how to finish a novel in less than a month?
Interesting. Since homeschool started, I'm averaging about 1000 words a day. Before homeschool, a 1000-word day was a lucky day. How does THAT work, right?
I blame the smoking.
Really, though. It's like this: I start writing after my first cup of coffee, write through breakfast, and wrap it up at 9AM when homeschool starts. I might get a break at lunch, I might not. If I do, I go hide outside with a heavy coat, a smoke, a notepad, and a pen, and I start writing college-style... that is to say, feverishly, in hand-writing I can barely read later, ashing with my free hand and coughing the whole time because I'm a little punk who can't hold her smoke.
I do the same thing after homeschool hours - around 3pm, and/or after dinner, if I can. By the time I lock the backdoor for the night, I'm usually shaky and self-loathing, but I've accumulated a thousand words.
Part of it is the act of smoking - say what you will, it accelerates my creative process. Always has. Where I might sit and dance around an idea for half an hour otherwise, a cigarette in one hand can bring the words to page way faster.
The bigger part is the act of separation. The back porch isn't as far away as, say, a coffee shop, but since I can't get in the car and drive away, it's the next best thing. By going out there, I remove myself from the distraction of little boys and disapproving husbands...
It's not fool-proof. I mean, they know where I go and they tend to come find me. The other day the God-King stared at me for a full minute (to express his distaste for my habit), and then the Kinglet came out with his new dart gun, shot me three times - once between the eye - and then had a hissy fit because he lost his darts and wouldn't go back into the house until I helped him find them. SIGH. Still, I wrote 500 words in twenty minutes.
I will quit. As I told my mom recently, I'm good at quitting. I do it all the time. >.>
This is just where I am in the process of adjusting to this new life.
Anyway. I am almost finished the first draft of my urban fantasy, working title COVENANT (I think I'll have to change that, as it's not spot-on and I think there's another book with that title anyway). I'm at 46K and change, and I'm pretty sure I'll pass that once I write the love scene and a better ending. It might have to wait a bit, though, because it's time for a read-through, which I've only ever done when I can get big chunks of time to myself. I might try to start tonight, after the God-King comes home.
In the meantime, I guess I'll start focusing on my classic fantasy novel. I've already got a prologue and a first chapter written, and I'm juuuust about to throw my main character through the door into the magical realm. Fun stuff. I just need to get my muse to switch gears. Hence blogging for the first half of my morning writing block.
So, what are you working on these days?
I blame the smoking.
Really, though. It's like this: I start writing after my first cup of coffee, write through breakfast, and wrap it up at 9AM when homeschool starts. I might get a break at lunch, I might not. If I do, I go hide outside with a heavy coat, a smoke, a notepad, and a pen, and I start writing college-style... that is to say, feverishly, in hand-writing I can barely read later, ashing with my free hand and coughing the whole time because I'm a little punk who can't hold her smoke.
I do the same thing after homeschool hours - around 3pm, and/or after dinner, if I can. By the time I lock the backdoor for the night, I'm usually shaky and self-loathing, but I've accumulated a thousand words.
Part of it is the act of smoking - say what you will, it accelerates my creative process. Always has. Where I might sit and dance around an idea for half an hour otherwise, a cigarette in one hand can bring the words to page way faster.
The bigger part is the act of separation. The back porch isn't as far away as, say, a coffee shop, but since I can't get in the car and drive away, it's the next best thing. By going out there, I remove myself from the distraction of little boys and disapproving husbands...
It's not fool-proof. I mean, they know where I go and they tend to come find me. The other day the God-King stared at me for a full minute (to express his distaste for my habit), and then the Kinglet came out with his new dart gun, shot me three times - once between the eye - and then had a hissy fit because he lost his darts and wouldn't go back into the house until I helped him find them. SIGH. Still, I wrote 500 words in twenty minutes.
I will quit. As I told my mom recently, I'm good at quitting. I do it all the time. >.>
This is just where I am in the process of adjusting to this new life.
Anyway. I am almost finished the first draft of my urban fantasy, working title COVENANT (I think I'll have to change that, as it's not spot-on and I think there's another book with that title anyway). I'm at 46K and change, and I'm pretty sure I'll pass that once I write the love scene and a better ending. It might have to wait a bit, though, because it's time for a read-through, which I've only ever done when I can get big chunks of time to myself. I might try to start tonight, after the God-King comes home.
In the meantime, I guess I'll start focusing on my classic fantasy novel. I've already got a prologue and a first chapter written, and I'm juuuust about to throw my main character through the door into the magical realm. Fun stuff. I just need to get my muse to switch gears. Hence blogging for the first half of my morning writing block.
So, what are you working on these days?