Write a book this year

[GlumyGloomer]

I started back around February I think, and hoping to finish the first draft before the end of the year.
Anyone else fancy a chat/support thread?

NaNoWriMo is a good idea! Progress the last couple of months has been underwhelming, so it might be just the push I need.

I'm thinking of rewriting one of my earlier books. It needs a hefty rewrite and I've been putting it off.

I find NaNo good for getting it done because you want to hit that 50k!

Almost 75k now. My phone was broken for most of a week, which stopped me from getting anything done, but it's fixed now. Trying to work out all the little kinks to get to the big fight at the end. I've realised that something I always imagined relies on a character being a bit stupid/suicidally brave, and I think he's simply not that dumb, so probably best to change it.
How is everyone else doing?

I've barely written anything in the last month, between DH having Covid, Uni going back so I actually have to work at the day job, and everything else, life is very much getting in the way.

I have rescued my MC but that's about it.

I'm starting a Creative Writing Masters with the OU next week, so even less time, but hopefully I'll be able to get back to writing a bit each day.

I'm trying to make my MC less passive, as that seems to be the main criticism.
She is less passive from about 1/3 way through onwards, but I'm only just reaching that point in the critiques I'm getting.

It's difficult because in a previous story I got that they were brave from the beginning so didn't have a character arc, so kind of the opposite problem.

I just saw a great quote from Terry Pratchett

"The first draft is just you telling yourself the story"

That is a great way to look at it

I think that's very apt, and I think it's probably why I enjoy writing the first draft the most. It gets an awful lot more complicated when trying to polish it for other people.

I have stepped away from my current draft for a while. The structure and storyline are straight; now it just needs to stew for a bit, before I find some beta readers. I am veering between "not bad for a first novel" to "oh gods, it's so cliched and crap! Who would want to read this?!"

I have just opened an account on Scribophile and I am looking forward to getting out of my head and into another's story.

Solidarity fistbump to anyone doing NaNoWriMo. I am thinking about it for my second book. I can plan out the structure during October and bash it out over November. We will need a coffee & gin thread on here!

@TheABC you should join the mumsnet scribophile group

80k! Just got the final fight and the ending to do. It's still very rough, and honestly I'm not that confident about it. I like it but it doesn't feel very commercial. I was so convinced my first book was great, but I didn't get anywhere with it. I don't know if i'm being overly negative about this one or not. Editing is going to be a complicated process.

Hello @GlumyGloomer. That's great progress. Try to set aside concerns about how commercial or not your book might be and enjoy the last creative stages.

I found the editing part very difficult. It has been hard to know where to stop. Even though I am now querying agents, I keep going back and making adjustments. I really had no idea that writing the book was only going to be about a third of the overall work. But I am a total novice and there is a lot I don't know.😊

Finished, 85k.

Congratulations @GlumyGloomer! I hope you can take a bit of a break before diving back in with the editing.

Ha, I started this morning. Although I did manage to write a complete first draft in under a year (new achievement for me) I don't feel like I did it justice so it was a bitter sweet moment. I do badly need to catch up on sleep and chores though so I'll be taking it slowly for a while.
Thanks though.

@GlumyGloomer

Finished, 85k.

Well done!

@GlumyGloomer, Fantastic! Well done!

Wow, well done x

My progress in the last few weeks has been pretty much non-existent. I have written a new beginning but that's about it!

It can be slow going sometimes can't it?
I rewrote the first chapter of my previous book, I'm actually quite embarrassed that I self published the old version. Oh well. The rest of the book isn't so bad but the first chapter was dire.
I've also rewriten the first two chapters of my dragon story, but I'm a bit stuck now. What it needs is a villain, but it's a bit tricky to retrofit something so big. Waiting for inspiration at the moment.

I think it's safe to say I'm not going to finish this year!

I haven't moved on much in the last couple of months, but ideas for it pop into my head and my plan is to get back to it after the chaos that is Christmas.

I didn't start until April this year so I've still got time left in my year!

@Bakingdiva I did finish but the quality suffered. I won't rush the rewrite.

I'm not going to finish either, though have been plodding away and am just going to keep on keeping on till the end of the year and try and get as far as I possibly can.

congratulations GlumyGloomer very well done