Image: NaNoWriMo.org
That’s right. I’m not doing it.
This year, for the first time in three years, I’ve made the decision not to do NaNoWriMo.
It has nothing to do with dissatisfaction with the NaNo people or process. I’ve done it two Novembers in a row and won each time, though I admit I failed dismally at Camp NaNo this July. The thing is, though, that with my current story, I don’t have 50,o00 words left to write. Sure, I could write something else, but my priority at the moment is really to get this first draft finished. I’m already three months overdue and, with my new deadline being Christmas, I just want to get it over with.
I toyed with the idea of trying to finish it by the end of October and doing something completely different in November with NaNo. Unfortunately, I’ve been unwell and a number of other things have been coming back to bite me, and the time (and, frankly, inclination) just haven’t been there. I’m working my way through these final scenes and I’m getting there, but it’s a long, drawn out process. Perhaps if I was one of those people who writes in order it would be different, because I’d be building up to the dramatic end of the story, but I’m a non-linear writer and the end has been written since, well, two NaNos ago. No, what I’m doing now is doing a couple of sub-plots and some filler scenes that lead onto the next bit of drama. No wonder it’s taking me forever.
As such, I’m giving NaNo a miss this year. Instead, I’ll use November to (hopefully) kill off these last 15,000 or so words that need writing, and get this draft done once and for all. My character biographies are helping dramatically, I might add; that little writing exercise is clearly one that works really well for me. (Actually, there seem to be a lot of similarities between my writing habits and those of the lecturer in this course I’m doing, which is incredibly helpful.) Then, once my draft is done I’ll take some time off over Christmas and attack it with the red editor’s pen in the new year, refreshed and, with any luck, able to look at it with a new set of eyes.
Then next November I’ll do NaNo again, with the next story. At least, that’s the plan as it stands now. Wish me luck! :)
Related articles
- Hey, Writers! NaNoWriMo is Back (hcplteenscene.org)
- My NaNoWriMo Thoughts (writermummy.wordpress.com)
- What is NaNoWriMo and why on earth are you doing it?! (gettingtotheend.wordpress.com)
- My first shot at NaNoWriMo. (lifeintheblueridges.wordpress.com)
- Coming to the Interwebs Near You – NaNoWriMo 2012! (alexandracorinth.com)
I am in the middle of a project but thought it might be a great thing…Maybe next November! Enjoy your freedom
Thank you! And all the best to you as well. I’ve done NaNo while in the middle of a project (last year) and it’s good for rekindling your enthusiasm, but if you don’t have 50K words yet to write then it can feel a bit pointless. Save it up for next year when you can attack something new with all guns blazing.
A wise decision, methinks. Gotta stay focused to finish.
Absolutely. A distraction in the form of NaNo is probably the last thing I need right now. I will try to get the book done during November – as though I was doing NaNo, only with 15K words instead of 50K – but having a lower deadline doesn’t work on the NaNo site. So it’s up to me now, I guess.
I don’t understand the point of NaNoWriMo at all. I spend every chance I get writing or working on my writing… I don’t understand how making a rule about scribbling out a certain amount of words in a certain month would be anything other than stressful and probably end up making my writing unconsidered and crap.
… am I missing something???????
You know, Holly, I was like you for ages. I just didn’t see the point. But a writing site I was part of made a big deal out of it, complete with nominating cheer squads for participants and the like, and I thought I’d give it a try, not expecting to do anything like 50,000 words. It was when I was just starting to write the book I’m nearly finished, and I was full of enthusiasm for it all. And, you know, doing NaNo becomes remarkably addictive. You put your word count into the site and it graphs your progress against the 1667-per-day target, and seeing your figure ahead of that is actually really motivating. You want to keep writing to make sure you stay ahead of it. And you can get widgets that show the world how you’re tracking and everything. I went from a skeptic to a convert during my first NaNo, and I’ve liked to do it ever since. This year, though, the priority is something else.
Having said that, if you don’t want to do NaNo, then don’t do it. There’s no law or anything. To me, though, it’s a fun and motivating event.
I think that’s the thing. I never lack motivation to write (it’s only stuff like work and cleaning that I lack motivation for – nanocleanmo??) so I don’t feel like I need extra motivational assistance. That said, I do love getting kittens every few hundred words with writtenkitten.net . But… KITTENS!
However, I can see why it would be good for other people.
Hi Emily! Just checking in for a few minutes. I think you made the right choice. Prioritizing your book will give you great satisfaction when is finished. Keep us posted!
All the best!
Thanks Patricia! I’m really looking forward to when this first draft is finished – I think it was you I told that I’ve promised myself a manicure as a reward to my fingers for doing all that typing. So think of it as my own mini-NaNo: 15K instead of 50, and I’ll see how much I can get done during November.
I signed up to do it, but with so many other projects due for clients, I think I may have bitten off more than I can chew, and may bow out last minute.
And there’s no shame in that. Thousands of people do the saem thing, or they try to do NaNo as well and end up writing even less than they might have done otherwise. Don’t worry about it. If you manage to do it, that’s amazing, but if you don’t then hey, that’s life. And there’s always next year.
Good luck!
Thanks Jamie! I might just need it.
Good Luck with your other project, sometimes it is better to keep going on what you’re doing rather than try to push NaNoWriMo in between.
Thank you! I think so too. I’m all for NaNo when I have 50,000 words in me aching to get out, as I did the last couple of years, but this year the timing just isn’t good. If it was in February, say, I’d probably be okay for it, but at the moment I just want to get the WIP finished.
Good for you! It’s good to have priorities sometimes.
You could still tap into the energy of the whole thing to get those last scenes done, if that’s something you enjoy and find helpful.
You know, that’s not a bad idea. I still get the emails and everything (albeit on an account I rarely use these days) so maybe I’ll jump on the bandwagon and ride that vibe home. We’ll see. I think my 15K goal is going to be okay, though – if I try to do 500 words a day over November, chances are I’ll get this thing done and dusted before I know it. Thanks!