#NanoShenanigans

[sarasa-cat]

WIP Whenever

@tishinada tagged me on for WIP sharing and at first I thought, “hm. i d e k what to share at this phase” but now I have an idea for doing this twice, once today for my original wip, and once more for my fanfic wip after I reward myself with a candy scene writing session (bc oh how I deserve that reward)

Given that I don’t know who else is in a place where they can share WIPs, if you are reading this, consider yourself tagged, and @ me back if you feel motivated to write a WIP Whenever (or WIP Wednesday post). 

---

WIP share and the problems of writing the kind of (original) fiction I am currently writing.

Right now I am not writing scenes. Oh no. Not even close to that place. I might start writing scenes in a few weeks but at this moment I am trying to figure out how to STRUCTURE a STORY that has a beginning, middle, and end for the main plot and for a few subplots -- still figuring out the number of subplots.

I wish I wrote original fiction that follows a genre-based structure. 

I don’t.

I am using help from genre-based structure “how to” guides -- the main guide I am using is written by someone who apparently writes romance fiction.

I do not write romance fiction. But I guess you could say that my characters are having BAD romances with society, with their careers, and with the R1univesity-military-industrial complex’s relationship to blind capitalism.

Oh, you read that last sentence and had a suggestion for me? Well, no I don’t write thrillers either, so no, I cannot take a thriller-genre structure either.  I mean, my writing seems to be positioned much further from thrillers than a Le Carre novel would be positioned, and Le Carre is truly all about the inner workings of his characters despite his plotting. (but, yes, Le Carre is included in my classic comparables list because the similarities are sort of there, sort of, when looking at his post-soviet fiction)

Right now I have a shit load of tabs open and a growing pile of NONFICTION books I need to read.  I will need to do about 80% as much reading and synthesizing of thought for this novel WIP as one would need to do for a humanities PhD. 

I wish I was capable of writing genre fiction novels because I’d be able to get them done quicker and potentially make some money off of them.

I don’t.

But I would like to get this first outline/treatment/high-level-description-draft done in 4-6 weeks. I’m being reasonable here. I don’t think Nov is enough time but hitting 70-80% done on this first past would be GREAT.

And then, due to the research required plus all of the work of writing a novel that is a really good story -- well, a really good series of character studies -- ya know, it will take me a couple of years (or a few year...) to actually write this damn novel and work with people who can help get it into a publishable state and then published. 

Sooooooooo!!!

As for tabs I opened over the past hour while writing up a character overview sheet for an important supporting character -- which is what I am working on today -- well, it is all a bunch of stuff on video game studios that I am certain none of you have ever heard of much less ever thought about.

If I do another writing session today, it will be filling out yet another supporting charcter’s character sheet and to get some of her deet nailed down, I need to dive into an epic pile of stuff I have on how corporations directly and indirectly influence academic research. (like no shit sherlock, but I actually need to get a few updates on some of the statistics).

[sasstastikarts]

Nice 👌

[suedeuxnim]

NaNoWriMo Day 3

I hate homework I am so behind today; refuse to spend tomorrow's half a day writing; MUST GET SOMETHING DONE TODAY.

[sarasa-cat]

Nano shenananananananigans

Sometimes the best one can do is be really distracted but still manage to get 606 Really Rock Solid words of structural/plot-ordering problem solving down on the page.

Author’s Note: “Really Rock Solid words” sometimes includes:

Warning bells vs yes this vs so confused vs dkfjsdklfjsakfdaklfa. Fucked. 

Is2g this makes conveys volumes of concrete ideas for a key scene despite how cryptic that mess of words might appear.  

Might try one last mini-sprint before calling this a Good Enough attempt for Day 2 and closing the laptop until tomorrow.

[sarasa-cat]

Nano shenanigans - day 2

The reason why I did not select my BIG WANNA DO IT SF/F project for this month is for a very good reason:

Right now I am deeply confused what I want to say in a story about a world that I create/imagine -- a world that is not ours.

So, back to borrowed worlds that look a lot like our world but with different geography+magic (my fanfic project) or stories set in this world (orig project).

...looks at clock... 

yeah, gotta write right now. 

write those words

write those words

do it

write. those. words.

IN THE CORRECT SCRIVENER FILE FFS. lol.

[sarasa-cat]

Liveblogging of my NanoShenanigans are now beginning. 

