Word Count. Journeys and problems.

My characters’ world lives in an expansive world of forests, and streets, and sand dunes in my head. Their challenges and joys and obstacles are floating and landing and taking off again, sending me into madness. How do I know how to finish a story that exists in three dimensions?

I taped three sheets of paper in a horizontal fashion. Titled it “Their Journey,” and wrote individual events on green sticky notes, then the feeling on the pink sticky note. This organization helped me to see the progression of events, and importantly, the progression of tension. I saw that my character was going to a lot of meetings! Might have to fix that.

Today, I plotted my character’s journey in their chosen sport, and decided they needed a personal obstacle that they were trying to overcome throughout the story. Perhaps this is a solution to the need for tension, but it definitely presents the problem of how do I work this challenge into the rest of the story.

“problems, problems, problems…"

Total number of words: 33130.

Word Count. Characters + Tension.

So I got to a point in the novel where I didn’t know what happened next.

I know how the story ends (sort of). And I’ve written the first 50% of the story.

What’s missing is the tension, the decisions that the characters make that cause you, the reader to say, “WHAT?” and then keep reading.

Great example: SA Cosby’s “King of Ashes.” Once I read the first chapter, I HAD to know what happened next and next and next until three days and a couple hundred pages later, book was finished. There was constant tension that just kept ratcheting up.

I pulled out index cards and returned to character: What are their motivations? What do they want? What’s in the way of what they want? How will they get on each other’s nerves?

Yes, I have to make my main character a little annoying. Who wants to read about a goody-two shoes? What flaws will my character have and why? To answer this question, I can imagine my character visiting a therapist, and working through all of their problems. What would she say?

I admit, I LOVE hitting my word count. The part of me that loves checking boxes is just thrilled when I get to my number.

But some writing days are about getting to know the characters even more, and giving myself a little grace in the process is an act of love.

Writing spirit, help me with building tension and complicating things for my characters in really interesting ways.

628 words (so far) today.

Word Count: Adding character description

Today’s question is: how do I describe how character’s look, and what they’re wearing without sounding too obvious.

The details about a character matter a lot toward creating that mental image, and making that character distinctive. Every detail represents a decision that tells the reader who the character is. For example, is the character wearing a t-shirt with an image of Tupac or A Tribe Called Quest? Is their hair in a ‘fro or French braids. The details matter.

How do I work them in there?

I assessed what I knew about my characters by writing out details on index cards. Literally. (See earlier post about the Mulcahy Method).

Unfortunately, this brief process review didn’t answer the question of how to weave the details seamlessly into the text.

1034 words today. Proud of me.

Word Count: I write dialogue.

First, I crossed the 30,000 word mark this evening. The goal is to write at least 55,000. Simple math says I’ve got 25,000 words to go.

What will I write another 25,000 words about?

I’ve discovered in this writing (6,000 words since November 02), that I write dialogue. And inner monologue. I hear my characters’ conversations as if they’re sitting at the table across from me in the donut shop, walking ahead on my on 7th Street, standing waiting for the same elevator.

Inner monologue also comes pretty easily to me. I really can “read” my characters’ thoughts. I’m their heads with them.

Where I struggle is describing what’s happening around them. The grocery store, the living room, the wherever. I struggle to see it, and to see what’s going on. For example, I’ll say my character is on the bus, or in a library, but whether people are chattering as they ride long, or checking out books, I couldn’t tell you.

Thus I think some large portion of the next 25,000 words will be dedicated to describing the scenes, the buildings, the “B roll,” if you will of writing.

Wish me luck.

Word Count: Where is this going?

I started writing my novel with a robust outline. Mr. Mulcahy style.

Who is Mr. Mulcahy? The man, the myth, the legend. He taught senior English at my alma-mater, Benjamin Banneker Academic High School.

To graduate from Banneker, we were required to complete a senior thesis. Mulcahy, if I remember correctly, was the only English teacher. So you literally didn’t graduate from Banneker without successfully completing his method for writing a ten page paper.

It was a beast of a process that began in September of senior year. Immediately, we knew that senior year wouldn’t be a year off. Just the opposite. It was ON.

The process included choosing your senior thesis topic, which had to be approved. Then beginning research, and recording that research on index cards. A certain number of cards were due on a weekly (or bi-weekly basis). He checked them all.

Then we had to convert the index cards into a coherent outline, which he also read.

And from the outline, we produced a final paper.

This method was so thorough and effective that the night before the senior thesis was due (by 8am, promptly), when my computer died and my paper disappeared, I was able to take my index cards to a functioning computer, and re-type the whole thing.

I was one of the very few to earn a perfect score on my senior thesis.

So of course I wrote an outline for this novel of mine.

Except there’s a gap in the outline. And in today’s writing, I got to that gap. And had to decide, quickly, which way to go.

Writing is about making guesses and decisions. And I don’t know until later if it was the right or wrong decision.

Mulcahy may not approve of this method. But at least I have logic, and faith.

Word count today: 923 words. Not quite a 1000, maybe I’ll come back for those last 77 words.

Word count: I know that I’ll edit this…

I began today’s writing knowing that I would likely edit it heavily, if not delete it entirely.

I’ll try to explain briefly. My characters are on a journey, and there are three stops on this journey. And I’ve described all three stops! I know that describing all three stops is unnecessary, and slows the momentum of the story. But which scene of the three do I eliminate?

I don’t know.

And I don’t think I’ll know until I write all three scenes, and see which one advances the plot most effectively. AND writing that third scene allowed me to reach my word count today. Winning.

Unrelated: I wrote an update email for another project, and I’m really proud of the final communication. Probably more proud than is reasonable for an email. Whatever. I can be proud of whatever I want.

word count: missing my characters.

My approach has been to sketch a description of the scene, interspersed with snatches of dialogue as it comes to me. I also ask myself, what’s the purpose of this scene? Where is the tension? What’s at stake.

Yesterday (Wednesday), I wrote a couple pages of background and history, but didn’t actually write the scene.

And last night, I missed my characters. Literally, I wondered, what are they going to do, once I sit down and starting writing. How will I get closer to their authentic voices.

And that prospect really excited me.

*

Tuesday night, a friend asked me how the novel is coming. I had made my word count earlier that day, and I felt amazing.

“Going great,” I told her.

Word count (today): 1355

Word Count.

Welcome to “Word Count,” the six-days a week blog where I am tracking my progress to finishing the draft of my first novel.

The idea for the novel came to me about twenty years ago. I wrestled with the idea for a few months, picking it up, putting it down. When I saw friends finish their novels, I felt both envious and motivated. I gotta do this, I told myself.

But didn’t.

Notebooks of ideas sit on my bookshelf, waiting. Are those words disappointed or patiently waiting?

Today, I wrote 1297 words.

Someone told me to write 1000 words a day before lunch.

That’s the goal, six days a week through December 31.

Total word count: 26,083. (including the Table of Contents).