So it is Day 10 and the reason I am starting this blog so late in the event is that up until last night I was extremely behind in my word count. So I figured I should focus on getting caught up instead of worry about doing a blog but now that I have gotten caught up I will begin my blog.
I was originally going to do a vlog over on YouTube but my camera has not been working so I will just have to do a plain old blog :)
Two YouTube users have been doing a video each day for Camp Nanowrimo this month and have been setting task for each other and their viewers to do.
Here are links to their Channels: OneMoreSouthernBelle and TracyMichelle210
Current word count (I haven't written yet for today): 16, 468 words
I am not going to try and do all of the tasks I missed so I'm just going to start with today's task.
Today's Task:
What are some tips you have for upping word count? And can you share a section in your novel where this has helped to up your word count? (task set by: OneMoreSouthernBelle)
My Answer:
I really loved this task because I really needed some advice on how to up word count since I was so far behind. The way I was able to get caught up was by following the advice of OneMoreSouthernBelle. She suggested several things for upping word count in her videos and one of them was to Skip to the best part and write the exciting things first. I had spent a lot of time planning out my novel in June but there are still parts of the novel where I'm still not sure what is going to happen so I skipped ahead to a part that I was very sure about and one that I was looking forward to writing, instead of trying to write from beginning to end (which is what I had been trying to do).
Before you read the excerpt: My main character Princess Amelia (who is a wizard) was taken away from her kingdom by my MMC, Rowan who told her that he was a wizard sent by her father to take her away from the kingdom to protect her (there were people who were trying to kill her) but really he is a warlock (the wizards and warlocks are at war with each other) who is trying to take her back to his kingdom to be turned over to a group of warlocks. This excerpt is going to be near the end of the story after Rowan and Amelia have been journeying together for a few days and have grown very strong feelings with one another. They are trying to hide in a small cave in the forest from a beast called a Draugr (one I made up for this story). The beast causes them to not be able to use their powers but if they try to perform magic it helps the beast zero in on them.
Excerpt from my novel where this has helped:
Her sudden movement caused Rowan to wake up. “What is wrong?” he asked. When he saw her with the piece of paper in her hands he felt his heart sink. “Oh no,” he said. He had forgotten all about that piece of paper being in his pocket. He had meant to get rid of it. “Amelia, I can explain.”
On the piece of paper was a photograph of Rowan and below it in large letters was the word “wanted” in all caps. Below that it said, “Warlock Rowan West.”
“You are a warlock?” she said backing away from him. “You look just like a wizard.”
“We are not evil beasts like you have been told. We look just like you and we are not the evil ones.”
“Meaning that we are?”
“Wizards yes but not you. You are different. I am different. Amelia, you need to please let me explain,” he pleaded, reaching out to try and pull her back to him.
“Do not touch me!” she snapped. “You are a lier! Who are you? What do you want with me?” She crawled out of the cave.
“Wait!” he said, scrambling to get up.
“My father did not send you!” She yelled. “My father would never send a warlock to protect me. You have been lying to me all of this time!”
“Calm down, Amelia,” he begged.
“Calm down? You want me to calm down after I find out I am with some kind of lying psychopath? And to think I thought that I loved...” She stopped herself. “I bet you took my powers away. I bet this whole thing with this so called beast is just a trick. You probably just made the whole thing up."
“No Amelia. You have to believe me, I did not lie about that.”
“Stop lying to me!” she yelled and began to walk away.
“Amelia wait,” he said, following after her.
She spun around angrily and quickly pulled out her wand. Before Rowan could stop her she yelled, “Impetus verto is in rana.”
Rowan looked at her in shock. “You were going to turn me in to a toad!”
“Give me back my powers you witch.”
“You meant that to be an insult did you not?”
Just then they both heard growling in the distance.
“Oh no,” Rowan said. “We need to leave now.” He tried grabbing her arm but she resisted him and began to stomp away. “Amelia!” he called after her. “The Draugr is still out there.”
“They are probably just wolves or some thing,” she said, continuing to walk away from him.
“I promise you they are ten thousand times worse than a wolf. We must find another place to hide before you get us both killed.”
She ignored him and continued walking.
Rowan angrily mumbled to himself and then yelled, “I could just leave now, you know. Is that what you want? Do you want me to leave you to die?”
“The only way I will die is if I stay with you!” she shouted back to him.
“Amelia!” he shouted in anger.
She turned around and pointed her wand at him and said, “Silentio haec, mendacem!”
“Stop saying spells! You are giving away our location!”
“Shut up!” she yelled.
“That is it!” he yelled and he turned and stomped away.
Here is a list of ways to up your word count:
These are tips that OneMoreSouthernBelle and TracyMichelle210 have given in their videos. I thought it might be helpful to have them written out for reference.
OneMoreSouthernBelle's tips:
- Question everything in your novel. As yourself: What questions is my novel posing to the reader and where can I answer them?
- Add more of a lengthy description
- Add a dream scene: It can be a metaphor for something happening to the characters or it could be prophetic
- Skip to the best part and write the exciting things first
- Write about a character doing a mundane thing (Like eating for example)
- Writing about a character doing something you're doing (like writing for example)
- Use a story within a story. And example she gave was to have another character tell one character a story. The story could have useful information in it like things the reader and/or characters need to know. You can then have a character reaction to the story and you can also refer back to the story at other time
TracyMichelle210's tips:
- Take a scene that you have already written from one character's point of view and write it from another characters point of view
- Go back over what you have written for the day and add extra detail and look for words that you might have left out. Add more dialogue, etc.
- Set a timer for example 10 mins and do not stop writing during that time. Don't read over what you have written, surf the internet, etc just write
If you have any other tips for upping word count then let me know in the comments below.
Thanks for reading!
<3 Andrea
