Tag Archives: fiction
Weekly Update For NanoWriMo 2011: Days 1-7
WEEK ONE : TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 1 – MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2011
Weekly Word Count Goal: 1,644 x 7 = 11,508
Actual Weekly Word Count: 6,200
Total Words Written: 6,200/50,000
The Good: I am excited that my novel is finally taking shape and that I’m not constantly second-guessing the story, the characters, or the narrative structure of the entire thing. I am also very pleased with the progress and the fact that I am sitting down to write. So, I am at peace with the progress I am slowly making.
The Not So Good: My progress could obviously be better. I do need to stop dwelling on refining sentences and move forward with the plot. But most importantly, I really need to carve out time from my schedule because otherwise, everything else will take precedence. Even though, I’ve only hit 53% of the NaNoWriMo goal, it is a 53% boost from where my writing was at on October 31st. This coming week will be better. Wish me luck!
NanoWriMo 2011: Day 6
DAY SIX: SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2011
Start Time: 2:30 pm
End Time: 3:00pm
Today”s Word-count: 17 (no, that isn’t a typo!)
Total Words Written: 4,200/50,000 (from Day One, Day Two, Day Three, Day Four and Day Five)
The Good: We got to Cape May in good time. The room is lovely as is the beach and the weather is nice. Kavya is thoroughly enjoying herself.
The Not So Good: I got so bloody knackered that I completely zonked out when we came into the room. I did sort of work on my writing for about half an hour, from 230pm to 3pm, but I got 17 words that I think mostly consisted of vowels and were refining sentences that were already there. So I’m definitely not pleased about my progress today.
NanoWriMo 2011: Day 5
DAY FIVE: SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2011
Start Time: 9:30 pm
End Time: 11pm
Today”s Word-count: 2,000! ! !
Total Words Written: 4,200/50,000 (from Day One, Day Two, Day Three, and Day Four)
The Good: Not only did I get to hang out with Kavya during the day, but I put in a major dent into my story. While there was some dilly dallying with refining bits and pieces and stopping to add to the backstory, overall I am quite chuffed that a) I surpassed my daily goal and b) that it seems to be coalescing smoothly.
The Not So Good: This is not necessarily a negative yet, but I have a feeling I know what is going to happen tomorrow and the day after. So, starting on Sunday morning until Monday afternoon, we are going on a little family trip (just me, Sona, and Kavya) to a little seaside beach called Cape May, about a half hour from Atlantic City in New Jersey. We’ve brought our laptops, but I think it’s safe to assume bugger all is going to happen with the writing. I just don’t think we’re organized enough to switch Kavya off between the two of us so that we both get some writing time. This is the ideal situation, but hopefully it will just be too cold that we stay indoors the whole time, Kavya sleeps the entire time, and we do some hardcore writing. Yep. That’s what might happen. I am of course very happy with my word count today, but it’s not so much that I can take so many holidays of having days with word counts of ZERO. Wish me luck!
NanoWriMo 2011: Day 4
DAY FOUR: NOVEMBER 4, 2011
Start Time: None
End Time: None
Today”s Word-count: A Big FAT zero
Total Words Written: 2,200/50,000 (from Day One and Day Two)
The Not so Good: Kavya wasn’t feeling well, so we kept her at home, which meant I got woken up by Kavya saying hello to me and wanting me to read her one of the gabillion Elmo books on the shelf to her. I also had grading to do, which would have taken me about an hour to do, but ended up taking about seven because Kavya kept running away with my papers or wanting me to take a break and clap my hands like a mental patient. So, basically I was absolutely knackered by the time evening rolled around and I made a half-hearted attempt to look at my story, but ended up falling asleep. Tomorrow is Saturday and some words need to get written!
NanoWriMo 2011: Day 3
DAY THREE: NOVEMBER 3, 2011
Start Time: None
End Time: None
Today”s Word-count: A Big FAT zero
Total Words Written: 2,200/50,000 (from Day One and Day Two)
The Good: I got to hang out with Kavya. We talked about many interesting things, like lava formations on the Big Island in Hawaii; she kept saying “more” and after a pause, “waataarr” then proceeded to get the entire cushion I was sitting on, including my trousers wet. We did some yoga. She knows one move: the downward dog. This is followed by her climbing onto my head.
