On Monday, while I was printing off an assignment in the library, I decided to also print of my manuscript for WALLS so that I could begin the editing process. I mentioned in an earlier post that I wanted to physically spread the manuscript out on the walls of my bedrooms so that I would be able to edit thoroughly without having to scroll through a document constantly.
Tonight, I scrounged up as much blue tack as I could and removed all of my posters and decorations from my bedroom walls to make way for the 138 pages that is my 2013 NaNoWriMo child. She took up two walls and two of my wardrobe doors.
"Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!"
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| The first 70 pages on one wall. |
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| Pages 71-127 on this wall. |
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| The final chapter, pages 128-138, on my wardrobe doors. |
That quote came to my head as I was putting the pieces of paper up, and I realised, though not for the first time, that writers are gods. We create these settings the way we want them to be, and we create these characters to put into those settings - those worlds of our own - and then we have complete and utter control over them, their actions, their circumstances, everything. We determine whether they live or die, whether they find their happily ever after or spend their lives in misery. We are in control of everything that happens to them, everything that doesn't, and everything that could.
That makes me feel invincible.
Having said all that, I feel like a complete and utter psychopath and I want to give a special shout-out to my housemates, especially the three who witnessed some of the blue-tacking, for putting up with the craziness that has barely begun.
I want to have given this all a thorough edit by the time my classes start again in mid-July. I still need to do a couple more assignments, but once they're out of the way, my JuNoWriMo project will be in full swing.
Do you feel god-like? Do you have a JuNoWriMo project?
- Bonnee.
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I feel more like a father than a god. When I write I'm allowing the children (characters) I've raised to do whatever they are wont to do. I do not control them once I have sired them, but I do get to see how their lives play out.
ReplyDeleteI don't have one specific JuNoWriMo project, but I would like to get a lot of reading and writing done.
I think I can relate to that parental feeling while writing the first draft, letting the characters and their stories unfold as they will. But I still remember sitting there and asking myself "So do I want to do this to my character? Well, yes, yes, I do, and I will," even though it was like the saddest thing I've ever done to a character. And now that I'm in the editing process, rather than the writing process, I get to decide what to keep and what to change. Every writer does this differently, of course. :)
DeleteGood luck with lots of reading and lots of writing this month!
Actually, it's nice to see all the papers on the walls. Not many authors, if any, do this but it shows your excitement about the project. About NoWriMo ... I've read that they have a new one just for the summer, shorter and called like Camp NoWriMo. You're right that autors have the powers of God over their characters and what will happen to them, but I never felt or thought about it. Patrick's comment that he feels like a father resonate with me better. Good lukc with the editing and getting one step closer to have WALLS complete.
ReplyDeleteI am ridiculously excited about this project. It's winter down here, but yes campnanowrimo.org is open during April and June for Camp NaNoWriMo and JuNoWriMo.
DeleteAfter responding to Patrick's comment, I've thought about it a little more, and I guess God and a father share certain qualities (God IS The Father, as religion would have it). And I guess I do often refer to my books as my children. But if that's so, then I am a very controlling and manipulative and not-a-very-good parent. Thanks for visiting, Giora! :)
Bonnee, preserve your eyes--double space! It will make it that much easier to slash it up and write in snarky little notes to yourself. Of course, it will substantially increase your paper use, but life is all about trade-offs.
ReplyDeleteYour excitement is quite clear in your post--have a blast! AS for me, I'm going again into revision mode, too, trying to make some tweaks for the next round of revision. Enjoy the break!
But... But the trees! It was scary enough letting my vegan hippy housemate see 138 pages, not sure how she would have taken it if I'd doubled that... and I would not have had the room on my walls. Or the blue tack. It is better than staring at a computer screen though! :)
DeleteThanks for visiting, Jeff! Good luck with your own revisions!
Okay, I thought your Twitter picture was awesome ... seeing ALL the pages is even cooler. What a neat idea to tack them all up. Enjoy your edits! :)
ReplyDeleteI feel insane :D But I'm glad you think it's cool. Thanks for visiting, Shari.
DeleteKudos to actually finish your NaNoWriMo project, unlike mine which is just festering unfinished on Wattpad somewhere...
ReplyDeleteI tried to tape my story on my walls, like you did, years ago but never got much further than several pages before I gave up entirely. Perseverance, I never had it. Clearly.
And it's funny you say authors are practically god-like when creating these characters/settings and such because I do feel like that actually (and then feel nothing but guilt when I make them go through some terrible stuff for the sake of *plot* and *character development*). I also tend to like a fierce mama bear and get real protective of my characters. Of the ones I like, of course.
I HATE sticking lots of things up on the wall at the same time, my fingers just get all tired and sore... so this took me several hours of stopping and starting, but I guess my excitement helped me to persevere.
DeleteThe things we do for the sake of plot and character development, I feel, are worth it in the end. I know that guilty feeling well, though. But I tend to let really bad things happen to characters I love, so I probably don't have a soul. Thanks for visiting! :)
Fabulous idea! I've tacked long quotes and maths equations I've need to remember to my bedroom walls but never a manuscript or even a short story. I wonder how much printer ink that took? Haha. My NaNoWriMo project is fluttering about at the moment, but I'm determined to consolidate my ideas and get something going. Happy writing!
ReplyDeleteI've actually felt so productive working on the manuscript like this. Not having to scroll through a document, or flip through pages is so beneficial. Being able to see everything spread out on the wall is awesome. I used the university's printers... I had just under $8 on my Deakin Card, printed this and an assignment off and still had just over $2 on my card when I was done (I noticed you're a student there too, so you know what I'm talking about when I say Deakin Card...). I definitely recommend trying this process. Happy writing!
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