#IWSG April NaNo or A to Z or Both?
I won’t be doing A-Z Blogging Challenge, but I am doing Camp NaNoWriMo April again.
NANO NANO, NANO NANO, NANO NANO
Can you guess what my title is imitating? I’ll give ya a hint at the bottom of this post. Guess before you scroll down and look and tell me if you got it right in the comments.
Do you ever have an idea, world build, get quite a bit done and then go oh, wait, this might be an even better idea; which then caused you to have to re-do your world building for new elements or details that no longer work or you need to add?
I have done this three times on my current project. I have written it twice up to 23000 words then BOOM! It happens. So I am going over this new idea and decide to look back at elements I have already used as well. I reread my first idea and thought why did I change that? That’s not bad.
How do you cope with all the new and what if conjectures from your muse? Why can I not make up my mind? Grrrrrrr.
I decided I did not have the right point of view character because I was struggling with certain aspects of the story. I could not quite get the story to achieve what I wanted, so decided the wrong character was telling the story. I have now written the beginning of the story with four different character points of view. They all work really. I like them all for 
various reasons.
Yes, I looked up in my writing books and viewed many online posts about the subjects of the main character and pov character e.g. how to chose the main pov character, what to look for and what is stake and who has the most to lose and so on. They all still work depending on the story I want to write.
So here I go again. 5th time is the charm, crossing fingers. My muse has developed the
attention span of a squirrel. I am hoping NaNo helps me get back into the habit of writing every day. I am going to try adding focus music and meditation to my routine, another habit I dropped. Its time to finish this and let it go.
The sad thing is it is not even about being perfect. I just can’t make up my mind, settle and get it done. Muse put your damn hand down, this is not a classroom. Save it for NaNo and it better be about what we have already come up with. *Grumbles*
IWSG APRIL
Twitter hashtag: #IWSG
Insecure Writer’s Support Group, founded by Ninja Caption Alex J. Cavanaugh co-hosts for IWSG April 6 . (Join the community. Click on Alex’s name to find out more about it.)
Christine Rains
Click this link to hear the sound. I always snicker when I hear them
ROFL SEPARATIST DROIDS ARE THE BEST COMIC RELIEF @@ *looks around, hmmm yes I own animated clone wars**
Good luck with Camp NaNoWriMo! My characters are usually good at saying who should tell the story, but they’re bad at letting me know which point of view to tell the story in (1st or 3rd). It’s a pain, but sometimes you have to write a bit of a story before realizing how to really tell it.
Thank you. I tend to like 3rd person best because that is the pov I most often read growing up. I have learned to like 1st over time depending on how it is handled, I should practice the other pov’s just to improve my skill set. Right? Excellent advice. Appreciate your stopping by to chat.
I loved the Mork and Mindy show, but with the picture of the ravens on your blog, I also thought of Never more, never more. Whose story is it? That’s always tough. The protagonist is the person who changes the most. Well, yes…most times. Yes, my muse torments me, too. Thanks for sharing this with your readers.
I like Mork & Mindy too. The Star Wars battle droids crack me up and I’m a geek about SW.
Ha, did not think about Edgar Allen Poe, but that is actually one of my favorite poems.
You know, your choice of words I think just help me decide whose pov to use–the character that** changes the most**. Thank you.
I’ve gone through the whole world-building revision thing so many times. In my current case of “figure it out”, I’ve been trying to come up with a plausible reason for this one character to hide from his sister for over a century. It’s like, I know the end, I just don’t know how he wound up there.
Best of luck with revision #5! I’m doing Camp too, but I set a low goal of 5K in one particular story. Good thing I set the bar low, because the character mentioned above that has been consuming my creative juices has nothing to do with the story I’m supposed to be working on!
I set my word count for 25,000 I might should have aim a litte lower, but in the past I manage about 23000 so set above my comfortable zone.
Haha – Mork & Mindy was what popped into my head, too.
I’m the master of indecision so I can’t even let myself second guess anymore – at lest not until after I’ve completed a first draft. Y’know, you could do different chapters from different POVs…of course then you’d have to decide who gets what chapter and that’d multiply the number of times you change your mind.
Thanks for directing me to your author spotlight. At some point I’ll want to take you up on that (like, when my head stops spinning, haha).
Your Welcome. Look forward to hearing from you.
Wow, that’s a lot of writing for the opening. I’m not sure how you will choose without continuing the story. I try not to over think things when I start a new project because by the time I reach the end the beginning is often completely deleted or completely altered. I need a better feel for the whole book before I can make major editing decisions.
LOL, you are probably right I should have finished the story then rewrote the pov,. This time I am going to try to finish first before changing anything.
Been there, done that. I am currently 6500K words in my current story and am already thinking wouldn’t it be better if I start it in another way. Sigh. Fingers crossed that the 5th time is lucky for you.
Rachna Chhabria
Co-host IWSG
Rachna’s Scriptorium
Thank you. Good luck to you too.
It’s good you’re not giving up on your story. It’s important that you write it, and thus you try to find the best way to tell it. Not easy to keep with something that is not working, especially with this being your 5th attempt, but sometimes it is those stories that must be told and we must continue to figure out how, that make some of the best stories.
Best of Luck to you.
Good advice, thank you.
I’m there right now. I thought I had chosen my big WIP, but I keep flipping between four different projects – 4! I’m a squirrel with too many places to store nuts for the winter, and the summer is coming. Agh.
Let’s hope we both can settle our inner squirrels soon.
