Dear Plot (ROW80 Update)

I hope everyone is having a nice week? The above sketch is of a super hero researching and solving a problem.  I'm hoping to somehow get my heroine to this stage.  How remains unclear...

Let's get right to ROW80 ("A Round of Words in 80 Days") goal updates:

WRITING-SPECIFIC GOALS:

1. Blog Sketches: Still fun, still giving me a quick, physically-creative outlet, although the pace has slowed. 15 doodles and counting.

2. Blog Drafts (pre-writing 10+ blog posts for November & December): I’m still keeping up, although still only one or two posts ahead.  I've revised my mental goals to incorporate two ROW80/NaNoWriMo update posts and one crafts-based post per week.

3. Vlog Idea: Nothing new here. Been more focused on blogging and writing.

4. Creative Writing. Things proceed apace! I always tend to start a story, and then trail off with no idea of how to finish it. But this “novella” idea has really caught my fancy, and it’s been really neat to watch it grow. I’m very attached to the characters and the writing style, although I’m trying not to obsess or edit too much. 

I’ve figured out that in Scrivener, one 5-line paragraph is approximately 100 words (and 6 sentences). So whenever I sit down to this project, I’ve been asking myself to “just write one 100-word paragraph (but hopefully, two).” It feels less scary that way. And just like the “one push up” rule that I really like:

If you do just one of something (X), you’re

A) Accomplishing more than zero (Yay!); and

B) Drastically increasing the likelihood that you’ll do more than one, since it’s easier to continue if you’ve already started doing X (Double-Yay!).

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ONGOING SOCIAL MEDIA/PERSONAL GOALS:

5. (Tweet more Original Content &) Reply to more ROW80 posts/comments.  Same. I really appreciate everyone else’s input, so I feel I ought to participate in the reply/interaction phase.

6. Keep Up with Minimum Exercise Goals: My minimum personal goal of 3/3/3 (3 sets each of counter push-offs, planks, and jumping jacks, for 3 days in a row) is still being imperfectly met. I’m doing a little stretching, but I know I need to do more, for mental/physical/psychological well-being, general longevity and the knots in my shoulders. I’m still hoping my writing discipline will carry over into exercise discipline a bit more.
 

I have only met (and surpassed) the daily minimum once so far. But I think my word counts have been steadily rising (although Monday's writing was very uninspired and short). It feels like I’m constantly 3,500-4,500 words below the marker, though. Some advice I’ve read about keeping up with NaNoWriMo goals:
 

1) Use one of the online writing sites that give you rewards or penalties, and write until you reach their minimum of 750, or 1,667, etc.
 

2) White out your font, so that you can’t obsess over how many words you see. I’m not sure if this strategy would work for me, since I like to refer to the chapter I am working on, but I could see how it would turn off your inner editor, and force a more stream-of-consciousness type of writing.
 

3) I saw this strategy in the NaNoWriMo forum on Reddit in a post by user General_Discord, and I really like it: Turn your novel into 30 short stories (in reality, or just in your mind). Instead of writing a 50k novel, your challenge becomes writing a 1,667 word story every day during the month. Then it’s more like Blogtober, etc. It’s up to you whether you want these stories to feature the same people, or even the same world. I think part of why this strategy appeals to me is that I’ve already been writing very short chapters--each of my “chapters” is a single scene, or a short interval. I switch to a different character’s point of view every 250-1,500 words (whenever I finish the idea or scene in my head). My single character description became three character descriptions, then three character arcs set in two locations, each with their own casts of supporting characters and spacial layouts, using this method.
 

4) I also typed up  short-hand lists of the characters, locations, and rooms in my Great Hall, because I was starting to get confused. They are not set in stone, but it’s helping me remember who does what, and who’s related to whom (I know a couple people are other character’s “nieces” or “nephews,” even though I haven’t yet figured out how! Also, one of my Elders seems to be the sibling of another character, who doesn’t seem as old in my mind, so I may need some revision down the road). I’m including these notes (columns of names and short phrases) in my word count, since I think it will help me to keep my family trees, etc., in the same document as my writing. I tend to scribble on scraps of paper, and these scraps all get mixed together and shuffled off into corners.

"DEAR PLOT," & THE CHARACTER GRAVEYARD

For some added entertainment or energy, check out this NaNoWriMo forum thread, “Dear Plot.” It is a thread of letters from various writers to their missing (or mutating, or progressively darkening) plots:

Short and sweet:

Dear plot,

10K in and you've failed me. Where on earth are you? I miss you and need you. 

Please come back. 

Love, Phillip R 

(x-minimalist-x)

A much chattier letter, that invites the plot to really sit down and think about what it's doing: 

Dear Plot,

I think we both know where this is headed. I'm cool with that and all, and thank you SO much for letting me get that outline finished, but I'm a little worried that you aren't concerned about whether I come off as a total creep. You don't get to be a horror story this time around. I thought we talked about that. Is something going on? Can I help? Do you want to talk maybe? I'm here listening if you need me.

Please let me write about you without freaking out and hiding in the corner every 300 words. I am not judging you, I promise. We're done with that. Can you maybe tell me about your beginning in a little more detail? Or the characters I haven't fleshed out yet? I need to write about them too. C'mon. I'm way behind on my wordcount.

I don't mean to be pushy here, but keep in mind that I'm your god. You really wanna go there?

Concerned,

Your Only Chance at Existing

(Mirimë)

For a slightly odder experience, the “Character Graveyard” thread contains short eulogies for characters who have been killed off…and some of the eulogies are preemptive.

One of my favorites:

RIP in advance to Allison Morphy. 

I'm sorry Travers will shoot you dead.

He's not, though. 

Also, all the rats. No offense, guys, but you were in the wrong place at the wrong time.

(Shardarch)

This person experienced less remorse, but still wanted to commemorate the fallen:

R.I.P in advance to the about 100 people that died to the main subject of my novel. Will not be missed, I don't even know your names.

(Ivanan)

So, what would I write to my own plot right now?:

Dear Plot,

I hope you are well.  You seem a bit all over the place, although the different character arcs might actually be happening in the same world now, so that's great!

What I would really like to know, in proceeding, is whether this spreading plague is of magical or natural origin?  Because that will really effect how H needs to research it and ultimately defeat it. 

I know I could write a little for each possible scenario, to test things out, but I really feel you've been logically progressing in all arcs so far, and I would prefer to pick one type of world and stick with it.  But both do seem attractive.  How are you feeling about this?

Let me know, soon, please!

Thanks, again, and talk to you soon,

Jackie

Good luck with your own writing!