Monday 7 November 2011

Getting Creative

So, this is us into the second week of NaNoWriMo today. Has it been worth it so far? Definitely. First of all, the reason for me signing up still holds true: I've replaced my world-class procrastination with good writing habits. I've managed to write some of my new novel every single day and even if I haven't exactly kept to the suggested word count, I'm now 8,530 words further on. I begin each morning straight after checking emails and don't look at forums, blogs, twitter or Facebook until I've produced some more words.

As I mentioned in the previous post, I find it difficult to continue for hours at a time, so I often go back in the afternoon and do a little more, if I'm in. But here's a strange thing, the whole exercise is making me more creative in general. In addition to NaNo, I'm also still doing final edits on the tween novel and preparing a talk for a writing group in a couple of weeks. Then I suddenly had an urge to get on with redrafting the mainstream novel that is actually finished. But I've always felt it needed a rewrite of the first couple of chapters which were too long. After putting off the major restructuring I knew I wanted to do, I began it yesterday and got right into it!

Maybe I should be putting all that creative energy into the new novel, but here's the reasoning behind my way of working. The tween novel is being published in March which is why it's going through edits just now, and I enjoy those since I'm learning and improving all the time with a professional editor. The current new novel will need redrafting and editing after NaNo before I can even think of submitting it. But the completed mainstream novel has already been through the NWS (with a good report) and was already at one agent. I've never been happy with the first two chapters and now I know why - already I can see a huge improvement in the pace of the novel after changing it and I'll enjoy editing the remainder of it in light of my own further experience (she hopes). Then I'll start submitting it again, while I work on the new novel. Are you still with me!

Hopefully, I can keep all this up over the rest of the month! Meanwhile, if anyone needs an incentive to get a novel finished, you might be interested in the call for submissions from Carina Press. Good luck to all fellow NaNo writers!

Rsoemary

13 comments:

Joanna said...

Fantastic news of your progress, Rosemary, and it's great that starting NaNo has released a new surge of creative energy. I find that writing my novel in the afternoons after short stories all morning is working well too and, the more I write, the more creative I feel. I's fun to work on two completely different types of writing within the same day too. And I procrastinate less, because I know I've got a lot to fit in now.

Carolb said...

Pleased to hear it is all going well Rosemary, keep up the good work.

joanne fox said...

It's amazing how much more we can achieve with an extra bit of discipline. I found the best thing about Nanowrimo was not the actual part-novel that I produced, but realising how I could use my time more effectively if I planned around the writing.

Frances Garrood said...

Good for you, Rosemary! (But I'm still glad I'm not doing it!)

Rosemary Gemmell said...

Thanks, Joanna - I'm so pleased to hear how well you're getting on too. I think it's true that the more we write the more creative we are!

Thanks, Carol!

Rosemary Gemmell said...

I think you've summed it up very nicely, Joanne!

Thanks, Frances - you stick to your guns!

Anne Gallagher said...

It's funny how much work we can get done when we're focusing on other things. Good for you and best of luck with getting it all done.

Patsy said...

Good going, Rosemary.

Joan Fleming said...

Keep going, Rosemary. The creative juices are flowing.

Rosemary Gemmell said...

Thanks, Anne - at least the word count is still rising!

Thanks, Patsy - this is all good encouragement!

Thank you, Joan - hope yours is going well too!

Paula Martin said...

Greak work, Rosemary! I've ben so busy with NaNo I've not even looked at my other work since before last weekend. My main benefit from NaNo is turning off the inner editor while I write the fist draft, which i didn't think I'd be able to do.
Good luck for the rest of November!

Jane Richardson said...

Well done you! Interesting how one area of creativity leads to another! Keep going. :)

Jane x

Rosemary Gemmell said...

Hi Paula - I'm not sure I'll be able to keep going so well! All the best with your NaNo book.

Thanks, Jane - I'm trying!