November novels

I just finished the paper edit of 'The Sceptre and the Sword'. The plan is to make all the corrections before the end of November, no matter how daunting a task that seems.

I am taking courage from two things -- first that it is NaNoWriMo and lots of people are writing entire first drafts in the next four weeks.. and secondly, from an article I read in a Vice magazine while waiting to see a film last night.

The entire article can be found here, but the choice quote is this:

I was amazed that you wrote most of these novels in less than a month, but then I read that Michael Avallone novelized Beneath the Planet of the Apes in three days. It seems that’s the industry standard. How is it possible to write so quickly?
The first thing is you don’t do much else, you just write.

The article is about Alan Dean Foster, who wrote many novelisations of films. He goes on to talk about his process, but it struck me that I should approach my book the same way.

I find it too easy to get lost in the self doubt of plot and logic and it stops me from just getting the damn thing done. If I abandon all that and treat my concept like a film I saw, one in which I have a deadline to craft into prose -- then the work becomes easier. I don't think I could get an entire novel done in three days, but I do think it is going to make it easier to face the work and keep things moving.

So that's the lesson for the day, and I hope it helps all of you who are taking part in NaNoWriMo. 

Now to try and decipher the scrawling notes I have graffitied all over my MS.

T.B.

P.S. The film I saw was 'Safety not Guaranteed' and you should all immediately go and see it now. Most uplifting film I have seen in a long, long time.