NaNoWriMo

Ok, so when did November just decide to appear out of nowhere.

Sometime in September, I was about ready to give it a crack in my time honoured fashion of thinking about it then and completely forgetting about it until half of November has gone.

Wondering if its worth going for 25k words and calling it a mini-one instead and then say I could've done it if I had started on time.

 

Started it...got up to about 5,000 words of a variety of meanings and ran out of oomph.

I always forget how hard it is to keep going.

 

First year since 2007 I just haven't done it. I'm having real trouble getting on with anything. However, I have got 56,000 words to format into an ebook with pictures, so I am producing something.

 

Nano...that was a joke of an attempt on my part. I forgot about it having posted and wrote nothing.

I think that good book hiding in me is one of those 16 page guides that pops up on Amazon which is half credits and pictures.

 

I've never considered NaNo. I can't write fast and enjoy the experience. However, I love NaNo because so many writers take November off from blogging and other social media that it gives me a chance to write.

 

How many people actually get something out of NaNoWriMo other than a bunch of frustration at being unable to complete their 50k for one reason or another. I'm guessing that editors become really popular in december as they get flooded out with brand new manusscripts to tighten up. Or perhaps all the literary houses dread it because everyone sends in their latest masterpiece making the pile of entries sky high?

I wonder if you can you train for it like a marathon. I mean start the first couple of months of the year at only 10k words and then build it up until you can hit the 50k mark?

 

Cheat. Spend a few months fine tuning the process by which you would write the novel. November is National Write A Novel month, not National Prepare To Write A Novel Month, after all.

 

Yeah, Get the first 5k words/month for starters giving yourself a good 30k words to begin with and at that point the remaining 20LK should be easy.

 

That's what coffee and research are for. The coffee is obvious, and the research is to both cure writers block and give you ideas for continuing on.

 

I have read about this exercise and got the impression it was meant to be a way of getting something started, rather than producing a publisher ready product. I would be interested to know how many NaNo novels end up on the shelves on day; lots, I hope.

 

Hmmm, we're at the start of June.

If I write at my usual pace of 5k words/month... then I still won't have finished it by the end of NaNoWriMo. It needs to be about 10k words/month, which leaves a month to go on holiday and forget about it.

 

They have a page listing published Wrimos, both traditionally published and self- published.

Some well-known titles that started off as NaNo projects include Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen, The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell, Wool by Hugh Howey, The Darwin Elevator by Jason M. Hough, and Cinder, Scarlet, and Cress by Marissa Meyer.

 

Thanks for sharing that link Jordan. I find it impressive when someone can sit down and write a novel during nanowrirmo, whether it's a big hit one day or not. It takes mad self-discipline, hard work, and creativity. Kudos to those who finish.

 

Thanks for sharing that Jordan! I have never participated in NaNoWriMo but I do know lots of people that do. Maybe I should give it a whirl. Who knows, I may end up with a masterpiece!

 

I've started getting notifications for NaNoWriMo already. It's like Halloween, just around the corner.

Ready? Me..? Probably for 2020.

 

I love NaNoWriMo even though I'm a total loser at it.

I'm typically a pantser, meaning I jump in without an outline, though the last few years I've had no plan whatsoever. Just started writing on day one, and usually made it a week or two then died. This year, I plan to do some prep. I'm not going full on plotter, but a slightly sussed out idea would be helpful.

 

That's not cheating; it's more like having a game plan in place. Just like athletes practice and strategize before a big game.

Jordan, I hope all goes well for you! Just getting started is supposedly the hardest part and it seems like you have that down pat.

 

Thanks, Books! Starting up on day one is easy with all the build up and enthusiasm in the air and usually lasts the full first week. Then imposter syndrome starts to set in. I'm hoping to participate in the local events more this year to keep my motivation up.