Last week of NaNoWriMo, writerly humans.
And so, I’m here to ask:
How’s it going? How’d the whole month go? Was this your first time? Will this be your last? Comments, questions, complaints? Anything me or any other writers can offer by way of dubious and uncertain guidance? It’s a tough row for folks who haven’t done it before and who don’t necessarily write at this pace all year around, and November can be a pretty wonky month in terms of time — so, honest appraisals and serious questions, fling ’em into the comment section.
Jenny Knox (@JennyKnox13) says:
I’m a short story writer, so writing a piece of this length is really new to me.
I feel like my novel has wandered down weird little dark alleys that it immediately regretted. And I’ll be cutting those out of the final product, eventually. I started with a pretty thorough outline, but boy did things go places that I didn’t expect.
What gives? Did I lose my mind somewhere around 35K words? Or is the wandering protagonist pretty common?
November 24, 2013 — 9:26 PM
terribleminds says:
Totally normal, I’ve found! I mean, not universal, but I’ve had it happen and seen it happen and that’s why THE GODS invented “the editing process.”
We all lose our minds around 35k, or so we think. Turns out: just the act of beginning a novel suggests we never had much of a mind to lose.
— c.
November 25, 2013 — 8:06 AM
Lisa Nicholas (@lisa_nicholas_) says:
For me it seems to be around 25K (although I tend to write shorter novels–around 75K–so that may be the equivalent). Once I wrap up act I, I kind of go, “Well crap, now what?”
November 25, 2013 — 8:39 AM
Caitlin says:
I just hit 70k today so i’m about ~10k away from my word count goal (and STILL there’s no zombie army! which is kinda good cuz i don’t like zombies, and i’ve been dreading writing this since the beginning of the book, but it has to happen because…reasons…but i’ve finally got everything in place for it to happen tomorrow…it’s kind of the climax to the story – but not the ending so…my story might be longer than 80k. in fact i know it will be because i need to fill in gaping plot holes because i’ve been jumping around from character to character like…i don’t know what. This Nanowrimo (my 4th (or 5th or something if you count a Camp thrown in there a few years ago)) is definitely my least coherent (at least during the first draft stage). Which is kind of annoying. Jenny – i had a vague outline but a lot of what i had in there, like you, things went wonky and down a totally different path. and stuff is happening that I TOTALLY didn’t plan, like AT ALL, which has changed my story quite a lot (tomorrow i’m going to be (writing about) exhuming a body…all because my character failed a test to become something I thought he totally would, guaranteed). So…yeah…I have a wandering protagonist (and pretty much every other character) too this time round…but hey, it’ll be interesting to edit this big steaming pile of words later on! 🙂
November 24, 2013 — 9:34 PM
Rebecca B. says:
I really wanted to “win” NaNo this year. I’ve tried in past years and given up really early. This year I really did have writing on my mind every day. Unfortunately, I didn’t sit down to do enough of it. As a pretty newbie writer, I think trying to write a big long novel may be a bit much. At least for types like me that over think and over plan. And then over edit. I’m actually finding it a lot easier to come up with the whole “flash fiction” thing – I can get enough of an idea to write a short piece out without feeling like I’m babbling on and on and boring myself.
I definitely want to try this again next year, but I can see now how important practicing all year long is for being successful. And being honest about priorities and giving up things like games on my phone and TV at night . . . ooohhhhh such sacrifices!!
Your posts here have been ridiculously helpful.
November 24, 2013 — 9:43 PM
Shelby Edwards says:
It was my first time. My first NaNoWriMo. My first kiss with fiction. Ever. I’m stunned, I’m staggered. As of tonight I’m closing in on 38,000 words. Christ. I can’t type fast enough to keep up. I’ve gotten out of plot tangles, I’ve kept up. I’m driven to see what happens next. All made possible my lashing my internal editor to a chair and threatening to gag him with a sock if he so much as breathes in my direction. Yes, its an utterly messy draft. Yes, it will need work. The story is good though so the mess doesn’t matter today. I’ve juggled my business and blog writing and the NaNo novel, easily averaging a 2000 words a day pace. Its revolutionary. Because it works. The discipline of the schedule. Of writing no matter what, grinding or flying until the goodness shows up. Faith and work. Faith and work. Till the pages pile up. Until “The End” is all I have left to write.
November 24, 2013 — 9:46 PM
Rebecca Douglass says:
That’s great! You can untie and ungag that editor in a few months.