The Not so Good: Thursdays are my full on days where I start at 9am and come home at 4pm. The only writing I did today was while sitting on the train for about fifteen minutes, and that essentially consisted of adding a vowel or an article before closing my laptop back up and walking home. And as soon as I came home, I took a nap. Then I woke up and Kavya was climbing onto me, saying, “Papa, Elmo?” followed by her flinging herself over to the bookshelf to get a book and wanting me to read it to her. So that was the end of my night. Tomorrow doesn’t look all that promising either as we are headed to Sona’s mum and dad’s after my class at S.V.A. and have a fun trip planned for Sunday and Monday to Cape May. So, I am hoping that I keep my momentum going and it doesn’t flatline because I have a novel to write!
NaNoWriMo 2011: Day 2
DAY TWO: NOVEMBER 2, 2011
Start Time: 9:30 am
End Time: 2:00 pm
Today”s Word-count: 1,000/1,644
Total Words Written: 2,200/50,000
The Good: I did force myself to sit down and write. And I am pleased with the progress I am making and with where the story is going and how it’s taking shape. Plus, so far, I haven’t veered off my outline . . . although I’m not moving forward with the plot either. I am trying not to be overly critical and getting too bogged down with the minutia of perfecting my sentences and ideas.
The Not so Good: I dawdled a bit too much during my writing time. I had five hours to write, but a lot of it was taken up by looking up names of Bollywood films I’m referencing in the opening and on youtube videos and articles on Bollywood star, Amitabh Bachchan’s link to inciting mob violence in 1984. Yes, research. It wasn’t necessary. I am also not thrilled I didn’t meet my full word count for yesterday and today, but I am pleased I’m writing. I did still refine and added bits to the first part of the novel, rather than ploughing straight ahead. I’m also needlessly concerned about tomorrow when I have a full teaching load. I should have just concentrated on today and gotten my writing sorted.
Overall: I didn’t get completely bogged down in making the sentences and ideas flow perfectly, and I am happy that I am writing with a direction, so I don’t feel like I’m wasting my energy in developing plot points or characters that aren’t going anywhere (as has happened in the past). I may have stopped the narrative a wee bit with the description and introduction of the sister character in a flashback that wasn’t there before. Hey, I did say I am trying not to be overly critical! So, overall, I feel like I’m making good progress.
NaNoWriMo 2011: Day 1
NOVEMBER 1, 2011
Start Time: 9:00 am
End Time: 11:00 am
Today”s Word-count: 1,200/1,644
Total Words Written: 1,200/50,000
I didn’t hit my exact word count, but so far, so good, athough I did a lot of refining and I did still go back and edit. I’ve actually sat down and written more than I have in the past year and am actually progressing with my novel. So hip, hip hurray for me.
I attempted to write my novel during National Novel Writing Month in 2009 (NaNoWriMo or just plain NaNo), and while I would like to blame many things other than myself for not putting in much of a dent, it was through a lack of planning. I didn’t have an outline or even a sense of where I was going. This year, I am hoping it will be different. I am going to try and write 1,600 words per day.
I found these nifty word count image meter thingies that I am going to update you with daily during November. For those of you interested in using them yourselves, they are very easy to use.
You just put in this url and change the word count, target, and mood number: http://wordmeter.heroku.com/meter/words=1200&target=1644&mood=2
This year, I made an open declaration to all those who read this blog in my resolution post, Literary New Year’s Resolutions for 2011 of my writing goals this year. The reason I made it public rather than simply scribbling it down in my journal is so people would see my progress and I would be publicly shamed if I didn’t make strides in accomplishing my set goals. So far, the only two people who bully me into admitting my failures in letting Jersey Shore or FaceBook trump my writing goals are Sona Charaipotra (that’s my wife) and Dhonielle Clayton, her classmate, fellow fiction writer and homegirl at the New School’s MFA program, and blogger extraordinarie at TeenWritersBloc.com
You will find a public display of my inadequacies and . . . adequacies. No, that’s not the right word. My successes and failures – that sounds better – in keeping up with my writing goals for the next 30 days – click tab above that says “NaNoWriMo” or (check out http://www.navdeepsinghdhillon.com/category/nanowrimo). According to my New Year’s post, every week, I aimed to write 3 days a week, 500 words per session. So 1,500 words per week. It’s now November and my word count is at 0. So slightly short. This month for National Novel Writing Month, I’m going to put in a more respectable effort. Bullies welcome. Caste no bar.
What Are You Doing to Prepare for National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), 2011???
Yep. This cartoon by Errol Elumir pretty much sums up my thoughts on preparing for NaNoWriMo. I have my Scrivener sorted out (here’s a post I wrote to figure out what writing program to use: Scrivener vs Storyist). I have my pencils sharpened and my notebook organized. But . . . no outline!
It’s National Novel Writing Month, Can I Get a Woop Woop?
