NaNoWriMo.
Nov. 5th, 2005 03:13 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
swestrupHaven't written anything yet today because
I have simultaneously been reading some stories in the genre that I'm writing in. These are amateur works that I nevertheless admire. Were I an editor, there are many changes and improvements I would make in them. One author desperately needs to be told that the word is 'Ma'am', not 'Mam' and that the passed tense of drag is dragged, not drug. (WFT? We left the vowel-shift era hundreds of years ago; why is he trying to bring it back???)
Still, compared to what I've just written, they are true works of art. As a result, I'm of two minds whether its a good idea to read other fiction in my target genre while doing NaNoWriMo. On the one hand, it shows me just how bad my prose is in comparison. On the other, I've always known that I'm better at rewriting than I am at writing, and the fact that I could so easily improve on much better works makes me think that by the time my novel is edited (sometime in December, or the new year, I would hope) to my satisfaction I would be willing to publish it.
In its current state I would never dare show it to anyone. My dad used to say "Never show a fool a half-done job." I've since learned that there are very few people that you can show a half-done job to and get useful and constructive feedback. The vast majority of comments are always about the glaring errors that you are well aware of and can fix easily, and never target the subtle problems that you haven't yet figured out how to solve.
Ah well, at least my migraine seems to be in retreat. With just a bit of luck I will have my old computer back up and happy by this evening, and I can continue writing my novel in the environment that I am used to using. I've got a bunch of catching up to do, but I feel strangely confidant that I will manage.
- I just woke up.
- I'm dealing with a migraine.
I have simultaneously been reading some stories in the genre that I'm writing in. These are amateur works that I nevertheless admire. Were I an editor, there are many changes and improvements I would make in them. One author desperately needs to be told that the word is 'Ma'am', not 'Mam' and that the passed tense of drag is dragged, not drug. (WFT? We left the vowel-shift era hundreds of years ago; why is he trying to bring it back???)
Still, compared to what I've just written, they are true works of art. As a result, I'm of two minds whether its a good idea to read other fiction in my target genre while doing NaNoWriMo. On the one hand, it shows me just how bad my prose is in comparison. On the other, I've always known that I'm better at rewriting than I am at writing, and the fact that I could so easily improve on much better works makes me think that by the time my novel is edited (sometime in December, or the new year, I would hope) to my satisfaction I would be willing to publish it.
In its current state I would never dare show it to anyone. My dad used to say "Never show a fool a half-done job." I've since learned that there are very few people that you can show a half-done job to and get useful and constructive feedback. The vast majority of comments are always about the glaring errors that you are well aware of and can fix easily, and never target the subtle problems that you haven't yet figured out how to solve.
Ah well, at least my migraine seems to be in retreat. With just a bit of luck I will have my old computer back up and happy by this evening, and I can continue writing my novel in the environment that I am used to using. I've got a bunch of catching up to do, but I feel strangely confidant that I will manage.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2005-11-06 08:19 am (UTC)This author is obviously confusing the past-tense for "hang". Which is either "hanged" or "hung", depending on whether it is a person being hanged or not.
no subject
Date: 2005-11-07 01:42 am (UTC)