Discovery or Fill-in-the-Blanks?

I've been writing on an average of 1,600 words a day, which is double the goal I set for myself. I'm pretty pleased. If you remember, the novel had come along at such a sluggish pace that I doubted myself almost immediately.

I have very little self-doubt with this book. I'm pretty sure I'm going to finish it, and finish it well.

That's not to say that the current words I'm writing don't suck. Oh, they do. A lot of it is telling myself what to write instead of actually writing, but I like this way better-- I'm smoothing out the plot and the scenes before actually getting into them and writing them. I'm creating a structure. And once I'm done with the structure, I'll be able to start filling it in.

A non-fiction technique, that is. But I'm used to working like that, I suppose, and it seems to be working.

Maybe, I'm beginning to think, the last two efforts haven't really worked out because I'm not a panster. I need to know what my story is-- what exactly the scenes and the characters are before I get in and start writing.

For me, writing isn't a discovery. I see it as filling in the gaps, the missing pieces.

So far, it seems to be working.

Go, Go, Go!

Wow, I'm pounding out words on this thing. I've written over two thousand words today, and I'm pretty sure I have at least a thousand more in me. I do have other pressing matters to attend to, so I don't know if I'll be able to sit down and knock 'em out, but if I get a free minute, boy, will I!

All right, I'm going to get going again. Strike the iron while it's hot and all that. (I promise, I'm not using all those clichés in my book!)

How's your writing going?

Plotting and the Left-Brained Stuff

I'm currently in the middle of what is, in fiction, considered extensive plotting. I'm not really focusing as much on getting the words right, as much as I'm intent on getting the order of the scenes and events right.

As this is a memoir, there aren't any curves that my characters that will suddenly get thrown that I don't know about. I know exactly what happens and how, and I just have to make sure I've positioned everything correctly so that there's some payoff for the reader. Very left-brained work.

Got another 1,000 words down today. They're not very pretty words, but they're giving me an idea of how I want to structure this story and the way in which I'm going to tell it. I'm sure I can pretty it up later.

Pep Talk of the Day

I plopped my ass into a chair and just got this sucker done today. As much fun as it is, I simply cannot afford to whine any longer. This is a job. True, it is a job I love, but it is a job nonetheless. When I'm working on my articles-- my non-fiction work-- there is simply no way I can complain about writer's block or lack of inspiration or motivation or whatever. I have to get it done. I have deadlines, I have bills, and I have to meet them come hell or high water.

So why can't I do the same with this?

And the reason, while not pleasant, is simple: because I can. Because there's no one holding a sword up to my head and saying that you have to get it done. Because I don't lose income, my reputation, or my dependability for editors. And since those variables aren't involved and there's much less at stake, I give myself a pass. Oh, it's fiction, it's memoir, I say. No one's paying me for it. I can't do it. It's too hard. It's not like journalism. I'm already good at journalism.

What bollocks.

Yes, there's no one paying me to do this (yet), but if I've decided to do it, I should just go ahead and do it, right? You would think it would be that simple.

I know it isn't all that simple, but it doesn't have to be a mountain of work either. I've found that I can easily crank out 500 to 1,000 words in an hour, even if they're crap. So why not just sit down and do it?

That is the plan with this book. No more excuses. No more waiting. It doesn't matter how difficult it is. It's a new challenge. And I'm more than willing to take it up.

I am writer. Watch me roar!

Pressure or No Pressure, This Thing Will Get Done

I got 812 words in today. I have to keep reminding myself that this is just the first draft and I can't tell myself it sucks until I'm at least halfway in, at which point, hopefully, I'll know that regardless of the words, I'm on a good path (or not!).

But for now, I'm just getting started and I'm not supposed to be putting any pressure on myself. Even though there is pressure. This book already has interest from someone who can market it. They like the topic, they like my voice. There is absolutely no reason, none, for me to give up on this one. I just have to pull through and prove that I have what it takes.

So there is a little bit of pressure. But I keep reminding myself that the first draft is just that -- a first and a draft. I'll have time to revisit it later.

Back, but on a New Track

Ah, it's been over six months since I last posted on this blog, and since then, life has changed quite drastically. All good, but for the sake of anonymity, I'll spare you the details.

I finally gave up on the book I was writing. Given the state of the economy, I had to put my entire focus on my paying work, and hence the novel got put on the back burner. When I finally returned to it, I simply had no will to execute it.

It was gone.

In its place is a new book. Not fiction, but memoir.

I thought very hard about this. Whether my lack of motivation was for the book I was writing, for fiction, or something else. I've realized now, after some introspection, that maybe there's a novel in me somewhere, but it's not ready to come out yet.

This book is.

I'm going to continue my 800 words a day regimen again. I can't do it every day this time-- weekends are likely out, as are the days when I'm working. It's a luxury to even have work in this economy so I'm trying very hard to keep it that way!

I'll update the blog on the days that I do write. I'm sure there will be struggles along the way. I'll be sharing.