Happy Tuesday, Cyberspace, and welcome to the final pep-talk for The NaNoWriMo Dare Squad!
I think I can honestly say that this has been — by far — the oddest NaNoWriMo I have ever experienced.
Sure, there was the Epic Fail of 2015, and the Peculiar Disappearance of the July Camper.
And, of course, let us not forget that one Camp NaNoWriMo wherein I tried tracking my progress via hours instead of words. *dramatically salutes my brain’s rather untimely demise*
But out of all the bizarre NaNoWriMo seasons I’ve gone through, I must say that November of 2017 really takes the cake.
This month, I wanted to finish my second draft. It didn’t seem like that much to ask for, really. I had a plan. All I had to do was rewrite 1 chapter every 1.5 days. Easy, right?
Right??
Wrong.
Some of you might remember that a long, looong time ago, I mentioned how I was going to be writing a How To Survive Your Second Draft blog post — a post that has still failed to see the light of day on this here blog.
However, I — as always — have a relatively valid reason for this.
And what is this reason, you might ask?
Well. . .
How can I possibly write a Second Drafting Survival Guide when I, myself, have failed to actually survive my second draft?
‘twould be would a catastrophe, my dear beans. And thus, this has been the problem which has plagued me for centuries months. This is the doubt which has inhibited my ability to give any solid and quite possibly exceedingly inaccurate advice on how to write a second draft.
But after enduring this single month of struggling through the second half of this quite awful book, I have realized things, Cyberspace. Many things.
Terrifying things.
Things that no mortal man should ever know.
And while I still have not yet cultivated enough information to write a detailed survival guide that would actually be worth reading, I do have one piece of advice that I would like to share with all of you before this month is officially over.
And so, without further ado, allow me to present to thee the final installment of —
Kenzie’s Weekly Pep-Talk!
You have written words this month. Many words. Beautiful words. And perhaps, with a tiny splash of luck from the writerly muse, you have actually completed your self-determined goal.
But for some of you, your first draft is not yet complete. For some of you, no matter whether you’ve written 20k or 80k, your story has only just begun. Even now, as you smash face-first into that glorious finish line, your characters are stuck in the middle of a werebear attack, your villain is discussing his future nefarious plans with his psychiatrist, and your sidekick just lost his right leg due to contracting tetanus in the previously mentioned werebear attack. Right now, within your story’s world, your characters are still very much alive. They are breathing. Living. Waiting until you sit back down to finish the story that they are dying to tell through you.
And for all you happy first-drafters out there, all I can say is that you are doing amazing. You might still have a long, winding, bumpy road in front of you, full of potential plot holes and devastation interesting surprises, but you are far too close to the finish line to give up now. Finish the book. Write the words. Put in the time to get the work done. Because where you are right now, my friend, is only the beginning of even deeper and immortal pain your writing journey.
However. There are also some of you out there who have actually finished your novels this month. You’ve written that final scene, typed The End, and have irrevocably washed your hands of the madness that is your first draft.
But though you may be celebrating with trumpets and confetti as of right now — though the cookies may be flinging and the cheers erupting, though the angels be singing and the tears of joy be falling from your twitching eyeballs — those chimes of victory you hear on the horizon will soon morph into the ominous gongs of death.
Because guess what comes now, my dear friend.
Yes. That is quite correct.
The second draft.
*initiate ominous music*
My fellow writers, when you have finally burst forth through the folds of the first draft, only three things await you on the other side.
Death.
Pain.
And more death.
And sometimes, if you are EXTREMELY lucky, you might find some mental/physical torture lodged deep within the crevices of the aforementioned death.
But never you fear, dear bean, for I am here to guide you through this most treacherous journey.
Or rather, to guide you through the rather small portion of this treacherous journey that I have already barely survived through.
Yes. It is true that I have not yet conquered the second draft.
Yes. It is true that my experience with my second draft will probably be drastically different to your experience with your future second draft.
Yes. It is true that 9 times out of 10, I have absolutely no idea what I’m even saying, and therefore my advice should probably never be trusted by mortal humans above the age of 82.
Yes. I have failed NaNoWriMo. Repeatedly.