November 25, 2013 — 10:53 AM
Shelby Edwards says:
That’s the plan. My whole goal was simply to start and to write everyday. I think the “win” is in the doing, not so much the word count. The story won’t be done until sometime in December, then I am sticking it in a drawer for a month or two.
November 25, 2013 — 12:58 PM
Robin says:
This is not something I can do. By the 20th I could hardly move from the pain in my back. I’m not good with self imposed pressure. I’m not giving up. I’ll keep writing every day. I did bang out 25,000 words even with the pain. 🙂 and as soon as I decided that I would keep at it but not focus on the end of the month I could move again. Just a little neurotic. 🙂
November 24, 2013 — 9:47 PM
pmillhouse says:
Honestly…?
Hell, I learned more about MY writing process this year than ever.
I’m at 46,671, and I’ve got 50K in my sights despite the evil Turkeys lurking right around the corner.
This is my 3rd NaNo. I failed miserably at 12K the first year. Failed miserably at over 50K last year (despite the WIN) because I had NO clue what I was doing, and have yet to get back to finish that first ugly draft. I was SO depressed after NaNo last year I just couldn’t do it.
But, I went on to publish two shorts after NaNo and I earned street creds with a publisher. Thank goodness those stories came along to distract me from my misery and cue up the writing bug.
And, here’s what’s SO FREAKING COOL!! This year’s ugly draft is about five revisions away from being AWESOME! And for that matter, so is LAST YEAR’S DRAFT! I already feel the editorial wheels spinning so fast I can hardly keep up.
That’s what I learned – I can finish my shit. I can now take these stories and wind my wonky, weird, wacko self through them and come out with publishable work.
Yes, it takes more than a month – *slaps palm against forehead** – but that’s OK. I own these bitches and they will do what I say. They will dance for me and they will be finished.
You have yielded the power to us all, Master Chuck. We’re so not worthy. Thanks for the NaNo dialogues, man. All-in-all, a great month.
November 24, 2013 — 9:48 PM
Whoa, Molly! says:
Here’s my story of failure:
I failed last year’s Nanowrimo too, just had too much going on. This year, I decided to give it another go. The first day, a Friday, I busted out over 1500 words. I felt really good about it, just freeing myself to write and not caring about everything being perfect was kind of a revelation.
On the second day… my body exploded and I was rushed to hospital for emergency surgery. Of course I was. (This type of thing is pretty typical – not surgery, but something insanely odd and stupid and dramatic occurring when I try to do anything…) Out of hospital a few days later and recovering, I thought – cool, time off work for writing. Except painkillers, the inability to move and the depression that can accompany surgical recovery added up to an all-consuming bleh that saw me write nothing until today.
So I feel a bit ripped off, but at the same time, I can write any time. I can free myself to not care about perfection and write any time. I can set a goal and write any time. Starting today, I did just that… 25 days late.
🙂
November 24, 2013 — 9:59 PM
Rebecca B. says:
UGH! I’ve been there with the emergency hospital stay. I got lucky that my inside explosion did not result in major surgery, but I was close. And I could not function for months after leaving the hospital. It’s a long road to recover from stuff like that, especially when you push yourself too much (which I did).
I too have learned that writing is about way more than just pounding out 50K words in a month. You gotta just keep doing it – however much you can – every day you can.
Take care of yourself and hope you’re doing well with recovery!
November 24, 2013 — 10:48 PM
rileyhill says:
I’ve taken a few days off here and there, but I’m at 103,258 words today. These are the skeletons of two new books in my series, for which I researched the past year, and will massively rewrite and edit for the next few months, before publication. The thing about NaNo that I found is that if I set myself a word count per day, I end up writing the most stupid, irrelevant,and mind numbing stuff. But it makes me laugh, which is what I enjoy about writing. And suddenly, a Tesla coil lights up and I have an idea I’d have never come up with using a slower, traditional model. I love/hate NaNo. I whip myself into a blathering frenzy, laugh maniacally, then enjoy the show.
November 24, 2013 — 10:08 PM
Chihuahua Zero says:
I’m behind by about 2500 words, but I’m on track to finish if I write 2000 words for the rest of the month. Some time along the way, I’ll narrow the gap and finish on the 29th.
My manuscript is as much as a mess you can expect from the first draft, but it should be plenty of material to construct a proper outline from. My main problem though will be defining the protagonist’s personality and actions. I need to decide what kind of ADHD he has, and how that affects his want of friends.
