NaNo 2010 reflections

In case you missed it, November’s over, and so is National Novel Writing Month. Before the clock hit midnight on December 1st, I managed to write 47,877 words… this close to the 50K I needed in order to win.  Oops.

Don’t feel too sorry for me, though, because so far as I’m concerned, I won. I may not have made the requisite word count, but I did finish the rough drafts of “Areopagus“, “Spyder, Spyder“, and “Strength of the Fallen“. Each of the three projects now has an ending, if a sucky one.

I’m not too concerned about suckiness. The goal of NaNo is not to be perfect, it’s to be prolific – to suck, but to suck impressively. At this point, the hard part – the “getting words down” part – is over. What is left is the perfectionist’s dream. When editing, I can be as detail-oriented as I please, from the perspective of a writer, a world-builder, a reader, and a feminist. Revision brings out a polished shine to my impressively sucky words, and adds depth and thoughtfulness to an otherwise-flat world. Yes, revision is definitely my favorite part of the writing process.

But first, I get a break. I had homework to do December 1st, but on the 2nd I had my first taste of freedom. I got more than 6 hours of sleep (during the entire month of November I only managed this once), and when I woke up, I did whatever I wanted. So I really just played Pokemon in bed all day, but hey, that’s what I wanted!

The days to come will be slightly less fun, as I have one more week before finals. Still, I will be without a long-term creative project for at least a few weeks. Maybe I’ll do some art. I have a short autobio/journal comic planned for Winter Break. Nothing epic in scope, thank god.  I’m even too pooped to start thinking about Multiversed again. The goal for now is simply to recover. When I return to the drafts of the three projects, they will be new to me again, and more importantly, as exciting as they were when new.

So that’s the interesting stuff. What follows is a rundown of my NaNo 2010 experiences. If you like stats or listening to me blathering on about process, feel free to read below the cut.

Twelve characters, three stories, one kick-ass month

NaNoWriMo goes well so far.  I had a very stressful time last week, and I’m still recovering from that.  So I’m behind in my word count, but the last two days I’ve managed to pull off 2,000+ words.

This NaNo seems to be oddly easier, even with the setbacks.  It helps having established stories to work off of, I suppose, and the fact that I can switch between stories once my steam runs out.  I’ve written 5,744 words so far, about half in Spyder, Spyder, and half in Areopagus.

I found this awesome 12 Characters meme on the NaNo forums, but they’re down at the moment, so I thought I’d post mine here.  It’s crossover-tastic, as one might expect.  Later in the month I’ll probably be writing crossover-fic due to NaNo desperation, but for now, this scratches the itch pretty well.

Spyder – okay, you know what, I got nothin’

Couldn’t think up an appropriate play on the title of the third NaNo project, Spyder, Spyder. ^^;;

The premise… is best explained by the project page linked up there. I really don’t know how to explain it in fewer words. It’s a story about gendered professions, a world just starting to come out of the shadows of patriarchy and superstition, but mostly it’s about three kids who are trying to live with one another while finding their places in the world. It’s kind of a love story, but mostly not. It’s kind of a YA novel, but kind of not.

Spyder is hard to describe because the worldbuilding is folded into the story in a way that SotF and Areopagus aren’t. It’s about the charmcrafting, it’s about the techno-mages called ‘spyders’, and while the characters are prominent, the magic – whether ‘female’ and symbolic, or ‘male’ and scientific – might as well be a character in itself. It’s hard to describe.

To be honest, when I was writing it the first time, I was constantly upset that all I seemed to be writing was drama, the mushy stuff. Rereading the script, I saw that wasn’t quite true. The worldbuilding is more present than I thought. As a result, there aren’t any large sections to cut. The whole damn thing is plot, or worldbuilding, or both. It’s like that the whole. way. through. 70 pages of pure (if editable) plot. I have no idea how that happened.

Nice thing about that, is I have no canon-rewriting changes to make. I don’t have to choose what foreshadowing to follow, because it’s all important and there’s only one way the plot can go from page 70. The only question is how far to take the conclusion.

Okay. National Novel Writing Month starts in 20 minutes. Wish me luck!

Sitting judgment on Areopagus

NaNo’ll be here tomorrow! I’m so excited and nervous. But not too flighty to talk about Areopagus.

