republikbabi

Haven’t updated this blog for quite time. I’m actually in several personal project, including making hundred sites, a cultural project, and nanowrimo. The goal of nanowrimo is to write 50,000-word novel based on quantity, not quality. Which means you write everything you think, edit it later. It’s okay if you write garbage, but the goal is to turn off the inner editor and try to bypass the writer block.

I must admit it’s not easy as it sounds. Take a look to my friend who has English as her 1st language.

This is the first time I write an english-language novel. Bad grammar, non-sensical plots, repetitive words. I lost count how many times I wrote “said he”, “said the boy”, “he said”, etc.

This novel will ultimately turn into garbage or crappy novel. But this is a good opportunity to test my skill, and also my attempt to one step getting closer into writing english-language novel. There are not much asian novelists out there who write novel in english, I hope I someday could be listed as  one of these asian writers.

The progress is far from finish. At the moment I’m writing, I have written about 17,914 words of 50,000 words. My stamina is not enough to squeeze 1,667 words per day constantly.

I have been planning to write this novel for quite time actually, so I have basic outline in my head, only the plot is getting nonsense each time I continue the story. I guess I will just go through with it and continue writing. Editing could be done later.

I actually like the overall plot, but since this event discourages editing, I will just try not make my life harder by analysing the plot holes (yet). I think every pages are plot holes >_>.

I remember I have this my ongoing novel, which plot has been revised for three times I guess. I have deleted 150-200 pages scene and write again from scratch because I think the plot is too typical, badly written, unintersting, illogical and such. The hardest part is when you must delete several key plot, key characters you thought it would be interesting.

I remember the first time I write this novel, I have setup the characters, their roles, and so on, but as I write, several go undeveloped and some attached too me too much and I ended up deleting all these underdeveloped characters, removing many scenes related to them and simplify the plot.

After I wrote my novel or short stories, I make a habit to read it myself and put my position as reader, and try imagine how the readers’ feel each scenes I wrote, does this scene suck? Is the flow too fast or too nonsensical? Or perhaps there are too much characters and concepts in the entire novel? *press backspace*

I try not too idealistic and try to make a book enjoyable to both myself and reader because I know how it feels when you read a bad book. The plot flow is uninteresting and alienating reader. But again, it’s always subjective, since some books we don’t like might be thought interesting by other.

Anyway, I don’t think I will reach 50,000. The most realistic number would probably 20,000-30,000. My 1st novel I wrote during high school (unpublished) was 53,000 words and it took 4 years to finish! And here I’m challenged to write 50,000 in one month. O_o

Random Posts

• March 15, 2009 -- Kampanye Damai Pemilu Indonesia 2009 (1)
• September 12, 2007 -- Shinzo Abe Mengundurkan Diri | Abe Resigns (0)
• February 3, 2008 -- Laporan Kopdar Batagor (22)
• March 4, 2007 -- RUU Kebahasaan dan Xenofobia (1)
• September 9, 2008 -- Strangest Stuff in the Planet (8)