LOL, YUP lets give our squirrels a whole tree full of nuts and maybe they will stop scavenging for more.
Happy Writing
You’re searching for the right voice for your story. Maybe you have several strong voices. How does that work for the story structure?
Thanks for all your great comments on my blog this week/month!
Mary
I think you are right. I think I could make it work for the story structure but I need to decide who is gonna lead and finish the tale. Thank you for stopping to chat with me too.
I totally did not get it correct, but that’s cute. I feel like it is ok to change several times as long as you still count the previously written words toward your NaNo total word count. You can blend and edit when you get to that part.
Good luck from a IWSG blog hopping friend.
Thank you. I wish I could count them but I wrote them before Nano.
I have the same problem. I am always rewriting and changing because of new ideas. But now I have tons of drafts, so that I never make changes to the original or previous draft. I made huge changes to my novel, but made the changes on my master copy and I could never get it back. I simply reached a point where I decided no more changes and I went with the draft I felt was the most accurate portrayal of the story/ creative vision I had. It’s hard. I won’t lie. You might even have regrets. But I think deep down you know which point of view to go with, or where you want your story to go. Good-luck.
I think that is probably what I will have to do just make the decision no more changes and go. Thank you.
I was wrong, too. Something about the pure number of Nanos made me think of Monty Python and Spam. (Yes, I knew that was wrong, before I looked, but once it was in my head, it just stayed.) Have fun with Nano.
lol Thank you.
A little switcheroo can be just what one needs sometimes. Hopefully the 5th time is the charm
Thank you, I hope so.
Yes, I’ve been there… even wrote 10 chapters then changed my mind. Some projects are still in that stage. It’s my favorite stage of a story though. I find it the most fun.
The jury is out right now on how I feel about it, but its good to know I am not the only one to experience this.
You can do it! This had happened to me with my current project. I just finished rewriting it for the third time yesterday. I need to move on to the climax and get it done. Good luck and keep on pushing on!
Congrats on the final finish. I hope this will be mine. Good luck to you too.
Been there. When I heard that Fitzgerald had to rewrite The Great Gatsby because it didn’t work in Jay’s voice, so he switched it to Nick’s. And voila, a masterpiece. Good luck, Juneta. It’ll be well worth the struggle.
LOL, Something I did not know about Fitzgerald. Mine is no where near that but hopeful it will be enjoyable. Thanks for chatting with. I went to your blog and could not find the comments. I will try again later.
Good luck with Camp NaNo. 5th time’s a charm.
Thank you.
There must be something wrong with us; we all sound like that in my house… 😀 Your co-host Viola Fury (this is why I play the viola and don’t sing!) aka Mary
LOL must be, thanks for chatting with me.
Those muses! They let you down when you least expect it.
Yeah, but I do love mine.
At least you found the right point of view before finishing the whole story! That would be worse…
LOL, That is a yes and no sort of—I think but they all work somewhat. But I do so hope you are right.
I forgot this month was Camp NaNo! Maybe I’ll do the one in July. I’ve certainly got enough on my plate right now.
Hope to see you then. I will probably do July too.
I’m thinking your story needs more than one pov and more than one storyline. Try growing some ivy and use a grid to keep track of all the vines. I bet it will be brilliant. 🙂
Anna from elements of emaginette
LOL, thanks. It has some vines guess I should make it a bushy vine.
I’ve been there. Lately my strategy has been to be to push through a first draft, making note of what I think needs to change, and address the changes after the first draft is complete. Of course, if I’m adamant that something will change or needs to change or I need to add a POV, etc, then I push through the first draft, but at that point of decision start writing as if the portion already written is written the same. In other words, I change my tactics, but I don’t go back and rewrite the beginning until I finish the first draft. I guess it keeps me moving forward instead of constantly going back and rewriting, because I’ve gotten stuck in cycles like that and hate it, it makes me feel so unproductive!
Good luck on whichever route you choose to go!
Good advice. I need to do that just push through and I do feel very unproductive. Thanks for taking time to chat with me.
Yes, I hear ya. The POV dilemma has caused plenty of my headaches over the years. I still have to work at stopping the head hopping; though I do use more than one POV within a manuscript. Throughout my ms, there is one main POV character. When he/she is not in the scene, another takes on the POV role. My biggest challenge in writing has been to be able to indicate the non POV character’s thoughts and feelings without getting into their head / body. I think what you’re doing can be really useful in developing your characters, knowing them deeply having been inside them, body and soul. I’ll wager you’re going to have an incredibly wonderful story with amazing characters. Blessings.
Thank you. I hope it does–Hmmm, I really am insecure but by golly I am gonna finish this!!!
I thought of Mork and MIndy too!!! 😀
LOL, it could have been.
Maybe you could write your story from alternating points of view. I have four POV characters in my books. Sometimes, certain scenes just need to be told from certain points of view. If you have a critique group, they could give you feedback as to which POV works for them and why. I think the most important thing is just to write through to the end. Then you can figure out what works the best. Good luck with NaNo!
My POV are more than one, however, I need to decide who to focus on for the main plot of this one book, since really it’s a story about a group of characters and the world they live in. I don’t have that type of critique group, not sure how to find a good one here. Thank you.
Mork and Mindy – doh!
LOL
Ok, I was wrong – I thought it was a more & mindy reference.
Good luck with your 5th time thru, I know you know this, but just get it written – you can assess and change at the review stage.
You can do this!!?
LOL, you are right it could be Mork and Mindy too. Thank you.