TRIUMPH!
Wednesday, January 05, 2011
It was nobody’s fault but mine. I could have worked on the next Rohan book in October, gotten a good start on it and then finished it up in November, ahead of time. But no, I wanted to spend time on the ICE book, and I figured I could do NANOWRIMO (National Novel Writing Month) and get most of it done, then sail on through to the finish in time to make my deadline of December 15th.
I’m not sure how good NANOWRIMO is for me. Certainly I did the 50,000 words, but that was all I did. I checked to make sure I did my daily 2,000 words, but that was all I did. It was too static for me. I need to throw myself into a book, not follow the rules. So there I was December 1st with only 50,000 words of a book that had to be a lot more, and I was stumped. It wasn’t coming together, I’d lost my momentum and my magic. I knew where I was going, and I trudged along, but I wasn’t happy.
So I did what any author would do if they love the sound of deadlines whizzing past. I begged my editor for a two week extension, secure in the belief that no one in New York works between December 15th and the first week in January. Unfortunately I was wrong. My editor is a hardworking young man who intended to work, god bless him. But he also granted me a dispensation until January 3rd, when he planned to do a fast turn around.
Aiyee! I’m a Christmas slut. I only put about a third of the Christmas decorations out, and yet people who came in stared in awe. I did no baking apart from my bread machine, no crafts, but I did have the most fabulous three year old grandson to play with on crucial occasions.
I gave up around December 20th, figuring I could simply throw myself into it between Christmas and New Years. And I did. My poor heroine ended up stark naked on a table, adorned with grapes (she had the grapes, not the table). The hero, rescuing her, says “I’ll never look at grapes the same way again.”
I worked. And worked. And worked. On New Year’s Eve I managed 3,500 words with my grandson spending the night. On New Year’s Day I wrote 10,000 words, or the equivalent of 43 pages in Bookman Old Style (my current font) or 49 pages in Courier New, the font I used to use. After Alex went home I wrote, took a nap, wrote, took another nap, and then wrote till 3 am. I really wanted to finish but my eyes were glazing over, and I toddled off to bed and the arms of my husband. Ye gods. It was a good thing I didn’t try to finish, because it took another 7,200 to pull everything together, making the two day total a grand 17,200 or between 65 and 75 pages..
My shoulders are killing me. My fingers hurt, I feel like I’ve run a marathon. Which I guess I have.
And it worked. It caught fire, and I love it, and as soon as I recover I’ll go back in and fix all the stodgy parts that lingered in those 50,000 words from NANOWRIMO. It’s going to be brilliant, and it has the loveliest cover!
So SHAMELESS is essentially finished, and it’ll be out and about in June, as well as in audio. And now I can sit back and rest. For maybe half a day.
Because a writer is driven to write. I feel empty and uneasy when I’m not working on something — it’s who I am and always has been. Can’t retire, and I can’t even die. I have too many books to write.
I just have to be careful not to kill myself off with these crazy marathons.
How did the rest of you spend your New Year’s Eve? Anyone else sleep next to your grandson to make sure he didn’t wake up and panic?
I’m not sure how good NANOWRIMO is for me. Certainly I did the 50,000 words, but that was all I did. I checked to make sure I did my daily 2,000 words, but that was all I did. It was too static for me. I need to throw myself into a book, not follow the rules. So there I was December 1st with only 50,000 words of a book that had to be a lot more, and I was stumped. It wasn’t coming together, I’d lost my momentum and my magic. I knew where I was going, and I trudged along, but I wasn’t happy.
So I did what any author would do if they love the sound of deadlines whizzing past. I begged my editor for a two week extension, secure in the belief that no one in New York works between December 15th and the first week in January. Unfortunately I was wrong. My editor is a hardworking young man who intended to work, god bless him. But he also granted me a dispensation until January 3rd, when he planned to do a fast turn around.
Aiyee! I’m a Christmas slut. I only put about a third of the Christmas decorations out, and yet people who came in stared in awe. I did no baking apart from my bread machine, no crafts, but I did have the most fabulous three year old grandson to play with on crucial occasions.