Two Novembers ago, I attempted to write 50,000 words – a completed novel – during National Novel Writing Month, most commonly referred to as NaNoWriMo, and those in a love-hate relationship with it refer to as NaNo. It has become a perfectly acceptable verb to use during November: “Are you NaNo-ing?” “How’s your NaNo-ing going,” or in my case, “Sod this Nano-ing. I’m NaNo-ed out of my head. ” Of course, I didn’t mean it. I have mad love for NaNo. But also mad hate. While I was doing it in 2009, it was definitely mad hate. And the whole of last year was filled with mad-guilt. This year, thanks to a great chat with Sona and Dhonielle, where I was forced (literally) to break down my story, I’m starting NaNo on a more cheerful and optimistic note. So yes, mad love for now.
Writing, like many other creative fields, is an incredibly lonely and isolating thing to do. It’s difficult being anti-social, not so you can put your feet up and unwind, but so you can sit in a corner of your house with a laptop. So two of the things I like about NaNo is that it connects you with a quarter of a million people around the world who are all trying to write a novel, and there are some amusing “pep talks” by established novelists. All of the participants, especially the aspiring novelists, are thinking This is the year. Very few will be disciplined enough to actually write 1,667 words a day, and make it to the full 50,000. What it gives aspiring novelists is a community and above all, hope. The hope that this year they can put a dent in their novel, maybe finish it, maybe even publish it.
Summer of Fun . . . and no Writing!
Me and Kavya Bhangra-ing On the Beach
This Summer, I had big plans to make amends for my word count of about 0 since January. Needless to say, my New Year’s resolutions didn’t pan out quite as well as I had hoped. I’d like to say it’s because of my work and duties as a father and husband are exhausting. But the primary reason is pure laziness. I had a tiny bit of a bump in the road with my story and rather than sit there and work through it like a proper writer does, I opted to take the approach a muppet would: to go muppetting about and do anything except my writing. Some of it was indeed legit stuff: tidying the flat, grading papers, working on syllabi. Those sorts of productive things. And when I couldn’t be bothered with that, but still didn’t want to face the mess of my novel, I went on FaceBook, which was the beginning of the end. Then there was Twitter. YouTube. And channels on the good ole telly.
Over the Summer, time has been the culprit for my not writing, and I really am a victim this time. Really. Alright, not really. But it is taking much more effort for me to focus because we’re on “holiday” to visit my Mum and Dad in Central California for a month. Before that, Sona’s cousins came to New Jersey for a visit, so of course, we “had to” go to Point Pleasant, chill out on the beach, and scarf down deep-fried oreos and chocolate covered potato chips. Here in California, Sona still has freelance assignments she’s doing, my Mum is at work till 5pm, and my Dad . . . well, let’s just say he’s easily distracted when he gets a phone call or gets on the computer. So, essentially, me and Sona are balancing doing our work with watching Kavya, and our writing has taken a massive backseat.
Tandoor in Back Garden of Central California
Added to the mix are fresh berries, fruit trees, chickens and roosters strutting about, a tandoor and a barbeque (sometimes used to cook the aforementioned chickens) in the acre and a half backgarden of my parent’s home, not to mention a paddling pool, and a shaded patio. So, even if sitting indoors with my laptop open was an option, you can see what a struggle it would be to choose that over a paddling pool. Oh yeh and then there’s that daughter I’m a father to. I love the quality time I’m spending with her, but she is quite knackering. Sona and I are absolutely shattered by the time my mum comes home. And Sona has erratic assignments that she has to do on top of all that, so it’s difficult for either of us to have a solid writing routine.
So, while Sona does her interviews or watches her shows for work, I end up playing . . . I mean taking care of Kavya, This involves a lot of bhangra, running, splashing, tickling, changing of nappies, combing of hair, attempts at putting rubber bands in Kavya’s hair (my wife doesn’t appreciate my artistry in styling my daughter’s hair).
The Challenge
Starting this week, both Sona and me have been trying to get a routine going for our writing. I drop Sona at a Starbucks in the morning and then hang out with Kavya for two hours, sometimes roaming through various shops and the bookstore. Other times just dropping Sona off and coming home and playing in the paddling pool with her. Once we just parked in a shady spot, Kavya took a nap for a good solid hour, and I worked on my outline in my notebook.
Speaking of outlines, I haven’t fully crossed over and embraced the outline, but I am definitely seeing the merits in it. So far, I’ve been doing what I found out is the “skeleton outline” through Scrivener. Basically, I write a general gist of what is going to happen in a scene. The “cons” in this type of outline, I read about in a novel writing book I glanced at while at the bookstore with Kavya, is that it isn’t very thorough. This I can attest to, but it does allow flexibility, which you can see how well that worked out for me and my writing process.
