With Nano now hitting us in the face, we’re dealing with full-frontals of all of our preconceived notions of how we should write a book. We’re only on day three but already I’m dealing with my internal editor, my feeling that it’s never going to be good enough, and these obscene word counts every day.

My first day was exhilarating, 3,204 words. Yipppeee!!! Second day, 4230 (grumble, grumble, sat for two hours trying to write while hubby watched excellent episodes of How The West Was Won, the McCahans… not very productive. UGH)… And today is still unknown (3000 more words baby… that’s my goal for a total of 7,230).

Anything could happen. If I keep this up I could be approaching the half way point next week when we talk (you ever get a feeling you’re a bit delusional… yeap, I’m optimistic. Delusional, that’s a debate for another time.) but Wow… a novel in three or four weeks. Is it even possible?

And the bigger question, just how bad is what I’ve written?

I’m not sure but I’m not looking until I’ve hit the end. So instead of talking about writing today. I’m going to talk about planning. How do you plan your year?

Personally, I give myself at least three months to write a book. I’m seeing that perhaps I’m giving myself toooooooo much time to think and procrastinate. Normally I write three books a year. One longer story, and two 30,000 word pieces. I haven’t thought much about production… life is kickin’ my butt too much of the time to worry about  upping that number but I’m pretty good with three a year.

But I want to do more. I have so many stories and I’m impatient so I’ve been thinking of ways to increase my productivity. Recently, Kendal sent me a suggestion from a writers workshop. It goes something like this:

Writing a book in 3 or 4 months (depending on if you want 3 or 4 finished a year)

• Week 1 – Come up with your idea and plot.
• Week 2-3-4 – Write first half of book
• Week 5 – 1st half revisings. Send out first half for critique
• Week 6-7-8 – Write second half of book
• Week 9 – 2nd half revising. Send out second half for critique
• Week 10 – Write, revise, critique a synopsis and query – SEND OUT
• Week 11-12 – Final revision

I think it’s complete hogwash. And for two very big reasons —week 5 and week 9. I do not… will not… never want to … send out (waste the precious time of my cps) something that I’m not done with. First off, it will aggravate my CPs and secondly my first draft is NEVER (even with eight or nine edits and revisions as I’m writing that first draft) public-worthy. It just isn’t.

Why on earth is this a good idea?? Kendal, please enlighten me. I’m a bit obtuse at times. :>

Kendal: Well for the record, I have not tried the above formual as of yet…but I might consider it, but only if I had a partner in crime to try it out. I’d also tweek the above to give me a week off to crit my CPs in return before jumping into writing the second half. I think it would work for three reasons:

1) I would have someone who is suck doing this crazy schedule with me. Someone who will PM me every day and make sure I am still on track and kick my butt if I am not (of course I get to return the favor too!)

2) By doing first half revisions before finishing and having someone crit it, it gives me more insight into the second half of the book. As much as I love what you are saying about not looking back and just plugging forward until you type those magic words ‘the end’ – I can’t do it. I am always printing off and rereading what I have already done when my writing hat is not on (ie at real life work on lunch break etc when new writing is not an option). So to have that insight from a CP and from myself, might help make the second half stronger. Plus I would not feel like I am using my CP because we would be in this together. So whatever hell I am putting her through, its pretty mutual lol. Again, I would ONLY consider doing this if I had someone willing to do it with me.

3) If this worked – both time wise and having a partner wise, I would have a complete story with my self edits and a CP’s edits done in 3/4 months!

Would I stick with this structure forever? No, most likely not. But I do think I want to give it a whirl. Come on April, I challenge you! Just kidding. You’ve made your stand clear lol.

So day three into nano and I’m loving it! I am absolutely having the same doubts you are about my work. Is it utter junk? Yeah, maybe. I guess I’ll find out while in edits in December/January.

Back to writing….