Here are my goals:

1.  Reestablish my prior fiction writing habit by writing fiction, with purpose, 5-7 days per week this November.

2.  Write 2 (two!!) cohesive draft manuscripts for two of my Most Ready projects: one is a fanfic novel, the other is an original fiction novel (more later on the projects). 

3.  Focus 90+% of my writing on only these two projects for exactly one month such that I understand the beginning, middle, and end of both of these stories, which characters change and how, and what the plot actually looks like. (Note: of theme, characters, setting, style/voice, and plot, plot is my weakest and in many ways the least interesting to me when reading/viewing other people’s works).

These are not my goals:

Non-goal A:  “Winning nano” by writing 50,000 words. Goals #2 and #3 are my yard stick. Do I understand the shape of my initial draft manuscripts? That’s more important to me than tracking words. Especially given how I will be doing this (which I will describe below).

Non-goal B:  Focusing solely on writing scenes.  I’ll be doing a lot more than writing scenes although candy scenes will definitely receive writing time.

Non-goal C:  Following any of the official nano rules. Nope. Not useful. Zero interest. Not even certain I will log into either of my two nanowrimo accounts. TBD -- depends on how much free time I do/do not have.

How I am doing this:

I am using a combination of:

- Karen Wiesner’s “First Draft in 30 Days” templating system which I already have as a scrivener template, although I am not exactly following her order or timescale of doing things.

- A scaled down version of the Snowflake Method for outlining a story overlaid on Wiesner’s method.

- These 30-day prompts which take you through the main plot points of a novel in 30 days.

The 30-day prompts will generally drive my drafting from day to day, loosely, I think. But I will also be doing a snowflake + Wiesner on a near daily basis.

What am I writing:

1.  An original novel that has been in the back of my head since May of 2019. Have written next to nothing for it but ideas exist. In order to grease the wheels, I am writing this first draft as AU fanfic such that I can borrow character templates from someone else in order to abstract the idea I have from various aspects of reality. Trust me. This is the way to go.

2. A fanfic novel that I have been on-and-off obsessing over since Feb 2017 and have a shit ton of draft and nonsense and research and outline but ZERO COHERENCE. Thus the focus on creating a cohesive draft manuscript.

What I plan to do on December 1 if all goes well:

Project 1 - Put the original novel outliney-draft manuscript in a (virtual, electronic) drawer for a month or two while perhaps doing some of the hard research that will be necessary to fill in the deets. Wiesner’s method promises to give you a research list when you come out the other end of her 30 day method.  ...Meanwhile, I will start using a modified-through-experience version of this method to plan out an additional original novel in a month while the November novel marinates. ;)

Project 2 - Take the outliney-draft manuscript for the fanfic project and start plugging in OLD draft and OLD research and turn it into something that can be easily revised and edited and turned into a chapter-by-chapter plan for revision and releasing on AO3 in 2022. :D

[sarasa-cat]

Writing workflow

Huh.

Have been having a nagging realization all day.

Scrivener will give me TWO windows max to work with at one time.

Obsidian will give me as many damn windows as I can make fit in my largest monitor. 

What I am doing right now in scrivener requires me to have MANY windows open at once. No wonder why this has been so cognitively taxing.

Which ... makes me wonder if I should quickly import some of this stuff into Obsidian... hm

(1)  It is only a couple (or a few) hours of work at most to move & organize the planning documents for TWO novels into Obsidian

(2)  After I make that time investment, I will be able to worker faster/smarter

(3)  I’m sure that I’ll figure out any easy path to move the eventual chapter and scene structure files back into Scrivener

(4) BONUS: once I have all of the notes and stuff in Obsidian, that frees up my Scrivener windows to only show the draft text I am writing/editing and all of my notes can be visible in Obsidian on a second screen.

Okay, the bonus convinced me. 

Time to stop writing

Time to start moving.

[sarasa-cat]

NanoShenanigans - Nov 1 cont

While working on these initial draft synopses, feeling very REMINDED that my both of my Nov21 WIPs -- this original novel and the fanfic novel (Monsters) have certain commonalities. A few shared themes and a few shared settings. 

But, they also have a lot of differences. And now I am working on those differences.

Looking at the two in progress synopses is helping me think about what goes where. Is Monsters going to be the salty and spicy dish and the original novel full of herbs? Or will the original novel be spicy while Monsters is salty and savory? 

I just don’t know. 

That’s what this November is for. Figure this shit out.

