The Great Nano Experience

Tags

fun, NaNo, NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month, thoughts, tips, Twitter, writing

It’s that time of year again. November…or to writers, National Novel Writing Month, more affectionately known as NaNoWriMo or just Nano. Where writers everywhere set out to write 50,000 words in a month.

Cause that’s what we all look like…riiiiiiight.

There are those who participate every year, planning and plotting through October to be ready. Plotters, I admire you! There are those who jump in on November first, scrambling to plot and plan or merely crazy enough to see what happens. Pantsers, I love you!

It began yesterday with people tweeting their accomplishments, their word counts, how they procrastinated, how they were full of hope…and fear. Some start knowing they’ll hit 50K. Some know they won’t, but are happy to give it a shot. Some know they will have to rip apart what they write a few months after it’s finished. Some may never go back to what they write. Some will stay on track. Others will fall behind…only to catch up later or not. By the end of week two, determination will have replaced the fear and hope.

Maybe not the hope, not completely.

I am an observer in this. I do not Nano. The thought of word counts and reaching a certain number breaks my brain. NaNoWriMo causes too much stress for me to benefit.  But that doesn’t mean I am not writing alongside these brave and fabulous folks. I am drafting.

Right now, Twitter is full of tips, of information, of helpful words to drive people along their writing path.

I have my own thoughts about all the tips…

Don’t worry about them. Don’t clutter your brain with what others think you should or should not do.

Have fun. Enjoy your world and characters.

Don’t overthink. When the goal is word count, there is no room for thinking. There is typing, focusing on what happens next.

For the pantsers…let the story go where it likes! For the plotters…dude, you got that outline to guide you!

Perfection is boring. Who the heck cares if at the end of the month you have a brilliant piece of literature! No one cares. Revisions exist for a reason.

Write your story. This is time for you! For what you love! For what you feel is right for your art! Do it.

Write words. All words are good words. All words get you to your goal and give you something to work with later.

Don’t let the numbers break you. Sometimes the creative process is more than word count.

Do what works for you.

Don’t let others’ word counts get you down. There are people who will write over 50K…*cough*overachievers*cough* You celebrate you.

Please remember to sleep. And eat. *gives everyone a glass of water* LOVE YOURSELF! Take care of you!

I will be cheering from the sidelines. Whatever you do, be proud of you. Whatever you don’t get to…WHO CARES!

Do your best. It is enough.

 

 

NaNoWriMo Craziness has Begun

Tags

Believe, goals, move forward, NaNoWriMo, possibilities, word count, writing

It’s November!

For writers everywhere that means National Novel Writing Month. People are sitting their butts in their favorite chairs with cups of their favorite beverage in hopes of having 50,000 new words staring from computer screens at the end of these thirty days.

Sound like a lot? Cause it is.

For the last month, I have been reading tweets as those participating prepare. Some create extensive outlines. Others have general plans. A few are just going to wing it. Word counts run rampant on Twitter. Daily goals have been set.

And the fun began last Sunday. I am not a part of the craziness. I do not NaNo.

Why? Too much pressure. With daily goals and the looming deadline of 50K words… I would panic and fail. I know me. This would happen. At the end, I would be a quivering mass of blah with a bunch of words that make no sense. I choose not to be that. My writing process does not allow for this challenge. I’m okay with that.

For everyone who takes on this crazy challenge, I applaud you.

Whether you get to that magic number or not, BRAVO for giving it a go!

It’s been a few days and tweets are positive. Goals are being met. Stories are progressing. The general feeling is upbeat and numbers are high.

This trend probably won’t continue. In a week or so, tweets will begin to show panic. Goals slip away. Doubt nibbles at the positivity. Life throws strangeness into the mix. Exhaustion creeps in. Maybe the story gets out of hand. Suddenly everything that has been written screams that it doesn’t work. Maybe the ms would be better in a different POV or tense.

The questions multiply. The doubt grows. Will what exists at the end of the month be worth having?

YES! IT WILL!

AND I WILL BE HERE TO CHEER YOU ON!

I WILL BE HERE REMINDING YOU THAT YOU ARE…

To get through NaNo, there must be writing. Let the words flow. Maybe you can stick to the plan, maybe not, it won’t matter. Just keep writing. 50K in a month is not achieved through questioning.

You didn’t reach your goal one day? Relax, don’t sweat it.

Put it behind you and keep moving forward. This is not the month to focus on what might have been, what you should have done. This is the time to take what you have and build on it.

No showers for a month? No problem.

Kids are in charge of making their own dinner? They are learning to be independent.

The house becomes covered in a layer of dust? Adds cushion…comfort.

Your family forgets what you look like? They’ll remember eventually.

Because the month will end.

Will you hit that magic 50K number? Maybe. Maybe not.

But you will have words, new words. Words that will always be there for you to mold into whatever they decide they want to be, next week or next year. Whenever.

Hold onto that thought as you type away, reaching for the stars. You are creating possibilities, mixing the clay that will someday be brilliance.

Whether writing goes like this…

or more like this…

Whether you end the day in a state of…

or…

or…

or…

or…

I will be here to tell you to KEEP GOING! I might not be joining you in achieving 50K, but I will be striving to add as many words as I can to my WIP.

So, go forth my NaNo-ers as you NaNo and don’t look back.

 

Hello, November, You Sassy Girl.

Tags

challenges, doubt, fear, friends, NaNoWriMo, ProjectREUTSway, WIPmo, writing

I’ll wave goodbye to October, but what a month. Contests, stories, scary fun. I let go of worries and fears and let myself be. I wrote a ton of little stories, which lead my writing into new places, places I’m hoping to explore further.

Horror manuscript? Possibly. But first there’s a story competition I must complete.

Some of my writer friends are participating in NaNoWriMo… National Novel Writing Month, where they will attempt to write 50,000 words this month. Good luck to all of you! I think you’re all crazy. I have never been tempted by that beast, never thought to join the insanity.

There’s another group forming called… WIPmo, for all those who have manuscripts and want to revise the living crud out of them. Good luck to them too! I don’t have a ms that is screaming to be revised. I just climbed out of that hole with DOORS. I don’t wanna go back in!

A different game has me enthralled. Last year I stumbled upon Reuts Publishers and their take on NaNo called ProjectREUTSWay, see details here. Each week in November they offered a challenge. By adding vampires, shapeshifters, demons, ghost, etc., write a 2,000-5,000 word story inspired by a fairy tale. So I did. I submitted four stories. Two of them won spots in their recently published anthology, see my previous post here. And one was posted on their blog as a runner-up. I am thrilled to have a book in my Nook with my stories sitting alongside so many other great pieces!Honestly, I don’t feel like I deserve to be there, but there I am.

This month the theme is mythology, not something I know a ton about. First up is Egyptian… I’m going with part of Ra’s story. I will start writing the words today and see how it goes. I am in fabulous company as many of us from last year have bonded together to cheer each other on. I love them! I love that they include me. The little girl inside me who never had any friends wants to cry happy tears.

This month, I will write four stories. I will help critique a friend’s manuscript. I will have a big decision to make, maybe… or at least something to announce, possibly. I will head to my sister’s house for Thanksgiving and spend time with my family. I will do my best not to panic or let my fear of failure send me spinning off into darkness. But if I do, I have friends to help me. You know who you are!

Mostly I hope to be content, to be willing to go where fate takes me and let go of all the things I can’t control.

May we all find a happy place. May we all conquer the new challenges, whether they be word related or not, and face the obstacles with as little self doubt as possible. However, when that demon rears its head, remember…

YOU ARE NOT ALONE. Reach out to all of us, suffering from the same fears and doubts.

Together we can do anything.