Word count day

Whirrrkiiiiplunkkkkeeee.

That’s the sound of my relief after four days of being offline at home and trying to negotiate with a Thai internet provider. It was quickly followed up by a surge in serotonin and a ‘wheeeeee’ sound. It really is a bit pathetic and I think I may need help.

****

Okay, so Sunday is:
• Word count confession day.
• The day Daughter goes off on school residential.
• The eve of Son’s GCSE mock exams.

I can’t DO any more about any of those things. Words are written; bags and brains are packed with clothes and facts respectively. (I do hope Daughter's gone up north with the clothes and not the facts... What would Son do tomorrow in the exam hall to find his brain containing nothing but frivolous outfits?) Still, apart from checking who has packed what, I’ve done what I can.

This week's word count confession: 3814 words. Now I’m off to catch up with some blogs…

Today

Today was marked in the diary some four weeks ago as ‘the great hat making day.’ In truth, I don’t think any of us actually wrote that in our diaries because that would have been a bit, well, silly, wouldn’t it? I wrote something more like ‘S & C coming over to help make hats’ but the fact is that it’s taken on epic proportions in my head as one of the problems that I might, possibly, conceivably, hopefully, be able to solve.

(Aging parents who refuse to accept they could do with a spot of help: no, I can’t crack that one.)

But I can make the hats for the Melbourne Cup. Hmmm, I haven’t yet been able to work out how to hide the bits that we don’t want to see… so actually I haven’t resolved this problem either but three heads, when S & C turn up, are likely to be better than my jetlagged and under par one.

But it’s another day not writing, and the woolly one is banging out those words… I have, over the last few weeks of fretting about the folks who refuse help, also been worrying about the dénouement of the novel. Mostly I’ve been agonizing over the location and whether removing the characters from the setting – which is pretty important to the novel - will weaken the story or not.

In the end, I’ve decided to remove them… for the truth of their characters; inside the house they will not tell the truth. Therefore they must be removed. In order to have them elsewhere, I need to research something and a couple of days ago I heard back from a friend I was at art college with. She’s willing to answer some questions and so now, after the hat making, I can crack on with the last 10-15k of words.

Better watch out woolly one; I can still put you in the hot wash…

From washout week to storming Sunday

I reported yesterday what a disastrous week I’d had with my novel writing. And it couldn’t have come at a worse time… just as I’d launched on a neck and neck race with Sheepish. So the week was a disaster: draw a line under it. There is no point in dwelling on it but nor did I want to produce a shameful 600 words which is all I’d managed. I’d done well enough the previous week to make up for a shortfall this time but, you know, I didn’t want to give Sheepish the satisfaction… Although… maybe, I could mess with her head? I could lull her into a false sense of security, couldn’t I? Then she'd relax and I'd whip her woolly bum next week? *Clears throat* that sounded better in my head.

No no no. I said 500 words a day, five days a week. That’s my minimum. There was nothing else for it but to dedicate my Sunday to it.

So Sheepish, punctuated by Sunday lunch at the pub with family, I’ve had two Starbucks stints today and my words this week: 2607. I have to say, even though you’ve beaten me, that I am a bit proud of myself. It takes my total word count (as you can see left) to 68,000.

I can do this. I can.

Call yourself a writer?

DJ tagged for this meme. I am off on a writing course all day today at the Neilson Hays Library, so this is a perfect post for today.

1. Which words do you use too much in your writing?
Words which dictate meticulous detail of the physical movement of my characters. I think I’m a frustrated film director.

2. Which words do you consider overused in stuff you read?
The ones that should have been edited out.

3. What's your favourite piece of writing by you?
Anything that makes me laugh because then I feel terribly clever.

4. Which blog post do you wish you had written?
Anything that makes me laugh because I am very envious of people that can consistantly write funny.

5. Regrets. Do you have a few? Is there anything you wish you hadn't written?
Nope: it’s waste of energy (but so is worrying and I do plenty of that.) I would be sad to think I’d written something that might have hurt someone.

