Word count for DEMON: 26,789 words
I really tried to do NaNO.
And I have to admit that I am writing more in the month of November than I normally do, but . . .
it just isn't happening for me. November is the reason that I've NEVER signed up for NaNo before. It's a busy, busy month. I have my daughter's birthday. The first party is on the 20th for her classmates and the second party at my house for family on the 21st. And though it's a relatively small gathering, we could have up to 28 people in the house. I have family coming into town staying with us for Thanksgiving, probably on the 22nd, and DAYS of cooking.
I'm not complaining. Heck, far from it. I LOVE all the stuff going on, but it's unrealistic for me to sit and write 50,000 words.
Plus, I put too much pressure on myself by dinking away my September and October. If I had prepared to do NaNo and prepared to enter RWA's Golden Heart a little earlier, this would be a different blog post.
On Wednesday, I had an epiphany. There was NO POSSIBLE WAY I could get DEMON to the point where I felt comfortable enough to fork over $50 to enter the GH. So I scrubbed that idea.
Once that pressure was off my back I took a breath and reevaluated.
I had received an email from the MARA coordinators that I had a week to to tweak DEMON before they sent the HM's to the editors. Virtually every judge from all three contests had a problem with my synopsis . . . and, true confessions here, I did, too.
--I KNEW I concentrated on the plot and not the romance.
--I KNEW I told too much back story of the under layers of the story
--Why did I know this, but didn't change it? Because I HADN'T WRITTEN ENOUGH OF THE STORY TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT.
On an aside: Selling scares the shit out me for precisely this reason. Published authors sell on proposal, which is synopsis and three chapters. I write by the seat of my pants. I don't have a road map to follow. yes, I'm pulling the story out of my ass as I write. I discover stuff when I write. I just found out there are ghouls in this story and they gang up on my heroine. Hero rescues her and takes her to cemetery. Who knew? I didn't. And yes, I know ghouls originate in cemeteries like zombies, but I'll figure out this problem.
So, I'm cleaning up my submission and rewriting my synopsis. End of story.
Does this mean I'm quitting? Heck, no! But others may think that. I don't care what anyone else thinks. This is all about me and MY career. I'm simply taking a jog around an obstacle in my writing path. I'm still going to try to hit my 50K, but I've taken the NEED to hit 50K OUT of the equation.
My current goal for DEMON is to finish the first draft by the end of the year. Doable even with the holiday chaos upon us.
Later, gators! Write on!
Learning when to say when is one of the best things you can do for yourself.
ReplyDeleteI'm proud of you.
Sometimes you just have to take a step back and reevaluate.
ReplyDeleteMy DEMON contest entry going to Pocket is a sure thing, while the Golden Heart contest is still a crapshoot and with my luck, I'd get snake eyes.
I know exactly how I'm going to place a bet. :-)
Ditto what TS Meg said. You're the only one who can evaluate your capabilities and your schedule and your priorities. Trying to force yourself into something that just isn't doable can do more harm than good.
ReplyDeletebtw, not all pubbed authors sell on proposal. I've known some who will discuss a planned book with their editor, get an idea if she's interested, then go ahead and write most, if not all, of the book before they submit it. There's always the chance that she'll say no to the final product, or want major revisions, but for them, it works because they're in exactly the situation you are and they find it impossible to write a good synopsis that way.
I think I entered the GH once and wasn't impressed. It's a lot of money and I guess I'm just not feeling it. lol
ReplyDeleteGo, go, go with the synopsis! You can do it!
Like you, I often have a general idea what I'm writing about but have NO idea where the story will go or what will happen when I sit down to write. The characters tell me what's happening when they're good and ready! That's the thrill of writing for me - I don't know what's going to happen any more than anyone else does.
ReplyDeleteTry explaining this phenomenon to non-writers :)
Thanks, Marilyn! You set my mind at ease--I love the idea of discussing a project, but not writing a synopsis.
ReplyDeleteI had to write a synopsis to enter DEMON in a couple of contests--I had only written 12K words of the story.
I just finished writing ANOTHER synopsis for DEMON, and it's tons better. Why? Because I'm at 27K and I understand the story and the romance better than I did 15K words ago, resulting in a better, more cohesive synopsis.
Thanks, Edie. As much as I'd love to final in the GH, I'd rather put my eggs in the basket where the editor is already going to be looking at my manuscipt. :-)
ReplyDeleteAin't that the truth, Jody! Wait until you brainstorm about murdering someone and then you find out who's eavesdropping on your conversation!
ReplyDelete