Dragging

Yesterday I was full of optimism. Today hasn't been quite so hopeful.

I've written, of course. Just not as much as I wanted to. I still have an hour or two before bedtime and I hope to sneak in a couple hundred words, at least. But it hasn't been easy.

I realized sometime last week that I would need to expound on some early sections in my novel. If I were simply writing, I would probably finish a very rough draft first and then go back and fill in the empty spaces.

But it's not an ordinary novel, it's a Nano novel. So after fiddling around for much of the day I finally went back this evening and provided much needed description and transition.

I briefly thought about giving up. But I still think I can do it. In fact, I feel much more hopeful than I did at the beginning of the blog. Talk about the power of positive thinking.

When I do write normal, usually more than one month novels, my first draft is basically an extended outline. All of my books, so far, have doubled in length since the first draft. In my newest novel, Turbulence, I actually started in the middle of the book. Later I realized it was the middle and I needed some very solid opening chapters. You could almost say I wrote that novel backwards.

I'm not satisfied with my NaNo effort. Given several months of revision I think it could be quite publishable. But now it is like any other long-term project--essentially bare, waiting for growth and development.

I don't know if I've helped any readers by writing this, but I have helped myself. I'm ready to go again. Two hundred words before bedtime. At least.