November 24, 2013 — 10:14 PM
Sean McNerney says:
First timer, currently on 60K and loving every minute of it! The kids are for sale on Ebay and I’ve notified the wife to expect a letter from my lawyer initiating proceedings. My life has taken the left road instead of the right. I’m determined to finish this first draft by the time the fat man in the red suit dodges airliners and falling space junk and enters our homes illegally to leave gifts.
I’ve even purchased the kick-ass writer instead of a box of dark chocolate tim-tams to help me get this little monster done, pronto!
Thanks Chuck for making me see the error of my evil ways!
November 24, 2013 — 10:17 PM
Fatma Alici says:
I feel pretty good. I got the 50k but the novel really isn’t done. I’m still trying to finish it up in full by the end of the month, but with EVERYTHING going on, I’m not seeing it happening. A bit of bummer. But, I mean, 52,000 and counting isn’t bad.
Strangely, even though the novel is an utter mess, I’m pretty happy with a lot of parts of it. I think I have a darling I might need to execute, but I’m not sure. Might need to step back before deciding on that.
November 24, 2013 — 10:34 PM
Rebecca Douglass says:
Oh, DEFINITELY step back before you even think of editing. Sleep on the beach in the sun. Or at least write some short stories, in a totally different genre, and go skiing. You have to let a first draft steep like a good pot of tea (or rot like leavings on the compost pile?).
November 25, 2013 — 10:57 AM
catyorkc says:
I just passed 50 K about a half hour ago. 🙂 I was shooting for 80, but I’ll be OK if I hit between 60 and 70 by Nov 30th.
Thanks for your Nanowrimo dialogues, Chuck. The humor helped when I was stuck.
<3
Go Wrimos!
November 24, 2013 — 10:34 PM
Grace says:
My first time. I’m Australian, don’t think we have it here. Had no intention of doing anything but when the (inspirational) day one blog arrived I suddenly thought: Why the hell not? I have the time, I am committed to writing more …
So I’ve written about 2000 words a day, all days but two. I was surprised to find this satisfying, and that it took a kind of grim determination to keep it up, on the days nothing wonderful fell out of my mind (about two thirds of the days). But I kept going because, well, how else do you make a book one day, or die in the attempt? I don’t want to die not doing it!
The one third that was fiction, was a lot of fun, a couple of new characters showing up, but also showing me how much I don’t know. I didn’t have a plan. I don’t really know motivations … So on the other days I wrote about what could happen, who these people could be, what relationships they might have … Then I’d launch into something else all together and someone else would show up. Or I’d write scenes from my life that were bothering me, that might be useful as a kind of present time frame for the imagined stuff.
I’m going to continue, I think, although I will also have a writing buddy look at what I’ve done and see if we can draw some threads to put together, at some point soon. I do have a sense of where it might be going, overall, but I’m taking a completely free approach to it, because I need to generate more that is unexpected, in my work. I keep repeating Kate Grenville’s line: I can always fix it up later. (From a book Kate Grenville put together with Sue Woolfe, called Making Stories: how ten Australian novels were written, I learned that a messy pile of a magpie collection can, in time, turn itself into polished prose and sophisticated themes… as they demonstrate in their own work and Peter Carey, and Helen Garner and so on…)
So I’ve decided to trust Julia Cameron’s prayer: God, I’ll take care of the quantity, you take care of the quality.
Where am I at, towards the end? I don’t know. But I’ve got close to 50,000 words I didn’t have at the end of October, and I’m grateful for that. So thanks for the first post, and the ones that have come since. And saying that a book can take years. Maybe after 25 days its okay to be still very messy and early in what might happen. To be paddling rather than swimming, just collecting shells and making footprints, hearing the waves pounding in, and being overcome by all that blueness and light. In the end, I’m here at the beach, I keep turning up, so I’m closer to swimming, than if I had stayed home and never donned my writerly swimsuit … And the sun is nice on my back as I walk …
November 24, 2013 — 10:35 PM
Eliza says:
Just thought I’d let you know there’s a MASSIVE Australian Nano contingent that’s been powering away for many years now! Including a remote community for people who aren’t near a capital city. If you jump on the site and have a look in the regions, you’ll find us, and you’d be more than welcome!
November 25, 2013 — 12:45 AM
Grace says:
I didn’t research it at all, just jumped in, so thanks for that. Maybe next year I’ll do it officially! That would be fun! Wonder where I’ll be with this one by then???
November 25, 2013 — 12:57 AM
Jack Swanzy says:
Second try, successful this time. Editor on the sidelines, words flow, surprises keep it fun!
