it." -Roald Dahl Alene out.
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Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Tonight I will be telling y'all the story of the dreaded first draft.
It is a monster feared by all kinds of writers for one reason. It's full of terrible flaws and errors that make it one of the ugliest things known to man. Only the bravest of writers are ever willing to go in and subdue it into something less horrible and easy on the eyes. Others sit at their computers for hours or days or weeks or years, never taking the first step. The first draft will therefore remain, in the dark, wondering why no one ever gave it a chance. So it's not actually as terrifying a beast as we writers make it out to be. If the draft's long, then some of the terror might be well deserved. But if it's like mine (around one thousand words), then editing shouldn't be that much of a hassle. Rewriting it is an even better idea, but the process requires time. A commodity none of us ever have enough of. So I'm just going to edit the draft as best as I possibly can in the remaining time I have. Folks, if any of y'all are writers, perhaps this quote will reassure you. "The first draft is just you telling yourself the story." -Terry Pratchett Alene out. NaNoWriMo will be ending in a few days. I suppose this is where I reflect on the experience, but how much can you reflect if you barely wrote more than a thousand words?
I think the whole thing was a smart choice, even if I hadn't been assigned this project. I quickly found out about a few things hindering me. Motivation was a big problem. More often than not I found some small way to goof off. There was ample opportunity to write (probably more than I was aware of). I just found ways to avoid it. Secondly, I got tired of the story idea and the act of having to stare at a computer screen for a long time, typing some crap every now and then. The positives included actually getting to write some and developing more stuff about, well, everything. The whole atmosphere was great, too. I'll have to get into it more sometime. I'll definitely do Camp NaNoWriMo in the spring. Writing a novel takes a lot of patience. I hope I can learn that art in the future. No change in word count as of late. "This is how you do it: you sit down at the keyboard and you put one word after another until it's done. It's that easy, and that hard." -Neil Gaiman Alene out. Reporting back from the real world once again.
I don't have much to say this week. I updated my word count more than once, and I continue to work on the novel during third period. Sometimes I get bored and look at the Superpower Wiki. Other times I look at the NaNoWriMo forums and see what people need help with. There is something I would like to share from a TED Talk my third period teacher showed our class. It was about the steps to take to write a best selling, award winning novel. I don't remember the whole thing, but something stuck with me. Setting a specific, achievable goal was one of the things the speaker mentioned. For writers, this could be anything from writing 5,000 words a day to writing an hour a day to finishing the chapter within the week. I'm going to attempt to complete the first chapter of this novel, but if I don't, then at least I got something down. And I would know to change tactics when it comes to setting writing goals. Word count so far: 1,575 "Motivation gets you going and habit gets you there." -Zig Ziglar Alene out. I guess I lived to see another day.
Good news. My creative writing teacher is having us write so many words of a novel (we each set an individual goal; mines is 5,000 words). I use most of my third period for writing. This helps because outside of school I have homework and other stuff to do. I'm killing two assignments with one chunk of time. In addition to that, I think I've managed to turn off my inner editor. I won't be tempted to back and edit the stuff I already wrote, which is good because time is saved for further writing. At this point, though, I can tell there's no way I'm going to be able to write five chapters in the time I have left. I'm probably going to finish the first and start on the second, but five? What on Earth was I thinking? I guess I couldn't turn down the challenge. Word count so far: 1,122 "There are three rules for writing a novel. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are." -W. Somerset Maugham Alene out. Oh, for the ever loving stars. I have a grand total of 165 words written for NaNoWriMo. Maybe I shouldn't have spent four hours Saturday afternoon writing my memoir excerpt.
Anyway, I guess I need to find the motivation. And the time. NaNo only lasts for thirty days, after all. This isn't the first big thing I've done with a limited amount of time in supply to do it. However, those other things were purely for school. There's something distinctly different about Genius Hour, even if I will end up getting a grade on the presentation I have to do, among other things. This is something I've been wanting to do for a while, and Genius Hour provided the opportunity. The challenge of writing a few chapters of a novel was too tantalizing to turn down. I must admit I kind of want to go back to the version of me from two months ago and give her a stern talking to. I've made the commitment, though, and there's no turning back now. The feeling is like going on an exploration into the unknown. You're nervous and excited at the same time (something I like to call 'apprehensive excitement'). I'm a bit worried about having to juggle homework, but someone once told me I have great work ethic. Let's hope it'll come into play and help me reach my goal. Aces, I'm in for a ride. "All writers have this vague hope that the elves will come in the night and finish any stories." -Neil Gaiman Alene out. I think it's rather appropriate that NaNoWriMo starts on November 1st, the day after Halloween. If that isn't scary enough, in Mexico it's the Day of the Dead. Talk about foreboding.
I'm kind of nervous. Here I am with a bunch of character information and no idea where the story's going to take me. This is the first real commitment I've ever made to my writing, and the last thing I want is to overthink something and go back and edit it. I just need to get the first draft down, even it's total crap. Hint: it will be. Not only that, but this isn't the sole thing that I'll have to be doing. Projects and homework will also be taking up my time, as well as anything else outside of school. I'll have to drop some things I usually do in my free time so I can work on this. Writing with a limited amount of time is no easy task, as y'all know. At the same time, though, it's exciting. I'll get to explore the worlds I've come up with more freely and see what changes. My characters will come alive and start doing their own thing. That's the beauty of it; after a bit, the story practically writes itself. And when I finish (oh, the end of the month is so far away...), I can edit it and further work out the kinks. There's always some measure of pride in something you've done entirely yourself. I went the distance, you'd think. I persevered and I won. Wish me luck. Actually, please don't. Any good luck that comes my way is more likely to turn bad. It's the thought that counts, though, isn't it? "Do not wait to strike till the iron is hot; but make it hot by striking." -William Butler Yeats Alene out. You can probably guess from the title you'll be hearing more about the characters. That's true, but both sides, the Syndicate and the Society, will be represented. Fasten your seatbelts, kids. This'll be interesting.
