I'm even starting to sketch out plot points. For some reason, I shipped a lot of my old notebooks here to Japan instead of storing them; they all have bits and scraps of stories I wanted to write but didn't have time. I'd say I haven't had time to read through them yet, but that's becoming less of an excuse for me (I do, after all, waste several hours each day just laying in bed, unconscious [maybe aging isn't what's making my hair fall out]).
It turns out that a lot of JETs write books while they're here. I do tend to have bouts of free time here at the office between classes (more so this week, as I've been kicked out of some classes as they prepare for midterms thr-fri; yesterday I had only 1 class). So, "write for an hour" could just be one more thing I do at work, like "study Japanese for an hour", which I do now because I have an external deadline (monthly JET tests). So, with the external deadline of NaNoWriMo, I might get it done.
Here's a link about writing: http://www.mb.com.ph/YNCP2004091118182.html
It's mostly centered on Grisham, who would write two hours a day every morning BEFORE WORKING FULL TIME AS A LAWYER! So, no one can say they don't have the time (including me).
It's all about persistence. Here's a great quote on that:
Nothing takes the place of persistence.Here's a question though:
Talent will not.
Nothing is more common than
unsuccessful people with talent.
Genius will not.
Unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.
Education will not.
The world is full of educated derelicts.
Persistence alone has solved
and always will solve
the problems of the human race.
- Calvin Coolidge
Should I put my novel-in-progress online? If people wanted to see it, I supposed I could put it up on the forum, but I think I would be quite embarassed if people actually knew how poorly I compose fiction. Of course, it may be a moot point, as it's nearly November 1st, and I don't have a plot yet...
Posts
I'd read it. I'd probably correct any spelling and grammar mistakes as well. -)
ReplyDeleteI don't know. Generally, when I do something, I like to do it well. Very well. Better than the average person would (or could). That's part of my neuroses.
ReplyDeleteThe problem here is that the goal is not to write a good novel, but to write one that is at least 50,000 words. It is likely to be 50,000 words of crap.
I have wandered around the web and found other stories posted by other people, and I'm SURE that these people think that these stories are wonderful. Actually, there are quite a few that I haven't been able to finish reading; they are THAT BAD. I would put a link up, except I usually know the person, and would not wish to embarrass them.
That being said, I do believe that embarrassment is one of those things that people must build up a tolerance to. If you still feel the sting of burning shame when something embarrassing happens, well, you haven't been embarrassed enough yet. And I think that fear of embarrassment holds people back from doing things they might enjoy (dancing immediately comes to mind).
So, with that in mind, I might put it up anyway, even though out of all the people that e-mail me and tell me they read my blog, only one has commented and said that they would like to see it.