November 24, 2013 — 10:56 PM
queenbee3645 says:
This is my third attempt at NaNoWriMo and probably my last. It’s a great idea for generating a first draft and I learned more this time–probably because of this blog–than I did in the other two attempts. I managed to average 2,000 wpd (surprised even myself since I type with one hand as a result of a stroke twenty years ago). I learned I love this story and its characters, even though I’ve tortured them unmercifully. i’ve also learned November is just too damned wonky. In the last week my best friend and housemate of twenty years has her birthday, it’s my wedding anniversary, my husband has his birthday and my most hated holiday shows up.
All that adds up to more stress than my poor bipolar psyche can handle and it tends to set off a mood episode–in this case, a mania–so you are reading a post from someone who is certifiably mad and fighting like hell to stay out of the looney bin or ruin this week for the people I love most (next to my characters of course). The next time I need to generate a rough draft quickly, I will have my own private NaNoWriMo (rhymes with My Own Private Idaho) in July or August or June–any month but November. But that’s years down the road because I want to finish this work, which from all appearances at present, will take years.
This last attempt has made me realize I have to bite the bullet and master Dragon Dictate. Things will still be messy, but they’ll get that way sooner and maybe I can save this hand for the important stuff like stirring soup and masturbating when the love of my life is incapacitated.
November 24, 2013 — 11:24 PM
Sparky says:
Could be going better, could be going much much worse. I expect I will finish on time this year but it will be a bit of a trick. And I do want to do NaNo again next year. It means a lot to me really.
I have learned that while I am not the most meticulous plotter getting an entire novel written is much easier when I have something of an outline to work with. I had one, but the story was so lifeless that I had to bury it deep to let it mature a few more years. Switching tracks to a sequel to last year’s book has allowed me to be in a position to finish, but a few guideposts would be nice.
Speaking as a fifth year NaNoer, it doesn’t necessarily get easier. But the discipline does come more naturally and you learn to play to your strengths and maybe test your weaknesses. It does not teach you how to edit or rewrite though. So after NaNo this year I am going to turn to short stories to as a form of practice for creating and editing my creations. And hopefully getting payed for what I write.
Ultimately NaNo is not for everyone. But I like it, and it means a lot to me that this thing exists. This thing that allowed me to first take on the strange task of actually making a book and turn it into a reality. So, you know, do what works for you and if NaNo isn’t that thing then fine by me. The folk telling you not to do NaNo because there are already to many novels in the world however can fuck right off.
November 24, 2013 — 11:52 PM
Miranda says:
My story won’t be finished at 50k, but I will at least make the word count goal by the end of November. Hopefully I’ll be able to actually finish the story so I can do this all again in December, but we’ll see.
I’ve never done NaNoWriMo during November before, but I did try to do the 50k in a month thing back in March. Didn’t do anything in the first week, then did 30k in the second and third week, then got snowed in when I was on vacation and completely lost momentum. The thing I learned from that, though, is that it helps me if I set ridiculously high goals because for some reason I consistently miss my goals by 1,000 words. It doesn’t seem to matter if my goal is 5,000 or 1,667, I always have the same deficit. I ALSO learned that it’s really important for me to write scenes in order – if I think “this scene is hard, I’ll come back to it” I will never ever do that, which makes those scenes really hard to edit.
November 25, 2013 — 12:34 AM
itsfamilyjules says:
Yeah…don’t know what I was thinking, really. I KNEW I was moving across the country with my aging mother…I knew it would be exhausting and time consuming, but I didn’t kind of realize HOW all-consuming it would be. Hell, I even bought a voice recorder so I could ‘work’ as I drove, but that’s not panned out so far, as I’m too worried about watching my mom’s car (we had to take two cars). Once we get into a hotel (as now), honestly my brain just needs to veg. I, er, reinstated my WoW account :O
Oh freakin’ well, though. I have two REALLY good starts on books I’m going to finish when I get settled (I will, too), and the one I started for NaNo, well…there are seeds there, and when I get the urge I will definitely water and fertilize them 😉
So, yup, fail, but I don’t feel bad. Not one bit.
Ok, a teeny bit but I refuse to beat myself up about it. Also, I have some very good juicy things to look forward to. Stuff I can relish while I find a job, a house, you know, a ‘new’ life.
November 25, 2013 — 12:46 AM
storyteller5 says:
This is my first NaNoWriMo. I’ve been playing catch up since the beginning, as I missed the first day–seriously, how does that happen?–but I will get there. I have just under 15K to go and I will have to write about 2500 words each day to make it. Completely manageable.
