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| Photo by Clearly Ambiguous |
I've run into a problem. A problem pertaining to NaNo. A problem that could comprise everything!
But let me back track a little. As far as my NaNo is going, I'm doing quite well. I'm on page 40 and I'm about 250 words away from hitting 15,000. When I tried NaNo the first time, when I was in high school, the daunting task of 50,000 words made me crash and burn.
And don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that what I'm writing is the next great American novel or anything, but after the month is over I'll have a nice skeleton to put some meat of a story on. I hope to one day be able to edit this story and have it out there for people to read and enjoy, but for the time being, I'll push out what I can.
Anyway, my dilemma. Oh man, it's a doozy. (Is that even a real word?) Whilst sitting in class yesterday the idea for a story popped into my head. This story I believe could be really awesome if I put some time into it and gave it the tender love and care it needed. But then it hit me. I don't have time to write another story.
I mean, I guess I technically have time for another story. But, I'm already working on this novel and I'm busy editing my short story for my Creative Writing class.
So the question is. What to do. Do I put the story on the back burners and hope to have the same enthusiasm to write it I have now in a month? I know I'll need some time away from this novel come December, and maybe then will be the time to write this story. I think it'll do quite well as a short story.
Either way, comment if you'd like. Tell me what you think. Tell me what you do when faced with a similar dilemma.
This happens frequently, as is the curse of being an imaginative person. I keep a bunch of different notebooks to write ideas down in, because I am insane and like to categorize my ideas in the most expensive way possible. I definitely recommend doing this because, chances are, you'll get it out of your system enough to continue OR you'll write things down and mull over it enough that, when you go to write it, it'll just flow from your fingers like lava.
ReplyDeleteFrom, you know, a volcano. Not from fingers.
[p.s. this comment ID thing is confusing me. Don't judge me, the random spectator, on whatever my name pops up as]
Hi there! I found your blog through the NaNo forums. I know I'm a little late to the party commenting on this post (hope that's okay), but this is something that happens to me every single time I start to really dig in on a writing project. I have a folder set aside on my computer labeled 'ideas'. All the someday-when-I-have-more-time stories go there. Mostly I focus on two things: getting everything I know about the plot and characters written down, even if it's messy and frenetic, and selling future-me on the story. She may not be as excited about it as present-me, after all.
ReplyDeleteWhat did you end up doing?
I ended up just sticking it on the back burner! I had so many story ideas I'm so excited! haha Although, I'm positive that if I hit my 50k word count (which I AM close to catching up!) this novel will not be done. So I have to finish it, and then I'll set it to stew while I write something else =]
DeleteAnd of course it's okay to come late to the party! My blog will always be here (even after NaNo) so stop by any time!