The premise: A mild-mannered secretary named Kyle Newman falls asleep on the train one day and wakes up to find that he can see the sins of all those he locks eyes with.

Reading this draft wasn’t nearly as painful as I thought it would be. True, it’s the least polished of the three projects. It meanders and only starts building towards a climax at page 50 (of 87). And even then, there are half a dozen obvious Chekov’s guns, and god knows if I meant them all to go off at once.

But while I remembered the meandering and uncertainty about where the plot would go, I didn’t count on the meandering feeling… kinda worth leaving in. I won’t pretend that the characters are particularly creative. The main characters can be (mostly) summed up by the titles “shy English major”, “blunt feminist”, and “Crazy Asian Man” (the latter is actually used in-story, but it’s apt (okay, maybe not as apt as “Crazy Nerdy Type”)). They’re over the top in some ways, embarrassingly me in others… but the meandering plot gives them a bit of subtlety. Not a lot, but enough.

Speaking of, I clearly had a lot of fun writing from Kyle’s point of view. He, uh, narrates like an English major. Lots of metaphors and such, not to mention introspection and a flair for the dramatic. It’s kind of hilarious.

As for where to continue – like I said, the plot doesn’t pick up until late in the draft. I’ll take those cues, and one or two of the Chekov’s guns, and just write. I still don’t know how to end the story, unfortunately. But I think I can meander a little more on this one if I need to.

Multiversing Strength of the Fallen

NaNo’s coming up quick, and to celebrate I thought I’d do a post a day on the projects I’ve got to look forward to. First up, Strength of the Fallen.

The plot: the S’riellan (translated as “the Fallen”) are the super-powered soldiers of the elves. But one morning, a S’riellan war hero named Minrei wakes up to find her strength, speed, and senses are those of a regular elf.

SotF is probably my favorite of the three NaNo projects.  It’s got a lot more going on than the stories I usually write, in that Minrei is not a predestined hero, nor a powerful rookie. Rather, Minrei is a physically-strong woman turned weak, an experienced fighter now reliant on smarts and creativity, and a fugitive from a government founded on conspiracies.

I reread the initial draft as prep for NaNo. Predictably, the writing became less well-thought-out as I went through it. I could tell when I started getting desperate for higher word counts, since I stopped using contractions and started adding notes about which swear words to use. (SotF was apparently written after watching Firefly, because I had decided to swear in Fijian. I now regret that decision. It’s too obvious.)

Basically, in the 88 page document, anything after page 40 might get cut. I’ve made a few plot-altering decisions for the coming NaNo already. A big one is that I’m cutting the romance bit that occurs in the last half. It doesn’t fit, and makes Minrei seem emotionally-weaker than I want her to be.

The other big change is that I’m making SotF part of 3PF canon – and by extension, Multiversed. When I first thought up Minrei, I used a similar worldbuilding premise to the one I used in 3PF. If you’re interested in an explanation, you can find it below the cut.

Tossing and turning the page

I’ve been having trouble sleeping recently. I go to bed and I toss and I turn, and I think about Multiversed. As a result, I’ve made a lot of progress in figuring out the chapter storylines. The prologue and chapter 1 still need some work, but chapters 2, 3, n-1, and n are more-or-less planned out in my head (where n is the magical chapter when shit goes down, yo). I even have chapter titles for some of them. It’s an exhilarating feeling, having solid plot to work with.

And, if you check my Multiversed references page, you’ll see that I’ve posted an update with Damien’s character sheet. I’d hoped to have Valerie’s revised character sheet done by today as well, but… see for yourself :

Heh heh. To misquote “Bend It Like Beckham,” when drawing, I tend to make even mosquito bites look like juicy juicy mangoes. ^^;;

Sleeplessness led to another awesome turn of events besides Multiversed progress. One night I stumbled back out of bed, and went back to my computer. I was looking for a couple of documents in which I keep spare ideas (for incorporating into a Multiversed storyline, say). But instead I ended up reading the beginning of Strength of the Fallen. Then, amazed, I read bits of Areopagus. Then Spyder, Spyder.

They were actually good.

It’s been long enough since I wrote these projects that I don’t remember anything but the barest details of them. It was as though someone else had written them, some writer who knew what she was doing.

For the first time in my life, I agree with my mother that I should try to get these things published. …Which means I should probably finish writing them.