I’ve written plenty of novels and have written 30K in a week before. But NaNoWriMo was surprisingly hard for me. I’m not sure if it was the enforced deadline, the knowledge that I had to write even when I didn’t want to, or the prospect of seeing all my writing buddies leave me in the dust. I really struggled with it, and by the end of week two I really wanted to quit. But I hung in there.
That said, I know I never would have written fiction this month if it wasn’t for NaNo. This month is ugly with journalism deadlines–it’s easily the busiest month of the year for me. And I met some nice people. But I’m not sure I would do it again.
November 25, 2013 — 12:50 AM
Jen Donohue says:
This is my 7th NaNoWriMo. I’m on track, so far as things go. Hit 40k a few hours early, actually. But, I screwed around for most of today, for whatever reason, even though 10k isn’t all that much to have left for the “win”, in the scheme of things. 10k won’t finish the book. However, I’ve been vaguely bored with the book for no good reason since 23k or so. I’ve also been subbing a couple of short stories, and am hashing out the start of another novel that wasn’t quite “ready” at the beginning of November.
November 25, 2013 — 1:10 AM
The Meddler says:
This is my 1st NaNo. I entered the YWP with a 30K goal (I thought 50K would be too much) and I’m not even going to get that. My problem was I’d fall behind, maybe miss a few days, then I became so far behind that needing to catch up by another 1000 words didn’t feel that much. I kinda felt that if I wasn’t going to meet my overall target, there wasn’t much point.
I think I wasn’t ready for this NaNo (discipline or outline-wise). I’m going to aim for 10K by the end of the month, then just stick to 500-750 a day until I can increase it.
Thanks for all the great blog posts Chuck 🙂 They have helped me see where I went wrong (caring too much about my first draft, and discipline).
November 25, 2013 — 2:52 AM
janeishly says:
In my experience, the insanely odd, stupid and dramatic thing occurring *always* means you were on the right track with whatever it was you were trying to do before you were prevented. So if you had something planned to write, write it. Just… be prepared for further explosions.
November 25, 2013 — 3:43 AM
Emanuela says:
This was my first year. I’m not making it, I will probably end slightly above the 25,000 mark. But it has been very useful. While I tend to get stuck into a “my writing sucks” swamp, doing NaNoWriMo has made me realize at what things I *specifically* suck and now I at least know what I need to focus on in order to improve. So I’m pretty happy about this whole experience.
November 25, 2013 — 5:21 AM
Delia (Postcards from Asia) says:
As of now I am less than 3000 words away from the finish line. Or so Word tells me.
My first NaNo, first novel, first time trying to write every day. A lot of firsts. A lot of writing. I went from the highest high to the pretty low. Forging ahead through the jungle of desperation. I will not be stopped. I will go beyond the 50k for sure because I can’t see the end yet. It has been an incredible experience even if I hated part of it. I would definitely do it again.
November 25, 2013 — 5:25 AM
Poppy says:
This is my 8th or 9th NaNo I think. I’ve “won” a little over half of them. They were all done just for fun and I have usually enjoyed the experience except for the years I dropped out a week in.
This year I had the characters and a basic world setting to start with and I knew the beginning scene but I didn’t outline. Once I started writing I figured out the end scene, but I’ve mostly been pantsing it and having fun with it.
I hit 50k 15 days in, so I was happy about that and now I’m just trying to finish before November is up. Which is very likely. I’m at a little over 68k now. I’ve taken one day off because of a migraine and had a few lower work count days but I’m pleased by how this has been going overall. This is the earliest I’ve hit 50k and the first time I’ve kept going after hitting it.
I think in the end it will end up being around 75k-80k maybe. Not sure, I know where I’m going I just don’t know how many words it will take to get there.
I think the reason I’ve been more successful this year is because I’ve made an effort to write more this year in general. So, this year was the first that I’ve done NaNo while having written on a regular basis for much of the year. About a month before NaNo started I finished a novella length piece that I hand wrote in a notebook which kind of make me want to stab people because of how slow a process it was for me compared to writing on the computer, so by the time I was done I was really ready for some fast writing.
And yeah, I’ll probably do NaNo again. I love it for some reason.
November 25, 2013 — 5:32 AM
Michelle Hunt says:
This was my first year and I made it to 50K! I’m much surprised by that actually — I haven’t written anything creative in what maybe 30 years? I do a lot of writing in my work but more technical reports and strategy papers, so I was very nervous about my ability to do something truly creative. But I did it and I’m happy to say the process was enjoyable! I looked forward to writing every day — it was tough some days because work kept getting in my way, but I found I wanted to sit at my desk and get into the world I created and see what was going to happen next. Or rather — see what I could make happen next since I started with a VERY detailed outline (which was my saving grace, I think).
