The Manuscript and my records of the writing process
All 208 hand scrawled double sided sheets...
The reason I have to type up the handwritten draft myself is not just because my handwriting is illegible; I like to do it myself as it allows me to start the editing process.
So why not type directly into a pc first time round and save the time? Well, for me, using a pen to scribble allows freeflow thinking, whereas typing into the computer as I am doing right now engages a different part of my brain - this is a process and therefore uses the right brain. Creating uses the left half...
I think!
Using a pc also means you have the edit facility, thesaurus, research button, spell check, grammar check at your fingertips, and they are all ready to interrupt your thinking. I don't want that happening while I am getting the story down, plenty of time for that stuff later.
The other reason is simplicity itself - I can write anywhere if I have some paper and a pen. I don't really need the pc to write a first draft, so why use it?
So why not type directly into a pc first time round and save the time? Well, for me, using a pen to scribble allows freeflow thinking, whereas typing into the computer as I am doing right now engages a different part of my brain - this is a process and therefore uses the right brain. Creating uses the left half...
I think!
Using a pc also means you have the edit facility, thesaurus, research button, spell check, grammar check at your fingertips, and they are all ready to interrupt your thinking. I don't want that happening while I am getting the story down, plenty of time for that stuff later.
The other reason is simplicity itself - I can write anywhere if I have some paper and a pen. I don't really need the pc to write a first draft, so why use it?
The log
This is a scribbled log of how much writing I did per day during my Montreal house-sitting stint between 15th July and 5th August 2005.
It also records whether I did any exercise in the form of running, with several nine mile stints recorded, whether I fulfilled my house-sitting duties and watered the plants or didn't bother as it rained, and how much booze I needed to lubricate my brain cells, measured in bottles of Heineken!
Maybe you can see the note on the 25th of July when I lost count of the beers so just wrote 'loads'... I went to Jo Jo's Bistro - a fantastic live music venue with an excellent blues band playing that night.
The total word count of 95,000 turned out to be an underestimate: when I typed up the draft I found I had some 120,000 because I estimated an average of 225 words per side instead of 275 as it turned out.
Total hours of physically scribbling? Just 102. That's about the same in terms of hours for a normal worker over seventeen working days during a three week period with two weekends off - as I had.
In theory it would be possible to churn out a novel every month or two, even with editing etc, but to write this way you need a muse - some real inspiration. Without that, I'd have nothing.
It also records whether I did any exercise in the form of running, with several nine mile stints recorded, whether I fulfilled my house-sitting duties and watered the plants or didn't bother as it rained, and how much booze I needed to lubricate my brain cells, measured in bottles of Heineken!
Maybe you can see the note on the 25th of July when I lost count of the beers so just wrote 'loads'... I went to Jo Jo's Bistro - a fantastic live music venue with an excellent blues band playing that night.
The total word count of 95,000 turned out to be an underestimate: when I typed up the draft I found I had some 120,000 because I estimated an average of 225 words per side instead of 275 as it turned out.
Total hours of physically scribbling? Just 102. That's about the same in terms of hours for a normal worker over seventeen working days during a three week period with two weekends off - as I had.
In theory it would be possible to churn out a novel every month or two, even with editing etc, but to write this way you need a muse - some real inspiration. Without that, I'd have nothing.
Daily progress
Of course, there was plenty of research to do prior to the manic ink-to-paper phase, and a whole load of editing and rewriting to knock the draft into shape, but at the end of three weeks I had the basic novel in the bag.
I recorded the hours I worked each day along with the number of words I had written (underestimated as mentioned above). Some sessions just whizzed by while others left me wondering where next, so I'd go for a run or have a few beers to loosen my brain cells and gain inspiration.
My most productive day was 26th July with 8,500 words (probably 10k plus given the underestimate mentioned above) in seven stints between 10am and 11:15pm - but that was after a weekend off and my night out at Jo Jo's. My least productive were the very first day and the very last - although the latter created the epilogue so I am happy with that ending rather than the planned one with Doc dying...
I admit, I am a bit obsessive (my ex says I have full blown OCD) so during this three week period I lived 'Remorselessly'; I ate, drank, slept and dreamt of Doc and Leech.
This frantic flurry of writing gave me something to really work with when it was done, and the process never had a chance to feel stale or boring. The way the novel progressed surprised me at times and that made this a better experience for me personally than reading the best novels written by other authors.
I recorded the hours I worked each day along with the number of words I had written (underestimated as mentioned above). Some sessions just whizzed by while others left me wondering where next, so I'd go for a run or have a few beers to loosen my brain cells and gain inspiration.
My most productive day was 26th July with 8,500 words (probably 10k plus given the underestimate mentioned above) in seven stints between 10am and 11:15pm - but that was after a weekend off and my night out at Jo Jo's. My least productive were the very first day and the very last - although the latter created the epilogue so I am happy with that ending rather than the planned one with Doc dying...
I admit, I am a bit obsessive (my ex says I have full blown OCD) so during this three week period I lived 'Remorselessly'; I ate, drank, slept and dreamt of Doc and Leech.
This frantic flurry of writing gave me something to really work with when it was done, and the process never had a chance to feel stale or boring. The way the novel progressed surprised me at times and that made this a better experience for me personally than reading the best novels written by other authors.
The Remorseless ebook is normally $3.99. Now just 99c - this is a time limited offer...
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Author's comments on Remorseless
I enjoy writing like this and I am now in a position to write more novels, as well as getting the screenplay into the right shape for production, though I am under no illusion about the chances of that happening anytime soon - or ever!
The point is, to use a style and approach that you enjoy and does not hinder your progress - perhaps you like, or maybe need, a lot more structure than me - but it doesn't matter. Just write in the way that's most comfortable and works for you. Every writer has someone who hates their work - I certainly do - but that doesn't matter either. If you have some people who like what you do, that should be enough. Let me know what you think! Will Patching, Author |
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