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Wednesday 23 November 2011

#NaNoWriMo Progress day 23 = 95037 words

The NaNoWriMo challenge continues apace with 3,748 words added today, taking the total to 95,037. I was determined to reach 95,000 today in spite of the fact that I spent a half day at the office. So, still on target and still enjoying. Much has happened in the last few thousands of words and a new, though expected, element has now entered the story, putting the hero in danger again.
The Wordle image of the word usage in Chapter 26 will again be a useful device when I start the editing process.
Some folks have asked me questions about my technique for producing the number of words I do on a daily basis, so here's something that might help answer that.
I always make the writing a priority, doing a targeted number of words (usually 2,000) before I do anything else. It's very easy to get carried away into the world of social networking, emails, or other distractions and end up leaving yourself with little time to do the writing. So, I do the writing first, and the rest is done in whatever time is left to me. Generally, on my full days of writing, I have at least 2 sessions, sometimes 3. Once I've managed 4,000, which is my daily target on full days, I'm happy if I turn out a bit more, but I don't sweat it at that point. I can sometimes write 2,000 in an hour, especially first thing in the morning when I'm fresh. But I can also take 3 hours to do the same number. I find it all depends on the type of event I'm describing. Dialogue seems to flow quite well and the action scenes usually develop fairly rapidly. Once in a while, I need to do some research  on the hoof, but I stick to looking for only the precise answer I need at that time, regardless how interesting the subject might be. So, I avoid distractions and prioritise the writing. I also do absolutely no editing, beyond correcting any spelling errors/typos as I write.
Editing uses a different part of the brain from creating and that 'policeman' that is your editing self can seriously interfere with your creative process if you allow it. In fact, I will wait until I've completed the story and then won't even look at it at all for at least two weeks, maybe four. Then I'll go back to it with a fresh mind and start on the exacting process of editing, reducing unnecessary words, checking for inconsistencies, ensuring actions all make sense and all the other details that are necessary for a successful story.
Hope that's helpful.

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