Hey all! Before I start, just want to let you know that I'm at S.K. Anthony's blog talking about how I beat insecurities and at Gwen Gardner's talking about how I create complex characters.
So, as I mentioned on Friday, I'll be doing NaNoWriMo again this year, but that at this stage I needed to re-evaluate how I was going to approach it.
I decided I'm going to let myself off the hook while pushing myself at the same time. Sounds crazy, I know, but here's how I look at it.
As far as drafting's concerned, I don't really care what my word counts go towards, as long as I write. So at the moment, I'm a bit too stressed to focus on my current WiPs, but it doesn't mean that I shouldn't write. Just means I can write without focusing on a given project.
Does it mean I'm wasting my time? Probably not. The way I see it, I'll be adding words to most of my projects, since I won't really be able to stay away from them. Maybe not 50k to one, but I'll finish all of them anyway.
Also, doing prompts will open up my thoughts again. It's been weeks since I could focus on writing, so I need to get back into the swing of things.
Besides, who knows? Maybe one or more of those random prompts I'll do will lead to an awesome story.
Who else is doing NaNo? If you want to buddy up, my user name's iceangel. What will you be working on?
If it motivates you to write, then that's still success!
ReplyDeleteI added you over there - I'm yoghurtelf :)
ReplyDeleteYAY Nano!
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DeleteThanks Trisha! Merci Andre!
DeleteJust write... Good luck with NaNo. :)
ReplyDeleteI think Alex said it best. I adopted the same attitude last year, when I partook in NaNo. I ended up with two, partially written MG stories, one I'm almost ready to send to my agent. Motivation and results are the key.
ReplyDeleteSherri, that's what I think too. It's not about the novel as much as the output.
DeleteAnd even if I edit some of the words out, I would have added words towards some of my projects.
Getting any writing does is better than no writing. Good luck with NaNo! This will be my fifth year participating (and we're already buddies).
ReplyDeleteThanks Cherie! Good luck to you too. :-)
DeleteNo Na No here, but good luck. Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteI'm doing NaNoWriMo this year so it's good to know you're doing it too. I think that as long as you get some words down, it doesn't really matter how much as long as you're writing.
ReplyDeleteAwesome! Looking forward to NaNo'ing with you. :-)
DeleteIf you can utilize the synergy of thousands of writers, I say do it! Who cares if you churn out 50K or 10? As for me, November is the WORST month of the year for a writing binge--unless you're considering October as a possibility. Why didn't they pick April or May?
ReplyDeleteHahaha they do Camp NaNo in May, June and July, I believe. ;-)
DeleteI think your plan sounds good. You don't have to focus on one project. Just write. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Kelly. :-)
DeleteThat sounds like a great way to do it.
ReplyDeleteYeah, it's nice to feel the pressure come off.
DeleteI think that's a great approach. The experience of NaNo has to contribute to what you want to do, not stand in its way. I've just buddied with you on the NaNo site :-)
ReplyDeleteI agree Tony. All of us writers should make NaNo fit our goals and needs. It's liberating to be a rebel. :-P
DeleteThanks for adding me.
I've always been busy with revisions for other books during NaNo, but not this year! I'm finally taking on this beast. :D
ReplyDeleteOoh! Best of luck!
DeleteI should do it and I'm in that situation with a couple of incompletes that could use the words--especially one which has been nagging me. I'm evaluating my work schedule and trying to see how I could do it without killing myself. Still haven't decided.
ReplyDeleteSia McKye Over Coffee
Yeah I've NaNo'ed incomplete novels before. It's actually a great way to get things done.
DeleteI really wish you well, Misha!
ReplyDeleteBut personally, I'm staying as far away from NaNoMo as possible -- I mean, I think it's a wonderful thing if it helps writers write, but I really need to cultivate the discipline within myself to do it without an "extra" motivation. I'm at a place where I really need to stick to writing for me, not for any arbitrary external temporary event.
But I'm still fully in support of you and whoever attempts it and I wish everyone tremendous success with it.
Chris I totally get what you're saying. I actually do similar challenges to myself (in private) throughout the year, since I often want to do much more than 50k's worth of drafting.
DeleteThat motivation is definitely necessary, but I figure I have it already, so I might as well have fun with it too. :-P
Thanks so much for your support!
