I am planning to write a total of at least 110K because I know I'm going to end up going back and cutting stuff. But for those of you who know how many times I've gone back to the beginning and started over, well,... you understand how HUGE this is for me!
Nothing like a deadline to light a fire under my butt.
I know some people are shocked that I've taken so long to write this book. Personally, I'm a little surprised too. But it all made sense last Friday when our human resources director took the seven of us in my department through our personality profiles. She said that I am a "dominant introvert who is very high on structure and precision." This means that "I have very high standards and am very, very hard on myself. I get my confidence from knowledge and have to become an expert at whatever I do."
Well, DUH!!!! That totally makes sense. It's perfect for my job... guess what? Almost all of us have the same profile. That's what analysts need to be. But it kinda stinks on the creative side. I feel like I can't let it go until it's absolutely perfect, but at least I know it's not a flaw... it's a personality type.
How do you think your personality affects your writing style?
Oh, and don't forget to take my Writer's Satisfaction Survey.I want to know how you feel about your progress as a writer, your ability to juggle tasks, and your outlook for the future. It's your chance to speak!
christine, very good question...It's been while since I've done my personality profile. Now I want to go back and go through the process to see what it is and think about it. I'll be back to share the details...
ReplyDeletePlease do, Tracy!
ReplyDeleteyay for you!
ReplyDeleteOff the top of my head, I'm a flighty perfectionist. I want everything to be perfect but I know it won't be so I procrastinate until *something* nudges me in the right direction and then I try to plow through. That would explain why I'm determined to outline the next novel-- more chance of getting a tad closer to perfect so it's less scary to think about actually writing.
ReplyDelete- Sophia.
Wow! I'm a little jealous because I am rewriting a novel trying to get it to 50k even. It seems easier to me to go from too long to a solid word count than the other way around.
ReplyDeleteThat is a good question. I struggle to finish and revise because I am easily distracted by other novels. hmm will have to think about it some more.
Yay for your progress and good luck with the novel.
Hey there Dawn,
ReplyDeleteI really worried about having enough to fill 100K in the beginning, but I've been working on it for so long and rewriting that I kept finding things to add. Also, I'm finding on this draft that there are a lot of "business" scenes I skipped, and filling in those also helps with the word count.
Hang in there! You'll do it.
I have the opposite problem - trying to trim down my 136k novel!
ReplyDeleteLoved the survey, btw. There was one choice I didn't see in the question about satisfaction with the non-writing tasks - the "I don't care" choice!
Hey Roh - I think that choice would be covered under "half and half." In a more professional survey, I would have worded it as "neither frustrated nor satisfied" but that was too wordy.
ReplyDeleteI *wish* I didn't care! but that huge pile called "life" tends to slide down and bury me if I don't do some minimal shoveling each day.