But none of these microscopic setbacks should ever dissuade you from following my sage advice. After all, I am a master when it comes to advice-giving, are I not? And therefore, it is merely my allotted place in this world to pass my expert knowledge unto you, my smol apprentices and future fellow corpses.
So here, on this sacred page, I shall disclose the tiniest tidbit of advice that I have gathered over the past 28 days in regards to writing (or re-writing) a second draft:
Don’t rush it.
I think I’ve probably said this time and time again, but trying to rush a story is literally the worst thing you could ever do for your book. I came into this month determined to finish my second draft in one month, but as the days progressed into weeks, I quickly realized something that put a damper on my entire sunshiney and extremely deluded outlook on life.
A first draft takes time, but a second draft takes your soul and left lung and possibly both your kidneys even more.
I wrote the first draft of everlost in 6 months, and I’ve been working on this second draft since April.
That’s eight months of second drafting.
And sure, I haven’t been working on it consistently throughout that timeframe, but still — I’m already two months past how long it took me to first draft this thing, and I still have about 13 chapters left to write.
But the curious thing about second drafting is that now you know what you want this story to be. The first draft was for exploration, a chance to blast every single bit of creativity you had onto the page and see what clicked. But when it finally comes time to second draft, you know more about this world than you’ve ever known before, and you want the words on the page to actually reflect the vision you see in your head.
And this is a very difficult balance to create.
Now, I know that there are many ways to write a second draft, and that my way (which is to completely rewrite the entire book in a linear progression [#hahahaha #helpme]) might not be the way that you want to go.
Some people say that many smaller rounds of revision are best, while others opt for lesser drafts, but with larger-scale revisions within each version. The important thing to remember here is that there is no right or wrong way to write — there is only the way that works for you, and the ways that work for others.
But no matter how you plan on tackling the second draft of this book you’ve created, my advice still stands.
Don’t rush your story.
Books take time to create, whether you’re a fast writer, a slow writer, or somewhere smack-dabbly in the middle. In the end, it doesn’t matter how lengthy the story is, or how fast it took you to whip it up. It doesn’t matter whether it’s 50k in 30 days, or 20k in 8 months.
It does not matter whether you’ve been published by the time you’re 18, or if your debut comes out when you’re 81.
What matters is that every time you sat down to write, you sat down with the mindset that you were going to pour your very best into the words you wrote. What matters is that at the end of the 3rd draft, or the 8th draft, or the 50th draft, you have a story that you are proud of, that you worked tirelessly and seemingly endlessly on — a story that you gave everything you had, and finally — after countless sleepless nights and cloudy moods of contemplation — conquered.
What matters is that you love it.
And everything worth loving is worth waiting for.
First Drafters, remember to love your story while you write it. Remember to live and breathe every single word you write, simply because writing is what you were born to do.
And Second Drafters, when you go to edit the words you’ve written, don’t forget to hold on to what made you fall in love with this story in the first place. Something kept you clinging to this world, these characters, this alternate version of the universe that your mind created. All you have to do is remember what it is.
Love yourself, love your story, and I can promise you that at the end of this amazing journey, you shall have in your hands a book that you can be proud of — a book that you can stuff into someone’s gnarled face and say —
“See this? It’s mine. Not yours. MINE.“
And then run away, cackling into the night like the demented psychopath that you undoubtedly are.
. . .
. . .
. . .
This has been. . .
Kenzie’s Weekly Pep-Talk!
Well, guys, that’s all I’ve got for today. It’s hard to believe that we’re already approaching the very end of NaNoWriMo, isn’t it? I thought I would get a lot more accomplished this month than I actually did, but you know what? I’m proud of what I’ve done over the past 28 days. It definitely isn’t as much as I had hoped for, but it is something, and that, sir, is amazing.
But enough about me! How has your past week been? Did you get a lot of writing done, or have you slowly been coasting to the end of NaNoWriMo (like me) whilst trying to build up your creative inspiration to end with a bang? Are you excited for NaNo to end, or sorry to see it go? And most importantly of all, are you prepared for the twist reveal on Thursday? (#I’mNot)
Let us talk about ALL OF THE NANO things down in the comments below, and also fling cookies at each other’s faces to cheer everyone on as we head towards December First like a runaway trainwreck. (because flinging cookies is fun. obviously.)