I gave up around December 20th, figuring I could simply throw myself into it between Christmas and New Years. And I did. My poor heroine ended up stark naked on a table, adorned with grapes (she had the grapes, not the table). The hero, rescuing her, says “I’ll never look at grapes the same way again.”
I worked. And worked. And worked. On New Year’s Eve I managed 3,500 words with my grandson spending the night. On New Year’s Day I wrote 10,000 words, or the equivalent of 43 pages in Bookman Old Style (my current font) or 49 pages in Courier New, the font I used to use. After Alex went home I wrote, took a nap, wrote, took another nap, and then wrote till 3 am. I really wanted to finish but my eyes were glazing over, and I toddled off to bed and the arms of my husband. Ye gods. It was a good thing I didn’t try to finish, because it took another 7,200 to pull everything together, making the two day total a grand 17,200 or between 65 and 75 pages..
My shoulders are killing me. My fingers hurt, I feel like I’ve run a marathon. Which I guess I have.
And it worked. It caught fire, and I love it, and as soon as I recover I’ll go back in and fix all the stodgy parts that lingered in those 50,000 words from NANOWRIMO. It’s going to be brilliant, and it has the loveliest cover!
So SHAMELESS is essentially finished, and it’ll be out and about in June, as well as in audio. And now I can sit back and rest. For maybe half a day.
Because a writer is driven to write. I feel empty and uneasy when I’m not working on something — it’s who I am and always has been. Can’t retire, and I can’t even die. I have too many books to write.
I just have to be careful not to kill myself off with these crazy marathons.
How did the rest of you spend your New Year’s Eve? Anyone else sleep next to your grandson to make sure he didn’t wake up and panic?
posted by Anne Stuart at 5:39 PM
9 Comments:
I ate, played with my grandson and wrote. The best Christmas ever. Partly because I had my first white Christmas in Alabama.
Happy New Year!
I ate as well and was pretty much freezing my bum off in Wisconsin. Hey Anne, do you have a twin? I just put a book named "Raziel" on my wishlist on Amazon and she has the same hobbies like you! Just saying....Please keep those books coming, ICE and everything, you're the best!
Happy new year!
I don't know where you live, however I am a mean cook, can give a pretty good upper body massage, have a 7 year old daughter to keep the grandson entertained while you write. I LOVE you books! keep them coming and anything I can do to facilitate you, let me know! I just finished Blue Sage. good stuff
Hey Anne, glad to know we have another ICE book coming soon. Nothing like the little ones to make christmas feel special. glad you took the time to bond and enjoy him
What a brilliant description of your race to the finish line! Your House of Rohan books were my introduction to historical romances and my all-time favorites. Which means that I cannot wait until June to read the next one...it sounds delicious!
"Because a writer is driven to write. I feel empty and uneasy when I’m not working on something — it’s who I am and always has been. Can’t retire, and I can’t even die. I have too many books to write.
I just have to be careful not to kill myself off with these crazy marathons."
I love this quote, Anne...how you sum up so beautifully the artist's condition. Does it matter which form? I don't think so. If it's not entirely cheesy to say, that's exactly how I felt after narrating "Fire and Ice." Exhausted, fulfilled...sated :) Much like the heroines of your fabulous books.
When not working on what "fills" me, I pretty much do nothing. My family gets annoyed, accuses me of hovering (after complaining for days or weeks that they haven't seen me). I pace. I overeat simply to have something to do. And I wait, wait for the next transportive experience in which to lose myself.
Cheers and happy new year. Can't wait to see what you come out with next.
Glad to hear another Ice is on it's way. Happy New Year to you, and your loved ones, this wish is a bit late, but well meant. ; )
Just heard today that you will be our workshop speaker at LARA later this year. Yay! I'm looking forward to hearing you speak, learning from your wisdom, and just revelling in your awesomeness.
I didn't get all my christmas decorations out either,but had a wonderful christmas! So glad another Rohan book is coming!
Oh wow, Anne.
Can you tell us WHOSE ICE book this is? please? Please? Pleeeeeze?
And in Shameless, is it a Rohan Hero or heroine?????
I was sick all through the holidays--but did manage to put up my decorations.
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