I’m kind of paranoid the way I plan things out. I set a grand deadline for the novel I’m writing, then I figure out a general plot (VERY general, without any of the subplots or other stuff), and use that to tell myself where I should be from week to week. I’ll have the few days ahead of me partitioned out really strictly, with “I want to be at this point in the story by this day,” but only for the week immediately ahead of me. I need a lot of room for discovery writing.
A couple of weeks ago, I decided I wanted to be done with “act I” of Bringing Estella Home by the middle of last week. That didn’t work, because I got hung up in the chapter talking about Estella and her captivity. Then, I decided to be finished with “Act I” by Sunday…but as of now, I’m two scenes from the end of it. Blegh.
I tend to think I can write more than I actually do. Perhaps part of it has to do with just too many distractions. That’s a self-discipline issue. Another thing, though, is that I really do tend to burn out after a while. I can keep writing, but it will be difficult and probably not as good. My limit is at about 1,500 words per session.
However, another thing is that I do most of my writing late at night. What if I were to write in the mornings? Is that even possible? I could put down 1,500 words in the morning, spend the rest of the day replenishing the well (so to speak), and then write late at night after everything else is done. That would double my productivity.
It’s an interesting idea. I’ll try it out.
In the meantime, I am sooooo excited for how this act is going to end. They say that if you show a gun in Act I, someone’s going to get shot in Act II. Well…the last scene involves a gun…in the hands of James’s brother. Oooooh!
I’m so glad I’m not a character in my own novels. My life would be miserable. 😛