I do want to thank all the other people on the NaNo forums for being so encouraging of newbies and just encouraging in general. I wish the rest of the internet was a supportive and encouraging as the NaNo forums are! (HAH! Hell will freeze over thricefold before that happens.) Also, the pep talks by other writers, like you, Chuck, and others provided to the NaNo folks was very helpful.
Thanks everyone! I think I’m going to try to finish my novel now that I know I CAN write every day!
November 25, 2013 — 6:11 AM
ccriley says:
I love doing NaNoWriMo every year. It always seems to fall right when I need that creative boost. One thing that I’m still really curious about is the revision of the thing. What’s the way you go about revision? Any advice? 75k was my goal, and I’ll reach that tomorrow or the next day, but I will probably be done with the novel at around 95k words.
I think I need some next steps. What do I do now that NaNo is done and I almost have a completed novel?
November 25, 2013 — 6:11 AM
Lisa Nicholas (@lisa_nicholas_) says:
I wrote three novels before I ever actually managed to EDIT one. 🙂 I found this ‘recipe’ super helpful in figuring out where to start and how to approach it: http://www.junkfoodmonkey.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/Fics/Articles/EditingRecipe.html
November 25, 2013 — 9:31 AM
L.D says:
First time. I’m no longer a NaNo-virgin. Yay. Not that I expect to get to 50k. Right now I’m somewhere around 30. But NaNo was very educational for me. I’ve been writing every day for 25 years, and I’ve never outlined a story. Never. Which is probably why I never finished one. This time, I did both! So I already feel like a winner, because I actually wrote an entire story this november, and I didn’t lose interest in it. And those forums are so much fun! Especially the reference desk. Questions like “what would it feel like to have feathers plucked from you?” both delights and intrigues me.
Problem now is that I have 15K to go and it feels like I have to pad my story. A failure. I’m not a wordy writer, and even if I have some desciption to add, I still don’t feel like it’s worth 15K. Or maybe it’s just NaNo-stress. I’m not used to having a deadline, so some days I’ve been paralyzed with fear. Especially when I see some people have written like 70-80K in two weeks. They must put speed in their coffee or something. When do they have time to think?! Doubt themselves? Tweak their plot? And watch re-runs of Supernatural?!
But yeah, NaNo picked me up by my scruffy collar and yelled in my ear to get serious about my writing. In my other ear I had Wendig shouting about wombats and butt-plugs(and occasionally threatening me with a stapler). All and all, a pretty neat experience. Seriously though, thanks for all the generous advice, Chuck. I really treasure the book(Kick-Ass Writer) and it will stand proudly next to King’s “On Writing”. Next year I’ll rock this NaNo-thing!
November 25, 2013 — 6:54 AM
Todd Moody says:
It started like gangbusters. I had an idea for a story that had been brewing in my brainjuice for a long time and for the first time I wrote something that both my wife and my daughter actually liked. I got sideswiped by another project for my master’s program, but I’m happy I spent the time I did working on this new piece. I will try again next year. Good luck to all of you still in the hunt for the ellusive Nano bird.
November 25, 2013 — 7:57 AM
ddrespling says:
Happy to say I’m sailing right through my first NaNo. I’m at 51,000 with about 20,000 until the end of the novel. I kinda thought it would be easy because I’ve had a solid daily writing habit for a while now. I didnt think it would be this easy, but competition moves me. I NEED TO WIN! The people doing NaNo with me have been amazing. The community is the most rewarding aspect aside from, you know, writing a book and all.
November 25, 2013 — 8:13 AM
David Church says:
4th time, 2nd I’m going to win (at 43K now, with a relaxing schedule for the next four days, although I need to finish by the 29th this year).
I have realized that both times I had failed was for lack of preparation, or even lack of a proper structure for the story. I need beginning, middle and end well defined, or it just breaks somewhere around the 20k mark.
I did try something different this year, and went for an open series of short novellas instead of a full book, and those are coming along quite nicely. The first novel I did is sitting in my google drive, hidden from public view like the big ugly monster it is, but the first novella of this series (that sits at 22k), is a much nicer piece of work, which I might consider showing to people.
Story wise, I just killed all my protagonist allies, and landed him in jail, by the end of the second novella. The third is going to be a blast.
