I've been trying to decide whether to participate in this year's NaNoWriMo (aka National Novel Writing Month). This is where you spend the month of November writing feverishly, approximately 1667 words/day, so you can draft a 50,000 word novel in 30 days.
Anyone who has participated will admit it's an audacious thing to write a 50k novel in 30 days. It borders on lunacy, which is why you will see so many bleary-eyed zombies walking around during November. Okay, and in December, while these insane writers are recuperating from this wild sprint to create a book.
No, it's not a polished novel. It's not even a finished novel. No one in their right mind would consider it "query ready" or even "submission ready".
But it is definitely a beautiful beginning.
Sometimes starting something is the hardest part of a project. It's easier to talk about starting. We all have ideas for books, but getting those ideas onto paper, and fashioning them into a coherent narrative. . .that's definitely the tricky part.
The goal of NaNo is to finish, of course, and I aim for that goal with all the ferocity I possess. All the way to 50k! But I don't consider it a wasted effort if I make it to the finish line with fewer words.
I finished NaNo the very first attempt, when I wrote Bad Sex Karma. It's how I learned about staying two steps ahead of that pesky Inner Critic. NaNo also helped me come out as a pantser, and it was a glorious thing to discover that 1667 words/day is actually a comfortable pace for me.
The most important lesson I learned? How to actually enjoy the writing process.
I started Shoot Me If I Do at another NaNo session, but my work life at the time was too chaotic to get very far. I attempted to work on it the next year, but I couldn't finish then either. This really surprised me, because I hadn't had any troubles the first time keeping up, or catching up, with the word count.
Still, I don't consider either of those tries as failures, because an amazing hero and heroine LEAPT off the pages. I knew instantly how great they were, and I knew I was going to finish that book no matter what. I did complete it, and that book placed in several contests, got me my agent, and is on submission to editors.
Last year I wrote 50,000 words of Lord Wastrel, which has turned into the first book of an intriguing Regency historical series.
This year the work life is hectic again, and I'm debating whether to give NaNo another go. There are so many projects I am editing/revising/polishing, and the practical thing would be to devote my writing time to those WIPs.
But doing NaNo is such a rush. It's crazy and manic and unpredictable and, most of all, absolutely thrilling. It's a nice change of pace to write by the seat of my pants, watching the story unfold as I type excitedly to reach my daily goal.
Shouldn't writing be like that at least one month out of the year?
It looks like I might have talked myself into doing NaNo again this year. Any other NaNoManiacs out there? If so, let's hear it: All The Way to 50k!
Congratulations for talking yourself into it! LOL NaNo obviously works for you, so you don't want to let this opportunity get away!
As for me, well I haven't tried it so I can't say it wouldn't work, but no. School and all that. But I'm always fascinated about what could happen, if I gave it a try. To actually leave that inner critic in the dust...ah, a lovely thought! :)
Posted by: Melissa | October 28, 2011 at 09:55 AM
Melissa, I'm still waffling about it. But the idea of leaving the inner critic behind is SO tempting! Plus I like to have something new to look forward to, so this may keep me going when I get worn down from revising.
We'll see. LOL
Posted by: Donna Cummings | October 28, 2011 at 10:03 AM
Isn't November your birthday month? Something new to look forward to sounds like a great present to yourself...just saying. :)
Posted by: Melissa | October 28, 2011 at 11:01 AM
You're a sneaky one, Melissa! LOL Yes, November is my birthday month, so I'm gearing up for that too. (It's tougher than it looks to celebrate an entire month!)
Posted by: Donna Cummings | October 28, 2011 at 11:15 AM
I've actually been wanting to do NaNo since I heard about it last year, and the idea excited me so much. However, I didn't realize that it would fall during the same time as I'm writing my senior thesis, so I'm really himhawing about whether I should wait until next year. I just don't know. I guess I could always do it on my own time, but somehow the excitement just isn't the same.
Posted by: Britt | October 28, 2011 at 01:24 PM
Britt, I think NaNo deliberately picked the worst month for this! You're right about the excitement being different when everyone is doing it at once, which is why I'm getting sucked into it again when I said I was gonna pass this year. LOL
Your senior thesis obviously needs to come first, but if you have something "fun" to write, that might be a nice break for you to do with NaNo. If not, it'll definitely be there next year!
Posted by: Donna Cummings | October 28, 2011 at 05:44 PM