Week Two - how was it for you?
A little tougher this week. The wedding on the weekend set me back a bit. Seeing the progress plateau on my NaNoWriMo graph was a wake-up call.
Word count at the end of Week Two:
It’s the start of day 15 and I’m on 34,989 words, so I think it’s safe to say the plateau is over.
The average word count statistic: a source of inspiration or stress?
More like a ‘harmless amusement’. With all the abstract business of writing, it’s nice to have something concrete to look at. I studied a little statistics at uni, so I kinda enjoy seeing a numerical breakdown of my writing.
Any changes to your writing schedule/habits?
I’ve got the week off from work, so I’ve been writing from home. However, I now have pesky domestic stuff to distract me. Also, thanks to a couple of late nights, I’ve strayed into night owl territory. I’m hoping to fix that before I go back to work on Monday.
Let’s turn to your main characters, originally crafted when you were a teenager (Rhiannon is using NaNoWriMo to rework a past story idea – see her Week One blog for more details). Has Nova toughened up? Has Sam spun any lies recently?
Nova and Sam have been taken into the custody of The Valley – a militarized society hidden away in the Grigori Mountains.
I’m not sure if Nova’s toughened up or if she’s just fed up! After nearly being consumed by a shadowy being from another dimension, a person can really start to lose their patience with your garden variety secret-army-intimidation crap. More importantly, she’s having a bit of an identity crisis right now; people keep insisting that she’s this other person. Nova’s convinced they’ve got the wrong girl, even though there’s plenty of evidence to the contrary.
Sam’s spun a doozey of a lie this week. And what’s worse, he’s got Nova caught up in it. As Sam puts it, he’s not exactly supposed to exist. In fact, he is highly illegal according to the terms and conditions of the Valley-Watcher treaty of 1806 (I got to write a bureaucratic bit when Nova and Sam were taken into custody – it was a LOT of fun). Trouble is, Nova knows enough to get him into some serious hot water. He’s had to convince her to keep schtum about a few things, including his glowing blue eyes.
Do any particular writing challenges present themselves this week?
I’m good for word count, but I’m behind on plot. It’s unlikely that I’ll have finished the story by the 30th of November – I’ve resigned myself to that, but I still want to get as much written as possible. However, in chasing the plot I don’t want to lose my grip on the emotional reality of the story. It’s a bit of a balancing act. The speed required for NaNoWriMo can turn my head at times. I have to remember to ask myself ‘Who is my character?’ ‘What are they feeling right now?’ ‘What do they want to do?’ so I’m not just focusing on ‘What’s happening next?’
Hopes for next week:
To get to the furnace. Nova makes an important decision while she’s trapped down there.
I’m not sure if I’ll make it to that part of the story in time (see previous section), but I’ll try my best.
NaNo in a nutshell (Week Two):
“Just keep swimming, just keep swimming...”
Thanks Roz :) I was beginning to worry that I would have to finish the story by the 30th as well as hit 50,000 words!
'Doing well with wordcount but behind on plot' - not a bad position to be in. It's much worse to find you've used up all your ideas! You've got your priorities right by focussing on the characters and their experiences, rather than the stepping stones. Sounds like you've got an interesting piece brewing there.