On your mark...

So the big day is tomorrow (NaNoWriMo begins) and what it seems is going to happen is this: I will end up writing books three and four simultaneously. Although I was on a roll with PN, I slowed things down when I stopped paying attention to it so I'm not being bombarded by words anymore. Perhaps that will change once I start working on it again, I don't know, but what I do know is this: ES is still nudging me, i.e., I'm still getting material for it.
I think what I'm about to do might be against the official rules, as I believe we are to work on a single work over the month of November, but I don't mind changing things up a bit; in fact, this adds to the challenge for me because I have to be open to so many different voices while keeping the main voice of each book separate. They're both in first person too (although one is first person, multiple POV and the other is first person, single POV). This is the first time I'm writing a book in first person, as my first two were third person, multiple POV (although I've considered changing the very first one to first person).

Oh, I read some of my first novel last night and I realized that it's really not as bad as I thought it was- at least, not the parts I read (chapters mid-fifteen to thirty). I also realized that I need to cut at least two of the early chapters- maybe three- because there's an unnecessary melodramatic event that occurs and I believe it is the major reason I felt the whole thing sucked. In addition, I need to adjust a major aspect of the story (one of the crimes that took place). Basically, in re-reading some of the story, I realized that it's not hopeless- I can work with it and no longer dread doing so. However, one aspect of it does tremendously resemble PN (book four) but I think I can make a conscious effort to differentiate them further. In any case, I don't think it will matter in the end because what happens around the familiar aspect is so different, the stories maintain distinct identities. Wow, I'm excited about the first one all over again.

The funny thing is, with books one and two, the main problem is that they have incomplete final chapters- I have trouble ending them. I wonder what will happen with the next two?

PN

The title of this blog is the initials of the title of the book I'm currently writing. In the last entry, I mentioned working on an idea that recently popped into my head that had come to me a while ago but had disappeared from my memory for a bit in order to see how much potential it had in comparison to the book I thought I would write in November (let's just call that one ES). As I mentioned, ES has some dialogue and narrative written, some notes, things to include, some basics etc., all written down in its own little composition book; it was in the lead. Until about two days ago. In the days since I mentioned I would start brainstorming and plotting for PN, I have been working and working on it, and not just plotting it- actually writing it. Just yesterday on my way home from my job, as I was in traffic on a highway, the husband character in the story kept talking and talking, and I was very excited about what came to mind, yet severely disappointed because a rare magical flow was happening while I was driving. Those are the times I wish I had a tape recorder that I can talk into because that was one of those moments- you know, where it seems the stars align and a porthole opens up just for you to bestow upon you gifts. Like one time I was on a bus and a fantastic (yes, if I do say so myself) monologue came to mind, a one-act play, and it just flowed to a brilliant end. I tried to recreate it when I had access to paper and writing utensils when I got home, but although I managed to get the gist of it, it did not come back to me in the natural, effortless, beautiful way it did before. It's kind of like eating a juicy steak- in your mouth, it is great. But then it goes through the alimentary canal and then travels through the digestive system, and although it's still travelling through the same person, it just does not end up the same as when you first tasted that juicy meat. Yeah, maybe that wasn't the best analogy. Anyway, still, the husband had a lot to say the following day as well. He might even still try to grab my attention today- I don't know; I won't know until I pick up the book I started to write it in. Actually that's not true because at any time- driving, showering, eating- words could come to me. It's just amazing to me how this book has grabbed on to me and is currently refusing to let go. It is definitely currently in the lead.

Progress

I've been thinking about the story idea that popped up recently (the one competing with the story I was almost certain I would write this November) and today at work, while we were on a long break, I managed to write a couple of pages of the story. More than that, what began as a rather empty storyline with me wondering where on earth I could take it to beef it up and make it interesting, ended up rather convoluted and a bit twisted. As usual, ideas 'came out of nowhere' once the ball started rolling. I don't even know why I ever fear beginning a story when I don't have a solid idea as to where it's going or many ideas at all about it because my experience has consistently been that once I start, the rest follows. The story and the characters end up surprising me, and I find myself marveling at how quickly nothing turns into something. And boy did this one turn out to be something.
However, I always get excited about my ideas and stories initially and think they're great and manage to maintain that excitement throughout writing it and straight to the near-end, but I also usually get bored with them by the time they wind down to the last chapter, and at some point, I no longer think they're 'all that.' I fear that this will happen again and that once written, this story won't mean much to me beyond the fact that it would be my third (or fourth) book written.

Speaking of third or fourth, what I wrote today cannot be included in the NaNoWriMo word count since November 1st hasn't arrived yet, so I would still have to do 50,000 new words over the course of November. What all this means is that there is actually a high chance this story has taken over the supposed 'sure thing' I had planned after all. Major plot points came to me today and I can see where it's going- almost to the end in fact.
I'm on a roll.

Book 3

As aforementioned, I plan to write most of my third book over the course of November for National Novel Writing Month. Since last year I had a story pinching me and telling me to write it, and eventually started writing down bits and pieces of what I want to include in it, brainstorming. So it was clear to me a few weeks ago when I thought about it what I would write for NaNoWriMo.
However, yesterday I believe it was- perhaps the day before- I remembered another story idea I had even before that one, one that came up while I was writing my first book. It actually resembles the most basic premise of the first, but I think it will be more saleable, more palatable. I have no notes on it besides its premise, yet I wonder if this is the one I should write instead.
What I think I will end up doing is the same thing I did last year when I had two ideas and wanted to see which one I should go with: start brainstorming and plotting both. The one I thought was a shoe-in for this year came up short last year when compared to the notes on the one I ended up writing. And now, it's way ahead of this other one that resurfaced in my memory.
Now that it's mid-October, it's definitely time to start the plotting process. I'll give this old new idea a chance and see what happens when I start to think it out.

NaNoWriMo 2007

I had planned to participate this year, having first participated- and succeeded- last year. I have an idea and everything. But at this point, I'm not sure I will be able to follow through with the commitment. Last year, I was working part-time and was done by 1 p.m. every day and my significant other wasn't around much, weekdays or weekends, so I really had only my computer and the television both as company and distractions. I therefore had a lot of time to fulfill challenges I had set for myself- watching movies, reading books, and writing. This time around I, once again, do not have a full-time job, however, my schedule is more erratic. In fact, for the first week of November, I plan to be in my home country although hopefully I will be back in LA by the 5th. In that case, I might be able to continue the challenge after all; in fact, if I remember correctly, the daily requirement of nearly 1700 words can easily be done in two hours- I remember doing it in less in fact. So that's all I would need every day to dedicate to it. Okay, maybe I will still sign on to do this. There is still hope and I have to at least try, right? In any case, fail or succeed by November 30th, I would have succeeded in writing more than I would have otherwise, and there is no losing in that. All right then- it's on!