11/6/22
Words written: 6,941

Week 1 Wrap-up! Sort of?

It's the end of the first week since Nano started, though since Nano started on a Tuesday it's not the first total week that nano's been going.

The first few days were rough. I got really behind on wordcount because I was struggling so much. Day 3 I decided to implement the comic sans technique, which has been surprisingly effective! I've also resolved that, if I hit a section that I'm struggling as much as the first part I'll just skip it and come back to it later. I haven't hit any parts that bad yet, but I'm getting to some stickier parts, so I might have to start skipping around soon.. I'm also trying to find good stopping points, where I've finished the parts I really wanted done but I know what I want and where I'm going next session.

I haven't done my writing session for today yet, so I'm still at 6,941 words. I'm slowly catching up. It helps that I've got a friend who's also doing nano, and we've been going to write-ins together. Peer pressure really is the best motivator for me lol.

I've been working on a playlist to go with my story. I had a few base songs I knew fit the character relationships, and I'm adding new stuff as I go that fits what's happening in the plot at that point, along with moving stuff around as needed. I've also found a couple new songs I like based on what Spotify suggests I add based on what's there, though most of them don't actually make it on the playlist. One of my favorite bands showed up unprompted, which was cool.

I whipped up a quick cover for my project in Canva, which I posted on my tumblr. I've heard that writers who make covers for their projects tend to have a better rate of success, so I figured I'd give it a go.

I'm trying not to say too much about what it is or what it's about. I have this bad habit where if I tell someone an idea I have for a story, and they don't seem 100% on board and into it, I feel like the idea just isn't very good and I throw it out. Which would be very bad for my nano project. I might share some excerpts when I'm far enough along for the sunk-cost fallacy to kick in lol.

I think that's all for now. I should probably go do my writing for today.

11/22/22
Words written: 28,856

truckin' along

as you can see, i'm very behind. and haven't blogged in a bit.

though progress is slow, it is happening. in fact, today i've written more words than any other day, at 3,437 (so far ;)). i got really stuck in my plot and struggled to make any progress. i think i have a better grasp on it now, but it remains to be seen. today i just went back and filled in parts i had previously skipped over, which turned out to be a lot more than i realized. there are still more holes to fill, but it's a much more cohesive work now.

i'm trying to be optimistic, but not too optimistic. i know that in order to get even remotely close to replicating today's word count, i'll have to actually progress the story, which as i said has been a challenge recently. i want to at least make what nano has listed as the bare minimum to get back on track to finish, which is still a pretty decent amount. hopefully i can write even more later tonight. the closer i get to catching up, the less i'll have to do daily, i think.

i only just recently found out that there was a free trial for scrivenr offered through the nano website. i've heard a bunch of writers talk about it, so i decided to give it a try. i've fallen in love. it's a lot like manuskript, a free program i really like, but the interface is so much nicer. Is it $48 nicer though? I'm not sure. It might be a nice Christmas gift though. My guy still hasn't figured out what to get me...

been watching a lot of tv while i write. some hotel hell, some kitchen nightmares, a little dark shadows, and some murder she wrote. well, watching might be a strong word. it's been on.

i made some moodboard thingies for the book a while ago to help get me hyped up. i might post those here on the website somewhere at some point. however, i don't want to talk about the book specifics too much until it's more done.

i think that's it for right now. back to the salt word mines!

12/1/22
Words written: 50,139

i did it bitch :3

i fuckin did it holy shit

i was consistently behind for a while, but since i was pulling multiple 3k days i was able to get closer and closer to parity. still had to make up almost 4k the last day but i mad it happen! somehow!

this doesn't mean the book is done. i've still got a few chapters to do. but i'm thinking about taking a decent break before i finish it up, and i'm definitely gonna be reducing my words per day when i do go back to it since i'm not on a strict deadline.

when it's done for real, i'll probably set it aside for a while. ultimately i like parts of it but i'm not really overall happy with how the story went. i was pretty directionless in a lot of places and i had no ending in mind. what ending i have planned out now is super rushed. the general pacing also feels a little off. ultimately i think i went with a story idea that was too much for 50k and needed more planning than i put into it. i think i have a better idea of what 50k actually looks like now in terms of beats and pacing.

i've got other projects in mind i want to work on. i'm trying to pace myself and not jump right into a new one too soon so i don't burn out, but i'm excited to get to something new soon.