Peak: hitting target 30k words and understanding for the first time where I’m getting it wrong in terms of balance between dialogue, narrator’s description and plot. Hallelujah!
Pit: kind of the same as the peak, realising this thing lurches like a liner taking on water in heavy seas and I will have to revise/rewrite the whole plan in much greater detail for next draft - this isn’t the story I thought it was.
It’s worth saying that I have only been able to expose this deep-seated lurching/imbalance problem by writing 2k per day on this brutal schedule without edits or rewrites - amazing what I can see straightaway when I’m reading my stuff raw and in bulk. Loving it, hard work, a revelation!
My work took another sudden turn this past week, thanks to the prompts. I can write poetry, but I lack skills in storytelling. I need prompts. My protagonist doesn't speak to me, and I think I know why.
The peak was when one of my characters showed up in the story and tied it all together for me. Their personality the motivation clicked it was brilliant!
The pit was fully realizing I had so much going on and it felt good but was such a daunting moment. I suddenly felt like my story was real and it was intimidating and solid and ominous! Haha
Feeling sudden responsibility for this was an interesting outcome, especially when I thought I’d already had that!
I can’t wait to read about everyone else’s week! Celebrate yourselves! It’s Saturday!!!
My pit: I hit a wall with one scene, wrote only 200 words one day and 400 the next, and felt so bored by my story that I wanted to give up.
My peak: I kept showing up, decided to skip that scene for now, then wrote 2000 words that took my story in a weird new direction that I wasn't expecting. Now it's fun to write again.
Peak: turning up to the office early to write, then staying late to act on all the ideas I had throughout the day! Additionally, the evolving layers and twists in my plot, which are surprising even me.
I also finished reading a 500-page book this week, and loved it!
Pit: I am so so behind! I won’t be able to catch up by the end of the month, so my new goal is the end of the year.
So amazing that you are showing up early and staying late to do this! And isn't it wonderful when your story catches you by surprise? Keep at it! I know you can do it.
My peak: realizing I really can show up to write every day and when I read back over it, I don’t hate it.
My pit: I still feel like I’m in set up… and it’s a lot of set up… and I think I have some pieces out of order… and I haven’t written anything for my weekly Substack column… and Mondays are brutal for me so I need to get it done this weekend… but the daily word count is relentless
My peak: This is not a novel. The protagonist is a certain very familiar technology, which doesn't exactly have an antagonist, but does have a victim or two, and a witness. The prompts have to be translated, still, they are asking me to think about an arc, a tension.
My peak: The hungry ghosts have me crying. Each night, a download of 1000 words ,1000 images ,1000 eyes asking me to see through them. Every morning after dream space, I wake up and begin my dictation. I am a stenographer for ghosts on the other side. Am I healing them or are they healing me?
The pit: Still trying to measure my process, my connection with story ,with characters ,with myself with becoming by others yardsticks.
1856 words. A new--and necessary--voice. Deeper in to whatever this is. Thanks! Oh, wow, "peaks and pits" I can't even do that: they happen sentence to sentence, word to word, and I'M NOT REREADING ANYTHING yet. Or, I could say each day's a "peak," because I did the work.
My pit - a sinus infection that made staring at a screen impossible for several days.
My peak - finally getting to write a scene that I've wanted to write for ages about the ridiculousness that is flat hunting in London (personally I think its hilarious....)
I've got one last scene to write tomorrow to send me hurtling into act 2 and the messy middle - I can't wait to find out what happens (as I have not planned this section at all yet...)
My peak: I am finally back in the groove with this story I've been thinking about but not doing anything about for a year! I'm in the world and things are flowing (mostly because this is giving my a good kick in the pants to do it already. Staying with it!
My pit: I think it might want to be multi-pov. I have never done that and am a bit terrified to! Anyone out there doing multi pov novels? I am letting it flow as it comes, but want to be sure each pov has a full story, a full arc...so maybe I should write 1 pov at a time? Any advice would be great. Write on, friends!
My peak was that I was finally able to figure out (at least for now) the order of a couple of key events and feel like I can move forward with a bit of flow.
Pit is that I’m still not hitting word counts (some days this week were very low) but I still did it so trying not to worry too much
My peak: holy shit I've written 20,929 words so far this month. I hope this brings me closer to my pipe dream of eventually publishing a novel.
My pit: holy shit what if someone I know actually reads this one day?
But in all seriousness, it's been freeing coming to the page with the expectation of creating mess and trudging forward.
In: messy first drafts.
Out: polished *ideas* of first drafts that never get written because of our (my) fear of failure.
Peak: hitting target 30k words and understanding for the first time where I’m getting it wrong in terms of balance between dialogue, narrator’s description and plot. Hallelujah!
Pit: kind of the same as the peak, realising this thing lurches like a liner taking on water in heavy seas and I will have to revise/rewrite the whole plan in much greater detail for next draft - this isn’t the story I thought it was.
