This week I went to a workshop on being concise.
THE END.
I’m such a kidder . I mean,it’s true that I went to the workshop, but I could never really actually leave it at that because I am too fond of blithering on, which is why I went to the workshop in the first place and took copious notes about keeping my writing short and to the point as I am more of a ‘meander- around- the- houses- and -hopefully- get -there- eventually’ type of person. *GASPS FOR BREATH
Yesterday, I was procrastinating in the garden, potting the last of my hyacinths (not a euphemism), and berating myself for not being as dynamic as all those writers currently creating seminal works in a single month, as part of the NaNo WriMo (National Novel Writing Month) challenge.http://www.nanowrimo.org
I am looking forward to the invention of NaNoWriDec (National Novel Writing Decade) for authors such as myself, who prefer to take things at a ‘steadier’ pace, crossing out, plodding, summoning up a sentence, deleting it, pottering and congratulating ourselves if we manage 200 words a day. Never mind a migraine-inducing daily target of 2K.
As I dibbed, and debated (with myself) the addition of a playful layer of ornamental irises to my terracotta tubs, I realised that, although I have committed only 2K words of my novel Blues to my hard-drive, this week, I have been making important decisions regarding the plot.
Internal, invisible decisions.
Having plumped – finally- for setting the sub-plot in a particular international conflict, I have been comparing the versions of events provided in memoirs, news media, United Nations reports and Hollywood blockbusters.Much of this information won’t ever be used in my novel – it is the SUB-plot, after all. But groundwork is important, as we patio-container gardeners know.
There may not be much to show for my labours, just yet. But little shoots might, when the time and conditions are right, make it through and create a half-planned, half-serendipitous display.
I await Spring with interest. And frost-bitten, crossed fingers.
My youngest son has always told me that slow and steady wins the race just like the tortoise in the fable.
I’ve tried being a tortoise and now I am racing along with the hares – thanks goodness NaNo is only for a month I’d be utterly exhausted if it were any longer but I am enjoying the change of pace.
Yes I have a lot of holes in the plot I will have to mend when November is over but I am loving the experience of joining in with friends all over the world. Writing can be such a lonely existance sometimes.
But each to their own, there is no right way to write a novel and I commend you for your careful crafting early on. I will still be doing mine later – maybe it’s another form of procrastination after all?
I’m trying to think of something that is slower than a tortoise to compare myself to. Something grinding to a halt. One of the good things about my MA course was that it put me in workshop situations where I just had to go for it and actually scribble something down and read it out, without worrying about it being perfect. This was really alien to me – coming up with stuff on the spot- but also quite liberating. It generated some interesting, if not always ‘finished’ material!
I have major respect for anyone doing NaNo: the mere thought of the requisite daily word count- with no time for agonising over every ‘direct or indirect speech?’ dilemma – reduces me to a quivering wreck. Although I worked to deadlines for uni, there was some flexibility for days off! Good luck with your novel, Sarah!
Hi Helen,
Flaubert reckoned that 100 words a day was good going…
Was the workshop connected to your course?
Tim.
Good old Gustave. Such a wise gentilhomme. It was a Writers Block North East workshop. A bargain at £3. As the name suggests, they are based this side of the Pennines, but you could Friend them on Facebook, to get writerly info.x