Writing Update: Camp NaNoWriMo Begins
19:30
Vital Stats
Project: The Dragon
Thief
Word Count: 42k
Motivation Level: High
Chocolate Supplies: All stocked up
Crazy Writer Status: Moderate
As most people have probably realised by now, the April
session of Camp NaNoWriMo has begun. For me, this means that the editing of Snow on the backburner for a bit while I
work on my Camp novel. I do plan to finish the edit, hopefully in between all
the drafting I’m doing right now. And I did very nearly finish it last month. But
alas, too slow, so I’m drafting a new book now because reasons (that is the
only possible excuse for this terrible behaviour).
I don’t know about any of you other brave NaNo people,
whatever session you like doing, but I always feel super motivated right at the
beginning of the month. People everywhere are writing and getting excited about
it, Twitter is full of helpful word wars, the book is new and fresh and exciting,
and writer’s block, exhaustion, and sheer laziness haven’t set in yet. This is
definitely the best end of the month to be writing in.
It also helps that The
Dragon Thief is, by this point, quite an easy book to write. I’ve actually
drafted it twice in the past, but I could never quite nail the plot. So every
time I’ve had to completely scrap what I’ve written and start all again. But
the characters and basic plot idea has always intrigued me and kept me coming
back to try again. There’s something about a thief with a dragon for a friend
trying to earn her redemption that really intrigues me.
Despite not really planning the book much (everything feels
a bit slap dash about this month), I think I finally nailed the basic plot,
which is super exciting. It makes sense at last. The characters feel right.
There is snarky banter and action and a few scenes that are sweet and cuddly,
and right now it feels like everything is falling into place. Admittedly, that
feeling is most likely going to disappear once I get round to editing the book,
but right now it’s nice to be able to feel like this book is finally going
somewhere.
And, because I’m feeling rather good about this book right
now, I thought I’d share an excerpt with you all:
That was her biggest fear. Not facing the council. Not her phobia of water and drowning, terrible as it was. Not even the murderous street gang baying for her blood. No, it was the fear of failure, of going back to that little cell, four steps long, two steps across, back to the unvarying routine, the surly guards, the two scant meals a day, the hours of boredom counting the bricks in the walls and ceilings. She feared going back to a cage she might never escape from. The very thought of failure terrified her.
So that’s where I’m at right now, in the warm fuzzy
honeymoon stage with the book, and I’m attempting to get ahead on the word
count before life gets busy again, or I lose motivation, or the week 2 blues
set in (they’re a real thing, I swear). If you’re participating in Camp
NaNoWriMo, how are you getting on? And even if you’re not, where are you up to
with your project? Running along nicely? Stuck in a rut? Drafting? Editing?
Also, you may have notices that I’m trialling a slightly
different format with this writing update by adding the vital stats at the top
of the page so it’s easy to tell what I’m working on, where I’m at, and how
much chocolate I’m consuming (answer: never enough). What do you think? Like
it? Dislike it? Prefer it at the bottom of the post? Like to know different
things about what I’m doing? Don’t want it at all? Let me know your thoughts!
12 comments
(Hi, Imogen! I recently discovered your blog, and I enjoy reading it.)
ReplyDeleteI love the excerpt you posted, The Dragon Thief sounds really interesting! I like the 'Vital Stats' you have at the top of the post, I find it very interesting to read :).
By the way, what's the name of the main character in The Dragon Thief (unless you'd rather keep that to yourself :))?
Hi Savannah! It's so nice to meet you! I'm so glad you liked the excerpt. And I don't mind sharing the main character's name at all (actually I thought I'd mentioned it in the post, but apparently I forgot) Her name is Maya, she is an elf, a thief, and has a dragon for a friend. She's rather a favourite of mine. Thank you much for visiting, Savannah!
DeleteYayy for that first week of NaNo! Honestly, I have no idea what the second week is like. XD BUT I TRUST THAT IT IS BLUE. Ahem. I get like 3rd day blues usually. It's by day 3 that I'm getting a bit tired and I'm wondering how loooong the book is going to be and when I can stop and just go and take a really long nap. <--- Great hobby
ReplyDeleteOMG BUT I DIDN'T CONSUME ANY CHOCOLATE AT ALL THIS TIME, IMOGEN. WHAT'S WRONG WITH ME HELP.
And yayyy for dragon novels! It's so exciting to rewrite old books, though, right?! I feel like it's easier, sort of, because the basic idea is there, but also exiting because you get to rework it to catch up with how far you've grown as a writer. Or, well, that's me anyway. xD YAY FOR DRAGONS ANYWAY. (I know I said that, but I had to say it again.) And I loved the snippet. :D
(Also your formatting is wonderful. ;D Just format your posts however you want, wonderful bean. :D)
Haha, I think at the speed you write, your 3rd day is pretty much our week too. Must be something about the amount of brainpower and energy used that just makes writing difficult at a certain point in the book. Congratulations on finishing your book so quickly though! When I grow up, I want to be just like you *nods*
DeleteThat's exactly how I feel! Plus dragons. I never feel there are enough dragons for me. Must write more dragons!
I love it at the top! Your novel sounds AWESOME so far!
ReplyDeleteEllie | On the Other Side of Reality
Thank you Ellie! I'm so pleased you like it. Also, thank you for your feedback. It's so helpful.
DeleteI like the stats idea. It's cool. ^ ^ I'm a little behind. ^ ^' I'm at moderate to low motivation for some reason. I'm pushing a long. XD My writing buddy has been sick so I haven't done many word wars unfortunately.
ReplyDeletestoritorigrace.blogspot.com
Aw, I'm sorry to hear that. Hopefully motivation pokes its head in soon. Maybe things will get easier when your writing buddy feels better and can war you and cheer you on. It's always so much easier when you've got a friend around, isn't it?
DeleteYAY FOR THE DRAGONS AND THE CHOCOLATE. Cheering you on with takeout and pom-poms! And I know what you mean about week 2 blues -- normally that sets in for me in the second draft and I want to scrap everything and start over. AND I CAN NEVER TELL WHETHER IT'S LEGIT. ANd I loved the snippet!
ReplyDeleteDragons make everything better in my opinion *nods* Thank you! Ugh, second draft blues are awful. I feel you with those. Except for me, usually I do scrap everything and completely rewrite the book because I think it's such a mess. Second drafts are HARD.
DeleteI really relate to that quote. Except for the angry gang. And councils. And drowning....and prisons. But I get the fear of failure! XD
ReplyDeleteSeriously though, good luck on Camp NaNo!!
Haha, totally not really a situation most people will relate to. Failure is definitely much more relatable! Thank you!
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