Yes, you read those numbers correctly.
I'm not an edit-as-you-go type, but apparently I am a leave-notes-about-everything-for-the-next-draft type. And rereading those notes has been a blast. Here are some of my favorites:
"Do pirates send thank you notes?"
"Edus spare us. You’re such a drama queen, Wycliff."
"GAH, YOU ARE SUCH A COWARD. YOU’RE NEVER GOING TO MEET YOUR SON! DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT’S GOING TO DO TO HIM?
No, of course you don’t, because you’re GOING TO
FREAKING DIE OF A WEAK HEART.
That is such a perfect metaphor.
I kind of hate you
right now, Wycliff. This is why you’re an antagonist.""Okay, A) not only did you steal my phrase “think on this,” B) YOU’RE NEVER GOING TO MAKE THIS DECISION AND IT’S GOING TO KILL MY READERS. WHICH IS A GOOD THING, BUT STILL."
"DUDES. I JUST FOUND AN EBOOK ONLINE PUBLISHED IN 1922 ABOUT CROP ROTATIONS.
This is so cool.
It doesn’t have a whole lot about woad, but it mentions
a crop rotation in France circa 1750. (At least I think 1750 is a date, not
something else.) This is what it says:
Main crop woad: 1,
wheat; 2, millet; 3, woad; 4, grass, allowed to grow for several years;
sometimes two successive crops of woad were taken." "Dude, at some point I need to mention how the cotton they got from Delly is bad. Maybe that can happen when Gwen is working in the felids. Felid is a word. That should have said field. What is a felid? *Does Google search.* It is a member of the family Felidae! Better known as felines! Cool."
"*In Russian accent.* TRANSITION!"
"I have no idea why the Latin for Sunflower was the first word to come to mind here."
"And by the start of the next book, he’s dead! Mwahahaha."
"Transition required on isle 183."
There is a note titled "GIANT NOTE OF DOOM."
"Okay, this may be sappy, but between the time
(holy cow it’s 2AM. When did that happen?), the “OMG I’m at the end” feels and
“Epilogue” from the Frozen score, I’m kinda teary."
"IT IS TWO ELEVEN AM ON MARCH THIRTY FIRST TWO THOUSAND
AND FOURTEEN AND I HAVE FINISHED DRAFT TWO! 83165 WORDS.
I am crying. I am so happy. And tired. Really, really
tired.
But we must go post on Facebook.
I am so obviously from the Internet generation.
Gah, I love the Frozen score.
Oh, yeah, and “Epilogue” from said score is THE PERFECT
MUSIC FOR THIS MOMENT. I think I’m just going to play the last three songs on
repeat until I go to bed. Which should really be soon if I want to do well on
math tomorrow.
Oh, and I have to
figure out a plot for book two ‘cause Camp NaNo starts…TOMORROW WHAT THE HECK."
There you have it! Apparently I have a thing for caps lock. Rereading old brainstorming docs is fun too because sometimes there'll suddenly be "Why are my indents screwy?" or "Why did my music stop?" in the middle of a discussion of government structure or emotional reactions.
What are some funny notes you've found in/about your writing?
These are hilarious! Unfortunately, I don't really make notes while I write. Though I did find one when looking through some old notebooks of mine (from way back when I still handwrote all my stories in notebooks):
ReplyDelete"ROMANCE is complicated to write about for one who hasn't experienced it. I'm 13!! Come on!!"
Thanks! I've had similar issues with romance. :)
DeleteI don't use the comment boxes unless I'm editing for someone else, but I've been known to leave messages for myself during NaNo to boost my wordcount. For instance:
ReplyDeleteWait, hang on. I don't like how I'm phrasing that. At this rate, this whole chapter won't have a single line of conversation and will be a horrible drably play-by-play. But I don't want to delete all those words since this is NaNo after all and I have to write five thousand words before tomorrow night. So I'm just going to start over starting paragraph two.
...........
Big, involved scene full of medical terms, and Alice who's completely on top of it. Since I don't know very many medical terms (unless they're herbal related) I shall delay the writing of this scene until later. Like when Mom can help me. And when NaNo isn't breathing down the back of my neck. And when I'm closer to the publication of this book. I need to have Silivock written and published first so that my readers can catch the Lillillil references.
.............
Okay, she somehow gets into engineering. I don't know HOW she GETS INTO engineering, I just know that she does. Maybe she uses a sonic screwdriver. And Maryanne, please do not dump a bucket of water on my computer for referencing Doctor Who. I can't afford to buy a new computer. Yes, I know I just got a job, but that doesn't mean that I want to create unnecessary expenses for myself. Yes, I know you don't like Doctor Who, and yes Peter is the best doctor in the world (and not the Peters who have played the Doctor, either – your Peter). Happy now? I was researching, and my online friends have been talking about the 50th anniversary which was the other day, so it slipped in. Now go translate a book. I've got this NaNo to write.
...
Yes, I have a character who doesn't like Doctor Who. On another note, she has a crush on Arthur from Merlin. (And I've only seen about half an episode from Merlin, so I'm not certain where she developed this crush.) And no, she isn't technically in this book, but she likes to read over my shoulder and comment on everything I write. It's terribly annoying.
Nice ones! I have a character who likes to tell me it isn't fair that the newer stories get worked on first, so I sort of feel your pain.
DeleteMaybe we would be more surprised if your blog had a different name. As it is, I, at least, expected nothing less.
ReplyDelete~Sarah Faulkner
Inklined
The blog name is a coincidence, actually. My mom came up with it when she built the blog for me (the blog was a birthday present) and it works perfectly. :)
DeleteWhat fun notes! I'm a note maker, too, but mine aren't nearly as long or funny.
ReplyDeleteI'd tell you one or two of them, but I deleted them all when I finished the edits and I haven't started making notes on Shifting Sands, yet.
~Robyn Hoode
Thanks! Most of my notes are boring things like "Would she actually say that?" or "Does this make sense?" but as long as they're useful they do their job.
DeleteDude. Your brain on 'stream of consciousness' is freaking hilarious. You have to keep those notes somewhere because they're fabulous.
ReplyDeleteThanks! I'll have to start a Funny Notes doc.
Delete