Today's starting word count is: 12,476 words (plus 4,428 word outline and notes)
Today's starting page count is: 45
Today's ending word count goal is: 14,476 words
Food and drinks spilled today: 1
Number of WoW Insider Posts read today: 3
Time spent with WoW Insider Open: 3
Number of times I've yelled at Word today: 0
Celtic songs listened to today: 24
My playlist consists of much more than Heather Dale now. Trying to figure out how to get Heather Alexander and Meg Davis songs that were done for Mercedes Lacky books onto my iTunes as well and increase it further.
I've decided on my days off that I need to hold myself to a higher standard of 2,000 words. Just to prove to myself its important.
My current frustration at the moment seems to be something purely derived from being an English major. I added a LOT of symbolism and foreshadowing in to my last chapter, and to me it all feels obviously contrived and heavy handed. I can't figure out how you could not see it and it feels sloppy.
I'm counting on this just being because I'm the one that is doing it. Its kind of like playing hide and seek with yourself. I know where I hid the stuff, so I'll always be able to find it. But, hopefully, my readers will not.
In other news, though, I've officially finished my outline. I've never done this for any other story before, and I'm hoping that's the key to finishing it. The only other really long thing I've ever finished had an almost entirely complete outline (it was a 100k+ word fan fic, in case you are curious) and I'm hoping to borrow from that lesson for Kylerian.
The outline seems stilled, with a very slow beginning and extremely fast end, but I think that might be the right way to do it. The book needs to cresendo, doesn't it? I think so.
Now I have no excuse not to be working on the book itself, and I'm almost disappointed. Still, I'm pleased, and really hope this works for me.
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Monday, March 26, 2012
Writing Accents
Today's starting word count is: 5,845
Today's starting page count is: 21
Today's ending word count goal is: 6,845 words
Food and drinks spilled today: 0
Number of WoW Insider Posts read today: 2
Time spent with WoW Insider Open: 2 hours
Number of times I've yelled at Word today: 0
Number of Heather Dale songs listened to: 3
I have a problem that I'm not sure how to fix. One of my characters is supposed to have a very heavy accent that is much different than the other characters. He's a local, where they are all...imported, I suppose is the word I want.
Now, I hate writing accents. It is so rarely done well, and I would like to avoid it if possible because it doesn't feel right. However, just moving the word order to give the impression doesn't feel strong enough. Its a partly Irish, partly Scottish accent and I'm not sure there is enough of a difference from the regular word order (unlike, say, Asian based accents) to make it clear that he speaks very differently.
Example:
Today's starting page count is: 21
Today's ending word count goal is: 6,845 words
Food and drinks spilled today: 0
Number of WoW Insider Posts read today: 2
Time spent with WoW Insider Open: 2 hours
Number of times I've yelled at Word today: 0
Number of Heather Dale songs listened to: 3
I have a problem that I'm not sure how to fix. One of my characters is supposed to have a very heavy accent that is much different than the other characters. He's a local, where they are all...imported, I suppose is the word I want.
Now, I hate writing accents. It is so rarely done well, and I would like to avoid it if possible because it doesn't feel right. However, just moving the word order to give the impression doesn't feel strong enough. Its a partly Irish, partly Scottish accent and I'm not sure there is enough of a difference from the regular word order (unlike, say, Asian based accents) to make it clear that he speaks very differently.
Example:
“No offense intended a’course, your highness. I’ll tell
the crew ta make sure they get yer stuff off before they go an waste yer
handsome reward on wenches.”
versus
"No offense intended, of course, your highness. I'll tell the crew to make sure they get your stuff off before they go and waste your handsome reward on wenches."
They just don't have the same feel, do they?
Thursday, March 22, 2012
The Tale of the Notebook
Today's starting word count is: 4,385
Today's starting page count is: 16
Today's ending word count goal is: 5,385 words
Food and drinks spilled today: 0
Number of WoW Insider Posts read today: 3
Time spent with WoW Insider Open: 1.5 hours
Number of times I've yelled at Word today: 0
Also # of Heather Dale songs listened to so far: 3
I left my notebook at work. Again.
This notebook is the bane of my existence, but I refuse to go anywhere without it.
It's a blue notebook, currently covered in flour and the remnants of dough from being dragged in and out of the department. I use it for many things, not the least of which to keep track of how many baguettes are being used by the deli and to write down difficult to spell things for writing on cakes.
I also use it for jotting down ideas for Kylerian that come to me at work or, more seriously, on my lunch break when writing on what I've started isn't working and I want to outline.
