bsolah's NaNoWriMo journal

Day 1: Getting out ahead

2008-11-01T05:21:58Z

Word Count: 3,085

National Novel Writing Month is just over sixteen hours old now and considering the amount of typing I've done, writing this blog post is a tad cathartic. One I changed font and it serves as a refreshing break. Weird, I know.

So I was basically listing scenes right up until the start and my plan isn't quite done yet. I have 48 scenes. It looked like it was close the final climax and being wrapped up by scene 50 but I added a twist and it's able to go on a bit longer. That's not just filler, I swear. It would've disappointed people to end at that point.

I started right on midnight dosed up with too much caffeine. I started blaring Drowning Pool and Carpathian through my massive Sony Headphones and had like 1800 words by 1am. I woke at like 12 this morning to continue work and after two bursts of 15 and 20 minutes, I'm up to 3085 words and still working on this first scene.

It's good, I like it a lot. It's full of anger and aggression and really shows one of my characters really well. The heavy angry metal music has been working well to get this out of me.

I plan to keep writing to 4,000 words today as I'm using the rush and momentum of everyone starting to get ahead and make me feel confident. So far, it's working.

4 Days to go: Very Prepared!

2008-10-28T08:31:46Z

So there's four days to go until NaNoWriMo and what I've worked out is that no matter how unenthusiastic about writing I've been the whole year, by the time it's late October I honestly think I can write anything; perhaps it will be like the next awesome novel that wouldn't get the Nobel prize for being too radical and Kevin Rudd calls vulgar and not adhering to 'family values.'

So over the last month or two I've been writing outlines, synopsis', character profiles, plot summaries, sub plot summaries, plot holes to work out etc. and I've rambled to my girlfriend, housemate, writers online and to myself and this plot is honestly the most thorough thing ever.

Last night and today at work I've been compiling a linear list of the scenes I need to write, so I'm not stuck come November. And my doubts about not having enough content have been honestly put to rest as I'm at like scene 29 and only nearing the main meat of the story.

And an update on last post, some posts will be going on both benjaminsolah.com/blog and LiveJournal, but more random posts with in-jokes and such will just go on my LiveJournal.

LiveJournal Exclusive?

2008-10-27T10:44:33Z

So I've been thinking about posting on this LiveJournal thing. As I wrote my blog post intended for my 'real' blog, I had in mind that you LJ guys would be reading and started adopting a different sort of tone, more random and stuff. I guess maybe I'm writing for two different readerships and I've got a bit of reputation writing on my regular blog.

Maybe I've even adopted a more formal tone, one that conveys I think I'm kind of clever. And not sure if that's a bad thing or not.

So I'm thinking allowed here, and asking for my new LJ friends' opinions in wondering whether I should post two seperate posts for NaNo updates, like my normal tone for my regular blog, and my more nuts, random and smart ass tone for my LJ readers during NaNo.

What do you guys think?

NaNo-Wrific day

2008-10-26T12:51:54Z

I went to the kick-off party/BBQ thing for NaNoWriMo today at Middle Park, near Albert Park. The place has a little bit of significance for me as it’s something my teenage, Formula 1 obsessed self would’ve loved.

Now I vaguely remember revealing my intention to do NaNo this year with a modified and more attainable goal than the 50,000 words that’s required by proper hard working NaNoers. I wanted to try for 30,000 with a minimum for 15,000 words. This was made by the sensible and logical me.

But today, I had lots of fun talking about noveling, writing, politics, and probably more juvenile stuff like sex and nerdy things, and anticipating spending a month writing with these guys kicked my sensible and logical person out the door and in comes the unrealistic, overly confident and insane me.

I’m going for the 50,000 this year and really think I can do it, seriously! I even have a freaking ending now!

So look forward to lots of NaNo-related posts in the next week and November, and welcome to the fellow Melbourne ‘wrimos’ reading these NaNoWriMo posts from my new LiveJournal.

I know where it's going to end

2008-10-26T11:21:45Z

I wrote this post like yesterday, sometime and thought I'd start posting my NaNoWriMo related posts on LiveJournal since I've met a few new fellow Melbourne wrimos who use this thing. If you want to read before this, NaNo-related or otherwise, visit http://www.benjaminsolah.com/blog

Last night, I went out and had a wine and a few beers. I was just relaxing, not getting too drunk though, I was quite merry by the time I got home. Well, amongst my drunken conversations, my ending came up and my alcohol fuelled brain made a painful decision at what kind of needed to happen at the end of the novel.

And then when I woke up slightly hungover this morning, my brain was able to clear the foginess and clarify my vague breakthrough last night. I rambled to Margo a bit until I had worked it out. I worked out how the ending would work, even visualising some critical ending scenes.

What’s the ending like then?

Well, I can’t really tell you, so you’ll have to read it if I get it on the shelves one day, but what I did learn was that a lot of the time it’s just too hard to resolve every character in every way. Once I learnt I could let some things go, it opened up a space to resolve some other stuff. I’m happy with that.

So with that worked out, I planned to finish writing my synopsis tonight but instead lost track of time and spent too much time in front of Foxtel and watching Skins so it will have to be tomorrow or another day.

But tomorrow I am off to Melbourne’s NaNoWriMo kick off party BBQ thing at Albert Park. I met some of the Melbourne ‘wrimos’ at pre-NaNo drinks on Wednesday, which was lots of nerdy fun so am looking forward to hanging out with these writers.