November 25, 2013 — 8:22 AM
jenphalian says:
First time writing, and I got the magic “win” but I still have a few thousand words to go before this thing finishes up. And then how do I motivate myself for the re-writes? I barely participated in forums and write-ins and twitter encouragement, but that passive motivation of knowing that nanowrimo stuff was going on kept me going. I need a website to update progress!
Argh. I’ll figure it out. Get high-fives from my cat or something.
November 25, 2013 — 8:27 AM
Lisa Nicholas (@lisa_nicholas_) says:
For me, the editing process is where having a writing community REALLY helped, although I also resorted to wailing and gnashing my teeth on my blog about what a terrible first draft writer I was. 🙂
November 25, 2013 — 8:49 AM
Lisa Moore says:
I won NaNo last year writing the world’s worst science fiction novel. It’s so bad I didn’t even want to tell anyone what it was about. This year I was going to write a literary novel filled with lyrical, magical prose, but it turned into a dark, twisted horror show when my protagonist started killing everybody. It freaked me out. I quit writing. I considered seeing a therapist. Yesterday, I figured out why the chick is killing everybody so I think I can get to 50,000. I just need to write 5,000 words a day for the rest of the month. I admire people who can plot an outline and follow that step by step. I always end up with a psycho character popping out of the woodwork and ruining the whole thing.
November 25, 2013 — 8:34 AM
Rebecca Douglass says:
Sounds to me like you’ve found your genre. . . embrace your inner psycho and write the books!
November 25, 2013 — 11:02 AM
Rebecca B. says:
I’m sorry but I find this hilarious. I do not think it reflects on you as a person at all. I have been feeling homicidal urges while writing my NaNo novel too because I realize I HATE some of the characters. Why am I writing them the way I am?! UGH.
Of course if you think therapy might help you should go. Maybe it’ll give you some good ideas for the motives of your homicidal characters 😉
November 25, 2013 — 11:56 AM
Rebecca B. says:
P.S. – I’m there with you about the 5K a day thing. How in the world do you plan to write that much a day? I’m kind of reeling about getting it done but so want to.
November 25, 2013 — 11:57 AM
Lisa Moore says:
I do writing sprints and break it up throughout the day so I get up early and write as fast as I can for an hour and then when I’m at work if things are slow I’ll do little 10 minute sprints and when I get home I’ll do an hour sprint, eat dinner, do another hour. The key thing is to turn off your inner editor. Just type. You can fix it later.
November 25, 2013 — 3:39 PM
Rebecca B. says:
I attempted that method yesterday and it worked well, though I was still a couple hundred behind. Today now I’m super distracted by writing random short pieces on other topics. I think I’m doomed lol. Good luck to you though!
November 26, 2013 — 1:47 PM
Lisa Moore says:
Yeah, I’m not going to hit 50,000 words. I’ll be lucky if I hit 30,000. I don’t feel bad about it. This novel of mine is really weird and now it’s Thanksgiving Eve and truthfully spending time with my family for the holiday is more important. I’m not giving up on my crazy novel though. I’ll get back to it on Monday and just write at a more reasonable pace.
November 27, 2013 — 4:03 PM
Sierra says:
This is my first NaNo, and it’s been an eye-opener. I’ve wanted to write for quite some time – I’m far more used to writing up scientific manuscripts than fiction, and any of the fiction I’ve managed to write in the past has all been short stories. I didn’t plan in advance, I had the bare bones of the characters and the big plot point, and.. wow, did I ever write myself into a corner after about 15-18k words. I’m at about 38k now, so I’m still on track to finish on time if I stick to 2k or so all week, but making the word count to ‘win’ is going to leave me with a product that’s disjointed and missing huge chunks of key story elements.
What did I learn? Writing is hard. Harder than I’d expected it would be, and it’s hard and demoralizing to keep plugging through when I want to tear out my hair and dump my entire Scrivener folder and declare that I’d best stick to science. However, even on the worst of those days I did keep going, and I didn’t give up – and that to me is a bigger success than if I’d breezed right on through and ended up with a finely polished manuscript at the end of the month. Will I keep writing? Yes, oh yes. After limping my way through this month, now I know that I can.
November 25, 2013 — 8:38 AM
Lisa Nicholas (@lisa_nicholas_) says:
I was behind schedule, but caught up yesterday in a flurry of 6000 words. Now I think I’m good, and should have the full first draft finished by the end of the year.