More than once, coworkers have assumed that the bulk of the writing in it happens when I am on shift instead of on lunch, and this is simply not true. However, it still annoys them enough that I fear for my notebook every time I forget it on the table.
Or, like today, when I leave it on the cart that goes to the other store. I REALLY hope someone sees it and grabs it for me, because I don't want to have to drive all the way up to go get it back, but my entire outline is in that thing and I cannot lose it until I type it up (which I had intended to do last night. FML.)
Any tips for keeping better track of where I leave that stupid thing?
Today's starting page count is: 16
Today's ending word count goal is: 5,385 words
Food and drinks spilled today: 0
Number of WoW Insider Posts read today: 3
Time spent with WoW Insider Open: 1.5 hours
Number of times I've yelled at Word today: 0
Also # of Heather Dale songs listened to so far: 3
I left my notebook at work. Again.
This notebook is the bane of my existence, but I refuse to go anywhere without it.
It's a blue notebook, currently covered in flour and the remnants of dough from being dragged in and out of the department. I use it for many things, not the least of which to keep track of how many baguettes are being used by the deli and to write down difficult to spell things for writing on cakes.
I also use it for jotting down ideas for Kylerian that come to me at work or, more seriously, on my lunch break when writing on what I've started isn't working and I want to outline.
More than once, coworkers have assumed that the bulk of the writing in it happens when I am on shift instead of on lunch, and this is simply not true. However, it still annoys them enough that I fear for my notebook every time I forget it on the table.
Or, like today, when I leave it on the cart that goes to the other store. I REALLY hope someone sees it and grabs it for me, because I don't want to have to drive all the way up to go get it back, but my entire outline is in that thing and I cannot lose it until I type it up (which I had intended to do last night. FML.)
Any tips for keeping better track of where I leave that stupid thing?
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Too Wordy
So, I've decided to write about writing while I write. How do you like them apples? Currently, I'm going to set up the counts you will find at the top of each blog, and a bit of how I intend this to work.
Today's starting word count is: 3,385 words
Today's starting page count is: 12
Today's ending word count goal is: 4,385 words
Food and drinks spilled today: 0
Number of WoW Insider Posts read today: 3
Time spent with WoW Insider Open: 1 hour
Number of times I've yelled at Word today: 1
The first three I think are pretty self explanatory. I'm a goal oriented person, and having accountability to something helps me keep them. Just telling myself I want to write 1k words a day doesn't have the same effect as having someone actually ask me how I'm doing and keep track.
The food and drinks? When someone makes a movie about my struggles to become successful, food/drinks are going to have to be spilled ever ten minutes and every time I sit down to write. Yesterday's morning spill was a LiveWire Mountain Dew all over my PJ pants, and then at lunch I spilled my soup all over the table.
Today I do have a Cherry Coke, but so far it has managed to stay upright.
WoW Insider is one of my favorite websites, and unfortunately my biggest temptation. I'm hoping by keeping track of just how often I look at it when I should be writing, I'll start doing it less. Hopefully.
The last one is mostly for fun. My pet peeve with Word today is that it keeps telling me my sentances are 'too wordy'. How on earth does it determine that? It is a computer program, it cannot actually read. Maybe all those words are necessary, did you think of that spell check? Its probably not so, but I still feel like a computer cannot make that kind of judgement call.
I'll keep ya'll posted on my progress!
Today's starting word count is: 3,385 words
Today's starting page count is: 12
Today's ending word count goal is: 4,385 words
Food and drinks spilled today: 0
Number of WoW Insider Posts read today: 3
Time spent with WoW Insider Open: 1 hour
Number of times I've yelled at Word today: 1
The first three I think are pretty self explanatory. I'm a goal oriented person, and having accountability to something helps me keep them. Just telling myself I want to write 1k words a day doesn't have the same effect as having someone actually ask me how I'm doing and keep track.
The food and drinks? When someone makes a movie about my struggles to become successful, food/drinks are going to have to be spilled ever ten minutes and every time I sit down to write. Yesterday's morning spill was a LiveWire Mountain Dew all over my PJ pants, and then at lunch I spilled my soup all over the table.
Today I do have a Cherry Coke, but so far it has managed to stay upright.
WoW Insider is one of my favorite websites, and unfortunately my biggest temptation. I'm hoping by keeping track of just how often I look at it when I should be writing, I'll start doing it less. Hopefully.
The last one is mostly for fun. My pet peeve with Word today is that it keeps telling me my sentances are 'too wordy'. How on earth does it determine that? It is a computer program, it cannot actually read. Maybe all those words are necessary, did you think of that spell check? Its probably not so, but I still feel like a computer cannot make that kind of judgement call.
I'll keep ya'll posted on my progress!
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