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Weaving Toward Resolution: NaNoROW Update 11/24/13

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So, anything new going on with you, this fine Sunday night?

I’ve got some pretty big news to report – I’ve made it past my 100,000 word goal for my NaNoWriMo novel, King of Shreds and Patches!

That means I’ve attained half of my major goal for November; I still have 8 scenes left to write, so I’m estimating that the completed WIP draft will have ~ 120K – ~125k words. After writing so many, that feels a bit refreshing, and, at the same time, like it can’t get here quite fast enough.

I am breathing, and not rushing. Every other WIP I’ve completed, I’ve felt unhappy with the end, with the way I truncated the resolutions. Thanks to Rock Your Plot, I have a plan for this novel that will, I hope, allow me to write resolution scenes that really satisfy my readers, my characters, – and me, too!

Rockin’ it!

So, as I write the final three scenes before the resolution, I’ll also rereading each character’s scenes, so that I have a feel for the loose threads and themes I want to be sure to address when I reach their climactic scene.

This feels like a happier, more unified way to go about things than my former groping in the dark places of my own imagination, just wanting to get it over with…

There’s been more tweaking of scenes, this session, as the cumulative changes and revelations gather and necessitate changes. But they’re good changes that make the story stronger, and, with the plan in place, it’s a lot easier than it’s ever been for me to see where the changes need to be made, and in what direction.

And then there have been those scenes that defy the outline I set out for them, breathe their own life and purpose, and turn out better than I ever could have planned them. I’ve always loved those scenes, and it’s a big reason why I remained a pantser for so long – I thought planning would rob me of them.

It turns out that the plan helps me clarify what the scene should be doing, and that can lead to the magic of a scene that writes itself – and does its job in the novel, too! =D

Whatever you’ve been occupied with, I hope it’s brought you the type of joy I’ve felt, this session!

A lovely weaving….

Writing:

Focus points:

King of Shreds and Patches – Complete ~ 100,000 word draft during NaNoWriMo 2013. On target.

  • Completed Scenes: 52/60. Eight to go! =)

  • Word Count: 105,471/ ~100,000. (Word count goal exceeded!)

  • Completed Chapters: 13/17; Chapter 14 in progress.

And to wrap up the prepping phase:

Chart vital stats for each scene: (the old whowhatwherewhenwhyhow). On target.

  • 57/60 scenes completed – three to go!

Set up scenes in Scrivener. On target.

  • 56/60 scenes set up – four left!

Double check all notes and prep for consistency. On target.

  • 57/60 scenes completed!

  • Some fairly significant tweaks and changes as I move toward the conclusion. A lot less painful and teeth-gnashing inducing than in my less thoroughly planned WIPs. The system seems to welcome changes, and provide them with a hot beverage!

Hometending:

Focus point:

  • Tidying and beautifying my physical, virtual, and interior spaces.

Although it’s not listed, I have done a fair amount of general hometending, in various spaces, throughout this session.

Clean main Documents folder.

  • While cleaning up my Dropbox, where I had been saving everything, I deleted and organized some files.

Lifetending:

Focus points:

  • Relationships.

  • Exercise and Movement.

  • Passions.

Make time and sweetness for Jim, in ways that are meaningful to us both, and in ways that are important to him. Target attained!

  • Romance, more attention to smoothing my nighttime activities while he sleeps.

Me and my boy-soon-to-be-a-man

Do the same for the children, individually and together. Target attained!

  • Time, conversation, snuggles, adventures with the new car, treats and Prime Time at the Y for Annalise, and time on the arc trainer for Miah.

Immerse myself in writing, living, and being with my family, striving for presence. Target attained!

  • Yes. Hometending, family time, writing, and outings blended together well.

Regularly evaluate; adjust as needed. Target attained!

  • For the wind-down of my NaNo effort, things seem to be flowing well, although I would be delighted with less clutter, without being the one to declutterize it! =D

Practice movement daily, for at least a few minutes. Target attained!

  • A tiny little workout, moderate homtending, a touch of dancing.

Work out at least once a week. Target attained!

  • A tiny little workout – we got to the Y late, and I was exhausted. It had also been three weeks or so since I was able to get to the Y, so I settled for a few minutes on the arc trainer, and will ease into it.

Work out on Thursday, while kids enjoy Prime Time program. Target attained!

  • See above.

Allow time and space to indulge my passions. Target attained!

  • Writing, hometending, time with loved ones….

Read, comment, and share others’ posts and links. On target.

  • I read and commented on, several of this week’s WIPpet Wednesday posts!

  • I may get to sharing, or not, this week.

Tend sponsor duties promptly. Target attained!

Find out what big things are happening with the other ROWers!

And now I rock on!
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20 comments

  1. Congratulations on exceeding your word count goal and being so close to the ending of your novel! I hope it continues to be a joyous experience for you!

    • Thank you, Gypsyharper!