[sarasa-cat]

Nano Shenanigans - Nov 11th

STILL SLOGGING SLOWLY on the plot, subplot and character worksheets for the Orig Fic Novel.

Realizing the following;

1.  I’m doing okay with Karen Wiesner’s worksheets because she (her method) is totally open to me substituting the word “THEME” for “plot.”  Honestly, I think only one “subplot” my wip is actually A PLOT with a plot-like structure. Perhaps the main “plot” might shape itself into something a bit more plot-like but, theme? Oh yes, the rest of my subplots are more themes that play out in various ways. 

2.  I have AMPLE ideas via these worksheets for a novel. I still need to copy some hand written notes from ... idk ... maybe summer of 2020? Gotta find them. Also need to move some more ideas from Scrivener into Obsidian for this planning phase. But the ideas at a basic level feels AMPLE. More than ample. Potentially a little too much.

3.  OH SHIT. I have so much actual hard research that I need to do to write this. *facepalm*.  Like, it’s okay. This is a novel I want to read. But, the research is like, idk, a lot. It is research that interests me. But it is a tiny bit nervous-making.

4.  About that research... Really torn between how much I need to get “right” versus where I can hum a few bars and let people with hard core expertise fill in the blanks. I mean... ugh.. how to explain the mess I am getting myself in. I am very practiced at academic research and academic writing. So, this is kind of like academic research coupled with fiction writing. I don’t have to be any better (with the facts) than I would in an aca paper and aca papers are always full of holes -- so many holes. Regarding this wip, my job is to tell a COMPELLING STORY with COMPELLING CHARACTERS while also giving the reader cool things (facts, knitted together) to chew on. And that is DOABLE but, still, some of the research is daunting. 

5.  Really seeing the benefit in just creating a treatment for the novel -- nothing more than a chapter by chapter roadmap PLUS a bunch of character worksheets and plot(or theme) overview sheets AND (the big and) a giant list of reading and research that I need to omnomnom.  The truth is: this fucker is gonna take a lot of work to write. if I have a treatment, that gives me a plan I can follow and it helps limit the research to what is needed rather than swoooooshing down the rabbit hole for way too long.

6.  This fucker of a wip is gonna take a long time to write. 

7.  My current goal (very similar to my original goal on Nov 1) is to finish 70-80% this treatment by the Nov 30. And then push it a little more in Dec. And then PUT THAT THING IN A QUIET PLACE ON MY CLOUD DRIVE AND LET IT REST FOR A MONTH OR TWO.  During that time I can start some of the reading and research but mostly I will work on other projects. I can tell already this wip needs to bake for a while. Also, it is too all consuming and I want to work on other things too.

[sarasa-cat]

Nano Shenanigans - Nov 10

I am moving like a snail. 

The good news:  I really am making serious effort 5+ days per week at moving my WIPs forward.

The bad news:  My ideas are really fucking complex. It requires a lot of time to move these massive beasts forward. Gotta learn how to brain my brain into also writing genre fiction bc literary fiction is very slow for all of the obvious reasons. I wish my brain could brain something else. But this is my brain. Using it for what it does do right now, rather than what it doesn’t do.

The wacky news:  I actually googled “what does it mean to romanticize something” because, is2g, I actually have no idea. I mean, I certainly see people’s brains become enthralled by ridiculously idealistic ideals that just make me facepalm. Bc reality. People. Reality. Can you not fucking see it????? But then I wonder, has there been anything I have romanticized or have I always been the crotchety 88 year old since birth? (people i know or have known all say this is the way I have been since a toddler.)

[sarasa-cat]

NanoShenanigans and Vincent Valentine’s flavor of personal dumbassery

Well... have decided to not attend a lengthy zoom-based thinger that will start soon. I can watch a recording of it later. I don’t feel like chipping in my 2 cents on anything that will be discussed (no matter how relevant).

Need to finish my coffee and take a shower and then do a little writing because writing wants to be done.

Realizing that:

1.  I need to find some of the old fandom meme asks I received a while back that I never finished. Some may be very relevant to my un-nano NanoShenanigans going on this month.

2.  I am surprised how easily my brain slipped back into writing mode after all the time I have taken off. Yay me!

3.  To contemplate today:  Which flavor of epic dumbassery might be canon compliant and interesting to write for Vincent Valentine during the months just before Dirge of Cerberus begins?

