Constructing a villain
Friedrich Schiller, Preface to The Robbers, 1781
Schiller knew already that there is nothing more boring than a simple all-black-villain. His choice of words may be a bit florid nowadays, but his idea is dead on. Don’t make your villain a flat copy of some random comic baddie. Give him some humanity. Same as the hero, the villain WANTS something. The difference is, he goes the wrong way about it. Makes questionable choices.
Counting Accomplishments
Camp NaNoWriMo, day one: I didn’t feel the typical NaNoWriMo-Anticipation yesterday, but I feel it today. I couldn’t sleep, so I read two chapters of my WIP and decided what to change, what to add, what to delete. I may have forgotten what it was, but I trust my brain enough to recognise it again when I read it.
I changed my wordcount-goal last minute from 80K (complete work, counting in the 63K I’ve already written) to 20K (that I actually have to write to reach 80K).
Since I participated in NaNoWriMo for the first time, I measure my works in words. It may be more accurate or meaningful to count pages, but I feel much more satisfied counting words. My sense of accomplishment tells me, that 5000 words are more than 10 pages. (I don’t know if 5K translate actually to 10 pages, or 20, but that doesn’t matter now). And I love the satisfaction it creates, when I export my 60-something-K to manuscript pages and see full of amazement, how much I actually wrote! That’s part of my reward at the end.
So, do you prefer to count pages or words? And why?
Manageable Goals
Over the last six days, I wrote 3500 words. That’s nothing, since I know I can write 3500 a day. But I’m content. I’m aiming to write at least 300 words a day, because that’s a manageable amount. Not a dreadful mountain that inspires fear and provokes failure.
Writing 300 words a day is my way to trick myself. Most of the time, I write more. But if I don’t write more, I don’t have to fret and scold myself. And 300 are 300 more than none. I’m not good in maths, but my calculator says, that’s 109500 words a year. That’s a novel.
Of course I don’t write everyday. I’m too lazy. I get distracted too easily. It would be nice though…and since I joined Twitter and detected the magic of hashtags like #wordmongering and #amwriting, it gets constantly better. After tweeting that I’m now writing for half an hour, I consequently have to do it. The only way to be a writer is to write. Simple as that.
Edit or Revise?
Well, that’s the question. What should I do?
In my previous post, I stated my goal to edit my manuscript that I wrote during NaNoWriMo 2011. There are many holes in that first draft, plot and otherwise. I’m a pantser through and through, and I’m paying for that. I get swamped, I drown in the sheer endlessness of the task ahead. Maybe next time I try something different and do an outline. For a change. But first, I got to finish this. I have to dig out those holes, find them, identify those things that just aren’t quiet right. And do research. I get the feeling I should construct an outline out of my manuscript and use it to revise that damn thing.
Gosh, it’s too late at night, and that’s probably my fatigue speaking. Before I decide anything rash, I read it trough (again). Then I print it out, read it through (again) and use some colour. Everything is going to be OK. Colour will fix it.
Camp NaNoWriMo
This April, I’m participating in CampNaNoWriMo for the first time. I participated and won in NaNoWriMo twice, but everytime when November was gone, so was my motivation. My goal for Camp is to edit one of my NaNovels. I’m currently at 60K, and I’m planning on bolstering up those plot holes, flat tires and shallow pools all over the place. My wordcount goal is 80K, but deep down I think that 100K would be better. As I’m never going to accomplish that, I want the 80K. Wait, you think, isn’t editing about cutting out, kill your darlings and yada yada yada…? Well, yeah. Normally, I’d agree. But personally, I write very sketchy. Give me the task to write an essay of one and a half page and I’ll be struggling to even get to page two. Tell me to write a thesis of fifty pages, I end up with thirty. Fourtyfive if I’m lucky. Once something is said, it’s said. Plain and simple. I’m not the elaborating type, never was. Therefore, editing means filling holes with me.
So, am I a Camp NaNo rebel? Uh, that would be exciting!
