If it Works… Do It; or How I uncovered my 2009 nano idea

“If it works, go for it,” became this year’s motto for uncovering my central idea for NaNoWriMo 2009. I fretted over the past five days about how “late” I was in getting an idea for my story. Kender and I brainstormed some ideas last night, and after awhile, our session devolved into discussing and me writing up an scenario I had for our D&D campaign. Today I spent hours scanning the NaNo forums, as well as my old Scrivener files for past rejected ideas. In that slush pile, I found an idea. And a rudimentary liking and shape took hold in my mind.

DIYP Article Up: NaNoWriMo 2008 Recap

I just posted a recap about this year’s NaNoWriMo adventures over at DIYPlanner.com. I wrote a short list of all the things I’ve learned from writing a novel by hand and took a few images of my journal and inkwell. You should go check it out.

TGIO, NaNoWriMo 08

TGIO, or Thank God It’s Over, happened twice for me this year. The first, a bittersweet moment when I penned the words “The End” onto the last signature of my writing journal. That’s the hardest moment, the time when I’ve got to say goodbye to the world I’ve created.

I spent 17 days, living in the world of Autumn Chase. A world where magic lives and good triumphs over evil with nothing more than the power of intellect. I loved writing about the lives of my characters, their journey of uncovering information, and exposing the darker side of what could exist in our world. After spending all that time in this world, it’s hard to let it go. This year, once I shut the book, it made the transition from that world back to my world, more real. When I went to bed, that night, I cried a bit. I wasn’t ready to let go. Is any writer really ready for that moment?

Today I experienced the second TGIO moment. This one, of more excitement, happens when I plug in the full draft of my manuscript into the “Official NaNoWriMo Validator.” This is the moment of truth, when I hold my breath, and watch as the website puts the words “WINNER” in big purple letters across my Green bar. My smile widens and then I hurriedly download both my winner’s badge and certificate. It’s also the moment that I proudly tell anyone and everyone that I AM A WINNER and a novelist for another year.

So, there you have it folks. I’m a NaNoWriMo 2008 winner! I’ve completed my 7th full first draft of a novel and can proudly say (and bear the writer’s bump to prove it) that I did it all by my own hands.

Day Seventeen, NaNoWriMo 08

Word Count: 2975 for a total of 50766!

YAAAAAY! I did it… I’m done. I finished my 7th first draft of a novel… and this TIME I DID IT ALL BY HAND. And boy was it sore tonight. Not sure if it was the excitement of being almost done or the slim signature I made that hurt it. But I did it. Autumn Chase defeated the daemon with the help of the power of creation from the lifebox. She then buried it (shhh, it’s a SEKRIT! She won’t tell you) and went back to the Order and told them it was destroyed. I then gave her a vacation with Chad, somewhere warm.. where she wanted.

I’m relieved that I am done. For a brief moment tonight, I was afraid I wasn’t going to have enough words to finish with. And amazingly I did. We tried to go out to dinner for fish to celebrate but no one was open at 9pm. Oh well, maybe some other time.

Now I wait to submit a manuscript of words to the NaNoWriMo site (which validates my authenticity as a winner) and then get my certificate, and winner’s badge. Then I’ll try and relax for the next month and give my hand a break from any hardcore writing. I’m planning on vegging out with lots of good books for the next month and a half.

(And write essays. I have been looking forward to writing a few new essays. Besides, my mind needs a break from the whole novel writing routine for a spell.)

Day Sixteen, NaNoWriMo 08

Word Count: 3421 for a total of 47791

Today’s points didn’t go as planned. Actually it was all quite messy and I wish I could take them back but I can’t. I don’t think I planned these points out well at all. For some reason I planned to have Inca and Autumn chat about life, the universe, and everything for 3000 words that would lead up to the big climax.

That sort of was boring and didn’t happen. That and the two opposing viewpoints (god is machine and does not exist versus god does exist because I came from there!) just didn’t come out of me because I really do not see either point in myself. *shrug* oh well. I did get them talking for a little bit, however. Mostly because I needed to buy Autumn some more time to read the scroll and figure out what to say. She finally figured it out though, good girl.

Then I had her sing and breathe the intonations to unlock the box. And it opened, filling her head with all the memories and things that the owner of the box put inside… in this case… God. I now have 2500 words left. I am sitting on a cliffhanger that involves another energy ball from Inca and what Autumn will do.

I finished my journal today as well. Had I written smaller in the first 5 days I think I would have had enough room to get all 50k words in there. Tonight I’ll make another 10 page signature. That way I can finish up the novel in that and slip it into the back of the book so it all will be self contained. I am going to be done a day sooner than I anticipated. Which makes me glad because I am so ready to move on with this.