6. How has your writing made a difference? What do you consider your most important piece of writing?
I am surprised at how it alters my mood for the better. I suppose the most important piece is the piece I’m doing here and now (whenever that is.)

7. Name three favourite words
I’ve done this before in a meme on TeaStains, so I had to go looking for it. According to that meme my favourite words are: ‘Bollocks,’ ‘vituperative’ and ‘elderly.’ I also like ‘presbyopic’ and ‘discombobulated.’

8. ....And three words you're not so keen on.
Uhm, I can’t think of any though my BF, The High Priestess of Punk-chew-ation loathes the word ‘moist.’ If you talk to her about moist belly buttons, she’ll really freak out.

9. Do you have a writing mentor, role model or inspiration?
I’ve just finished the six sessions with my mentor through The Literary Consultancy and have the industry day and the ms read to go. Also the friends I’ve made through the Novel Racers have been a huge inspiration and support.

10.What's your writing ambition?
To write entertaining stories well.

I am passing this on to YOU. Please take it if you like it. I'm going to be late for the library...

Newsflash!

I’m taking a blog break.

I’m tired and a bit bored with myself.

I’m struggling with my book and need to concentrate on that for a bit. I shall continue to read blogs but I'm not sure about commenting. I will update my wordmeter and reading material.

Blogging has become more of a pressure than fun, which is no good at all.

I don’t know if it’ll be three days or three weeks that I am away for. I will be in the UK for the last two weeks in April. I suspect that it will be so exciting to be there again that I’ll have lots to say.

I hope to see you back here soon.

In honour of my editing head

Ode to the Spell Check

Eye halve a spelling chequer
It cam with my pea sea
It plainly marques four my revue
Miss steaks eye kin knot sea.
Eye strike a key and type a word
And weight four it two say
Weather eye am wrong oar write
It shows me strait a weigh.
As soon as a mist ache is maid
It nose bee fore two long
And eye can put the error rite
Its rare lea ever wrong.
Eye have run this poem threw it
I am shore your pleased two no
Its letter perfect awl the weigh
My chequer tolled me sew!

Taken from here.

More on mentoring

I thought it was about time to come back and tell you about the mentoring process as I’m experiencing it with The Literary Consultancy. I'm far enough into the process now to see some of its results.

I can submit up to ten thousand words, six times to my mentor. She (in my case) will report back within two weeks (usually around a week in my experience.) You can find further details of what the mentoring deal includes here.

Someone once said to me that I was brave submitting a first draft to anyone to look over, but the truth is, it’s not a first draft. I write the ten thousand words and then I edit them. They aren’t finished, but not are they as rough as a first draft either.

My first ten thousand words were ready to go as soon as the agreement was made. I had been working on these for such a long time that several friends were concerned I was only ever going to have ten thousand, fully polished, words. While I waited for the first report to come back I worried. I worried that I wouldn’t be able to write another ten thousand words in six weeks; I worried what the report would say. The report came back with a good balance of positive and critical comments.

I did manage to write the second ten thousand words and I sent them off after the six week interval. I worried again. This time I worried that the first section had been a fluke. I thought that my mentor would come back and say ‘Oh, what happened? The first section showed promise … what happened to these words?’ The second report came back and instead of the above, there was a good balance again of positive and critical comments.

I was beginning to believe that I could get the words down. I had written two lots of 10k of words… I could probably write another 10k, couldn’t I?

However, the third ten thousand words were much harder. I really needed the growing belief that I could do it. The novelty had worn away a bit and it was hard slog. I had quite a few personal issues to worry about. It was Christmas and I was going away with my family but I would have to work while on holiday as I was a behind with the words. I sent off the third section with a covering note saying that I had struggled with these words. My mentor wrote back saying that the process is flexible and next time to take a bit longer until I am happier. That way, her comments are extending me rather than correcting things I already know. When the report came back she had included lots of positive and critical comments and told me that in general, it felt underwritten. This was a crucial comment that helped me understand my pattern of work.