Therefore I’m proud to announce that I will be doing National Novel Writing Month again this year. This time, I will be writing the ends to the drafts from my previous three NaNo’s. This month, my prep reading will be the drafts; my homework to brainstorm endings. I’m incredibly excited for this. NaNo is the most hectic but brilliant time. I feel so alive (if tired) during it, and I’m sure this time won’t be an exception.

(And look at those pep talk guests! Holly Black, Dave Eggers and Lemony Snicket. SQUEE. :3 )

Last but not least, I’m including an excerpt of Strength of the Fallen. There are a few things I’ll change in a later draft, of course, but it reminded me of all the intrigue that’s at the heart of this story. Click to read the excerpt.

I like sleep. Sleep is good.

I just got in to Chicago yesterday, for Fall Break. I’ll be here until late Tuesday night, hanging out with Sarah and our parents, getting winter clothing, putting together a Halloween costume, and in general not doing homework. There’s still so much to do that’s not school-related, though, and I keep having to tell my brain, “No! No all-nighters! We like sleep.” And I do. I love sleep. Sleep is the best, and I could use more of it.

I’ve mentioned that I’m not doing National Novel Writing Month this year. However, this little part of my brain that schedules things keeps trying to figure out a way to fit it in. I wasn’t sure why at first. NaNo is amazing, but sooo stressful. A NaNo-er’s November is like being through an emotional wringer – you go from enthusiam to guilt to desperation, and on to a few kinds of wild-eyed madness which may at the time be confused with an epiphany of near-religious proportions. A NaNo author has very little free time, sacrificing friends and family for the pen or the keyboard. A NaNo author sometimes forgets meals, instead choosing to wonder where the next thousand words are coming from.

This blog post by Alegra Clarke made me realize why I still want – hell, ache – to participate for my fourth year. And – imagine my surprise – it’s the stress, and the odd habits I develop as coping mechanisms. As Alegra Clarke says:

November is an excuse to live on a diet of chocolate, coffee, and crunchy-salty foods. It is a month to fully indulge the habits of my strange writer-self, such as walking down the street mumbling as I scribble notes and bump into lamp posts. It is an opportunity to buy a pretty notebook and a smooth-gliding ballpoint. But more than that, completing a NaNoWriMo forever changed the limitations I had previously placed on myself as a writer.

And it’s true. I like putting other things aside and just concentrating on being a writer. I like the stress. I like the work of it. I like complaining about my characters and plots. I like being part of a community of people who are putting on their writer’s hats, who are treating themselves to that Chinese food because they exceeded their daily word count goal.

I only wish I could do it this year too, even with the grad school applications, the computer science capstone project, the webcomic idea frothing around in my brain meats. I wish… but since no fairy godmother’s going to drop down with a freeze ray (stops time; tell your friends), maybe next year.

Reboot

My heart feels like it’s going to burst out of my chest at any moment; there’s just so much to do and so much to remember to do right now. I’m excited and anxious and thoughtful all at the same time. My first class of the semester is in three hours or so, and the beginning of a new semester is just as bad as New Year’s for regrets and hopeful glances at the future. It’s a good time for backing up documents, for cleaning my room, for hurriedly completing unfinished work. It’s also a good time to take stock of current projects.

That the school year is a poor time for creative projects has been proven to me over and over again. I can promise that I will dutifully work on a project, but between homework and last-minute get-togethers, my own work tends to suffer. This semester is going to be especially tough, as I’ll be working on my CS capstone on top of the usual craziness.

It’s a safe bet that I will not be trying NaNoWriMo this year.

Here’s where I’m at with my open projects:

Areopagus, Strength of the Fallen, & Spyder, Spyder – All are awaiting revision of first drafts. These are on hold.

Cathy, Queen of Evil - Never made it out of embryonic stage. This project is effectively dead. World-building and character development from this project will be incorporated into Multiversed.

Past, Present and Probable Future – Also awaiting revision of (second?) draft. It is on hold. The main characters are being used in Multiversed. Multiversed occurs after the events of this novel, and thus will have spoilers, so I might discontinue work on this project.

Multiversed – Now has its own project page! Work continues on concept art.

Mark Two - My CS capstone project? TBA.

***

This semester I will be working on Multiversed concept art; Mark Two planning and execution; and The Mad Scientist Wars. Unfortunately, work on Multiversed may lag, since keeping up on the other two is especially important. Finishing homework, getting a job, and retaining sanity is also important. I make no promises in regard to the last item, though.

