Still Day 26, still behind -- but a lot less than I was

[lizvogel]

To be fair, my earlier remark should have been that I'd rather go shovel than spend the morning writing. The book itself still interests me; it's not coming out quite the way I'd intended, but I don't think it's without merit. I just wish I could let it sit and percolate for a few days. It'd probably be better for the book; it'd definitely be better for me.


Getting something done seemed to make for a more effective break than reading or screwing around on the internet. So I wrote 500+ words, then cleaned all my boots and shoveled the little deck, wrote another 500+ words, then shoveled bits of the driveway that needed it (the predicted snowpocalypse turned into a lot of wet slushy stuff already on its way to melting), wrote 800+ words (!), then dealt with some laundry and took a shower, and I just sat down and did another 500+ words. My breaks were inevitably longer than I'd intended, but that happens when I'm not getting anything accomplished, too.

I may try to have another push before bed tonight, but even if I don't, I'm about half as far behind as I was this morning. And I like a lot of what I wrote today, too. Still behind, but it's getting there.

Comments

[duskpeterson]

"I just wish I could let it sit and percolate for a few days. It'd probably be better for the book; it'd definitely be better for me."

Then do! Don't let rules get in the way of what's best for the book.

I've learned a related message this NaNo: that I need to have the scenes percolating in my head for a while before I set them down. Some of mine were (I started this novel in 1996, for heaven's sakes ), but some weren't, and I think they really *should* have been before I wrote them down. Lesson learned: I'll percolate before the next exercise like this.

[lizvogel]

Then do! Don't let rules get in the way of what's best for the book.

That is very sound advice.

Unfortunately, taking the time to percolate would mean giving up on NaNo. And I am not going to lose at NaNo, not if I have anything to say about it.

I am, however, letting myself skip around a bit more than I otherwise would. I'm going to hate myself for that when NaNo's done and the time comes to go back and fill in all the skipped bits, but for right now, if I can jump ahead a few paragraphs and get to another stretch that's fully brewed, as 'twere, I'll do it.

Jenny Crusie had a post on this topic recently. She's a fan of percolating, too.