As always, until next time. . .
*flings cookies in the air and disappears*
“…my smol apprentices and future fellow corpses.” This made me laugh. xD
And it was a big, real pep talk this week! I think I am hyped to get back to writing and get this thing done!
Soon, soon it will all be over. I’m at 68k right now and less than halfway through my story and my outline has been thoroughly busted. However, I’m planning on focusing on Rob’s side of the story so I can finish with a stronger draft. Instead of slapping together a new story right at the end cuz I need a break. But a lot of the scenes with Rob I’m familiar with, so it should be doable. Even if my present middle changes them all…. <:o
I have written 12,712 words this week. I need 6,944 more words. Over these last 3 days. I'm slightly tempted to panic, but 6k seems doable enough to me. If it were just above 7k it would feel more daunting.
BUT IT IS TIME TO FINISH THE THING!!!!
I'm looking forward to the Thursday Twist, even though it is likely to Doom me.
LikeLiked by 1 person
You can do it, you can do it, you can do it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
68K is amazing and you are a wizard. GET THIS GIRL A CROWN!!! Also, the outline aaaaalways gets busted. No worries.
LikeLiked by 2 people
*Stares at sparkly crown, utterly transfixed* Ooooh…shiny!
I know, I just didn’t expect it to get THIS busted. And vague. Oh well, like Kenzie said, I’m in the first draft phase and that’s all about exploration. *Tries to ignore the several dozen previous attempts at first drafting* (I don’t think my drafts will ever have clearcut numbers. xD)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes!!! This is definitely the exploration phase!!!! Don’t let any random bunny trails or unexpected twists slow you down!!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Must. Try. To. Explore. Everything. With a hundred billion people in a ginormous galaxy…
*Tiny internal screaming*
LikeLike
Ugh, it’s so stressful isn’t???? XD But at the same time, it is so FUUUUNNN!!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
YES IT IS!
But it’s on break now. Nano is done. *Phew*
LikeLiked by 1 person
True! Very true! Now we can all take a step back and enjoy the Christmas season!!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
We decorated our tree yesterday! It was the earliest we have done it. WHERE HAS THE YEAR GONE???!!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
We put ours up before Thanksgiving…. XD I really don’t know!! It’s like the world is spinning far too fast lately.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I know, with the early Thanksgiving and being neck-deep in NaNo my brain hasn’t adjusted to official Christmas time yet.
Also, it doesn’t help that there hasn’t been much in the way of frost, so how could it possibly be Winter now?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Same!!! But thankfully, now that I’ve started making presents and writing slightly Christmas-y blog posts, it’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas. (#punpunpunpunpunpunpun!!!) XD
UGH, YES!!! We haven’t even had a proper snow yet, and it’s already December 5th!!! I’m hoping it snows before Christmas. White Christmases are always the best.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, it was a fun post! I think it will help me get into the Christmas mood! xD
There was frost this morning! Now it can be officially winter! I’ve only had one white Christmas. ;_; BUT IT WAS A GREAT WHITE CHRISTMAS! Then all the snow melted and flooded the town. :/
LikeLiked by 1 person
Awwww!! Thank you so much!!! YES! Hopefully the Christmas mood begins to spread soon, because one year I wasn’t in the Christmas spirit at ALL, and it was a slightly depressing year… XD
OH MY WORD!!!! An actual frost!!!!! That sounds beautiful… I love how the flakes of ice glitter in the morning sunlight! I hope if frosts here, soon… Oh no!!!! Only one??? AWWW!!! At least it was a great Christmas!!! That’s perfect then!! OH MY WORD, HAHAHA!!! That is awesome! XD The Curse Of The One White Christmas!! XD
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yeah, I keep wondering what sort of Christmasy thing I want to do, but I don’t have many ideas right now. We must avoid depressing Christmases!
Yup! It is really pretty. I went outside in the afternoon and the ground felt really cold still. Brrr.
