For anyone else who wants to start/progress/finish writing a book in 2011

[artifarti]

As the title says really!

Me: After several years of dithering with short stories, I committed myself to Nanowrimo last month and managed to bash out a 50,000 first draft of an idea I've had for ages. There is some excrutiating crap in there but also the bare bones of a plot and some interesting characters. So I'd really like to spend 2011 trying to develop it into something better.

But I need some company so that we can mutually kick each other's arses when the temptation to watch Holby City is proving too great. Anyone else?

I'm a winger. I know it's hugely inefficient, but I find that free writing gives me my best stuff, and often my characters will reveal their motives and desires to me, rather than me having to sit down and "make them up".

However, on the off chance that I do get round t a second novel, I might at least try an outline. Might save me a few years, and a few dozen re-writes

My approach isn't too bad, the novel flows and the lose ends are all cleared up by the end. It sort of 'weaves' IYKWIM.

There are obviously as many ways of writing as there are people who write. Thank goodness . I say potato, you say potAto .

I've just finished the bugger!

Yey belle!!!!

It's taken me 8 months, the first version took 2 days so I've obviously thought very hard about the rewrite

Thank you. I just need to read it through and send it off, I'll wait a couple of weeks I think.

Began writing the last section of the novel today. 1642 words.

Yay! Brilliant Bssh!!

I need to find someone to read my book. The editor wants another £150 for this privilage (me thinks not).

1507 words today. Will tweak/edit more later tonight. Got to get on with the day job!

1224 words today. Should finish the chapter (17) tomorrow and will use rest of the week to tweak/edit.

I've done 4000 words over past 3 days, I'm about half way through second chapter. My house is a pigsty though

I'm proof reading. Don't have a bloomin clue!

Yey Cassie!!!! And Belle - keep going!

ninah - how's it going, has real life lessened its load a little so you can write again?

Thank you. I've done 1/4, I'm just checking it for spelling & grammar, I've never proof read anything before and am unsure whether this is right.

1131 words today and Chp 17 is now complete. Tweak and edit tomorrow.

Oh well done Bssh!

I've 'cleaned' 60 pages, have 102 left to do.

Well done, back at you belle . Already 60 pages down? That's fast work!

Really? I will have to read through it again, I'm just changing a few words here and there to make it flow better and correcting errors. I've found a few things that I've needed to change, in one scene it starts in the morning, then jumps to the afternoon and there's nothing in between so I've changed that.

She wants it perfect though

belle I've heard that it's a good idea to read each chapter aloud so you hear and correct rhythm. I'm going to try that for the next (hopefully final) draft.

hi, you both sound v industrious! cassie too
bb y life has been busy but I have still managed to revise up to chapter 24 of novel one. novel two is on the backburner
hopefully things should calm down over the summer and I can get N1 into good enough shape to send out again, and N2 into some kind of workable shape to build up (very slowly) come september

Sounds good, ninah. How many chapters of N1 are you managing to revise per week? I know we all have different real life schedules but I'm curious as I'll be starting revising my current novel in the summer hols and am aiming for a chapter every two days (assuming no major re-writes, just proofing and amending for rhythm/flow/brevity/better verbs etc)...

Ds is helping, we're disecting it on the train to and from school! He's very useful, he keeps finding holes. It does help to read it out loud, makes so much of a difference.

Hi ninah Your plan is good!

You have a great DS there, belle. I wish 3yo DD could be as helpful .

I'm going to give him a very special mention at the front of the book. He's lovely, a little biased though but always gives constructive feedback (whether I want it or not).

yes I agree ds sounds great belle! really useful to have his input. My dc know I write stories and I think it's good for them to know stories come out of people's heads before they come from waterstones, but content is such that they'll not be reading mine for a long long time
bb I don't have an average chapter rate. Bearing in mind this is about my tenth full edit it can be a couple of chapters a night, if little work needs to be done. I'm basically picking up on some points from reader feedback. There are three chapters where more substantial rewriting needs to occur and these might take a couple of days each, maybe more? Tonight I managed very little - full day at work and a student in the evening so all I did was take in some amendments I'd marked up last night.
I'd say, given your meticulous planning, the schedule you suggest is eminently realistic for a thorough first edit. And, given that your preparation is more detailed than mine, the time spent in the early stages will mean time saved in revisions.