I said something yesterday about putting up a snippet of a work in progress, and then said that I would not do the one I’m working on now, because it’s going to be a novel. I felt it was going to take me too long to finish, and I’m not that big a tease… Yesterday, I read an article that my mentor Sarah A. Hoyt wrote, where she starts to lay out the guidelines for writing a novel in 13 weeks. Heaven help me, I’m going to do it.
It’s not that I haven’t done it before. My first completed novel, Vulcan’s Kittens, which will come out any time now (I’m waiting on the back cover blurbs, at this point. May seem like a small thing, but, well, there it is) was written largely in 4 weeks. I participated, at my eldest daughter’s request, in NaNoWriMo, and made it with over 50K words that month. The completed novel is about 60K words. So I know I can do this.
Here’s where the insanity comes in. I am a full-time student, taking a run at a nursing degree. I’m still in the first year of that. I also work a “real” job part time, and I run my own small business. You’ll note I have not mentioned my family, although they are just as much work as any of the rest of this!
In order to complete Pixie Noir, my hard-boiled fairy tale, in 13 weeks, with a respectable word count (at random, let’s say 60K, I’m not sure the story will hold up to longer than that), I would need to write 4615 words a week, or 659 words a day. Acually, for me that is quite doable, providing I can think out the story I can sit down and pound that out in a half hour. Granted, I probably will not be able to write every day. This Sunday, I’m working all day long, painting shamrocks and rainbows and goodness knows what else on anyone who stops by my table… No green beer for me, though. Ew.
Also, I’m cheating. I already have about 8K words down of this tale. I’ve been doing research, although I need to do more, soon. Not sure my main character would really be able to handle a Dirty Harry gun, although his personality is definitely that big. So… maybe. If I don’t get sick, or the kids don’t have a disaster, or… Oh, yeah, did I mention I am moving half-way across the country in 9 weeks, now? Yipe!
Sure, I’m a little mad. All the best people Writers are, you know.
Comments
6 responses to “How to Court Insanity”
Cedar, I Love your SteamPunk goggles! BTW, John Ringo can type 1,000 words per hour…
I had borrowed my performing partner’s glasses… It was a fun photo shoot. I can do that many WPH, but it really depends on if I have the story flowing in my head. To get that to happen, lots of time spent doing mindless things that allow me to think (driving, soaky bath, washing dishes…) and all my research ready to go. I’m a pantser, which means I rarely work off a plot, as I find it stifles my characters. I have done 20K words in a week, once, but that’s unlikely to happen anytime soon again, I was on vacation at the time.
1000 words an hour is my run too 😉 More if it’s a short story (hard to explain.)
And I shall try to do the dang blurb. I’m trying to do covers, finish a novella, and start a novel. I hate to go crazy alone, so come along. They’ll put us in a madhouse together, and we can tie the attendant’s hair into bunny ears or something….
Given my other job, bunny ears seems wildly appropriate. I know you’re busy. I have a novella to finish editing and publish. Not to mention a very odd flash fiction piece Amanda is encouraging me to shop around. It’s good to be busy, right?
I guess…
Or we could be blissfully bored. But then again, I think that’s a road to bunny ears. Willing to try it for a week or so, though.