Drafting . . . and Drafting and Drafting and Drafting

So the naive person I was before November 1st thought, “how perfect, the next topic of 101 TIWIK is drafting, and I’m about to being doing a lot of drafting. I’ll have so much to blog about.”

To quote Mike Birbiglia, “I kno-ow. I’m in the future, also.”

So today, instead of bringing you 101 TIWIK #50what?: Drafting about Drafting, I’ll be subjecting you to an unfocused rant about drafting.

Nanowrimo. The stated goal of participants is 50,000 words in one month, which works out to about 1666.66666666666 etc words a day. (Most writers round this to 1667, but I prefer to be precise, ending my daily work mid-word where necessary).

Perhaps 50,000 words is a large chunk of a normal novel, but for yours truly, it’s only a third. So I decided, in one of my usual fits of writing mania, to give myself a different goal for November: 150,000 words (just about the size of a novel for me). The biggest advantage I’ve found to this super-sized goal is that it works out to a lovely round per day word count of 5000, much easier to manage than 1666.666666666 etc. Now, I’m also giving myself days off from writing (more on that below) so I’ll probably end up with more like 100,000 words, not quite a full novel for me but a pretty darn good chunk of one.

As of this writing, I’ve written over 35,000 words in the month of November.

Perhaps you’re beginning to see why this is an incoherent rant sort of a post rather than the writing related with potential craft outcome sort. Nonetheless, I will try to distill something of use from my mania. Here is what I’ve learned so far this month:

1. Don’t revise while you are drafting.

When you’re drafting rapidly and densely, as I and over a half a million other people around the world are doing this month, it’s hard to know exactly what you’re producing. If you’re lucky enough to have a plan, you can measure your production somewhat by its cohesion to the plan, but you really can’t step outside of the draft and see whether you’ve made beauty or bullshit yet. Don’t worry about it now, just keep writing. December 1st is soon enough. Better yet, let it sit for a month or two so you can approach it with fresh eyes.

I normally re-read sections I’ve written and revise them slightly before continuing to draft. I tried that on the third day with unfavorable results. Rereading occupied time I could have been drafting; it was hard to see the writing objectively (somehow I read it as simultaneously brilliant and crap) and the act of editing hurt my forward momentum. The drafting I’ve been doing without re-reading/revising has been going better than usual. I’m drafting so fast, I can hold the larger picture of the story in my head just fine. The details, I can always revise later.

2. Take care of your body

I’m really, really fortunate to have a treadmill desk. This has never been more useful than it is this month. Not everyone has this luxury, but I urge all writers to break up intensive drafting with some form of exercise, walking, running, texting, whatever gets your endorphins flowing. And be nice to your wrists. No matter how difficult, keep them from bending while you type. It may slow you down now to pay attention to ergonomics, but come November 30th your wrists will thank you.

3. Give yourself days off

One of the big writing adages that everyone hears is “Write Everyday.” Maybe that works for some people, but it doesn’t work for me. Do what works for you. I’m trying a schedule of three days on, one day off, and so far it’s working. I don’t lose much momentum on that one day, but I do rest my mind enough to be engaged and stimulated on the other three days. I find that I need this time for the story to form in my subconscious before I put it on the page. Otherwise, I’m wasting time trying to work the story out on the page, which always leads to heavier revision later. Again, do what works for you, but don’t think you have to write every day just because that’s what writers supposedly do.

5. Notice the signs of burn-out and stop! Before it happens

Are you tired all the time? Are you having trouble getting excited about your story? Can’t stop thinking about your story, even when you’re doing something else? Convinced that what you’re producing is worthless, more that the usual writerly angst? These could all be signs of burn-out. I’ve been particularly wary lately because I know I am pushing the edge of my ability as a writer. It’s exciting and challenging and fun, but I also know that as soon as it ceases to be, I need to on the look-out for burn-out. If you think you are burning out, don’t wait until it’s too late. Stop what you are doing and reassess. Consider revising your goal to a more realistic one, see if there’s anything else you can drop off your plate, or even just try switching around the way you write–are you fresher in the morning? Get up early. Early mornings driving you mad? Try staying up late instead. Don’t let burn-out destroy your creative spirit!

6. Write in community

Whether it’s chatting on the nanowrimo forums, writing out with buddies, or just tweeting your progress, interacting with other writers can help you feel less alone with the monumental task before you. Interacting with readers can also inspire you to keep pushing through. Nothing pushes me to write better than know where I stand in my plan for world domination.

Yesterday I wrote out with two writing buddies, one of whom also happens to be my mentor, Laurel Leigh. The first thing Laurel told me when she sat down was that the story world of my book, Dream of a Vast Blue Cavern, was seeping into her subconscious.

She said the short story she wrote called “Don’t You Come Back” for the next issue of Clover, A Literary Rag was all the way to galleys before she noticed that this image was subconsciously inspired by my story:

“She looks at the little mole on his neck, the one he shaves around every morning. When he accidentally nicks it, like two days ago, it scabs over and the short hairs around it stand out like miniature goalies urging her to tunnel through the ice inside herself, seeking the reserve of heat she knows is there. Once she was so strong, but now she feels so old.”

Muahahahahahaha. My plan for world domination is coming nicely to fruition. That’s enough inspiration to keep me drafting through November, if not straight into December. Thanks, Laurel!

Now, its back to drafting . . . and drafting  . . . and drafting . . .

When I hit 50,000, I’ll be making an exciting announcement about Book II: Dream of a City of Ruin, so stay tuned! It will happen this week unless I have a nervous breakdown!