Bitterly disappointed that I’d let myself down, I sat down to write the fourth ten thousand words. Somewhere during this writing, I discovered that I had two distinct heads (metaphorical heads, silly!) The reason I hadn’t been able to get the third lot of words into order was because I had creative head on and in order to polish, I needed editing head and I simply hadn’t recognised that. As long as I knew which head I needed to sit down with I was able (mostly) to conjure the right attitude. I also realised that I always need to return and flesh out … hence the underwriting.

So here I am two thousand words into the fifth ten thousand words. I know what’s coming in the story but I have absolutely no clue as to how I am going to get there. BUT, I have a developed a relaxed attitude to this, a faith almost, that it will happen. I hadn't had any idea either how to get from one word to one thousand words, but that had happened and more.

It’s like being an alcoholic, one day at a time or in my case, one scene at a time.

Onwards and Upwards

My mourning period is finished. I’m still a bit sad an' all, but I’m not wallowing any more. (I said in my comments that Carol and I will definitely stay in touch … the problem is that now she’s another ‘not here’ friend.)

You didn’t even know I was miserable, did you? I was. There was considerable gnashing of teeth and beating of chest going on here yesterday. Not a nice sight.

My words went off to my mentor on Sunday … they weren’t as ready as I’d hoped but they were sent anyway. If I’ve learned anything from the Novel Racers it’s to keep going; words can be edited. I have to consciously give myself a pat on the back for producing 10,000 words with the difficult times that were late Nov and Dec. My personal instinct is to berate myself that the words weren’t good enough!

So now, I’m going to write. I’ve got to climb the 10,000 word mountain again which needs to be done for 20 February. (OMG, that doesn't sound very far away.) And, I shall come back and report here what I’ve written… The threat of public humiliation makes me write!

Update: 870 words

Mentoring

Last Thursday evening I got my second report from my mentor.

There was always the potential (in my head) that the first 10k of words was a fluke and she’d come back and say “Oh dear, what happened to the second 10k?”

But I am a bit excited. I love how she’ll say something, such as “you have a tendency to do this…” and I go and look at it thinking ‘Do I?’ and yes, she’s right, so I do. I love how she’s not spoon feeding me but is highlighting things (tendencies) for me to identify and amend: all the while being there to feedback to if I don’t understand. Personally, I think it’s important for me to learn how to spot this stuff myself and what I intend from this experience, is how to stand on my own two feet with my work.

About one scene, she said: “… far and away the strongest passage is the conversation between M and her mother in C’s study. This is packed with dramatic tension, pathos and humour, beautifully balanced in that you invite us to sympathise with both women in their troubled relationship. The narrative pace is spot on…”

Coo.

Fancy that.

I worry a lot about everything narrative pace. My notion of pace is based on a woolly feeling such as ‘ooh, isn’t it about time we had a bit of a drama?’ I have absolutely no idea how to decide these things in any other way, so it’s a boost to hear that it’s working.

Today I was on ‘take Daughter and Friend to a party’ duty. I took my laptop to Starbucks while I waited for the pick up and wrote 720 words and felt myself getting back into the flow.

It’s so exciting. I am so excited.

(Please forgive the me me me-ness of this post)

10,000 big ones

I’m changing the subject from our holiday plans. There’s more than a little Mr Toad in the Beattie family personality, which I don’t wish to highlight any further…

I am going through my next 10,000 words as they are due with my mentor on Friday. On Sunday my heart sank as I began to read through. My family, whose minds were all on the snow in Siberia, were distinctly unmoved by my trauma. On Monday, I got past the first two pages, and there were definite signs of improvement. I marked up the pages (I confess, while I had a pedicure!) with big strokes of the pencil I stole the complementary, promotional pencil from the hotel in Korat… It’s a perfect pencil; dark enough without being too soft and it keeps its point beautifully so they found their way into my pencil case. (Yes, damn it, okay I stole two pencils.)

I am desisting from shovelling MORE on my metaphors. Clearly dialogue comes relatively easily to me, for which I am thankful. But! There has to be a but… But, characterisation; emotional roundness of my main character… Can’t work it out. She’s STILL two dimensional.

What to do?