It’s worth saying that I have only been able to expose this deep-seated lurching/imbalance problem by writing 2k per day on this brutal schedule without edits or rewrites - amazing what I can see straightaway when I’m reading my stuff raw and in bulk. Loving it, hard work, a revelation!
My work took another sudden turn this past week, thanks to the prompts. I can write poetry, but I lack skills in storytelling. I need prompts. My protagonist doesn't speak to me, and I think I know why.
Great insights! Why isn't your protag talking?
Interested in this also!
I love these! Obviously!
The peak was when one of my characters showed up in the story and tied it all together for me. Their personality the motivation clicked it was brilliant!
The pit was fully realizing I had so much going on and it felt good but was such a daunting moment. I suddenly felt like my story was real and it was intimidating and solid and ominous! Haha
Feeling sudden responsibility for this was an interesting outcome, especially when I thought I’d already had that!
I can’t wait to read about everyone else’s week! Celebrate yourselves! It’s Saturday!!!
My pit: I hit a wall with one scene, wrote only 200 words one day and 400 the next, and felt so bored by my story that I wanted to give up.
My peak: I kept showing up, decided to skip that scene for now, then wrote 2000 words that took my story in a weird new direction that I wasn't expecting. Now it's fun to write again.
my peak: going to the coffee shop down the street from my flat, ordering a matcha, and writing until it got dark <3
my pit: trying to write on an exhausting travel day... but i still got 600 words down on the flight so maybe it's secretly a peak
Peak: turning up to the office early to write, then staying late to act on all the ideas I had throughout the day! Additionally, the evolving layers and twists in my plot, which are surprising even me.
I also finished reading a 500-page book this week, and loved it!
Pit: I am so so behind! I won’t be able to catch up by the end of the month, so my new goal is the end of the year.
So amazing that you are showing up early and staying late to do this! And isn't it wonderful when your story catches you by surprise? Keep at it! I know you can do it.
Great pivot! It's all about the momentum & inspiration.
My peak: realizing I really can show up to write every day and when I read back over it, I don’t hate it.
My pit: I still feel like I’m in set up… and it’s a lot of set up… and I think I have some pieces out of order… and I haven’t written anything for my weekly Substack column… and Mondays are brutal for me so I need to get it done this weekend… but the daily word count is relentless
Yay for not hating it. 👍Hang in there. I set myself a lower daily goal and that helped a lot.
Peak: realizing I can literally write anywhere for any amount of time (don't have to set aside an ENTIRE DAY like I thought I did)
Pit: not keeping up with my word count as I would like; sidelined by family visiting and health issues
My peak: This is not a novel. The protagonist is a certain very familiar technology, which doesn't exactly have an antagonist, but does have a victim or two, and a witness. The prompts have to be translated, still, they are asking me to think about an arc, a tension.
My pit: I'm waaaaay behind on word count!
My peak: The hungry ghosts have me crying. Each night, a download of 1000 words ,1000 images ,1000 eyes asking me to see through them. Every morning after dream space, I wake up and begin my dictation. I am a stenographer for ghosts on the other side. Am I healing them or are they healing me?
The pit: Still trying to measure my process, my connection with story ,with characters ,with myself with becoming by others yardsticks.
1856 words. A new--and necessary--voice. Deeper in to whatever this is. Thanks! Oh, wow, "peaks and pits" I can't even do that: they happen sentence to sentence, word to word, and I'M NOT REREADING ANYTHING yet. Or, I could say each day's a "peak," because I did the work.
My pit - a sinus infection that made staring at a screen impossible for several days.
My peak - finally getting to write a scene that I've wanted to write for ages about the ridiculousness that is flat hunting in London (personally I think its hilarious....)
I've got one last scene to write tomorrow to send me hurtling into act 2 and the messy middle - I can't wait to find out what happens (as I have not planned this section at all yet...)
My peak: I am finally back in the groove with this story I've been thinking about but not doing anything about for a year! I'm in the world and things are flowing (mostly because this is giving my a good kick in the pants to do it already. Staying with it!
My pit: I think it might want to be multi-pov. I have never done that and am a bit terrified to! Anyone out there doing multi pov novels? I am letting it flow as it comes, but want to be sure each pov has a full story, a full arc...so maybe I should write 1 pov at a time? Any advice would be great. Write on, friends!
My peak: I’ve written 19,000 words!! This is the most I’ve ever written on one project
My pit: I’ve been so busy this week that I’m way behind on getting to 23k by the end of the week but I’m still pushing through
My peak was that I was finally able to figure out (at least for now) the order of a couple of key events and feel like I can move forward with a bit of flow.
Pit is that I’m still not hitting word counts (some days this week were very low) but I still did it so trying not to worry too much