Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Tuesday's Tales Again

Here it is day four of NaNo, so how are we all travelling? Are you happy with the progress of your novel at this stage?

For me it’s slow. This is the first time I have had trouble at the start of a novel. Each word pulled like hens teeth. Yes, I fear my muse has done a runner. The only hope I have is that I am going that my saggy middle at the beginning. Although I have to say a saggy beginning doesn’t sound all that interesting.

So for inspiration I have watched DVDs of the early founding of the colony. Yet still nothing jumps out at me and says you have to write this down NOW! Of course no one ever said life as a writer was easy. LOL.

I was reading through the cards from No Plot? No Problem! Novel-Writing Kit. Each day there is a new card to give you inspiration. I thought I would share Sunday’s card with you.

Create Your Clay:

Writing a novel is like working with clay. You first create a rough shape, then massage that shape into something beautiful, such as an ashtray or a fearsome army of worms. Unlike potters, though, who can simply buy clay at the art supply store, novelists have to pull off the supernatural feat of creating their clay with their minds. It’s amazing accomplishment, really, and it’s also why postponing judgment of your work until the end of your first draft is so important. What you started producing yesterday is noveling clay – valuable, essential, and invariably lumpy. Its beauty will grow as you work it.

I’m learning something writing this novel. In future when I get an idea for a novel I’m going to write the bloody thing there and then. No sitting and waiting for NaNo or any other challenge.

Good luck with the rest of your first week of the challenge.

Sandie

6 comments:

AJ Blythe said...

Hi Sandie

I too am off to a slow start, but today have broken the 1000 mark so am happy that it is finally starting to move a little.

My breakthrough came when I discovered I write faster by writing with my eyes closed - great for the word count, lots of work for the spell check lol.

This is because it stops my little internal editor. Now that he's locked away the words are free to come in all their 'draft' glory.

Anita

Anonymous said...

ROFLMAO!!!
You've got nothing and I've got too much!!!!
I'm finding my new story has sprung a leak, yep, had to patch that and suddenly it's a whole other bucket. Damn, I do love a hunky man though and now I've got two I'm playing with plus still doing a bit of fiddling with Tom. Oooo, that does sound naughty. LOL
RC

Sandie Hudson said...

I'd try the writing with my eyes shut Anita, but I don't touch type so Lord only knows what I'd end up with. LOL.

RC it is not nice to brag about the number of men you have when a friend is having trouble getting one to work. LOL. Glad all is going well with you.

Sandie

Diane said...

sandie, it'd be great if you could share some more of those cards with us.

Anita, you could turn your text white against a white background, if you want to turn the internal editor off. Or if you're working on a desktop computer, just turn the monitor off.

RC, I'm glad your men are playing along.

I've posted three more pics of Johnny Depp to my wordpress blog and I'm still not feeling very inspired. I think I've got a problem with the set-up to the scene or something. Just too tired, so I'm off to bed to dream of them and hope the inspiration comes tomorrow.

Sandie Hudson said...

Diane I'm happy to share the cards with everyone. At least I'd be writing something LOL.

Sandie

Anonymous said...

I'm still going with this new one, it's looking like a good one too. Anyway, it's still before 9pm here so I'll be writing for a few more hours yet.
RC