Sofie K Werkers ([info]nanowrimelle) wrote,
@ 2003-11-03 13:02:00
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Current mood:determined

The bad news is, this is all I wrote last night, due to a terminal case of vegetate-itis, and also a minor fever.

The good news is, this still only puts me about 1,000 words behind schedule, and I fully plan to catch up on that before Friday. That's only a little more than five extra words a day. I can wing that. And then, I'll have a whole week off with nothing to do but write. Yay!


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[info]wimmeke
2003-11-03 10:25 am UTC (link)
Hmmm, it was almost the same here. I only woke up a little past eleven. Too late to visit the shops since they close at noon on a sunday. I think I only started writing past 6 PM. I played games almost all afternoon. I seem to be good at blowing three line events up to several pages. The bad thing will be that even though there seems to be a lot going on with the characters I have now, they are all figurants, they are not supposed to play a part. Oh dear people who will be supposed to read it...

I must admit that I like your way of writing dialogue. It's clear, comprehensive, making sense, you're off to a good start. I had to resort to "Blah blah", x said. Or said x, or x wanted to know. Well, because somehow I wasn't sure if it would still be clear who said what. And to be honest, in the beginning I had to go back a couple of times because I was still mixing up the names of my characters myself. I don't know how you do it but it just reads so much better.

But then since it all adds up to the word count, I'll start my self pity round in December if I'm allowed.
I just heard from another friend that she started in nano too yesterday. Even though, only three days ago she wrote: "No no no, a thousand times no to nanowrimo. No way."

Now I'm beginning to think it's my fault she's started. She's a young mother with a baby that still needs to turn one, she doesn't have time for this but what can I do ?

Trying to make my own quota for today would be a good start I think. And having some food would fit in nicely too.

May you feel better soon and let the words flow trough you.

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[info]nanowrimelle
2003-11-03 10:44 am UTC (link)
I must admit that I like your way of writing dialogue. It's clear, comprehensive, making sense, you're off to a good start.

Funny you should say that, because that was one of my least favourite bits of dialogue. (Too much exposition! Information dump! Bah.) And in the bit I'm writing now, I have a minor character, an inn keeper, who just ... blathers a lot. Hey, it ups my word count, and it amuses me. ^_^

And to be honest, in the beginning I had to go back a couple of times because I was still mixing up the names of my characters myself. I don't know how you do it but it just reads so much better.

Well, I did a lot of worldbuilding before this, so the characters are pretty clear in my head. Also, I have my notes to refer to. *pats her notes*

I started writing some on the train, and things just started flowing. I'm going to have some food now, and clean a bit, and write the rest of my daily quota so I can turn in early, which in turn will let me get up early to write tomorrow. :)

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[info]wimmeke
2003-11-03 11:15 am UTC (link)
I noticed your plans. Last time I woke up early for something was to play on my new computer. Now 14 years ago. If I can get off work early like today, I might be able to keep up, but look, it will be 8 PM in a minute and I haven't written a single word today.
Notes yeah, now you tell me, I think I was like 200 words into some episode about two girls who had to find an alien washed ashore before I decided to actually give them names since I was spending more than the three lines or so that I had planned on them. I'm not planning on using them again later so it's not like they had to be named. But when I got them to talk to each other, I had no choice, although, why would two girls constantly call each other by name when they are sure they are the only ones around ? Oh well, more work for the re-write, if it will ever come.
I guess not having a definitive plan leaves me a lot of freedom to be creative, but it doesn't produce nice writing, I can see that now.
This for example is what happens when I'm bored with a certain part and want to cut it short:

You know how we are, we all like to settle down for the night together and share a bit of rum before we go to sleep. I don’t think any boats sank even. We managed to straighten them all up.”, said the man. “Well, thank you for telling me, I’ve got some shopping to do, I’ll talk to you some other time.”, said Martha. “No problem at all Martha, I just wanted you to know John was safe, I’m sure the other women folks will tell you all about it too, but don’t you worry, with the baby and all, your husband is coming home.”.
She did go shopping after that though. The guy Martha was talking to remained unnamed (After I removed the couple of times that I accidentally called him John)
And this is one example of that said this said that part that spans over two pages I think:

“What’s that ?”, Susan suddenly asks, while Catherine is scanning the shore once more. “What ?”, Catherine asks, turning around swiftly. “There, that blue thing, never seen anything like it !”, Susan says, slowly swimming in it’s direction. “I don’t know,” Says Catherine, “better leave it alone.” “No”, says Susan, “let’s check it out !”.
Susan keeps swimming towards the shiny blue object. “It may be dangerous !”, Catherine yells, but then starts to swim after her friend anyway.
There is indeed a shining blue object washed up the shore, there are lines over it, it sort of looks like a soldiers uniform but it’s way too shiny for that, it couldn’t possibly be any fabric.
“Susan !”, Catherine calls, “Susan, I think it’s a man. You don’t want to go near… In your… Current state of undress !”
“That’s not a man”, Susan replies, “you’d call that shiny blue thing clothes ?”. “Uhm, I guess not.”, Catherine says. “And if it is, I don’t think his eyes would do them any good now, it doesn’t look alive at all.” says Susan.
“Then let’s go swimming somewhere else, I’m not interested in seeing a corpse today !”, yells Catherine. Susan stops suddenly. “You think it’s a dead man ? It’s not dressed like a man, Catherine, what harm could it possibly do ?”. “I don’t want to know Susan, let’s check back later when we’re dried an dressed !”
Even Microsoft Word was losing track of my always opening and closing double quotes at times...
I have next week off too. Hopefully I won't be too bored.

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[info]wimmeke
2003-11-03 01:44 pm UTC (link)
Well, I actually meant the style of your dialogue, not quite the content. What I wrote there was to describe the whole of your story. I'm liking it until now. I somehow regret how I let you talk me into writing in English, because my dictionary sure came in handy today, but hey, I learned stuff today, I think, if I haven't forgotten half of it by now. I guess it's your notes referrance that did it. I must go and sleep a bit now. Oh, and I'm keeping notes too. There is like, uhm, 8 words on my sheet already. LOL
But what I'm writing now supposedly happened 500 years before the start of my actual story, so they're all useless figurants for now. It's hard to keep inventing 16th century English names all the time, but like today, the baker was as good a name as Steve the blacksmith and a few knights and huntsmen. I'll live, I guess.

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[info]nanowrimelle
2003-11-04 03:56 am UTC (link)
Hey now, why am I being blamed for you writing in English?

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[info]wimmeke
2003-11-04 09:24 am UTC (link)
You're not being blamed Sofie ;-) It's a combination of things where your part was only minimal, like "If she can do it than so can I." sort of speaking. I read most of my books in English, I was sure I could write them as well. Until you start, and suddenly want to say something for which you don't know the word. That's my fault too. I read Harry Potter, The Hobbit, Fellowship of the Ring and a bunch of Stephen King novels. Can I help it that I don't remember any of them explaining that a medieval "Schout", was to be translated as "Sheriff", that the round thing in front of a sasddle to hold on to was a "pommel" and that a horse was to be pulled forward by tugging it's "reins" (teugels). If I would have read some medieval stories too in English, I might have known those by now.
I can sit here and complain all day, but I'm up to 8000 words in three days, well ahead of schedule, still having fun and if I'll pull myself trough this, I bet my English will have become a whole lot better than before I started. So I guess I should actually be thanking you as well for it.
Sorry if I offended you. There are a lot more potential readers when you write a book in English, so you're certainly not the only reason why I'm trying this now. It's nanowrimo, if I'm really hating it that much I can still write in dutch again next year.
I'm glad to see you managed to do some serious writing yourself today. I haven't read it yet but since I remember what you said yesterday... I'll be needing an inn keeper myself later on. He'll be a current date character though, I somehow doubt they'll go babbling about the same things.

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