legs 11 is complete!

How overwhelming it is to say that!

I did just under 6,000 words this week, bringing Legs 11 to a complete total of 76,652 words!

I'm really sad to have finished it as it's my favourite novel out of all I've written, but at the same time I'm really excited for the rewrites and polishing coming up in the new year that will bring it up to the standards I'm aiming for.

I'm going to give myself a break over the new year and complete these impossible essays I have to do, before starting with some new, fresh ideas I've had in my head for some time.

I'd like to thank everyone who's welcomed me into this wonderful blogging community and helped me along with my novel, and I'd especially like to thank Lane for setting up The Finishers, because if I hadn't have joined this group I certainly wouldn't have finished my novel by now. Thanks to everyone in there for all of their encouragement and even though the group is finishing after christmas i'd like to wish everyone the best of luck in completing their novels. You've all done so well already, so keep it up!!!

Finally, to everyone reading this, merry christmas and happy new year!
B xxxx

you can do this

You can do this, you can do this, you can do this, you can do this,
you can do this, you can do this, you can do this, you can do this,
you can do this, you can do this, you can do this, you can do this,
And so can YOU!
So get yourself over to The Finishers
and finish your novel!

itching for something new

Legs 11. Ashleigh Morris, Britain's next top model. Jamie West, trying to make her dreams come true. The bad bit? I think I'm tired of the runways, the make-up artists, the fashion houses and the [dare I say it] clothes.

I've had a new idea for a story in my head for a couple of months now. But I can't betray my beloved Legs! I know if I start this new idea then I'll never, ever complete Legs.

And I really, reaaaaaaally want to get it finished. And I do love it. So much. I just... ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

a good week!

I managed 3,359 words this week, which makes me very pleased with myself! Until now I'd only been able to manage a thousand words a week, so I'm really happy that I started writing on thursday night and couldn't stop!

Bad news now though - 4 assignments due in before christmas, including one due in in 6 days' time. eeek!

not doing too well

At the mo I'm only managing 1000 words a week. This means that I am noo waaay going to get my first draft completed in time for Christmas - there's only almost 4 weeks left. I really need to pick up the pace and get the words down on the paper but it's just not possible - it's so frustrating! It's laziness on my behalf cos there's so many things that distract me, and now I have 2 more assignments to be in before Christmas it's just looking impossible.

But I will stay determined. [and pray]

inspiration

I don't know why I can suddenly keep doing it, but it just comes to me. I wrote 3,114 words tonight. It just all flowed so easily and I'm confident that I can be onto my re-write by the end of the year. I've picked and chosen which scenes I've wanted to write, so I have the boring part of filling in the gaps afterwards, but at the moment I'm really pleased with myself.

The reason I got to write so many words tonight is that I left my 4,000 word medieval and renaissance literature book in my journalism lab on Fri, which means that I can't actually do my assignment. And I can't collect it until weds, which is a bit of a bummer seems as it has to be done by Monday. But never mind, we all learn.

Now, I'm sorry if I've given anyone a heart attack by this picture. But this young gentleman here is the muse for Legs 11. He is the main character's love interest half way through my novel just before she starts her downward spiral. And it's amazing, because I've always had Jamie Dornan in mind for this specific character. But I've not actually been able to get on well with my character until I started researching pictures and info on the lovely Jamie, and now I feel as though I've got his character spot on [his physical side for definite, anyway!] You might think it's so typical of me to chose a male like this to present as one of my characters, but this is the fickle modelling industry we're talking about, and I am more than happy to concentrate my thoughts more on Jamie if it means I'm going to succeed more with my novel... wouldn't anyone be?!

Anyway. Back to the novel. I've always been one to babble on... 62,895 words have been written, and I just know that I'm going to go way over the 80,000 mark before the novel finishes. I also haven't yet included any of the important info regarding modelling [like, none of it.] and so I'm a bit concerned at how many words I'll end up with, but then again I can't wait until the rewrite where I can add the needed bits in, and take away the 30,000 words of crap.

At the moment I'm both concerned and happy. I really want to go somewhere with Legs; it's the most mature writing I've ever done and I really hope that come next year I will have shaped my novel into the perfect piece of writing I have imagined in my head.

an update

For some reason, Legs flowed really easily tonight and I managed a massive 5,260 words, covering a couple of the biggest scenes in my story. I've been working on it all day at the same time as watching the footy/oogling over Andy in X-Factor, and I've got two assignments coming up next week so I'm glad I've done enough writing this week to keep me tied over until the end of October.

Happy times!

an update

I'm getting into the habit of a once a week writing spree. Declining offers to the SU so that I can get my head down and write some Legs every Thursday isn't such a bad idea! I managed 1,644 words tonight, very pleased with myself and with the progress of the novel!

an update

I DID IT! 2,731 words of Legs 11 has been written tonight, and I loved it!

GO ME!

when to stop

When do you realise that the time has come for you to give up on your novel and start a different idea? Do you plod on hoping that you can come to love your novel again, or do you just let it go? Do you continue with your plot hoping that it will come together and praying that you get better replacement ideas by the time you come around to editing?

I look at my novel and think hmm. There are so many factors that make me love it - it's original, it's on a topic that I'm passionately interested in, and it's sexy and smart. But then on the other hand it's disjointed, it lacks description [see first blog post] and also lacks knowledge.

Maybe more research will help me to carry on with it. I just don't want to continue with it knowing that I'm struggling and not believing in it. And then I don't know whether it's just a phase I'm going through [or a boring chapter], because obviously as a more-or-less amateur writer you're bound not to be confident at times.

I think it's just the place I'm at in the novel. My previous novel was sad, heartfelt and serious, and I really enjoyed writing it, the words easily flowing when it came to an emotional chapter. But with Legs it's the complete opposite: the happy, first chapters were the easiest to write and now that She's got to a certain, broken part of her life I feel I can't get into her head and put out any raw emotion.

I don't know. I am rambling.

I think I may give Legs a break and go back and edit my previous novel, to give me some time to think about what I am doing and what I want from my novel. And then after that break I may start researching more into my current novel so that I can make it the best that can be.

I really thought I was onto something with this one, but maybe not. I already have ideas for three more but I don't want to start those and then abandon them before I give myself to make something of them.

Sigh.

PS// my word count for tonight is 712, all of which may be scrapped tomorrow!