Letting it happen...

Today, as I was writing my 1666 words  something strange happened. I was finishing off a chapter, following my plan when, suddenly, my story decided something different was going to happen. Before I knew it I had typed another hundred words, and a character who was supposed to be in her bedroom had disappeared, without letting anyone know where she had gone.

This unexpected detour is not my first in the last two weeks. It's one of the most exciting things about writing a first draft, at whatever speed you decide to write it. Sometimes, your characters know better about what should happen next than you do.

Now I'm sounding like one of those kooky writers who tell you that the characters take over, and the voices in their heads, and that the words appear from nowhere, while they aren't looking. This all sounds kind of psycho but the truth is, there's some truth in all of these things. The characters don't *actually* take over, of course, it's your idea of them that does. As you write, and put them in a variety of situations, you imagine them more clearly. In that kooky talk - you *know* them better. 

Where the writing comes from, well, that's a whole other blogpost, for another day. 

Today's Nanowrimo wordcount = 33522 (about a day ahead of schedule, for what it's worth.)

November and novels

I'm almost halfway through National Novel Writing month now and managing to stay ahead of the word targets. I must admit that seeing the bars on my graph grow each day, and remain higher than the 'par' line, is a very satisfying process. Perhaps it's the mathematician in me. I've always been a planner as a novelist, and I've often used spreadsheets and diagrams to help track my progress.

I noticed this year that there were quite a  few acerbic comments from established writers, and others in the literary community, about Nanowrimo. They gave me a moment of doubt. As a published author, several books into my career, was this the right way for me to be writing my next novel? Certainly, it would seem that there were areas of Twitter that didn't think so.

But then I remembered. I wasn't actually writing a novel in a month. I've been planning this book for months and am already at the chapter by chapter stage. And it's not as if I'm going to read through what I've written on November 30th and package it off to my agent on 1st December for submission. I don't actually expect to finish my book by the end of the month, merely write 50,000 words of the first draft, which is little more than a starting point. I've written faster. Everyone's writing process is different. I plan a lot, draft fast, edit rigorously. Others may edit as they go, or labour over each word. 250 words a day, one writer suggests. I'd be so frustrated working at that pace that I think I'd give up. I'm sure many do. Personally, I'm entirely unconvinced that either method is better.

I'm sure that there are writers doing Nanowrimo who do believe that their book will be finished and ready for submission by the beginning of December. But I'd suggest that these people would send out their work before it was ready with or without Nano. I'm sure also that there are many, many terrible November novels received in December by agents and publishers. But there are also examples of lovely, well written books that have come out of the Nano camp. Like this one. And this. There is no argument I could make in defence of Nanowrimo that would make the point better than these two authors already have.