6,000 words and growing!

[oldblue.livejournal.com]

How's everyone doing?

I'm almost caught up now - back to where I was before I deleted my entire story back in December. This time around it feels stronger, though. I think it's a better story. I hope it is.

Anyway, I stole an idea from fourteencandles and divided my story up into sections according to the fanfic100 table: the whole thing ends up being 27 sections long, so not quite the full 100. But it helps so much to have a theme for each section. Sure, I know basically what I need to write for each bit, but it's nice to have a little hook to hang my ideas on.

What's getting you through the 20,000?

... besides the alcohol, I mean.

Comments

[hwshipper.livejournal.com]

Aw, oldblue, just so happy to hear you didn't give up after your deletion tragedy!

What's getting me through?... the fierce mod-messages with their strict deadlines. *cowers* I'm on my last section now, and boy I'm finding it more difficult to motivate myself to write it than the entire rest of the fic put together. Would so not be doing it now if it weren't for the deadline approaching....

[oldblue.livejournal.com]

I have no idea if I'm going to make it, but those deadline reminders sure do give a nice kick in the butt ;)

I keep jumping around in my fic. So as soon as I get stuck with one section, I've got another bit I can work on. It's probably going to make for a disjointed read, but what the heck.

Also, I just wrote my first sex scene EVER and now I feel all dirty...

[hwshipper.livejournal.com]

In a good way or a bad way? ;)

[pun.livejournal.com]

Yay for sex!

The rule for me is that I only need to add 300 new words a day. This way I'm not so daunted by my goal that I just give up and don't try.

I've also made a rule where I can only work on the second half of the story until Jan. 27 to try to keep myself from going back over the same few early scenes that are already in pretty good shape over and over. I bounce around a lot, but only within that latter half.

[oldblue.livejournal.com]

That's a good idea.

I keep going back and re-working stuff that's already decently written, while neglecting other stuff that, you know... I need for the plot to make sense.

[pun.livejournal.com]

That is exactly what I do! It's so much more pleasant to reread the pretty good stuff change a phrasing here, an adjective there, and think, hey, I'm actually a pretty good writer, than to stare at the morass of scenes that break off in the middle of sentences and need to be entirely restructured but I don't know how and think, hey, I actually haven't a clue what I'm doing!

[mer-duff.livejournal.com]

What's getting you through the 20,000?

I think it's sheer panic. I nearly didn't continue on past the last deadline, but I set some personal deadlines (in addition to the community deadlines) and I'm on track so far (*knocks wood desperately*). I need to hit 15K by Sunday - just under 2K to go.

I divided my story into five sections, which gave it a bit more structure than I normally have in the drafting stage, and it seems to have kept me focussed. If I get stuck on one section, I can play with another one and still know where everything is supposed to end up.

[oldblue.livejournal.com]

Sounds like you've got everything under control ;)

[bell]

Determination? Do-able aily deadlines?

I'm just worried because I'm almost done with my first draft and it's going to end up in the ballparck of 14,000 words. Eeek! I'm scared about having to add at least 6,000 words in the second draft.

[oldblue.livejournal.com]

Filler is good. My story currently has too much :)

[bell]

Hahahahah!

Unfortunately, filler goes against my grain. I wouldn't know how to put it in, even if I wanted. :) It's okay, though, if I have to throw the towel in. I'm glad to have done this much.

[pun.livejournal.com]

Never underestimate the usefulness of a fifth sex scene.

[bell]

A 6,000 WORD SEX SCENE? I WOULD DIE.