Wednesday, January 22, 2014

The Disciplined Writer

After last Monday’s post about being rusty when it comes to writing regularly, I’m proud to announce I finally chose which project I want to continue with and finish before summer, and I added a total of ten pages to it in the last week and a half. Strangely enough, it was the project I’d written the least on over the last year that held my attention.

I haven’t worked on it every day, like I’d hoped, but progress is being made and I have a pretty clear idea of where I’m going and what needs to be done so I’m feeling optimistic. And when I need a reminder of what my goals are- I have SA Larsen’s Writing Rebel’sCreed 2014 in my side bar to help me stay motivated:



It’s slow going, and I know I’m capable of writing a lot (a lot) faster than this when in the throws of a wip, but I’ll take what I can get.

How fast do you usually write your rough drafts? And what elements affect your pacing when you’re starting a new project?

13 comments:

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

My last two were written at NaNo pace, but this one is going much slower. Might have to step back up to NaNa pace again if I want to finish before the Challenge begins.

Laura Pauling said...

That's great you found a story you wanted to work on!
And, it usually takes me 2 months to finish a wip but it also depends on how much of the story I have plotted out and what kind of trouble I have writing it!

Natalie Aguirre said...

Great that you picked a project. I am a very slow first drafter and I just don't have that much time to write right now with everything else going on. Sigh.

S.A. Larsenッ said...

It's awesome you've found a path that you feel comfortable with again. It feels so good when we figure out the map for a story. Remember: do what you can and the rest will take care of itself. I'm sure you'll succeed!

And HUGS for adding my creed into this. I truly hope it's helpful!

Dianne K. Salerni said...

Now I'm curious to know which project you picked to work on! You'll have to email me and let me know!

You already know I wrote Inquisitor's Mark in 6 weeks, but it's been 6 months for the third book in the series. So, it really depends on a lot of different factors.

When you *really* get into the story, I bet you'll pick up the pace!

Slamdunk said...

Congrats on the 10.

Though my writing is work related stuff, the research required definitely can bog me down. Having to find how fast certain passenger trains moved in the 19th century, what the weather was like in a certain month, how land use has changed, etc., can suck the life out of any sense of accomplishment.

Keep up the good work.

Karen Jones Gowen said...

That lack of discipline in my writing has always been a plague to me. I keep hoping to improve, maybe this year LOL.

erica and christy said...

My current first draft took me 2-3 months. I felt differently about it than any that came before it, and I wrote it differently too. I started with a scene in the middle and then wrote backward and forward, then wrote the beginning, later the end and then filled in scenes. In fact, I'm still adding in a few scenes here and there. The revisions are taking me FOREVER. gah. Christy

Neurotic Workaholic said...

It takes me a long time to get through the rough draft, partly because I'm only able to write a few times a week when the rest of my workload lightens up a bit. But this year I resolved to make more time for writing, because like you said, it's important to be disciplined when it comes to the writing process.

A Literary Anthology said...

Congrats on choosing your project!

I used to make sure I wrote a chapter a day, whether it was 4,000 or 2,000 words... depending on which story it was.
Now I try to do the same, but work, injuries, sickness, etc. can hinder my progress.
My current project of focus is related to family history back in Oklahoma.

D.G. Hudson said...

I'm writing two new wips right now, started during November on my own, not NANO.

I'm submitting a scifi, and need to get it back out. I just joined the WEP monthly bloghop, a fun way to generate ideas and get feedback. (Denise Covey at Write Edit Publish)in case you want to check it out.

Good Luck getting back into your writing muscles!

Unknown said...

Congrats on your progress! It normally takes me 6 months to write an ms and 3-4 to revise, but I usually edit as I write. This time I really want to finish the ms in 2-3 months, so I'm just spewing the crap on the page. I wish us both good luck! :)

Mark Murata said...

Normally I proceed in a workmanlike fashion. With my current manuscript, I've vacillated back and forth between two different ways of starting. Some start their stories too early, i.e. you need to cut off the first few chapters. I seem to have started too late, with the precipitating event occurring before the start of the story. First time that's happened.

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