NaNoWriMo: The Final Week Begins
Last weekend I had the quite sensible plan of catching up on the 5K I needed to get back on target. Saturday went alright--I wrote a few hundred extra words, but on Sunday I didn't even fulfill the day's minimum quota. I just stopped writing. And I haven't written a word since.
The reason? I'm writing a novel, not trying to hit a word target. The whole NaNoWriMo thing was something that both Stephen and I were using to get our arses moving on our WIPs. That's why I had no qualms about using words I'd written before November (which aren't part of my NaNo-count). And that's why I've spent the last few days plotting out the next few chapters.
The thing about me and plotting is that I need time to percolate my ideas. I'll always end up with something better when it's had at least a few days of tweaking. The slow process of sprinkling the plot with details helps make it richer.
My last week is going to be a leisurely stroll. I'll be dropping my pace down to something more reasonable and I'll be taking days off. Even if I only hit 35K by the end of the month, that will still be 35K of a novel that I probably wouldn't have written for another few months.
If there's one thing I've learned about this whole process, it's that I can write faster than I thought. But that doesn't mean I have to.
10 comments:
Keep it up...eye on the prize, keep typing. I hoping for a 4day sprint here over the long weekend.
One of the other NaNo-ers told me she was taking her time, because she thought she had the makings of a really good book there, and she didn't want to rush it and ruin it.
Face it - writing fast is one thing. Does that mean error-free? Do you save time if you have to go back and do extensive revisions?
Your goal is wise. Use it for motivation. No matter how much you complete by the end of the month it's a success, because you've made substantial progress on your WIP, and that's what counts. Not that you hit 50,000 words or 49,000 or 73,000. Just that you really made some progress and can feel it coming together.
Aldo, I'm still going, I just know I'll fall short of target. Which is cool for me.
"Do you save time if you have to go back and do extensive revisions?"
That's it, Sandra. My whole issue with the philosophy behind NaNo is that quality is thrown out the window. I say stick to a pace that works for your story, and that isn't always going to be 1700 words a day.
Good for you Daniel. You've started something that sounds like it has promise. This means to me that NaNoWriMo worked the way it really should. It gives you a start and keeps you writing as long as is needed to make a fair amount of progress.
what sandra said. i'm proud of all my blogging pals who've participated. it takes guts and stamina no matter how many words you end up with.
Thanks Steven and Anne. I've really appreciated knowing that you guys are out there watching my progress. It helps give me confidence to keep going.
And just so you know I'm not all soppy, all the time: gingerbread Nazis are only offensive if they taste bad.
You sure have come a long way from when you started babe and learning so much about yourself too. You should be proud of yourself...now get back to it!
But I'm at work! Can't it wait till I get home? Please, Mistress Mary, please be lenient! The punishments are becoming too much, even for me.
Ahem. What I meant to say was, thanks for the inspiring words, babe. Smooch.
Hey Stephen, your opinion is also my opinion. Does that mean we're sharing it? I wonder if we can give it to other people once we're done?
So, still stuck in the desert? ;)
Great view point about Nano. Now that I've hit my goal, I'm going back and tweaking the story. Nano is a great way to just get a story going that you might not have otherwise. Whatever you end up with (35k or 50k) it will be that many more thousand words you didn't have on October 31! Great job Daniel.
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