Uncanny Vale

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of Erin Wilcox

Writing-Wise

National Novel Writing Month: Day 24

One of my goals for this two-week period is to get a scene-by-scene outline of what I’ve written and where the rest is headed, so I spent some time on that today. The rest of my four hours was spend doing sprints and watching snippets of Star Wars with my family when I was on break. Maybe not the most efficient way to go, but I actually get a lot out of seeing how those movies unfold (this was Episodes VI and VII). It helps me evict the demons from my head. So I got 1303 words in, and now, at last, sleep.

National Novel Writing Month: Day 23

I passed 40,000 words! YES! With tonight’s push to 40,104, I also connected two major plot points. That means I’ll get to skip ahead after this. My official nemesis from Detroit, Baxter, has also reached 40K. He and I are neck and neck. Although he’s still ahead, I’ve been steadily closing the gap and am as of this moment merely 116 words behind. I’m afraid he’s becoming more of a friemesis, since we have exchanged a couple of emails that contained a lot more encouragement than smack talking. Ah well. As the great Kurt Vonnegut would say: so it goes.

National Novel Writing Month: Day 22

I listened to The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer on the drive to my family’s house. It inspired me with the intensely personal quality of the narrative. An earlier draft of this novel was done all in diary entries, and I’ve been writing some of those in this draft, too. But sometimes when I’m thinking about what my plot is going to look like, the prose gets flattened because everything in it is about where the story is going horizontally. Jennifer Lynch reminded me to bring the confessional fire to these journal entries. It was very helpful. I remain on track with 37,829 words total.

National Novel Writing Month: Day 21

The story moved back from A plot back to B plot tonight. I reached a spot that I’d thought would be the first crisis but which I’m thinking now may be the midpoint. Either way, three cheers for outlines. Although the outline I have is sketchy, the main points of escalation are there like life preservers dotting the broad channel I’ve elected to swim. They tend to come along right when drowning seems imminent. My goal for the week after Thanksgiving, in addition to completing the 50K challenge, is going to be to outline what I have and then what I want to have, chapter by chapter.

National Novel Writing Month: Day 20

I’ve reached the tipping point—not the exciting kind as described by Malcom Gladwell where everything starts to come more easily but rather the kind where I tip over in my chair from exhaustion. Some procrastination crept in today, so I got a late start. Luckily, the world contains coffee, and my veins also contain a lot of coffee, 1700 words later. I’m still on track, though. Day by day, the finish line inches closer. The plot of my novel doesn’t seem too outlandish today.