Good for you, Misha. I'm kind of sad that once again nano has fallen at the wrong time of the year for me. I'm working on revisions before I start drafting again.
ReplyDeleteOoh! Revisions are so important! Best of luck!
DeleteGood luck with Nano.
ReplyDeleteYvonne.
I'm not doing NaNo this year, got a few other irons in the fire that need to be done first.
ReplyDeleteYeah sometimes it's necessary to prioritize.
DeleteI'm not doing NaNo, but will be writing. Best on moving forward. Shaking things up can be a huge help.
ReplyDeleteThat's what I'm counting on. Good luck with your writing!
DeleteSounds like a good plan, then if one is not going well you always have something else to do. I can only do one thing at a time, so I'll stick with the story I've outlined even if I end up tearing my hair out!
ReplyDeleteYeah that's what I'm thinking too. No time to get stuck if there's always something else I can do.
DeleteOh, BTW, I have a little something waiting for you over at my blog. :)
ReplyDeleteHehehehe I think it's a big something. Thanks so much!!!
DeleteI'm doing the same thing with NaNo this year. I'm letting myself just write without the pressure. I just want to write. Anything! Good luck. (I'm Kalligenia on there, btw!) I'm off to Gwen's and S.K.'s!
ReplyDeleteYeah. I'm seeing it as my month of letting my hair down after three months of work, commitment and stress. :-D
DeleteI'm in the same place with NaNo. I'm not going to pitter around this month, but I'm also not going to beat myself up if I don't reach 50,000. I'll add you as a buddy!
ReplyDeleteYeah I never quite reach 50k for NaNo, and that's okay. 30k+ makes me a happy camper too. :-)
DeleteI'll also be doing NaNoWriMo this year. Hopefully I won't slack off, because I really want to complete it. I've only managed to make it through April's script frenzy, but never NaNoWriMo :/ This is my profile on nano: http://nanowrimo.org/en/participants/brittney-w
ReplyDeleteGood luck this year! ^^
Good luck to you too!
DeleteI could have sworn I wrote a message - a long one - the other day? I think sometimes I press publish and don't stick around to see if it went through? Anyway, nope - no NaNo this year. I just want some stress free time to focus on what is rather than what will be. But good luck to you. I just read Re-evaluation Completed, and your attitude is a positive one, so all should be good!
ReplyDeleteMmmm... I don't seem to recall getting a long comment from you, but I did know you wouldn't do NaNo. So I must have read it somewhere. :-/
DeleteNot enough free time to pump out that many words, but I'll be watching longingly from the sidelines ;)
ReplyDeleteYeah, honestly I don't know if I'll have that sort of time either. Guess it'll be lots of early mornings for me...
DeleteGood luck with NaNo! I'm sure you'll do well, especially since you know what your goals are.
ReplyDeleteI've always wanted to do NaNo, but November isn't a good month for me. And, honestly, I don't think I could get the kind of word count that everyone's going for. But I love cheering from the sidelines.
Yeah I also approach NaNo differently to others. Maybe it's because of the fact that I already have goals, so I'm more worried about achieving those than a NaNo win.
DeleteWishing you lots of inspiration during NaNo this November! I tried it a couple years ago and put to much pressure on myself. I really love your approach of adding word count to different WIPs and the idea of using word prompts to generate new ideas. Can't wait to hear about how it goes!
ReplyDeleteThanks! There's definitely a risk of putting on too much pressure. Usually, when I get the feeling that I won't be able to handle the pressure much longer, I stop and do something else for a few weeks.
DeleteBest of luck with Nano. I hope the great ideas just keep flowing.
ReplyDeleteHaven't been able to do NaNo justice in ages.
ReplyDeleteHope you find your focus with the help of the prompts you'll be using.
Thanks! I hope so too! I got some awesome prompts, so I'm really looking forward to getting started.
DeleteAdding words to all of your projects sounds ace!
ReplyDeleteThat's what I thought too. Also, it'll get me ready for December and editing that book you know about. :-D
DeleteMisha,
ReplyDeleteGood luck with NaNo. I'm taking a break from it this year. Need to spend the next two months preparing for a fresh new year. Happy Writing.