5/12/10

Puking it out!

For Whom The Bell Trolls--23,190 words written as of 5/11/10.  My goal is 50,000 words for a first draft on a middle grade story.  In non-writer terms: Almost 1/2 the way through.  :-)  How did I do it?  I sat my butt in the chair M-F and wrote roughly 3000 words a day. Writing sprints are awesome.  20 minutes writing, 10 minute break.

I have to admit that puking, er, powering through this manuscript is wonderful.  I'm in the story. I'm feeling it.  I usually figure out what happens next when I take a shower the next morning and then I write the scene(s).  Well, that's on a good day.  This last weekend, I was really stuck.  Oh, BTW, I don't write on the weekend.  I might write my blog, but not my manuscript.  I need peace and quiet--something that will be in short supply starting May 25th, thus my powering through this manuscript. 

Anyhoo, I realized that I was freaking stuck.  I knew I needed to get an object to a certain place, BUT didn't have any motivation for my character to do it.  Remember, GMC?  Goal, Motivation, and Conflict?  A character has to have the motivation to do something--usually something stupid--and all of a sudden I came up with the motivation.

AND the double blind-side.  Hehehe *rubs hand in glee*  Oh, I know I'll still have issues and problems to iron out, but I'm getting there. 

My goal is to have a rough draft of #3 finished by the time school is out.  Then I can edit two stories over the summer while the kidlet is home.  Editing is so much easier to do when you have distractions to deal with.  Who cares if you're in the middle of the scene when the kid has to tell you something so important, only for you to find out it's simply an early Christmas hype on a toy, or a movie that you already know is coming out next week, or there's a spider in her room. The scene is already written down, so no problem.

Don't get me wrong, Editing isn't easy for me, especially having to go through the same story NUMEROUS times!  Boring.

That's all I got for today, Peeps.  My brain juice is dun dried up for the night. But I'll rest, this will post and tomorrow, I'll . . .

Write on!  At least, 3000 words.
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4 comments:

  1. Edie RamerMay 12, 2010 at 7:31 AM

    Great, great progress. I've never felt puking it out was the right process for me. But when I start my next book I'll give the timed writing a shot. It's so effective for you!

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  2. MAGollaMay 12, 2010 at 7:58 AM

    I tried the puking out method last May when I had a contest deadline for Gnome, but then I found out that I liked writing this way.
    Go figure! I'd hazard a guess that it's because I'm thinking about what happens next instead of formulating the grocery list in my head. :-)

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  3. Jody WernerMay 12, 2010 at 12:40 PM

    I tend to puke out a lot. I don't seem to have any choice...often a whole section of a story will pour from my brain fully formed and it's either puke it out on the page or risk losing it - like the story is its own entity, looking for an author, and if I don't grab onto it it'll move on to someone who will.

    I'll try to skip over the parts I get 'stuck' on and leave myself little notes in the manuscript like 'why would my character do this?' and I'll work it out later. When a story starts to come in waves, I just have to ride with it.

    Then I can go back and clean up the inevitable carnage.

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  4. MAGollaMay 12, 2010 at 12:46 PM

    Yep--which is why you haven't seen my second story yet, Jody! :-) Much manure shoveling will be done over the summer.
    This Troll book is halfway finished and I just figured out my double betrayal! Hehehehe. . .

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