Yeah, too much snow is too much snow. xD
LikeLiked by 1 person
Perhaps we could try and find a Christmas blog tag to participate in??? OR CREATE ONE???? 😂😂😂 Or you could make cookies!!! Making Christmas cookies always help me get into the Christmas spirit!
DEFINITELY.
AWWWW! That is awesome! It’s actually SNOWING here this morning, so I am SOO excited!!! I would have been ecstatic for a nice frost, but we looked outside today, and it was like someone had sprinkled our deck in powdered sugar!!
Yeah. A nice, medium amount of snow is perfect! Enough for a snowman, at least!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Creating one sounds like more fun!
I have no ideas as of yet. Maybe I’d just draw what my characters would like to do on Christmas.
SNOOOOOOOOOW!!!
Snow, snow, snow, SNOW!!!
We’re off to–What was the rest of the song? In Vermont.
I hope it snows at some point around Christmas.
LikeLiked by 1 person
OOOOOOOH! That sounds like fun! I’d love to see what your characters do on Christmas!!! Thao would probably just hit Peter over the head with a snowball, to be honest. XD
I KNOW!!! And it’s snowing again today!!! I am totally in love with the weather right now! Wait, what song??? XD I’m not sure which song you’re talking about. XD
YES!!! That would be FANTASTIC!!!! I hope you have your second ever white Christmas!!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Some of my characters don’t know what Christmas is. I wonder what they would like most about it.
SNOOOOOOOOW!!!
The song is “Snow” by Irving Berlin, from White Christmas.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ooh, that could be a really cool writing prompt, though! I’d love to hear Sheyla’s response to Santa Claus!! 😂😂😂
I KNOW!!!!
Oh!!!! I’ll have to look that up!!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I certainly want to do something about it…
It’s a fun movie.
LikeLike
YES!!!
Oh! It’s a movie??? I thought it was just an album. 😂😂😂
LikeLiked by 1 person
‘Tis a movie with Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ooh! Okay! Maybe I can find it on Netflix or something???
LikeLiked by 1 person
Probably, it’s a classic Christmas movie.
LikeLiked by 1 person
YES!!! I must try and find it. I want to watch ALL of the Christmas movies!!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Awww!!! I am pleased to have made you laugh!! MWAHAHAHAHAHA!! #missionaccomplished I know, right?? It was quite shocking. I just sort of started writing, and something actually INSPIRATIONAL came out. Apparently I can actually inspire. WHO KNEW. EEEK! I am so happy to hear that!! You’ve got this, Jethan!!!! I BELIEVE IN YOU!!!
I agree with Kate. ALL OUTLINES GET BUSTED. Even Second Draft outlines, which is kind of annoying, because SHOULDN’T I KNOW HOW I WANT THIS STORY TO GO BY NOW??? XD Oh my word!!! 68k is PHENOMENAL!!! You are doing fantastic!!! And awwwww!!! I love smol Rob… I bet he’s happy to have parts of the story revolve around him!!!
OH MY WORD YOU ARE SO CLOSE!!! You can do it!!!! I know you can do it!!!!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think it’s quite fitting that the other pep talks were nonexistent and silly, and then the last one was the real one. xD
It just…feels like I’ll forever be adding new stuff to the plot and make it convoluted and unwieldy, when will it all stop?! *Doesn’t want it to stop, wants to discover ALL the things!*
I AM AT 70K NOW!!!!!!!
Rob is not happy. All of his clear scenes are the dramatic, sad ones. APPARENTLY I CAN ONLY WRITE CRYING OR ANGRY PEOPLE RIGHT NOW!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yessss! I’m not the best at pep-talks, but I wanted to make sure to give a bit of an inspirational boost at the end, especially since I was feeling a bit down because I was losing NaNo. XD I guess I just needed to hear something inspirational. XD
Oh dear, I know that feeling all too well!!! AND I KNOW!!!! It’s so hard not to include ALL OF THE THINGS!!!!! WHY MUST WRITING BE SO HARD??? XD
OH MY WORD!!!!
Oh no!!!! That sounds terrible!!!! :(((( I hope Rob is able to cheer up soon!!! *slaps him in the face with happiness* Oh no!!! Perhaps you need a joke to help you write happy characters??? But I can’t think of any jokes…. #help
LikeLiked by 1 person
Last minute turbo-boost of inspiration! Woot!