Friday roundup

Well, it's the end of my week in flat Khorat. Today I can write; tomorrow I go home. I can't be cocky confident just yet, but I've only 884 words to do today to make the 5000 words as instructed by Husband. (Or I owe him the money back for this little trip.)

So far I'm on 22,741 (before today's words) (OMG). My second lot of 10,000 words are due go to my TLC mentor next week and they need looking at again, cutting and editing a bit before they go. There's stuff in there that I wrote before the first report came back that I know needs acting upon. My word count will vary while I make changes so I might not update my Leigh O meter until this time next week.

After yesterday's post, here are some more arseicons:

from Pat Posner
(123numberbum) Numb Bum

from Lane
( ) Lazy arse

From Angie
(~!~) Dimpled arse
(_!_) Pancake arse
(,,!,,) Numb arse

From Debs
(vvv!vvv) numb arse

From Beast
٨ ٨
(…!...) Rabbit doing a poo
.
.
.
.
Apologies to Beast whose ears and poos won't go in the right places.

I ♥ the Novel Racers

Just take a little sideways look over there on the left … your left, not my left … yup, that’s it … where it says 20,000 on the lovely Leigh’o’meter. Even if mine’s gone slightly wonky, with a pokey uppy border bit on the far left, it still says 20,000 big ones.

And, it’s really 20,364 words. Now I've no idea how long my book will be, but I plucked 100,000 out of the air since I'm told I should be aiming between 80,000 and 120,000. 100,000 is a pleasing, round number. So if that's so, I've done a fifth of my book. A fifth. And most of those, I've done in the last ten weeks.

I should have a bit more humility about all this and I do apologise if I sound like I am shouting, but damn it, I am shouting. I am proud of myself.

I am coming to the end of my second year with the Novel Racers, and frankly I’ve been a bit crap – no, a lot crap. I can’t understand why they didn’t throw me out long ago because I have struggled. And some of my posts have been a load of drivel with the most boring excuses – I know because I’ve been back and read some of them. Let me apologise in retrospect.

Husband says that if I come home with less than 5,000 words I have to give him the money back that I’ve spent here. So Husband, today I’ve done 1,707 words.

Research

I managed a rather wonderful 704 words yesterday, which for a tortoise writer like me, is pretty good.

I’ve had lots of help from a man I don’t know, called Peter. He has been answering my questions about a first edition book that I’ve never seen and cannot find an image of on the internet. The book ‘appears’ in my novel and I need to know what it looks like. He’s emailed back and forth enclosing answers and now images. He couldn’t have been more helpful. Thank you Peter.

My sister has asked a friend of the family if he can help with questions about local building/planning applications for a very small subplot and I’ve now emailed him.

My poor brother is still being bombarded with emails about complicated medical complaints - I think I'm maybe running down his reserves of goodwill.

But I’ve still not heard back from either of my ‘classics’ connections.

Nor have I had a reply to the antiquarian bookseller my sister put me on to. If there’s anyone out there who knows one that might be willing to answer a few questions, please can you email me?

And a biochemist? Anyone manage to put me in touch with one of them?

All contacts gratefully received.

The dog ate my homework

I had an email yesterday that gave me a proper telling off. I’m not disclosing the source - they can out themselves if they wish - but it’s not my Mum!

Take a look at how scary it is:

“The only other thing I'd say, and I know I've said this before, is that while I do understand why you're polishing this to get it where you want it to be for your mentor, and that makes sense, you do need to get the rest written. You can't truly finish this bit until you've written the whole thing. You've been back in Bangkok for over a week now and I haven't noticed your word counter going up. Nag, nag, nag, nag, nag... but I think that's part of what I'm for! I know you did loads in Koh Chang, and that was great, but let me quote back to you your own words from 30th September: 'Hopefully I’ve learned that if I can write flat out here, I can get on and do that in Bangkok too.' Well???”

I have just got a little bit of sorting out to do so that it’s ready to send to the mentor when she’s finalised. But I’m making a promise, that from Monday I am on fresh words…

Please feel free to send me frightening emails demanding explanations for why my word counter hasn’t risen.

