Today’s word count: 2,437 words
NANTUCKET total word count: 51,398 words
HARPER total word count: 5,435 words (no movement there)
I must admit, seeing NANTUCKET creep over 50,000 words feels very good! I’m feeling very into the story right now, and setting down the first two chapters of HARPER seems to have satisfied my need there for now.
Today I’ve been thinking about revisions. Mainly, about how I’m so glad I have the revision process still waiting for me.
I think there are a lot of places in NANTUCKET so far where I have people talking to each other just for the sake of talking. In most cases, after they do all their yammering with each other, I’m able to get them to where they need to be, doing what they’re supposed to be doing.
They might not have shown up in the right place at the right time otherwise. So on the one hand, I’m very grateful that all that talking helped me to get them there. And I have found out some pretty interesting things that I didn’t know about before they started their chats with each other.
But on the other hand, I don’t even want to think about how much of that dialogue is so meaningless – with no point, except that my characters obviously love to hear the sound of their own voices.
Even though I’m just laying down this story as it comes to me, too much dialogue seems to my own particular “writing baggage”. I feel much better knowing that I will be able to get rid of that baggage come revision time.
Do you have any “writing baggage”? I haven’t finished a first draft of a novel before, so I’m assuming I’ll be just fine cutting away big chunks of unwanted baggage. Am I dreaming here? Have you found it easy or hard to hack away at your first drafts?
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
It has been interesting and informative following your struggles. I have a guest post today with an author detailing the struggles she has with publishers. As if writing weren’t hard enough!
.-= rhapsodyinbooks´s last blog ..“I Used to Be Snow White, But I Drifted…” Guest Blog by Author Linda Gillard =-.
Just like when I travel, I over-pack with writing baggage. My baggage includes dialog from characters who like to talk, adjectives galore and agonizing trips down hallways – fascinating reading.
It’s hard to cut, but well worth the effort.
50,000 words, very impressive!
.-= Cathryn´s last blog ..Bad Hair Year =-.
rhapsodyinbooks, I really enjoyed reading Linda Gillard’s post. The Jane Eyre rejection letter was hilarious, too!
Cathryn, I’m so glad to hear that it’s worth the effort. I’m determined to do this, to write, to complete all the books that are in my head, and all the ones to come, but it won’t be until I finish this first one that I’ll really know what it’s like to revise something so much larger than a short story. I’m looking forward to it in a way, and I’m not looking forward to it, too!