Oh, fiddlesticks.
Pages Written Today: 0
Total Pages Written: 32
Well, I screwed the pooch on that one. Why? I'm not sure really. I certainly never applied myself to the task with the discipline I had in approaching the novel month. Whereas in January I would always try and make up time for time lost and really focus myself on hitting my daily target (even if not always successful), here I was too ready to defer to later in the month. I told myself it was easier than the novel, that I could always catch up later. My early experience with it was very positive and I was quite jazzed by how fast I was working. But then I grew complacent. Everything became an excuse not to work. I would go out and oh, I couldn't work in the morning because I was tired or hungover. I couldn't catch up that evening, because we were going out or I was cooking or some other bullshit excuse.
Basically, I employed all the usual procrastination tricks I pull out to stop me writing. Strange, isn't it, that I was suddenly completely engrossed in a series of novels, including one fantasy novel that I had (unknowingly until I had started reading over the strangely familiar story) actually ditched a few years ago at the 100-page mark for being a bit rubbish and clichéd. This time around? Loved it. Couldn't get enough of it. I should say that the copy I had gotten rid of before was a very different-looking edition. Still a bit shocking though.
So, it all went a bit tits-up. To be honest, I think a big part of the problem was the lack of time I had in advance to prepare myself for the thing. The novel month had two months lead-in, during which I really got myself revved up for this intensive writing period. For this, I had two days grace before throwing myself into it. Which at the end of the day is just an excuse, I guess.
Anyway, onward and all that they say. From here I'll continue work on the script, which was something I intended to do anyway. I'll keep updating on my progress so I feel compelled to get something done.
I'll be back next year to try again. For all it sucks to have fucked it up, I do feel inclined to get the thing done. The buzz of finishing the novel is one I'd like to feel more of.
Next thing is the next novel writing month in November. I'll be there and I hope some of you will be to.
Speaking of which, I flicked back over the novel the other day for the first time since finishing it (I've yet to read it through). I'm happy to say that, while it is still undoubtedly rubbish, there's some good in there to be salvaged. Which is kind of exciting.
And that's that.
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Thursday, April 30, 2009
Script Frenzy Update Day 30 - The End
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Script Frenzy Update Day 22
Pages Written Today: 6
Total Pages Written: 27
toveryetitsnotoveryetitsnotoveryetitsnotoveryetitsno
Monday, April 20, 2009
Script Frenzy Update Day 20
Oh fucksticks...
Pages Written Today: 3
Total Pages Written: 21
Sooo....by my reckoning that leaves a daily page rate of...7.9!
Now, to the untrained eye it may seem I have "given up the ghost", "thrown in the towel" or perhaps "pussied out". Untrue. I remain as committed as ever to the completion of this challenge. Which probably isn't saying much.
Anyway, the proof is in the pudding. I'm going to get back to daily updates, whether I write something or no. At least that gives me added impetus to make some progress. 8 pages is daunting, but by no means unachievable. I just have to dig a little deeper and make better use of my time. Also, stop taking a bloody novel to work with me, giving me some easy option to lose myself in.
Fasten seatbelts, cos it gets choppy from here on in!
Friday, April 10, 2009
Script Frenzy Update Day 10
Oh Jesus...
Pages Written Today: 0
Total Pages Written: 14
Okay, so it looks like my smug, self-assured start to the month hasn't paid the dividends I would have hoped. I've been completely thrown out this past week, and with no good excuse. So I need to rededicate myself to it.
I'm not sure why, but I'm just not taking it as seriously as the novel month, probably because to begin with it seemed so much easier. But I am about to cross that threshold in the month where a missed day begins to dramatically push up my target rate, so I've got to get things rolling again. Or my name is mud!
New daily rate: 4.3 pages.
Let's-a go!
Monday, April 06, 2009
Script Frenzy Update Day 6
Pages Written Today: 5
Total Pages Written: 12
Well, not quite the day I was hoping for, but better than a kick in the teeth and a shove down the stairs.
More adaptation hijinks today, including the insertion of a bit of zing at the end of what would be part one of the serial. I'm feeling okay about it so far though, which is a marked improvement on my novel writing month. I hope I'll still be able to say that a week from now. Strangely enough, making a bunch of sailors and a well educated doctor talk as though they were in a Scots-heavy version of Master and Commander turns out to be easier than creating a diverse range of male and female characters to inhabit a fantasy world of dubious consistency. Go figure.
Anyway, I'm behind on my required page rate (should be at about 20 pages now), but I'm not particularly panicked as yet. I've got plenty on this month at work and I don't really want to get myself all wound up over this as well. Not yet anyway.
Anybody wanting to follow my profile, by the way, can find it at:
http://www.scriptfrenzy.org/eng/user/470294
Sunday, April 05, 2009
Script Frenzy Update Day 5
Pages Written Today: 0 (I'm guessing)
Total Pages Written: 7
Still limping along at the moment, but I'm not terribly worried as yet. Today we're driving down to Kent to visit Alex's Granny (and test our new Tom Tom!), so I doubt I'll find the time to get stuck in.
Tomorrow is going to be a big catch-up day, hopefully putting me nearer to target. I should be on page 17 or so by now, but my goal tomorrow will be to at least hit the 15 page mark.
In terms of the work itself, I'm finding an adaptation a curious activity. On the one hand, it feels more like actual work than the novel did, simply because I have to spend time interpreting the source material for my own purposes. The novel, in contrast, needed no prep work at all, as I just made it up on the fly. On the other hand, once I start writing, the progress feels much faster than the novel and a damn sight more confident as well. At least, it does for now. Touch wood.
Okay, onward and upward!
Friday, April 03, 2009
Script Frenzy Update Day 3
Pages Written Today: 0
Total Pages Written: 3
Okay, okay, so I realise how this looks. But listen, it's been a busy start to the month, with a couple of unexpectedly full mornings, when I would normally get to the meat and potatoes of the matter. Trust me though, this weekend? It's gonna go off big time. Oh yeah, I'm gonna spit pages out like some kind of coked up 80's hack.
Without the coke.
But probably with plenty of hack.
Thursday, April 02, 2009
Script Frenzy Update Day 2
Pages Written Today: 0
Total Pages Written: 3
Jesus, talk about a sputtering start. Still, I guess the novel month had a slow lift-off too, so I won't get discouraged. Anyway, those who followed the novel writing month will notice an important difference, which is the measurement of pages rather than words for this one. Given the slow kick off, my daily target is now around 3.5 pages per day. Ahh, it's nice how low those daily targets seem at this end of the month.
Anyway, a little about yesterday: I haven't written any script stuff for a while now and I was a little unsure of how it would go. But, after a bit of a mare of a morning getting into town, I sat down for an hour or so and just started in, hitting the three page mark by the time I had to get to work. Which was a nice way to start, really. Shame I couldn't continue that today, but I had an unexpected early start and worked through lunch, which left me shattered by the end of the day. So tomorrow morning I'm back into it with both guns blazing. My plan is this: a straight adaptation running to however many pages that might need (the three pages I did yesterday were the first page of the short story, considerably embellished), then padding if necessary.
And by "padding", I mean of course "enriching".
