After having a serious lull in my writing today, I knew that I had to boost my wordcount and I just decided to freewrite.
I created a separate text document in Scrivener and I just started writing. I didn't know what to write about. I didn't really know how things were going to work out in my story. So I wrote about that. I let my mind wander a bit, but if my fingers stopped moving, I immediately wrote whatever I was thinking no matter how irrelevant it seemed.
It felt a little bit like cheating to have such garbage included in my story, but it's no more garbage that some of my early scenes, to be honest. Everything's going to need revising anyway. And now I have something to reference that discusses all of the issues that I'm currently having with writing my novel.
I'm not sure how it's going to end, because a major revelation has come to light and I don't really know where my main character should go from there. I'm not clear on all of the pieces of the puzzle since I'm writing entirely out of order (and without any preparation) for the first time. I've still got major questions about the main plot and there's a ton of research that I've yet to do regarding different riding types, equestrian competitions, and the financial sides of both horseback riding and college scholarships.
But I think that I've written some pretty good stuff so far, everything considered. I have these amazing characters who just keep on developing and showing me new sides to themselves. There's a deep tension between mother and daughters; friends are creating deeper bonds; a family is torn apart. My favorite part of this novel so far is all of the little scenes that I've gotten to create. The day to day interactions that show how close a silly pair of teenage sisters is or how nerdy the main character and her love interest really are. I'm also at the point of writing where new characters are showing up now that I've got a handle on the old ones. Friends invent themselves so they can take part in Delta's art class, local businesses and their owners come to life, and--out of nowhere--I discover that Delta's widowed mother is dating. And in a serious relationship with a man that she's known for over a year. I had no clue about this until he popped in for a chat with Delta's mother.
Not only did that freewriting help me to sort out some plot problems and make a defined list of certain things that I need to figure out to finish the book, it also boosted my wordcount by 2300 words in about 45 minutes. So if you're behind and struggling to sort some stuff out, it's an exercise that I definitely recommend. If you don't feel comfortable using it toward your overall wordcount, that's fine. Just take a few minutes, set a timer, and write out your inner dialogue. Whatever's on your mind, keep it coming, just as the stream of consciousness goes. My rule is this: it doesn't matter what you write as long as you keep writing until that timer goes off. In the end, you may not have anything useful, but it always helps me to figure things out. Even if it doesn't solve any of your plot bunny or character development problems, I'm positive that it'll have your brain unstuck from wherever you were before. And with your creative juices flowing again, it'll be much easier to get back into the swing of writing.
I'm keeping one eye on the calendar and the other on my wordcount these past few days. I'm slowly inching forward, but I'm far from where I wanted to be. Yesterday I was about 30k behind my goal. As I write this today, I have about 32k to reach my goal. I think I'll stay up a bit later, ignoring my headache, to try to add to that whatever I can. Maybe.
I hope that everyone's writing is going well. How has your character development affected your plot? Are you keeping up with your wordcount, or are you a bit behind like me, or ahead even? Leave a comment down below and let me know? And if you'd like to share an excerpt, leave a short text or a link below. I'd love to get a chance to read some other Wrimos' work.
--Britni M
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