progress report, ch. 6 begs to be written

progress report for the week of 11/2:

I think I’ll move my progress reports from Friday to Monday, since I do a lot of my writing on the weekends. And I’ll keep them separate from any other random posts I do. Gotta have some structure up in here!

I’m giving myself an B+ for last week, because it was pretty okay! I could have walked more… but you know, I didn’t.

novel:

One week into NaNoWriMo, and I’ve only done 2200 of my projected 20,000 words. I don’t feel badly about it though, because the words I’ve been getting are good ones! My novel in total is sitting at almost 10,000 words, with most of the whole first section (ch. 1-7) sketched out and/or written. I’m well on track to finish part one this month, and should likely get some work done on part two as well!

I sent the boys out to see a movie this weekend, and I took some solid writing time to focus on my novel. I used to spend Sunday afternoons with my writers group back in Michigan. But since we moved, I haven’t done anything with my Sunday afternoons, so it was great to reclaim that time for myself. Sunday afternoons = MINE!

So in my writing time, I sat down to get some solid work done on chapters 4 or 5, hoping for some framework to fill out during the week. And BOOM, hello, chapter 6 pours out of my fingers instead! Four pages, and over a thousand words, and a good sketchy rough draft of it! Okay, well we’ll take it!

Welcome to the world chapter 6! You’re thoughtful and endearing and a little bit funny, and I thank you for existing 🙂

validation:

I went browsing through some old, old drafts of my first couple novel attempts. Oh my poor, poor writers group who had to read that nonsense! (Nonsense isn’t nice, I know – it did have spirit. But it was a mess, and it was going nowhere important.)

I feel a thousand times grateful I scrapped that novel and moved onto this one. Some of the characters have the same names, but they’re not even the same people. They have a story now, where things happen, where they make choices and life has consequences. This novel is a thousand times better. A thousand times more important.

I think I’ve just “found my voice,” as they say. I used to think that was bullshit, but it’s not. I didn’t have it then, but I have it now. And I’ve found something to say. (Whose quote is that? I read that somewhere recently – somebody clever said it, “Don’t just find your voice, but find something to say.”)

But anyway, I’ve found my story, and I can’t wait to share it, I love it so much! When I wrote The Short Story That Killed My Novel, I was so afraid to start all over again, and mad almost, because of all the work I’d put into my first attempts. But now I’m just grateful.

playing this week:

“Disarm” by the Smashing Pumpkins, inspired by my chapter 3 and a great love for some Pumpkins! Such a great song! And quite easy to play, or at least easier than the last time I tried 🙂

not a photographer:

I’m still endlessly amused that there’s a ravine outside my apartment 🙂

quickie fall photoshoot

It’s especially neat now that all the leaves have fallen, and you can see straight down to the bottom. (Click on the picture for more, seven pics in total.)

and finally, to do this week:

Chapters 4 or 5, plump up and polish the existing chapters. Other stuff I’ve been putting off for a really long time… More walking than I did this week (blah!).