That Certain Something

So, normally around this time of year, I would post about my plans for NaNoWriMo. This year, I guess you could say I’m taking part, but only in a roundabout way.

I’m already part of the Million Word Challenge (writing 1,000,000 words in 2013), so if I were to keep to that daily goal, my word count for November should be 82,200. That’s dependent on me writing 2740 every day of the month with no breaks.

So far, I’m just under 1/3 of the way to my million word goal for the year – which isn’t bad, to be honest, but definitely not on the mark.

It’s just normal that some days are better than others; some are writing days (and even then, my output can vary greatly depending on the project or stage of writing I’m in), some are editing or planning days (when I usually cut more words than I add). It all varies. I think I would have burned out by now if I didn’t have those lower word count days or a break in between.

So, although I’m not “officially” writing a new novel during November, I do have plans.

1. I want to finish the book I started for NaNo 2007! Yes, the first book I ever started. There are a number of scenes that still need to be written at the end, and since this is Book 1 in a series, I kind of need to do just that – finish it!
2. The bulk of the writing will probably be done on a novella, which is the sequel to the one I just finished writing (and which I am starting the edits on this week). I have most of it mapped out already

I don’t know about anyone else but that seems to be one of my flaws – finishing.

Not that I abandon the project intentionally, but that I seem to have trouble wrapping up the story in a way that I think will leave the reader satisfied. Maybe I’m waiting until I edit the work, to see how the story changes from the first draft to a cleaner, more cohesive version (since my first drafts are really just about getting the basics down, and using the edit to improve, enhance and polish the story).

Either way, that’s something I want to work on. Whether it’s about better planning or just accepting that as part of my process, I don’t know yet.

But before I buckle down on those 2 projects, I have a novella to edit, and 2 short stories I want to write this month. The concepts are there. The stories are just missing something. Maybe a little brainstorming this week will help me figure out what that ‘something’ is.