Long project writing questions.

[Wildcard Ky]

I've started writing again, and this one is going to be a long project. It will also be the first time I've ever attempted a long project.

So, for those of you that have done this before, I have some questions.

Do you pace your self in your writing, or do you just have at it?

Do you write every day, or only when the mood is right?

Do you set a goal for a certain number of words to write per day?

If so, how many?

Do you write it from beginning to end, or do you break it up into sections and work on which ever section is tickling your fancy at that time?

 

[oggbashan]

I use the NaNoWriMo website for suggestions and ideas about long projects.

I completed the NaNoWriMo challenge in 2003 with my Flawed Red Silk series.

When writing a long story I try to write something every day until the first draft is complete. Then I leave it for a week before attempting the first edit.

Hope that helps.

Og

 

[MagicaPractica]

My first novel, I tried to write but it came in fits and starts then I started carrying a notebook with me and wrote whenever I had a free period while substitute teaching. It went fairly fast that way. I'm just starting on my second and it's been slow so I'm going to have to get a flow going pretty fast to make the deadline.

I really like the approach that Julia Cameron outlines in The Artist's Way. Write three pages a day every day. No more or less. It worked very well for me when I tried it. Three to four pages seemed to be the amount that I could write before I ran out of something to say. Do that every day and you have a novel in no time.

Course, you can't be blocked by fear like I am right now.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

I currently have three long/big projects in progress. One of them I am using yWrite which has allowed me to write/break it up into scenes, it's currently at 57,000 + words. The first two chapter are posted, the third is in editing. But I wrote this one from the beginning to the end.

The second one started as a single story then blossomed into a 60,000 + word novel so far. I still have 6 chapters to write. With this one I started in Word with a single story...then ideas for additional stories just popped into my head and I started writing them as separate items. On these I just open a chapter that I feel like working on and type.

The third is still in it's infancy and I have put it aside for awhile but should eventually run about 60,000 words.

 

[JagFarlane]

I've started writing again, and this one is going to be a long project. It will also be the first time I've ever attempted a long project.

So, for those of you that have done this before, I have some questions.

Do you pace your self in your writing, or do you just have at it?

Do you write every day, or only when the mood is right?

Do you set a goal for a certain number of words to write per day?

If so, how many?

Do you write it from beginning to end, or do you break it up into sections and work on which ever section is tickling your fancy at that time?

Hmmmm I generally just have at it...though when not writing I'm tossing ideas around till I find something I like.

Try to write everyday...but mostly I try to set myself into the same mood to keep the right flow.

I write until I feel that the piece is set the way I desire it to be

 

[evanslily]

Do you write it from beginning to end, or do you break it up into sections and work on which ever section is tickling your fancy at that time?

I don't know if this true for anyone other than me, but I tried that once--writing the bits that tickled my fancy at the time.

Unfortunately, it didn't work out too well. That story is gathering virtual dust on my hard drive, LOL. I wrote all the 'good' bits and then didn't want to get round to putting in the less exciting scenes...

I'd recommend you write it in order. Apart from anything else, when you then get to the scenes you're really looking forward to writing it's like getting candy for your efforts. But the other thing is that new ideas can occur to you as you're writing in sequence, things like plot twists, character flaws etc., that you can then use in later scenes.

 

[3113]

Do you pace your self in your writing, or do you just have at it?

Pacing myself is hard as if I'm in writing mode, I'm in writing mode. The house could burn down, the cat could start talking and giving me the secrets to the universe...I wouldn't notice. And I don't notice what time it is, what day it is, or that I need to do anything else but write

I *try* to write every day when on a big project, and I try to write beginning to end. But I know when I start with that aim that it ain't gonna work out that way.

Here's the thing and it answers all of your questions: first, try to work out as much as you can about the story ahead of time. Some people are real sticklers for an outline; they write out every detail, twist, turn and plot point and then they stick to it when they write it up. I can't do that. So my advice is for anyone else who can't write that way. Even if you can't do a detailed outline, the more you work out, the better it will go. Who are the characters, what's the setting, what will happen when, how is it gonna end?

Now here's what you've gotta know: all this will likely change. And THAT is the answer to all your questions. As you go along, things change. You get a brilliant idea, or a revelation, or a character you thought wasn't important takes over and the story changes direction. When that happens, well...you may find that you write a lot more than those "three pages" a day you intended. You will also find that when it does change direction like that, you need to re-think the story. That may mean taking time off from those three pages a day. And you're going to need that time off. Because you need to rest the brain and feed it other things. Sitting in a room writing 24/7 is not good for you or your writing.

So maybe you take a week off. You go out, you see a movie, read a book, take a trip. And you come back fresh and ready to tackle the story again. And since the story has changed, you can't go right back to it--you have to go over what you've written and alter that to fit the new direction.

There are lots of ways to write. I'm envious of the "outline" people because they write on a schedule and hammer it out. That's not me, however. Writing daily and writing as many pages as you can daily is a good idea. But this is like most other projects, like building a house if you will. For all the plans you've got, you never know what will cause a delay or change. What if that wood you wanted can't be gotten? What new material will you use and what compromises to the original plans will it require? What if there's a problem with the foundation you didn't know about till you started really digging? What if some new material comes on the market that will allow you to do something even better? And what if building that breakfast room takes a few months instead of a few weeks as planned?

A long term project takes planning and commitment, but you have to also be ready for changes. And that means ready to pause, rest, reassess, go back, edit, alter, etc. Some days, you won't go for that daily goal because you'll need to edit, edit, edit. Some days you'll get an idea for an ending section and have to write it down...even though you're in the middle and no where near the end. Some days you just won't be able to write at all because your brain needs new stimulation and it hasn't been getting it.

So long as you stay excited and committed to the project, it will get done, however you choose to write it.