Tag Archives: National Novel Writing Month

Rough sketches

Updated on December 5, 2007 by Elena Greene

National Novel Writing Month ended last Friday, with a total of 1187,931,929 words being written worldwide. All over the internet people are blogging about their experiences. My friend Kathleen Bolton at Writer Unboxed is happy she created some good prose even though she didn’t reach the 50,000 word NaNoWriMo goal. I’m happy too but in a different way. I did reach 50K though I’ll admit most of the scenes will require heavy duty revisions.

Critics of the NaNoWriMo process question the point in writing madly to meet a quota. For me, it’s not a matter of quantity versus quality because during my early drafts my goal isn’t really to generate words so much as ideas. Quantitative goals keep me tackling scene after scene, concentrating on characterization and plotting and leaving stylistic issues for the rewrites.

I’ve been known to call my rough drafts primordial ooze. But they can also be likened to an artist’s sketches. Consider this Da Vinci study for “Virgin and Child with Cat”. Note the different positioning of head, limbs. The fluidity, the testing of ideas. OK, maybe it’s pretentious to compare my scribblings to efforts of creative minds like Da Vinci. But I find it reassuring that their work went through messy phases–though sketches like this (unlike my rough drafts) have a beauty of their own.

Another artistic genius whose process fascinates me is Beethoven. A few years ago a librarian found the lost manuscript for a piano version of Beethoven’s Grosse Fugue (the last movement in the string quartet in B flat major, Op 130). According to article in the Guardian the manuscript “shows the extent of Beethoven’s reworkings and includes deletions, corrections and deep erasures – occasionally the paper is rubbed right through leaving small holes – smudged alterations and several pages pasted over the original or affixed with sealing wax.” It even looks like there’s blood on the page–don’t we all know that feeling?! (The articles says it’s red crayon.)

The Grosse Fugue is one of Beethoven’s most innovative compositions, challenging to performers and listeners. Originally given a cool reception, it’s still the sort of piece that requires concentration and reveals more each time one hears it. I took my budding violinist to a performance by the Guarneri Quartet and we were both blown away.

I personally find it reassuring to know that even great creative works sometimes go through an ugly birthing process. But I suppose it could be scary as well. What do you think? Or would you rather enjoy the final result without knowing about the messy bits? Are there any artists (of any sort) whose methods or process inspire you?

Elena
www.elenagreene.com

Working while sick

Updated on November 7, 2007 by Elena Greene

I am apologizing in advance for this very lame blog. Last week I caught a cold and also slipped in the bathroom, jamming my big toe. So I’ve been sniffling and hobbling and generally slow to get things done. I really should have asked on of my fellow Riskies to cover for me today. But it’s too late now, so you’ll have to bear with my ramblings!

Despite the cold I’ve still been trying to partake in National Novel Writing Month. For anyone who hasn’t heard of it, NaNoWriMo poses the challenge of writing at least 50,000 words of a new novel in thirty days. This year about 100,000 people all over the world are participating. I’ve even met some Dutch romance fans who are interested in the Dutch translation of LADY DEARING’S MASQUERADE. Though I’m barely hanging in there with wordcount, I’ve had fun so far and gotten some new ideas.

However, yesterday I took the afternoon off writing to concentrate on research. Yes, heavy duty research. I spent a whole couple of hours curled up in bed watching Sharpe’s Revenge. I’ve been working my way through the series as background for my military hero. How I suffer for my craft! I do adore Sharpe, even though he falls in and out of love too quickly to be an ideal romantic hero. I wonder if this is why some of us are writing (or thinking about writing) our own Peninsular war stories?

I haven’t used them this time round, but some of my other favorite ways of salvaging a sick day are rereading Jane Austen, Georgette Heyer and Loretta Chase. Obviously, I study them in order to understand what makes a good comfort read.

Do you have any favorite ways of “working” while sick? What are your comfort reads? If you’ve seen it, what did you think of Sharpe’s Revenge? Of the romantic elements in the series as a whole?

Elena
www.elenagreene.com