That time is fast approaching, when thousands of people all over the nation... world?... sit down and attempt to tap out 50K words in 30 days. Yes, I'm talking about NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month).
Yes, yes, I know, I know. Fifty thousand words does not a novel make. But it's a damn good start. Or it's a first draft that will be fleshed into a novel-sized book eventually. The point isn't to have a completed book in month. Not to me, anyway.
For me, the point of NaNoWriMo (NaNo for short) was to see if I could do it. Could I train myself to write 1666 words a day for 30 days straight? Could I write to a deadline, even if it was self-imposed? Was this writing thing more than just a lark?
My first NaNo wasn't 'official'. I didn't sign up for the site. I wasn't accountable to anyone but myself - which was kind of the point for me. But I did it. I sat down and banged out a book. The next year, I signed up and did it for reals. And the next year. Somewhere along the way, I was too busy to do it in November, so I did it December and called it HoHoWriMo. I've done it in other months, too. Because there are times when I needed to sit my ass down and write a damn book, so I took the skills I'd taught myself during November and applied them.
Now, with the way my writing has gone this year, I'm wondering if I don't need to relearn that old discipline. Commit myself to writing a book in November, whether I feel like it or not. Just do it already and quit my bitchin'.
I have two weeks from today to decide. Two weeks from today will be November 1st. Gah, where did the year go?? :shudder:
Other people have already decided to take it on. They've already got a book in mind. They're already plotting, so that when the starter pistol is fired, they'll be banging out words. Umm, yeah, that never worked for me. So, sometime between now and Halloween, I'll decide whether to do this and when All Saints Day arrives, I will or I won't be sitting down and seeing what falls out of my head.
I'll let you know. Stay tuned.
Meanwhile, are you thinking about doing NaNo this year? Have you done it in the past? How'd it go for you? Do you plan ahead or do you just let it fly when 11/1 arrives?
How about a modified version of it? That's what I do when I 'participate' (never officially). I just up the amount I usually write in a day to make it more doable. I've done other things, too (blog posts, outlines)...this article has ideas: https://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/there-are-no-rules/5-ways-to-modify-nanowrimo
ReplyDeleteI like to read the forums because it motivates me to see others motivated.
I write short and 50K is a full-length book for me, ha. Only did 75K when under contract to do so and the cozies felt bloated to me then.
Thanks for the suggestion, Elizabeth. Unfortunately, right now, I'm not writing any words. I guess that would make it really easy to up the amount, though. I think I need the full NaNo this time around. The structure of it, the drill-sergeant mentality of 'you will write 1667 words today' without worrying if any of them are any good. And yeah, seeing others hitting their goals might motivate me. At this point, I'm willing to try it.
DeleteYou see, when I read your books, I don't think about how long or short they are. I would've never guessed they're around 50K because there's so much good mystery stuff in them. I think my shortest is around 60K and that one always feels light to me.
November is the one month a year I know I will get writing done because once I sign up, and even though the certificate and badges are kind of cheesy, I'm competitive enough to do it. Even in the bad years, I've managed to get my 50K. This year, I need it more than even last year. I have a book scheduled to release in February, due in early January and there are 5 other authors in the mini-series with me and mine is the first book. So yeah, I'll be doing NaNo. I have 13 years under my belt. Not gonna break the string now.
ReplyDeleteDeb has a good idea. Sort of a Camp NaNo, which is when you set your own goals, in November. 😊