Because things that are worth it aren’t normally easy.
75K!!!!!!!!
*Rob looks aghast at being slapped in the face with “happiness”*
He got to fight aliens though, so that was dramatic and not innately sad.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Exactly! XD
Oh my word! Yes!!! That is PERFECT!!! And so, SO true.
EEEK!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!!!
MWAHAHAHA! Poor Rob! XD Ooh! Fighting aliens is definitely good. I’d like to fight some aliens….
LikeLiked by 1 person
YEEEESSSSSSSS!!!!
Yup. Especially when you nearly die. ^.^
LikeLike
Even better of you ACTUALLY die!!! And then become magically resurrected as an alien…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Rob would so not enjoy that. xD
LikeLiked by 1 person
MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA! XD
LikeLiked by 1 person
I have about 500 more words… WHEW!!!
LikeLiked by 3 people
You are so close to winning, that is great!! :D
LikeLiked by 1 person
OH MY WORD!!!! You’ve got this, Kate… YOU CAN DO IT I BELIEVE IN YOU!!! (and I also think you’ve already won, sooo… CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!) *flings ALL OF THE COOKIES at your face*
LikeLike
Woohooo, KATE!!! You are killing this thing!!! *Cannon shoots confetti and sprinkles into the air*
LikeLiked by 1 person
I loved this too much.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Awww!!! This is like the sweetest comment ever!!!! <3 You are so wonderful, Ruby!!! *hugs*
LikeLiked by 1 person
*hugs back* Aw thanks <3 You just made my day. ^-^
LikeLiked by 1 person
AWWWWWW!!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
“It definitely isn’t as much as I had hoped for, but it is something, and that, sir, is amazing.” This line is me. XD
LikeLiked by 1 person
SAME, THOUGH!!! XD *high-fives* We did fantastically, even if we didn’t hit exactly what we wanted!!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for the advice Kenzie! This is the first time I’ve ever really um… made a second draft, so it’s a bit interesting to actually be doing it. One thing I found is how horribly awkward it is. I was rewriting it, and I just started moaning/laughing and put my head down on the table. It was one of the most awkward things to read. I had tried to make my main character have a boyfriend and I apparently can not write romance. At all. I know you said that on one of you earlier posts, and I was like “Yeah, me neither, but I think it’s working.” Yeah, it was not working. I changed it so now the boyfriend is just her nerdy friend, but it was kind of bad. I think it’s really fun to go over what you’ve written and say “Oh yeah, I remember writing that,” and other things like that. I don’t know if I’m exactly rushing my second draft. (I’ve only edited for 7.5 hours and I’m already about a quarter of the way done) or if my story is just short. :) I had to cut out an entire chapter because it literally made no sense for the rest of the book. It’s a very interesting process. Hope everyone else’s writing is going well! One more day!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Awww! You’re welcome!!! It’s probably not the greatest advice in the world, but it is my advice nonetheless. XD OH MY WORD, SAME!!! This is my first Second Draft, too!
Yesss! Reading through your own writing is SOOOO weird! It’s like you love it yet hate it at the same time!! XD ROMANCE IS THE WORST AND I APPROVE OF THE NERDY FRIEND. Honestly, nerdy friends are SOOOOO much better, anyway!!!! XD
WHOA. DUDE. I am like so jealous of how quick you are!!! I’ve been working on my second draft for MONTHS and I’m only like 3 quarters of the way through!! TEACH ME YOUR WAYS!!! XD And you’re definitely not rushing it!!! Some people are just slower or quicker writers than others! It all boils down to each individuals process, and there’s no right or wrong speed or way to write a book! (But, you know, if you wanted to trade writing speeds, I’d totally be up for a switch…XD)
OOOH! Cutting chapters is the best!!! I haven’t gotten to do that quite yet, but there are some chapters I’ve had to completely rewrite and strip down to the bare bones so that I could build it back up… That was odd… XD
THERE’S ONLY A FEW MORE HOURS LEFT, EEK!!!
LikeLike