The problem with using friends as Sims

(As always, click the picture for a full-size version.)

Somewhat self-explanatory, this one. You, uh, may notice this isn’t in my usual style. Even when in 2006 I didn’t draw like this. (It’s a good thing 2006-Ash didn’t know how badly I’d make fun of her. She would have stopped cartooning in the first place.) There’s a reason for that, actually.  This is a fancomic for my beloved Tao of Geek, as written and drawn by the talented Liz Walsh. It was one of the first (good) webcomics I started reading, and probably the only comic I still have bookmarked from around from that era. (Come to think of it, I may have gotten into webcomics in 2006, too…)

So check out Tao of Geek! It’s fun, and amazing, and definitely my Favorite Webcomic Ever. I have more fanart in the works. Yes, now that NaNo is over I can indulge myself and do moar fanarts. And regular arts too.

It is weird now that NaNo’s over. It’s not like I don’t have work to do, but my every waking moment is no longer geared towards writing or procrastinating on writing. I can choose what I want to do now. Art? Anime? Webcomics? Mad Scientist Wars (I’m invited into the main Wars now! YAY!)? So many choices…

I’m still mostly high off of finishing. I have a feeling I’ll crash when the first major assignment is due. And – *looks at calendar* – oh look at that! Guess what the first major assignment due is? “Spyder, Spyder.” For my group in the novella class. Not all of it. But a goodly amount. Edited. I’m slightly bitter that I don’t have more time to let the characters and story settle, but hey. I knew the risks when I decided to use it for NaNo in the first place. *sighs*

NaNo 2008: The Epilogue

This post is late. Can you believe it? It’s been roughly 17 hours since National Novel Writing Month ended here in good ol’ Des Moines Iowa, and I posted nary an update here. Which is particularly odd, considering that I WON!

I failed twice, but this was indeed my year. 50,103 words written by December 1st, midnight. And now I feel infinite, like Charlie in The Perks of Being a Wallflower, which I read the entirity of yesterday. (It was good, but let’s talk NaNo.) This weekend was almost as bad as I expected. My parents were upset with my decision to NaNo, and I could almost hear my mother crying, “OMG UR DOING IT WRONG.” If it weren’t for Sarah, I might have drowned myself in webcomics or anime right then and there and stopped writing altogether. But I didn’t. And you know what? It was worth the hardship to get here. I know I can do it now. And knowing is my anti-drug, man. ^^

I still have a few thousand left to write to wrap up the story itself, and I need to have it edited and semi-presentable for the Novella class by… well tonight, but that’s not happening. Soon. Very soon.

Doodled on Friday.

I feel the need to drop some thank yous.  It’s no dedication, but without the following “Spyder, Spyder” would not exist as it is today:

• Sarah, for telling me that she understood why I needed to do this, and that it was okay for me to write.
• Anne, who didn’t convince me that I was epic win, but managed to stop me thinking I was epic fail.
• Josh, who listened to me ramble about my two magic systems for a few hours.
• Liz, for writing with me that one day.
• Shannon, Briana, and Dan, who gave me pep talks.
• Everyone else who wished me luck, or expressed an interest in my progress.
• All the NaNo forumgoers.  Next time I will lurk less.

I’d also like to thank the word “look,” which apparently was the word I used most (besides the usual suspects – “the,” “and,” “said”). I listened to “Clint Eastwood,” “Weapon of Choice,” “I Must Be Dreaming,” and “Mitternacht” over and over again. Also, “One-Winged Angel” and “The Howling” became my unofficial theme songs for The Final Scene (which actually formed the last third of the story). Thanks go to SiB of the Mad Scientist Wars for “One-Winged Angel,” by the way. It ended up fitting really well.

What do I do now? Well, I planned a couple days of rest. I need to catch up on webcomics, and I own “Requiem from the Darkness” now, so I can rewatch it. But there’s other things that need doing. It’s December, the end of yet another year, and I haven’t done a Breaking the Fourth Wall cartoon yet. Fanart for MSW and Tao of Geek. The Graphics project that I haven’t really started yet. There’s still plenty to do, but at least I can enjoy the ride, right? I did it. I won. I proved myself to myself. The world will follow. ^^