      I finished it, and it was delightful to the end. I had so much fun, I can hardly wait for it to cool, so that I can revise it! =D

    • Pam,

      I blew my former best count and time out of the water. I’m surethe biggest factor was the planning, and independent kids, and a life really well suited to writing (we homeschool; I’m with the kids rather than working away).

      I love hearing people’s positive NaNo experiences. I always think it’s sad when people beat themselves up over NaNo or any other challenge. Every word is progress. Everything learned can be useful. And it ought to be positive, exciting, and fun, however many words get written.

      So happy yours was a good NaNo!

    • Thanks, Ruth!

      I really love most of those words! It was a wild and whirlwind ride, and I think it might take a bit to stop thinking I should be writing the next scene, when I’ve already written them all!

      And now, I need to let it sit a while, before I come back to revisions…

    • Lauralynn,

      I tend to love epic fantasies. I will cut this, in revision, to about 100K.

      This one is fan fiction, and I’m thinking I will be looking for a home to serialize it in…my Star Trek writing is going to be offered freely.

      I hope your ending straightened out, and that you are or soon will be, basking in the glow and disorientation of Being Done!

  5. Congrats on the awesome word count this month! I’m about 700 words away from 60k myself. I’m predicting my first draft to be about 75-80k, so I may actually finish it this month.

    • Fallon,

      You might be done by the time you get this! =D

      I’m awestruck at how much you manage with small children. You have excellent time management; I didn’t write regularly from the time Miah was born until he was about 8, and Lise 5. I am always amazed at how you use their non-waking hours so efficiently to pursue your own passions, too.

      What a great model for living yourdreams you are giving them, and a happier, Mommy, too! ❤

      • Just finished a little while ago. With not quite 82k. Pretty typical for my 1st drafts.

        I set aside my writing right after I got married and when my daughter was little. Had a friend mention she was doing NaNo when my son was about 2 months old. Jumped in and haven’t looked back. I’ve found I’m a much better person to be around when I’m writing. Otherwise it feels like these characters are driving me insane. 🙂

        Seems to be rubbing off on my daughter too. Should see some of the stories she’s come up with at school for their writing.

        • Kudos to you, Fallon!

          My husband used to be jealous of my writing, because he thought it took me away from him. It took a while for him to see that I am a much better person when I write than when I don’t. My characters will absolutely take over my life if I don’t give them their space to be in – and i work through most things through words and imagery and emotion. If something’s bothering me and I can’t write it out, I will go over and over it verbally trying to catch at its essence…and that drives HIM nuts!

          I love that your daughter is showing herself to be a storyteller. When Annalise was 2, she came to me with a tiny piece of wrapping paper folded to look like a book, and “read” me a story a she had “written” on it. I don’t remember the specifics (I was folding laundry), but I do remember that there was a lot of detail. She’s been narrating her play since about the same time.

          May both their lives (and ours) be rich in words and stories! =D

    • Raelyn,

      Thanks!

      This has been my best NaNo ever, and my favorite WIP (planning with lots of creative space works just right for me, apparently). I’m all validated, now, and will be spending the rest of the round on…other things.

      For us, Thanksgiving is just us for, going to a buffet restaurant. The kids like experimenting with tastes, but neither is a fan of traditional Thanksgiving fare. So we go where everyone can find food they want to eat, and where prep and cleanup are not a part of the day. Lots of togetherness, and no stress. =)

      Hope yours was lovely!

  9. Oh I felt your relief and joy in the first half of the post. I also love the scenes which defy all planning, and have read (yet to put in practice) Rock Your Plot, and struggled with the idea of being too ‘planned’ too. But I’m relieved to hear your feedback. I want to go through the first draft of my latest novel with RYP and plan it more thoroughly. My first novel was so hard to get straight/revise/rewrite, and I know this is mostly because there was no plan, I just when with imagination. Great while one is writing, but hell thereafter! 🙂

    Awesome word count achievement too, good luck with tieing up those threads. 😀

    shahwharton.com

    • Shah,

      I thought I already responded to this, but I don’t see anything here, so maybe not…

      I’ve gotta say, those scenes that take off on their own always seem to have magic in them.

      For next NaNo, I’m contemplating a post or two about specific ways RYP helped me. Mostly, though, what I found was that the “planning” was really pondering and imagining that gave a shape to the free-form way most of my books have been created.

      I see things I will need to fix in revisions, but, in comparison to other years, the “issues” are much milder, and it looks like I’ll be able to spend more time, sooner, tightening and deepening the story.

      And, because Rock Your Revisions uses the same planning, I will go into revisions for this WIP with cohesive from–birth notes…I’m actually looking forward to that!

      I have three WIPs to finish, at the moment. One of them is completely free-form; it’s a few scenes from done, I think. The other two were very loosely and hurriedly sketched out with basic RYP steps.

      I’ll finish them as I started them – but I think I will continue to use (and adapt to my specific style and needs) Rock Your Plot, for all new WIps, from here forward. It was so much better, and I think I actually gained space for imagination, rather than losing it.

      OTOH, you have a remarkable imagination. Finding Esta is awesome! =)

      And I now have all the story threads more or less securely fashioned.

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