Day Fifteen, NaNoWriMo 08

Word Count: 3365 for a total of 44370

Getting down to the wire, I’m almost finished! Today I wrote the first confrontation between Autumn and Inca. I originally planned that it was going to be some sort of physical duel, with them barely escaping. Instead things got a bit mental and metaphysical. They dueled in Autumn’s head, which gave me a some space to get them talking… show a bit of attraction, etc. and let Inca know he meant business.

Then I got the three out of there and on a plane back to Portland. Everyone has now been caught up and the plan is to keep Autumn on the run, shuffled off to various safe-houses, as she works on deciphering the scroll. Basically this catches the storyline up to the “present”. It also sets me up to make the final transition back to the final duel between Autumn and Inca on the streets of Portland. I’m not very good at transitions between scenes and time but I managed it. Tomorrow we return to the story’s present as I work to set up the big climax and battle.

Day Fourteen, NaNoWriMo 08

Word Count: 3261 for a total of 41005

I’m still on track with the story. I quickly got them over to the Pyramid and instead of having them travel in some labyrinth maze, my mind decided to put the information in easily accessible rooms on the outside. I put glyphs on the walls and had them figure out which room the scroll was hidden in and would NOT destroy the ruins. My mind got tricky on me and decided that instead of one room, two of the rooms contained valuable information. One on the lockbox and another with the scroll. Finished the section off with them getting the scroll they came for but… hearing sounds of combat off in the distance.

Overall today was fun to write. It felt like the words flowed and I could see what was going on, like I was on my computer. Things slowed down when I had to quickly figure out what the “puzzle” portion of the plot but in the end was pleased at making the goal.

(Note to revision-self: When you come to editing this part, do some research with regards to Cairo and where the pyramids are located. Does it really take 3 hours to get to the first of the nearest pyramids? Maybe get a guidebook to Egypt.)

Day Thirteen, NaNoWriMo 08

Word Count: 3600 for a total of 37744

Yay! Go me! I’m past 35K and still going. Still writing this blasted thing by hand even. I’ve got Autumn, Chad, and Andrews up in a plane now. They’re en route to Cairo. I figure it’s the safest place for them to be with the daemons after them. *gryn* Tomorrow I plan on getting them into a pyramid and trying to come up with some magic lock picking method to get what they need from the ruins.

Being less than 15k away from the 50k finish line, I took a look at the plot outline. When I started, I figured that 17 plot points was barely enough to get me to 50k. Of course, I think that EVERY year and tend to squish things down in the last 15K because I have like 10 or more things to cover before I consider the book done. In reality, I pad a lot when I write, hoping that every word will help count towards the ultimate goal. I do this because I think a part of me is afraid that if I don’t extend the word count and throw in as many words a day as I possibly can, before my mind explodes, that those words may cost me– it may be the year where I run out of plot and things to write about before hitting 50k. And then I’d have to go back and add more in, something I don’t like doing because I feel it’s cheating and allows my internal censor and editor out to rip apart the fragile draft before it’s done.

Day Twelve, NaNoWriMo 08

Word Count: 3604 for a total of 34144

I had to check my math twice tonight. It seems rather odd that those 3604 words jumped me that far up the chain. I had planned on writing another meeting and then maybe the boring beginnings of a trip to Europe. Instead I decided to write my own personal rendition of Pandora’s Box, a story that heavily influences the novel’s idea and also catapults Chat and Autumn into unraveling the mystery of the necklace. I then ended it with Chad reading Autumn a bedtime story and Graham walking into the library with some news and offers of coffee. Tomorrow I’ll have the gang get back together, figure out what it is and then go to Europe or something to search for another piece of how the whole thing works.

I must say that I have been enjoying writing the side tangents of the novel more than writing the main storyline. The daemon’s voice, the myth-telling have been far more fun for me so far. I wonder that means?

Day Eleven, NaNoWriMo 08

Word Count: 3336 for a total of 30540

The words blur together. I start out really strong and end less than strong. At least that is what writing by hand after ten days feels like to me. I moved the story on a bit tonight, got Chad and Autumn cozier too. Gave them their first kiss. Still need to figure out how they figure out the lifebox– I did give them a hint with a story of Pandora’s box. So, I am thinking that I’ll have them in some sort of additional meeting to fill in some news and then maybe a ROAD TRIP to Egypt or someplace exotic to find the cypher scroll and our big bad.

I’m already very tired this week. Between work and NaNo, I feel like I don’t have time to recover. Tomorrow is going to be even harder… I have my writing group meeting, as well as 4 hours of writing ahead. And work. I may take a half-day tomorrow and go write somewhere before leaving for the group meeting. That way I can get some words in before 2 hours of meetings. Here’s hoping tomorrow goes smoothly.