1. Lmc71775

    Lmc71775 Active Member

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    Novel Help! Gonna Blow!

    Discussion in 'Genre Discussions' started by Lmc71775, Sep 21, 2010.

    Okay...so I have been writing my second novel and I feel like I am going to blow up like a zit waiting to be popped! And I wanna pop it too...I want this outta me so I can start the revision process (which I enjoy even more knowing it's done and that I can add and edit) I feel relieved when it is over with. I don't feel relieved and I am honestly starting to go batty.

    When I write, I have all these ideas. And I can't seem to type fast enough! I only type about 35 words a minute. I am only at 11K words. I want it to be at least 40K or more. How do I slow down without freaking out that I am going to lose it?

    I tried an outline and it didn't work...I just started writing the story again.

    I need to pace myself or I will lose my idea...I need some help as to how I should go about this. Has anyone else have that problem? Plus I fear IF I lose it, I will get writer's block and will never finish.

    thanks.
     
  2. aimlessramblings

    aimlessramblings New Member

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    when i took a writing class in school, our teacher was talking about this issue, and she said one of the ways she fulfills her need to get all the ideas out before she gets to them, is a small Digital Audio Recorder, so when she gets to a stopping point, she can sit, listen and then decide what she wants to put down...... (you can also do this with a microphone on your computer)...


    Good Luck, and Happy Writing....
     
  3. Lmc71775

    Lmc71775 Active Member

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    Ah what a brilliant Idea! Cause I feel like I can't stop it in my head! Hehe

    I will have to try to figure out how to use the mic on the computer. Either that, or get a little recorder. thanks
     
  4. viktor

    viktor New Member

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    I solve problems like this Philip K Dick style: take some stimulants (coffee will do) and write until you're exhausted. If you wake up with keyboard imprints on your face you know you've done what you can.
     
  5. Mallory

    Mallory Contributor Contributor

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    Dude, write! You've got this story coming at you a million miles an hour...I've read it, and the action moves really fast, you're getting MUCH better at that. :) Most writers struggle with the opposite, where they get stuck and the plot doesn't come fast enough.

    If you use all your ideas and you're only halfway done with the story (or less), ask yourself "What happens next"? I'm sure you'll have tons more ideas when you get to that point. by then, the story will have led you down an entirely new road.

    Just go with it. Trust me you're doing fine.

    I should have your revisions emailed back by tomorrow -- today has been crazy.
     
  6. Lmc71775

    Lmc71775 Active Member

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    Haha...Viktor, that's kinda what I've been doing...thanks for the laugh though!

    Mal, you're right. I'm just gonna ride the wave until I crash eventually.

    Just don't wanna come up short, but if I do...there is always the next step: Revision!

    Thanks again guys.
     
  7. mammamaia

    mammamaia nit-picker-in-chief Contributor

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    sorry to say, 40k won't be a marketable novel unless it's for the YA crowd... for adult fiction, you'll have to come up with 80-100k...
     
  8. Lmc71775

    Lmc71775 Active Member

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    Actually since you said that. I must ask. What qualifies it to be a YA...intended for 18 to 24? Or do I have the age wrong? Just wondering because I think my novel is somewhat YA...the main character is 22...would that mean it is? It is pretty tame. Not erotica or anything. More paranormal romance.
     
  9. Mallory

    Mallory Contributor Contributor

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    I think by YA she means preteen and teen books, where the MC is aged 12--18 (readers will more likely be 11-16 ish)
     
  10. mammamaia

    mammamaia nit-picker-in-chief Contributor

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    yup!... anything beyond that would be considered 'adult' fiction... and thus have to be at least twice as long as what you're aiming for...
     

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