I’m now two weeks into this month’s session of Camp NaNoWriMo.
In my last post, I talked about how I was crushing my word count, mostly because I was writing out two separate timelines because my character has to make a choice (retreat & recover or keep going & kick ass), and I have no idea which choice is the right one for the story. So I’m writing them both, hoping that one timeline will eventually emerge as the clear and correct choice.
But…I’m still not entirely sure. I am leaning heavily toward one path over the other, but I feel like the final determination is coming down to one pivotal (at least to me) scene on which I am currently working.
If this one scene can accomplish all the things I would ideally want it to accomplish, then I can go with Door #2, and Door #1 can go live in the deleted scene file with all the other displaced and obsolete storylines.
But I don’t know if that one scene can accomplish all the things I want it to do. It feels like it’s a lot of emotional whatever for one scene, and at the same time, it feels like it doesn’t have enough emotion in it. It feels like I have all the right pieces to this puzzle, if I can just figure out how they all fit together. But it also feels like these pieces may belong to two entirely different puzzles.
I don’t know what it is about this WIP that just refuses to be finished. Maybe my characters are screwing with me, Home Alone style, in an attempt to keep me from writing the end of the book because they suspect it will only lead to more misery for them.
Which, to be fair, it probably will.
So, on the word count front, I am good. I am better than good because, as you’ll see in the Camp Stats section at the end of this post, I have both reached and exceeded the word count goal I set at the beginning of the month. But, as I have stated in previous posts, the word count doesn’t matter here.
My real goal this month is to finish the first draft of Full Circle. And that?
Well, that’s still a work in progress.
Would it help to review the character’s backstory? And I mean go way back to find something in her past which might show you what she would do now. Is there a pattern – does she usually retreat and if so, why? Does she usually keep going and if so, why? Would she break that pattern now? Who or what would make her break it?
(No idea if this would be helpful or just give you a headache so do with it what you will.) 🙂
Her history is actually the reason why I’m leaning heavily toward Door #2, but something feels off about it. I don’t know what that something is yet (though I do have some theories), so I’m just going to keep shuffling pieces around until things start to fall into place.
It sounds like Door #2 is the winner. Yay! As for the emotional heft, I’m sure it’ll get there. Is there any bit of Door #1 that can be worked into Door #2 that’ll help? I see why jettisoning one timeline must be done, but there’s probably something in there that could work. Maybe?
Door #2 does seem to be the winner. I know I’m still not telling it right, though, so maybe I’ll find the answer behind Door #1?
Congrats on progress! I’m glad to hear you’re persevering.
I’m not sure how much meaningful progress is actually being made here, but it at least looks good on paper. That must count for something, right?
Just finish the scene and move on. Once it’s written, you can fill in anything that’s missing and keep going to the end. Just don’t forget to save everything else you wrote. You may need it later. You’re going great!
I really am trying to do that. I keep telling myself to not worry about the emotion, to just basically block it out and then move on, but it keeps pulling me back in.
Nice work! I’m sure when the time comes, you’ll know what to do. I know that’s kind of a cop out in terms of encouragement, but you’re the only one who has some idea of what needs doing 🙂
Thank you! 🙂
At least you blasted past your writing word goal! I hope you figure it out. I know the pains of not having a clear path as I try to rewrite my own book for the fifth time.