I am participating in National Novel Writing Month this year. Every November, thousands of people try to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. Quite a few of them succeed. Last year the stats were about 100,000 participants and about 15,000 winners (people who wrote 50k words; you don't actually win anything). My friend Vic has done it a couple of years and he inspired me to give it a go. I'm working on a novel in short stories based on my childhood in Southwest Louisiana. A Southern coming-of-age type tale.
Of course, I have a four-month-old child so I'm not going to beat myself up too bad if I don't make it. In fact, my mathematically-inclined husband tells me I have to write 2,000 words a day to do it. Seems a little far-fetched. Still, it's got me writing and it's giving me a good start on a novel that's been bouncing around my brain for years now.
Cheer me on, friends!
Of course, I have a four-month-old child so I'm not going to beat myself up too bad if I don't make it. In fact, my mathematically-inclined husband tells me I have to write 2,000 words a day to do it. Seems a little far-fetched. Still, it's got me writing and it's giving me a good start on a novel that's been bouncing around my brain for years now.
Cheer me on, friends!
2 comments:
You go, girl!
And it's "only" 1667 words a day.
You're a long-time writer. I'm sure you've had days where you've banged out 5000+ words. The key to success in this is to learn to turn your inner editor off. You'll have plenty of time from December 1st through the rest of your life to go back and fix all the spelling and grammar and tense problems. But even KNOWING this truth, I still allow my inner editor to take control of the wheel far too often.
Even if you're just typing out placeholder text or dialogue (such as "Drake says something pithy about the pyramids here" or "detailed description of White House garden goes here"), don't let yourself get bogged down on one section. Get the story down first. Let the imagination flow. Fine tune later. Even if you took the time to edit everything as you went along, you know good and well that you'd be giving it just as much of a revision as you will this really rough nanawrimo draft.
This is all stuff you know, but it's amazing how easily your brain can convince you that it's now okay to start agonizing over every word and punctuation mark right NOW.
(Hey.. I just realized... maybe all of Cormac McCarthy's novels are really first drafts of a NaNo novel...)
Anyway, keep writing! Don't stop! Don't edit! Don't take a day to do 'research'!
NaNoWriMo... Sounds kinda like Rhino. Almost a rhyme. Hhhmmmm.
Nanowrimo/
Danorhino
Nanowrimo/
Llanorhino
Nanowrimo/
Vanorhino
They don't quite make it. And are really hard to say.
But it is a Rhinocerous of a challenge! That's alright, tho. You will tame the wrimo! [sorry, Vee! You know how hard it is for me to resist a pun. Or is it just a corny metaphor?]
Wish I could baby-sit 2 hours for you every day for the month.
Post a Comment