Final Word Count: August 15, 2011- a couple hundred; no journal pages for a few days now
I’ve really fallen off my routine. This is bad. Very, very bad. It’s not that I’m not enjoying this, I’m actually really having fun with the Western. The problem is is that it’s moving soooooo sloooooowly. I feel like I’m the one trudging through the dusty desert-like landscape instead of my characters. I don’t understand why it’s taking so long getting through the traveling parts, I mean unless my characters get kidnapped or get sucked into a Conestoga caravan (which have yet to happen), this should be the quickest part!
I’m not even at the main part of the story yet so I’m starting to get a little antsy with impatience and nerves. I may have to pare down on this section and keep it bare bones so that I have a better chance at actually finishing this story. I think I have to stop caring about it so much and remember: “Quantity over Quality.”
It’s hard not to become deeply involved with the story and care about how it’s turning out. I want to maintain the quality of writing to which I’m accustomed to producing but let’s face it- when you’re staring down the barrel of a gun being held by the last Midnight of the month, you can only keep going at that pace for so long before things start going haywire. I’d much rather the novels go squirrelly than me. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to give up the fight easily.
I don’t wish it was September already; like I said, I’m really enjoying this genre. I’m starting to wish I had some background in this before I started though. And don’t even get me started on my chapter breaks! I think I’ve missed a couple because I have some chapters that are 10+ pages and then others are a page and a half!
*Wheeling around on one heel with my hands on my forehead and crazy-eyed* I’m a complete disaster this month!
How much do your characters’ travels bring the PLOT forward? If nothing happens, skip it. When you’re bored writing it, then the readers will be bored as well, and you’ll cut the passage anyway during revision – nless long stretches of boredom are part of the plot, of course 😉
Thanks for the advice 🙂 I think I intuitively knew that so I haven’t spent pages on it and tried to keep something in it that keeps the character development going such as “where are you from” conversations a nd helping the reader learn about the new character. I’ve been dawdling with it since I don’t have internet at home and can’t visualize the path they would have taken. I need to plot out a rough route for them so I know what towns I can use to indicate their progress. They’re coming up to their first town since traveling together so we’ll see what happens!