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Well, it's been two weeks. And I'm still thinking about my Protagonist and what would be going on with his life. So it must be that I'm not done with the story yet.
So I've decided that this will be a novel I'll continue working on-- unlike my previous two nanos, which are now virtual doorstops for chat rooms in IRC.
I've decided, rather than try to clean up what I've already written (which is kind of like trying to clean up a water color painting, or correcting the balance between milk and cereal-- creates a bigger, sloppier mess), I've decided to just use what I've got as a reminder of what's in my world, and the dynamics between character, and start from fresh. I've decided to work on a chapter a week, polishing and revising a bit as I go, to make sure I have a strong foundation for the next chapter. I did this once before, in college, and 3,000 - 4,000 words a week was a comfortable pace.
So here comes my request:
Would anyone on my f'list be willing to play the role of the mentor/critiquer, and beta read each chapter as I write it? I expect, now, that my novel will be 13 chapters long. So that's 13 weeks. But it might end up being longer or shorter. But around that.
It really, really helps my writing process to have input from other brains. Besides, having someone to whom I can email a chapter each week, and who I know is waiting for it on a schedule, will prod me to actually park my chair at the keyboard and keep writing.
--
I've made other decisions about the novel, too:
And on another topic, I made this icon this afternoon, for use in my posts about writing and storytelling. The jury in my head is still out on whether it's any good or not, though. But I like the gist.
*(that part's a good bit auto-biographical, and also based on what I've read of other people's experiences of growing up with a physical disability).
So I've decided that this will be a novel I'll continue working on-- unlike my previous two nanos, which are now virtual doorstops for chat rooms in IRC.
I've decided, rather than try to clean up what I've already written (which is kind of like trying to clean up a water color painting, or correcting the balance between milk and cereal-- creates a bigger, sloppier mess), I've decided to just use what I've got as a reminder of what's in my world, and the dynamics between character, and start from fresh. I've decided to work on a chapter a week, polishing and revising a bit as I go, to make sure I have a strong foundation for the next chapter. I did this once before, in college, and 3,000 - 4,000 words a week was a comfortable pace.
So here comes my request:
Would anyone on my f'list be willing to play the role of the mentor/critiquer, and beta read each chapter as I write it? I expect, now, that my novel will be 13 chapters long. So that's 13 weeks. But it might end up being longer or shorter. But around that.
It really, really helps my writing process to have input from other brains. Besides, having someone to whom I can email a chapter each week, and who I know is waiting for it on a schedule, will prod me to actually park my chair at the keyboard and keep writing.
--
I've made other decisions about the novel, too:
- To cut down on the stream-of-consciousness, thoughts triggered by thoughts nonsense. In this do-over, thoughts and memories will only be triggered by real actions or dialog.
- To increase the sensuality. My protagonist basically grew up as a clinical, medical experiment, which screwed up and stunted his own sense of his sexuality.* But other characters (especially the people he meets in the spiritual-New Age-Vampire commune) still have sexual feelings and urges, and his interactions with them shape the rest of his life, so that deserves to be a bigger part of the novel than it is now.
And on another topic, I made this icon this afternoon, for use in my posts about writing and storytelling. The jury in my head is still out on whether it's any good or not, though. But I like the gist.
*(that part's a good bit auto-biographical, and also based on what I've read of other people's experiences of growing up with a physical disability).
