I hope everyone had a lovely Mother’s Day! It’s time to tally again. I decided to wait until day 11 to have an even 10 days to look at.
1.
Joseph Lewis:
A big part of NPI is to aspire to be more like Mr. Lewis. Joseph’s experience with writing and completing novels really shows in his daily word counts. He religiously sits down at the keyboard and writes a sizable amount every day, all while posting insightful blog posts and keeping a busy schedule.
Your diligence has been an inspiration for me to try harder this month.
Tally:
Previous Total WC: 3,310.
May…
5th: Tougher-than-NaNo @ 1,716 words.
6th: Update @ 1,649 words.
7th: Update @ 1,259 words.
8th: Check-in @ 605 words.
9th: Check-in @ 506 words.
10th: Check-in @ 1,064 words.
Total so far: 10,109 words.
Jeez! Told ya. He’s kickin’ serious butt here, folks. His pace reminds me of the professional writers’ sites I frequent.
((Any tips you’re willing to share with us would most definitely be appreciated. Like, do you research as you go along, or did you finish all of your research before starting your current novel?
Did you decide what scenes you wanted before starting, or are you a by-the-seat-of-your-pants writer?
Inquiring minds want to know!))
2.
Nick Enlowe:
The last quarter of the book really does flow much smoother than the middle, that’s for sure. So trust me guys. Get here. This is a good, comfy, rewarding place to be in writer country.
I think I might’ve even gained some ground in NPI.
But despite my recent efforts, it’s really hard to gauge whether or not I’ll be able to reach my personal goal: finishing my manuscript before I leave on that trip. If I don’t make it to the end of my first draft by then, I can only hope G will let me bring my lappy along for the ride … lest I fail my own event. *hint*
The real test will be this very week we’re beginning, because, for me, it’s FINALS week. DUN-DUN-DUNNNN.
Tally:
Previous Total WC: 1,850.
May…
5th: Update @ 1,184 words.
6th: Check-in @ 606 words.
7th: Check-in @ 350 words.
8th: Tougher-than-NaNo @ 2,201 words.
9th: Check-in @ 850 words.
10th: Check-in @ 362 words.
Total so far: 7,403 words.
3.
Merrilee Faber:
Merrilee of course broke the 10k mark on Rebel and Traitor in short order following the last tally. A big congrats!
These last five days have been a bit trying for her; she got a bit ahead of her plans and needed some time to brainstorm, time that she had precious little of.
Well, it looks like she squeezed that time into her schedule, thanks to a 6-hour drive and a personal recorder (aren’t those things great—especially in combination with each other?).
Anyway, I’m happy to report that Day 11’s word tally looks like it’s coming from a very happy Merrilee. ^__^
Her daily word counts are nothing to scoff at, either; her first ‘Update’ of NPI appearing on the 6th.
Tally:
Previous Total WC: 2,470.
May…
5th: Check-in @ 692 words.
6th: Update @ 1,119 words.
7th: Check-in @ 602 words.
8th: Check-in @ 766 words.
9th: Check-in @ 379 words.
10th: Check-in @ 529 words.
Total so far: 6,557 words.
4.
RG Sanders:
The middle of the book is tough terrain to write in. Come at it with anything less than a machete and it’s easy to get stuck in the quicksand.
Just when RG Sanders was about to lose his enthusiasm to write more of And the Stars Ran Red, BAM! More writing happened. He’s been excited about his work lately and reached a TWIST in his story. Aren’t twists fun? Especially when they’re coupled with RG’s showmanship.
Tally:
Previous Total WC: 2,208.
May…
5th: Check-in @ 450 words.
6th: Check-in @ 402 words.
7th: Check-in @ 350-‘ish’ words.
8th: Check-in @ 500 words.
9th: Check-in @ 549 words.
10th: Check-in @ 439 words.
Total so far: 4,898-ish words.
RG, if you have an exact count for the seventh, that would be lovely. :)
5.
christopher:
Data retention is perhaps the modern writer’s worst enemy. A saving mishap didn’t discourage christopher from posting word counts each day, though. Well, unless you count the 10th. But that wasn’t a result of being discouraged. In fact, he totally called it. And we’re literally talking 10 minutes into the day!
Yes, at 12:10 A.M., he declared the 10th his official ‘Day of Reprieve’. Hope you enjoyed the break! ;D
Speaking of that, the 5th almost became his unofficial ‘Day of Reprieve’. He posted his 372 WC at three ‘til midnight.
And on the 6th, he was so close to nabbing his first ‘Update’. Oh, the drama!
Tally:
Previous Total WC: 2,208.
May…
5th: Check-in @ 372 words. (phew!)
