I submitted the grant proposal this morning at 4 AM... for a 6 AM deadline—not my most shining hour. Regardless (or "irregardless", as my Dad would say), the thing is done, and I can start to catch up on my own writing. There were only a few days this month that I actually did not write, so I'm pretty proud that I didn't let work completely devour my life. Actually, in addition to this morning's grant proposal submission, I actually finished the revised plot summary for the novel. Deeply reworking something so large has been an interesting/challenging/frustrating/rewarding experience. Although the tone, characters, and general setting have survived, I don't think much of the actual writing from the first draft is going to be useable, and that feels a bit disheartening. Having written two novels without a pre-ordained plot (thanks to Chris Baty's fun book No Plot? No Problem!), I have discovered that it is awfully inefficient for me to write a 50,000 first draft that, in the end, is only a sketch for the real writing. Next time I write a novel (hopefully beginning later this year), I will try thoroughly plotting it before hand to see how that works for me.
Today's self-indulgent breakfast: single-serving homemade brownie with homemade tangerine marmalade and a tiny dollop of Edy's "Samoa" ice cream. I totally deserved it.
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Today's writing totals:
Blog: 233 words
Novel: 139 words (plot, plot, plot)
Journal: 321 words
DAILY TOTAL: 793 words
JANUARY RUNNING TOTAL: 4,794/15,500 words
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2 comments:
I've tried both ways -- plotting out beforehand and winging it. Usually I just switch methods when the work stalls and that helps. Congrats on all your progress. You've discovered the secret: ass in chair, writing.
To BG:
The "ass in chair" part comes pretty naturally for me, but adding the "writing" part has proven tricky.
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