#3 is an open question. feel free to respond with thoughts if any of you have any. (note: I’ll be away from my computer for 45 minutes or so)

[sarasa-cat]

Nov 1 NanoShenanigans

First writing session today was spent finding older Scrivener binders that I need to refer to this November.

Second writing session today was copypastaing this

Opening set up – The MC is introduced in the “normal world”.

Initial challenge  – The problem the MC needs to solve.

Reaction or new scenario – A new scenario occurs for the MC as a direct result of the choice the MC makes regarding that opportunity

Mini Crisis – An event occurs that changes everything and a new goal is made

Edge of Adventure – The MC works towards his new goal

Point of no return – The MC fully commits to achieving the goal – to his journey

Complications – The MC is tested and the stakes are raised as new complications arise

Despair – The MC in despair as he hits a major set back in his plans

Transformation  – The MC pulls himself together to face the final obstacles to his goal

Climax – The MC faces the final obstacle standing between him and his goal

Resolution – The outcome of the final confrontation.

(from here) 

into my Scrivener binders and committing time to start writing initial synopses for my two November WIPS.

I wrote 1 to 4 sentences per bullet point for my orig novel and had an EXCELLENT REALIZATION:  I need to think a lot more about the plot this month -- especially for everything in Complications, Despair, Transformation, and Climax. Transformation is just EMPTY right now.

The problem I have with this nebulous thought for a novel -- the one that arrived in my brain in may 2019 -- is that it has a FLESHED OUT beginning and a very CLEAR resolution ... and nothing else in the middle. Ahahahaah. That’s what I need to figure out this month! Good thing I have a plan.

For my third writing session I will attempt to do the same for Monsters (the fanfic wip) from memory rather than copying things from prior synopses/outlines.

[sarasa-cat]

Nano Shenanigans - Nov 09

PLOT TWIST!

Hardly wrote anything even vaguely coherent but what I did write was a massive plot twist for my orig fic novel.

Yesterday, I realized I needed a subplot that focused on ThemeA2 -- a mid-level theme that is part of the main plot.

Today I had an idea for a subplot (that focuses on ThemeA2) and that subplot just kept getting bigger! So much bigger!  It is almost like an entire novel all on its own. Actually, it could be.

So now I am wondering if I have TOO MANY THINGS in this novel or if that is okay.

I dunno. 

Not worried.

I plan to keep on working this process and once I have something in the shape of a very detailed outline for a manuscript, I will *then* decide if there is too much and it needs to be broken into separate novels.

Also just feeling very low energy today.  I am trapped in Hell (City of Gaslights) for the second winter in a row and this realization is really starting to set in. Need to purchase some vitamin D asap.

Depending on how things go *gestures broadly at a spinning globe* in a few months I may finally (re)purchase tickets that stick me in a metal packing tube and shoot me over the pole or across the drink.

[sarasa-cat]

NanoShenanigans Nov 8th

While I did some work on my WIPs sometime over the weekend, it wasn’t much. I think saturday only. And that’s fine. As I said before, not working on word count. Just steady progress 5 or more days per week.

Feeling very good about my decision to move novel planning over to Obsidian. Hyperlinks for forming a web-of-knowledge about my novel in progress, meta-data galore, files that can be SQL(ish)queried (via obsidian pluggins) and used to generate tables of useful information about characters and plot and themes -- all good. 

Currently hacking away at (theme-driven) plot and subplot today, but I’ll need to get back to character sheets soon too. 

Only working on the original novel today. 

This week ended up a little bit heavily scheduled with meetings (adult life just keeps being what it is), but tomorrow (tuesday) is looking like a good day to reward myself by writing a candy scene for my main fanfic wip.

All that said, feeling just a little bit out of it right now because I ingested WAY TOO MUCH caffeine for me. That cold brew take away I got was way too potent for me. The more you know.  Plus I already had a little bit of caffeine in my system from other things. Ugh. Feeling that feeling of regret. 

[sarasa-cat]

Nanoshenanigans Day 2 (belated)

I sat in front of my computer for far more hours than planned today.

I wrote a lot 

ON THE WRONG THING ENTIRELY.

*headdesk*

Welp. Time to make tea, wrap myself in a blanket and get back to writing what I am supposed to be writing.

I swear I have a deep thought or two rattling like a ghost in a cobweb filled hallway inside my brain.  Will get back to you all once I track down that ghost.

Time to make tea.

[sasstastikarts]

Oh shoot! I caught up on NaNoWriMo!!