6th: Check-in @ 921 words.
7th: Check-in @ 463 words.
8th: Check-in @ 394 words.
9th: Check-in @ 358 words.
10th: Day of Reprieve @ 0 words.
Total so far: 4,716 words.
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Everybody’s still in this, and I’m so glad. How do you guys feel about NPI so far? Sometimes we hit brick walls, so NPI becomes that much more difficult to keep up with. It can certainly be hard to recover and keep up with the pace of 350 words/day. But I know every one of you can do it. At the end of this month, I promise you won’t regret it.
I would never aspire to Joe’s tally; not until I had a novel or two under my belt ;)
Grats on being in the last quarter – you can do it!
Everyone is doing great, and it’s a lot of fun writing in a group, as it were :)
[Reply]
Comment by Merrilee Faber — May 11, 2009 @ 5:47 pm
But who does that, right… right? (Right?)
[Reply]
Comment by RG Sanders — May 11, 2009 @ 7:54 pm
I’m really enjoying writing with a much larger purpose, though. It’s revitalizing and refreshing to have to think outside of my short-story box that I’m used to. Hopefully I can hammer out some 1k+ word counts over the next few days.
[Reply]
Comment by christopher. — May 11, 2009 @ 9:28 pm
Hey, I did plan out my first book so well that I didn’t stop for a break until I finished it completely within two months. Not trying to brag or to discourage you, though. You know I was the first to fail the NPI. Just saying it is possible!
[Reply]
Comment by packsister — May 12, 2009 @ 11:07 am
@RG: Do you know how many words you had on the 7th? :) Otherwise I’m gonna keep adding -ish, which is kinda funny anyway. Especially on the final tally.
@christopher: I feel you on that. Time, I suppose, is the ultimate enemy. That fickle mistress. Even if you get super-famous, time eventually forgets you. How depressing!
But anyway—time, TIME, T I M E… Yes. Well, this is my finals week, and I’m having a graduation party on the 16th. (All you guys are invited, of course :D) At any rate, I’d better stay close to the keyboard!
@packsister: OMG, What was the name of your first novel? What was it about?
I was sad to hear you’ve shelved your werewolf novel.
A fellow online writer said the ending of his first book was literally “Then they all died.”
He said he got sick of his project—it was far too complicated.
Many novels later, he decided it’s best for a writer’s first couple of novels to be simple. To not get too overcomplicated with politics and religion, etc. Stitching before open-heart surgery, as it were.
When I heard this, I thought, “Uh oh.” Maybe Five Rings would be taking less time and be far less frustrating if I bothered to write a few simple novels first.
I think your werewolf novel is similar in complexity.
So maybe it wouldn’t hurt for both of our next projects to be a bit easier to tackle. :P
Then I bet you’ll be able to come back to your werewolf novel and ace it.
[Reply]
Comment by Nick Enlowe — May 12, 2009 @ 11:48 am
Nowadays, I used every trick in the book. I do tons of research before I write anything. I need to know my world and my characters as thoroughly as possible before anything happens. Then I sketch a main story arc, and I mean a sketch. The outline for HALCYON looked like this:
1. Terrorist attack.
2. Chase to town B.
3. Things happen.
4. Hero captured, villain escapes.
5. Chase to town c.
6. Things happen.
Yes, my outline said “things happen.” But by combining a deep understanding of my characters with a rough idea of how the story should move, I was free to let my characters be themselves. This way, the writing flows more naturally and I get the fun of “discovering” the story instead of engineering it.
As for word counts, I just sit down and write until it stops being easy, and that’s my tally for the day. The research sets you up to flow, and when the flow stops, you’re done. Time to recharge the imagination with a book or something.
That’s my wisdom for the day!
[Reply]
Comment by Joseph Lewis — May 12, 2009 @ 9:09 pm
And I’d be lying if I said I’d never written stuff like ‘things happen’ while planning out my novel, too :)
[Reply]
Comment by Nick Enlowe — May 12, 2009 @ 9:42 pm
[...] The Average Joe’s guide to outlining a novel Jump to Comments The Average Joe is my new hero. He has produced the Best. Novel. Outline. EVA. [...]
Pingback by The Average Joe’s guide to outlining a novel « Not Enough Words — May 13, 2009 @ 6:22 am
Actually, that’s only the outline of the first third of the book, but if you tack on a couple more “Chase to Town X” and “Things happen” then you’ll have the whole thing.
I start to put a little more detail on those bones as I write, but not much. Guy A gets hurt, Gal B saves the crew.
I guess when it comes to writing, I prefer a compass to a map.
[Reply]
Comment by Joseph Lewis — May 13, 2009 @ 11:36 am