Oh Ralph Wiggum of Simpsons fame, you slay me!
So as NaNoWriMo comes to a close, the number of sad posts about failure, quitting, excuses, blame and procrastination are admittedly on the rise. I’ve said it a million times and I’ll say it again, just because NaNoWriMo designates who wins by word target, I believe any writing would be worth celebrating in this day and age of distractions. But there are indeed some failures.
I’m talking about those people who wrote utter crap for fifty thousand words. I’m not talking subject matter either. But basic punctuation, ignoring conciseness for word count and inattention to detail… these stories won’t make it to an editor’s desk at all, because frankly if the postman can’t read where it’s going, then it goes nowhere! Simple things like the uses of there, their and they’re and its and it’s just to name a couple! I would say read more while writing, maybe even do 30 mins of reading, and then of writing. The reason? Autocorrect is terrible at grammar (it can barely spell sometimes).
In any story where you write a huge space, your writing changes, ever so subtly. The people who don’t learn anything from page one to page three hundred aren’t cut out for writing. Let alone winners of some challenge.
Some of my loyal followers here are struggling, but they’ll get there. I have faith in them!
Well, the main purpose of this post is to let you guys know that I’ll be away for the weekend and hopefully my part two of The Journey will pop up as it is scheduled to do tomorrow! I’m quite exhausted as retail had a busy week for me and loads of training. I’ve had a nap every night this week, except tonight… which explains the heavy eyelids!
Although someone asked me about some writing ideas and how I feel about sharing them. Here’s your answer!
- Upon drilling into the center of the Earth, scientists find the first man, still alive.
- Hell is the final defence for the world against demonkind and is run by a former archangel.
- A man attempts to commit suicide, only to find out he is invincible and turns his life around.
- A man is released from prison, only to end up on a bank heist with a psychopath. Trying to do the right thing, he tricks the psycho into focusing on him and tries to end the battle quickly.
There’s four ideas I have on the backburner at the moment. If you’re inspired by them or want to use one feel free to just link back to here! Anyway new post should go up tomorrow, and my head is going to hit the pillow like a sack of pennies.
Thanks for putting up with today’s post, hopefully I will make up for it in the next post! Also if you’re doing NaNoWriMo and are close… Monday is coming… and you know what that means! The celebration of the wins and the stugglers on their road to 50k. Ciao and good luck! I leave you with my two images to keep me going and they are widgets on my Dashboard screen along with my post it notes filled with ideas!
While I mentioned in another comment I missed a day of writing due to unforseen circumstances, I – and my writing anchor – are not letting me think failure just yet. I have the benefit of the next two weeks being vacation days (thank you Thanksgiving holiday and the PTBs at work), so that light at the end of the 50K tunnel hasn’t burned out yet.
Besides, I have a “Write or Else” board on Pinterest that includes the two images you posted here and so many more to keep me going. I will win it this year even if I have to drag my laptop to Mom and Dad’s and type while filling up on turkey and dressing!
Turkey comas are the worst for productivity (But the best for recharging the old batteries) but those two images are always around for both a laugh and a reminder!
I have faith you’ll make it… although with all that I still have to do this month I may not even finish editing my book, and that should be the easy(ish) part!
I love your memes. I just hope that I can keep this pace up in the future.
Don’t hope, just go nuts! Your friends and family will still be around in a few weeks, just cut them out and get it done. I’m sure they’ll understand! (Maybe) Good luck!
Excellent memes 🙂 And apparently our brainwaves are on the same frequency, because I’m totally writing a book about your #3 suggestion right now.
Oh yeah?! That’s awesome! I’d love to read it when it’s done! I’ve always considered that story starting with the main character leaping to his doom from a bridge into the oncoming path of a train. The train hits him, and he crushes the front end, stopping the train in its tracks. Then I wanted him to turn to fighting crime, but realistically and show how his invincibility becomes his weakness as he gets some of his family and friends killed through carelessness.
It’s going to be an ensemble cast type story, so the suicidal person turned superhero is just going to be one of many people acquiring super powers. However, I’m straying away from my usual light, fluffy style and trying for some dark and gritty goodness, so I have a feeling a lot of people will be dying, many in horrible and senseless ways. Yay!
Well played, mine was going to be the solo character has to deal with this alone so people can relate as most people tend to deal with their issues without support. Mine was going to be much more action drama, definitely not feel good movie of the year material!
Idea number 3, the man who tries to commit suicide, is awesome. When you get around to that one I’d like to read it.
Hmm, maybe I’ll move it up in the queue, it seems to be the one people are interested in! Thanks for the feedback! (MWa ha ha!) Read my comment on Michelle’s comment (as she’s doing a similar story) and that is what my plan is!
I might me one of those people who’ll fail NaNoWriMo this year. I made that mistake of editing and I’m stuck there. But there are still 8 more days left so maybe I’ll get that final push and make it. Fingers crossed…although maybe not, I need all my fingers to keep on writing.
Did you write? You didn’t fail. Writing is succeeding! Writing is winning! Writing is… awesome! Editing can happen on December 1st so plough through and hit your target, but only you determine whether you failed or not, and in my opinion be proud of the effort, 50k or not. Don’t get discouraged! Keep writing and you’ll get there! Even if it has to be your new year’s resolution!
Thank you 🙂 I’m now at 33k so I’m still going, and definitely not deleting anything anymore till after nano is over.
That sounds like a good idea, focus on the writing… and the fact I’m calling you out to finish your goal! In the famous words of the punk philosophers, The Offspring: “You can do it!”
Cool story ideas. I hope you or one of your readers uses them.
I doubt that I’ll have 50,000 words of my NaNoWriMo project at the end of this month, but even without the winner badge, I’ll have gained something valuable this month. The lessons I’ve learned this month will surely help me in the next few years.
That’s a type of winning.
I’ll use them all, and I don’t care if anyone else does either! I think if someone wanted to pay me to be an ideas man, I’d do it in a heart beat! Not only that but two stories despite the same premise, may approach them from totally different perspectives!
I agree that you’ve won something. 50k is just a number. Completing a story is just a goal. The act of writing alone more than previous months is the win! Celebrate writing, and challenge yourself… that’s what it’s all about!
Awesome motivation for the morning writing session 🙂
I try! Get out there, hunt down those ideas and kill them with words!
I love the second one but as I am obsessed by anything almost Buffy-like, then I would be. My idea that I started is about a person who gets high off heroin and when they do they go into another world where they are king/queen of a bunch of talking rabbits lol!
Interesting… so when they come off their high, what happens to their kingdom? :O The poor bunnies!
They’ll get high again to go save them from something (not sure what the something is yet) lol
Hmm…………. what if upon their return, the world was green again and the skies were blue, but every time the high wears off the rabbits have to burrow deep into the ground to avoid the darkness and destruction of their world… and someone, or something must break the cycle!
I mean, it writes itself really 😛
Lol ahhh I do like that idea! It really does!
Good luck with it then! I love random writes!
Thank you and we shall see what happens! I’m not used to writing in first person lol!