The other type is one I don’t think I’ll ever use for creative writing: the “structure plus.” It’s too analytical. You basically have to know what the purpose of a scene is, and also who exactly is going to be in it, and what some of the lines will be. I wish I could have it all mapped out like that, but just not my style.
I’ve started fiddling about with a hybrid between the two for my own notes. I’ll still use the Scrivener notecards describing the gist.
So far, this hybrid has really helped me shape things up by breaking down the structure. One of the problems I was having was figuring out what happens after a secret is revealed in my novel. At first, I thought the partition of 1947 or 9/11 in and of itself is a catalyst for something. And it very well might be, but that’s not the type of story I’m writing. What I’ve found helpful is to use screenplay structure to break it down. Screenplays are obviously much more rigid in the sense that turning point 1 must occur by page x, or Act I and Act 3 must be 30 pages each, and Act 2 must be 60 pages. Fortunately a novel is more flexible, but can benefit from this structure.
There are three acts or parts of a story: Act 1, 2, and 3. Act I introduced the status quo (characters, setting, current situation, etc). Act 2 complicates things, and Act 3 gives us the new status quo/offers some form of a resolution.
Once I thought about my story in these terms, it made my objective with the outline a little clearer, but I still didn’t know how to integrate some of the historical facts into the narrative, or breathe life into some of my characters that I initially thought would be minor.
My only time to write is late at night, even though I have to be “on” starting relatively early in the morning. I am awakened to Kavya pointing at my stomach and saying “tidoo,” followed by wild slaps and hysterical laughter. So, no snooze button available there. My strategy, for now, is to write a paragraph or so for the crucial parts of my novel, including some transitions, and logistical bits. I’m giving myself four weeks to hammer it out. Then I’ll worry about word count.
Day 1 for me officially starts tomorrow: Thursday, August 11, 2011
Four weeks from tomorrow: Thursday, September 8, 2011
Sona already has a pretty solid outline, so is zooming along. Here’s her post on her Summer Writing.
Wish me luck! And wish Sona luck as well =)
The “Big” Mac Writing Software Showdown: StoryMill vs. Storyist vs. Scrivener!
I was eight years old and in Punjab for the summer holidays the first time I was proud of something I had written. My paternal uncle (chacha) bought me a small 8 x 24 inch-ish wooden plank called a phatta, which village children used to write on with a homemade wooden pen that they filled with ink. I spent hours writing all 35 characters of the Punjabi alphabet on it, and at the end of it, my mum said “good,” then without warning proceeded to wipe the phatta clean with a mildew coloured paste. She had neglected to mention my work would be destroyed. This phatta experience was the first instance of a psychological condition that my wife, Sona Charaipotra, also a writer, my father, Pashaura Singh Dhillon, a Punjabi poet and singer, and I suspect many readers of this blog also suffer from: word hoarding.
Merriam-Webster defines a hoarder as “a person who accumulates things and hides them away for future use.” For as long as I can remember, I have done this with words. This phatta experience was not fun when I realized the permanent loss of data that was to follow. If I had my way, we would have returned to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, with suitcases filled with nothing but stacks of wooden planks, all black with the profound thoughts of an eight year old. Since this phatta thing didn’t work out, I became paper mad (I still am, but to a much lesser degree). I still keep journals. I still write on napkins. And I feel odd leaving the house without paper and a pen or pencil. In graduate school at California State University in Fresno, I rarely used a computer for my writing. Almost all of my work was initially handwritten in notebooks, and then reluctantly written in Microsoft Word to be printed and pimped out for workshop critiques.
But my first novel that I’m in the midst of writing now didn’t even move with this approach. As the research for my novel set around 1984 started piling on, I got lost in entire notebooks and a sea of random papers filled with notes on books, articles I’ve read, on potential characters, real life incidents, ideas for fictional scenes, facts, etc. It all became quite overwhelming. So, I attempted to organize things on my own. I named the main folder on my MacBook Pro, “Writing” and within it, subcategories with names like “Research on Blue Star,” “Bhindranwale,” “Militancy in Punjab,” “Operation Black Thunder,” “Things I May Use,” “Actual Writing,” “Drafts,” “Timelines,” “Characters,” and “Possible Storylines.” Needless to say, that didn’t go very well at all.
During one of my googling binges, I found out about the niche market of Mac applications/software catering to fiction writers that went beyond Final Draft, which is specifically for screenwriters. I’ve tried almost all of them, starting with the free ones, and moving on to the paid ones. All of the paid ones offer generous trial periods, which is what I used to make my decision of which writing software to use (you should too!).