Let's get the bad over with first. Remember El Dorado? He likes to keep himself shrouded in mystery. The Society does know a few things. He's originally from Mexico and accumulated his wealth rather quickly. The Council has a theory his powers include a golden touch and manipulation of others. Through a series of bribes, he keeps the Syndicate leader loyal to him. He also has countless connections in the world of normal and primal politics. Imagine a ventriloquist operating thousands of marionettes with one hand; that's how powerful he is. El Dorado believes the Senations, put together, will give him even more control over what goes on in the world. He's right (whichever group has possession over all the objects will be quite influential), but the Society has some. He keeps trying to figure out how to infiltrate it. Obstacles bar his way, but he's very patient. Don't ever underestimate him. Time for the good. The Society, as a recap, is run by the Council of Immortals, a group of five immortal primals: Constantine East (a.k.a. Taleweaver), Horatio Warren (a.k.a. Timekeeper), Pallaton Blackwater (a.k.a. Lionheart), Sarjana (a.k.a. Authoress), and Gryphin Lowe (a.k.a. Believer). The first two are the oldest and most knowledgeable of the primals' history. The other three are experienced in other areas. East is the unofficial Council head (he was once a Roman emperor). His good friend Warren is the treasurer and doer of other duties involving calculations. He often gets distracted by his spheres (*wink wink*). Blackwater is of Native American heritage and a fearsome warrior. He runs anything involving fighting, strategy, ethical questions (philosopher in spare time), and other related tasks. Sarjana is from India and keeps everyone aware of injustice. She keeps the records and the minutes of the meetings, along with other related jobs. Lowe is from Wales. He researches everything East needs him to, but also has an unfailing sense of optimism that earned him his alias. Well, that's the mains on both sides in a rough overview. "The battleline between good and evil runs through the heart of every man." -Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn Alene out. I'll be watching you...
Yeah, the blog title sounds stalker-ish. But when you're a writer building characters, you can't help but be a stalker. You know everything about them; from that embarrassing incident in third grade to their deepest, darkest secrets (like hiding in the closet and binging on chocolate ice cream because a favorite book character died). Today I'll just be giving you some general information about the main protagonist. However, you might get some dirt on her later. Phoebe Louise Byrd. Yes, the name is a bit odd, but a lesson for those who aren't writers: we put meaning into everything. Whether it's explicitly stated or just implied is up to us to decide (or in some situations, the reader). This chick has wavy black hair and amber eyes. Her facial features are birdlike, and she's on the shorter side. She walks around wearing jewel tones and denim shorts or jeans. As for her personality, she's quite fiery. Her ambition and feistiness is balanced by honesty and honor. Warm-heartedness is shown to the ones she cares about the most. Dig deeper, and you'll find fierce dedication, determination, and loyalty. Try not to make her mad; she loses her temper easily. She's blunt and will tell you like it is, even if it hurts your feelings (she'll apologize if she thinks she needs to). When she becomes a Rarity, she takes her responsibility seriously. A strong sense of justice, together with a formidable drive and unflinching bravery, make her a force to reckon with. That doesn't mean her temper won't get in the way. She is well qualified to help find the remaining Sensations, but even she may be rattled by the obstacles her and the other Rarities must face. That's Phoebe in a two paragraph nutshell. Take the hints I might drop and think about them. Feel free to guess about her powers in the comments. The character building is fun, but the actual writing of the story is the real beast. Here's to getting enough prep done by November 1st. "When writing a novel a writer should create living people; people not characters. A character is a caricature." -Ernest Miller Hemingway Alene out. It gets worse here every day...
Have you ever had one of those weeks where nothing goes right? Where you keep dropping stuff on the floor and your grades seem to drop a touch? That was my week. Except I got the dreaded block instead of the misfortunes above. How did I get it? In short, the pipe that lets the thoughts in my head become reality on paper got plugged up. I didn't know where I wanted to go with the plot. I still want the search for the Sensations to happen; I'm just not totally sure what needs to happen to create conflict, obstacles, and all that good stuff. I guess the idea of an outline and a couple of other things going on stumped me. The idea of an outline is abhorrent to me, but I'll have to do a rough one eventually. Since I've never had a blockage like this before, it was highly disconcerting (I may have even gotten a bit panicked). I texted my aunt (one of my mentors) so we could set up a FaceTime session. We were able to do it yesterday afternoon. She set me straight, thank the stars. What I need to do is flesh out some more of the stuff surrounding the objects. Here is a rough list:
Let's hope I won't face anything resembling the block while doing this. Or while doing NaNoWriMo in November. Dang, I just couldn't turn down the challenge of writing several novel chapters. "You can't think yourself out of a writing block; you have to write yourself out of a thinking block." -John Rogers Alene out. |
AuthorI'm Alene Wolfe, and this is my Genius Hour blog. Archives
December 2017
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