It's almost time for NaNoWriMo. So far in the lead-up to this year's events I've:
- Tried to plan an ambitious rewrite.
- Considered starting a new story but keeping the old one in my mind as I do it.
- Decided I probably should just write a whole new story to remind myself I can do it.
So, onto the finer details. I don't know if I've talked about this before, but this is more or less my daily process:
First, clear away any clutter on my desk. I have quite a small desk at the moment, so I have to pack away one task to make room for a new one. It turns out this is also a good way to shift my mind from one thing to another. Handy bonus!
Second, set up all my writing stuff. I need pens, paper to write on, and my current project's Zim wiki open on the computer screen. If I'm going to use the typewriter, I also need to set it up and check over everything to make sure it's working.
Third, pick some writing music. I'll do a post about that later, probably.
Then, it's time to start writing. In spite of all the preparation and stuff, there's nothing special here. I just open the file or grab a blank sheet of paper and dive into it. The last sentence from yesterday is the clue to the first sentence of today, and the first sentence leads naturally into the second, and so on.
Usually, I'll write for about 30 minutes and get somewhere around 500 words. If I'm feeling gloomy, I'll cut down to 15 minutes, and if I get into the zone I'll forget to check the clock and end up doing just about my entire wordcount in one session.
Then... well, rinse and repeat until I get to 1667 words. Most of the time, that's enough.
Occasionally, I have to get away from the computer. I haven't worked out how to use a typewriter in bed, so this tends to mean pen and paper. This is also the perfect late-night option for keeping the noise down or for enjoying the silence.
So anyway, that's how I write. I think.
I guess NaNo is going to be all about testing my process and trying out new stuff. Should be fine, right?
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