Saturated

Words written yesterday: 500
Words written today: 700.
Total words this week: Just under 8,000
Total words in WIP: Just under 12,000

There are maybe a 1,000 in my notebook too.

But, I reckon I’ve reached saturation point. I’m knackered, and need a holiday! I had hoped to go back home with a tan, but I’m as pasty white as I was when I arrived. Tomorrow, if the sun comes back out, I might sit by the pool.

In total I’ve got around 12,000 words and when my mentor has been appointed I will need to send the first 10,000 to be critiqued, which was really what this was about.

Hopefully I’ve learned that if I can write flat out here, I can get on and do that in Bangkok too.

Thank you for all your encouragement. I kept going because I wanted to be able to come here and tell you how much I had managed to write.

Words

1,700 words today.

I might not be able to keep that up as I also needed two doses of paracetamol today aswell.

My tea intake has been a bit OTT - I might need Husband to send an emergency package of tea from Bangkok!

Rewarded myself with Bridget Jones' Diary. All that talk of Colin Phwoarth and Hugh Grant, well, what can you expect?

Can't post on my laptop. I'm hoping my trusty Blackberry won't let me down.

Sent via BlackBerry® from AIS

Yeh heh heh

Yeh heh heh.

Yeh heh heh*.

I have over 2,000 words. I have an opening. I am excited about my story. I will have something to show at the course in Sept/Oct.

I am determined to keep up the 100 (or more) words a day. It’s working really well for me. Despite the fact that on flight day and arrival day (Mon and Tues next week) it will be really hard. I will be tired and grumpy and feel that I deserve the day off. However, if I take one day off I will be able to take another day off… you get the picture. 100 words a day is doable even if I feel jetlagged and grumpsome. It is only 100 words a day.

* I'm not entirely sure what this means, but it's the noise I made when I clicked Word Count and saw it was over 2000!

I'm still here

So it’s painfully slow, and I’ve calculated that if I write only 200 words a day, five days a week, it’ll take two years to write my book.

Still, I’m writing.

I can’t quite persuade myself that I can write tosh and come back and sort it out later. Maybe that’s not my way.

Maybe, I have to write slowly and right (mostly).

Still, it’s a lot of sitting and thinking. And looking at the ‘recount’ button, and pressing it and finding out I’ve only added five words since I last pressed it.

Words

I’ve lost 750 words. Not because I haven’t been backing up – though I haven’t. They are on my computer somewhere but I’ve forgotten what I called them.

That’s the problem with starting your book again, again, again. You I keep making new versions, called ‘start’ or ‘opening’ or maybe ‘ChapterOne.’ And I keep making new folders as well to contain the new documents. So I’ve got folders called ‘MyBook,’ ‘2008Book’ and ‘SkyrosBook’ and inside them are a variety of false starts with unoriginal titles.

If you look at my sidebar with a magnifying glass, you will almost see the orange (barely) one pixel wide of the missing 750 words. I know that isn’t too many words to be worrying about – there could’ve been two more noughts on the end but they were my words and when it’s pretty much all I’ve done, it’s a bit of a bummer. They weren’t the opening paragraph; they were a few pages in because I couldn’t think how to start it.

And then, just the other night, lying in bed, there in my head were my two opening lines. So now, I quite like to find the 750 that go somewhere after it.

I got there!

I got to my office this morning and I put together my fan (how hard can it be? I thought. The instructions were in THAI, so when it said 'remove the plastic protector sleevy thing', I didn't know I had to do that. Eventually, I worked out that that bit was too fat for that bit, so something had to change, and I got there in the end.)

Then I rushed off to my appointment at 12.

I got back to my office at 2pm, armed with lunch: Dim Sum and fresh orange juice, both bought on the street - (total cost £1.50ish)

And a full two hours to write. I was a bit slow getting into it because I haven't written for a week, but I got going in the end, and wrote 1200 words. My 'sick children' week was a blessing in the end, because last week I was really nervous of the pressure of the 'Office' but all of that worry had evaporated in the desperate need to get down there and write. HURRAH.

Thanks to everyone for their well wishing. xxx