For something that’s a creative endeavor at heart, it’s so easy for writers to get caught up in statistics. Reviews, ratings, word count, numbers of fans, followers, page count, rankings. The list goes on and on. I don’t know about the writers and authors reading this, but I just want to write.
Still, writing is a business if we’re going for publication. All those things I inherently rail against, all those numbers, have to be taken into account. Magic doesn’t just happen, and successes (even the small ones) go hand in hand with a lot more work than anyone sees on the surface.
…I guess that’s all I have to say about that. On to November. I signed on for NaNoWriMo this year not because I think I can turn out a quality finished novel in thirty days, but because I know I can whip something decent into some semblance of a beginning. Onward, onward.
Dreaming in Character 
October 14, 2013 at 8:09 pm
I think I track them more as a way of making sure I’m making progress, but they don’t stick with me. It’s like that phrase in the Bible: “And it came to pass…”
Discipline isn’t apparently my specialty and I’ve learned to be okay with that; nevertheless, I shall try this November. I think I’m going to have to snippet my way through a book. I make waaaaaaay better “numbers” when I snippet than when I fic.
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October 14, 2013 at 8:53 pm
Ha, I think I’m the least disciplined writer I know. I actually have written to outlines. Unsurprisingly, it helps, but I still prefer a more organic method of doing things. Maybe it’s lazy of me, but I like to let the writing lead me in the direction it wants to go instead of letting the outline determine where the writing has to go. Of course, both stories I sold were outlined so maybe I should take that as a hint.
I like snippets as a start, but I like expanding on them even more. What aggravates me about the numbers thing is that it’s so distracting. I’ve seen a lot of people dwell on their numbers instead of on their writing (oh, I got [x] hits|comments|kudos, things along those lines) as a measure of the story’s reception. They’re valuable things, but only measure a part of the story’s value.
When I was writing DJ’s story I wrote to the tune of about 2000 words a day. I actually set that as a goal, but only after I realized it’s what I’d already been doing. Being successful at that is part of what’s led me to NaNoWriMo, it’s a goal I know I can reach and sustain for 30 days.
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October 14, 2013 at 8:56 pm
Oh, I did mean link all the snippets up. That just seems to be my entrypoint into a world, book, or storyline. Snippets that grow into each other.
I’ve never successfully outlined. It kills the story for me, alas! It would be so helpful though!
I have the same experience with seeing people watch stats or being down on lurkers. Grr! Must stay off the lurkers topic.
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October 14, 2013 at 9:56 pm
You won’t hear about lurkers from me, promise!
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