This is the first time I’ve written a novel so hard on the heels of the last one, and it’s been an amazing experience. I’ve heard from other writers that each book is different, and you learn something each time, and doing two so close to each other, I can really see that. I can see that (as I mentioned earlier) every time, I’m going to hit a wall around 25K-30K, and that doesn’t mean the death of the story, it just means I need to keep prodding until I break through. I’ve NEVER written two novels in a year, and this year, I am! (Getting an agent who already wants to know what the next book is and the book after that has a way of clarifying and solidifying future writing plans, oddly enough. 🙂 )
It never gets old for me, watching pieces fall into place unexpectedly. It’s a rush unlike anything else, and I love it!
November 25, 2013 — 8:47 AM
Maureen C. Berry says:
Today I opened my processor to 32,800. I feel like a total NaNo slacker. I just lost steam, or purpose or something. This is my second NaNo-the first was 2011 and I finished a miserable, ugly go-nowhere first draft. The rewrite is coming along and barely resembles the first-well same serial killer theme, motivations, etc. but with more purpose and strength. So CW, what you always preach-finish the story-damn it! rings true. Because if I don’t pummel the crap out of this 2013 NaNo, then I won’t be able to move on and I’m loving my story. So back I go!
November 25, 2013 — 9:09 AM
terribleminds says:
GO GO GO GO.
Seriously, though, worry less about finishing it for NaNo and more finishing it because you want to finish it.
Rock on.
— c.
November 25, 2013 — 9:20 AM
Jim says:
First year doing NaNo, first year winning NaNo. I actually crested the 50K mark on the 19th and then gave myself permission to relax — just a little — after that. I’m currently sitting at just over 55K with the goal of hitting at least 60K by the end of the month. My progress has slowed somewhat the last few days due to the need to work out some kinks in the plot, do a little doodling and worldbuilding, and flesh out some of the pieces that don’t quite fit together. I’m hoping that, by the time all is said and done, I’ll have a final product that’s roughly novella-length. My primary goal for my first NaNo was to learn more about my own process, since I’ve never attempted a work of this length before — and I think I’ve succeeded in that goal. I know better how I need to approach writing a novel in the future, and I’ve discovered some of the pitfalls, since I’ve stepped into a couple of them repeatedly over the last couple of weeks. It’s been a great experience for me, and it’s allowed me to get a book out on ‘paper’ that’s been in the back of my mind for the last ten years.
November 25, 2013 — 9:28 AM
MetalKween says:
I’m counting the times in the week I put my butt on the chair and write – which so far has averaged 4 times a week – instead of the words written. Nanowrimo helped me to focus and by doing so I believe I finally have an ending to my novel; which has been over a year in the making. First time writer!! I’ve been loving your advice Chuck! Any grammar advice to writers whose first language is not English (as clearly shown in this snippet) would be greatly appreciated (any books we can read, exercises to do, etc.)
November 25, 2013 — 9:38 AM
Tia Kalla (@tiakall) says:
Tenth year here, and I’m currently hovering around 95k, which sounds great, but it’s totally not where I wanted to be this month. I’m expecting this story to be 150k and I’ve still got another “gift” novel of 50k-ish to write which I’ll probably blitzkrieg over Thanksgiving weekend. If I was reading someone else writing this tale o’ woe, I’d tell them to cheer up and how awesome they did and how 95k is great, but since it’s me I feel totally inadequate since I completely failed my goals. Hypocritical, I know.
I think (hope) the problem is just this particular story, which despite the fact that I was outlining for 3 months (for a total of 35k), I’m still constantly having to plug in holes for “oh, I need to name this person”, “oh, I need to figure out how this scene ends”, “oh, I need to include that detail somewhere”, “oh, I need to decide which direction this fight is going to go”, etc. I think I’ve also missed writing my wheelhouse (fantasy) this month since neither novel has even a whiff of magic.
November 25, 2013 — 9:46 AM
AM says:
I was lured to NaNo by a family member who asked “hey, want to go to a party in San Francisco?” which turned out to be the Night of Writing Dangerously fund raiser for NaNo. I just hit 50,000 K yesterday. I thought writing every day was great since all that was required was writing, it did not have to be pretty. I tried for 2000K per day but did miss a few weekends so had to play catch up. Yesterday was an all day writing day. I was already a reader of the terribleminds blog and purchaser of Chuck Wendig books and enjoyed the posts about NaNo.
NaNo and Mr Wendig have taught me the importance of writing regularly and not worrying about how pretty it is until later. Writing every day really gets my brain working on the story, even if I write pure crap some days, the good stuff comes out too.
My genre was half adventure, half crap but it was my first novel and I had a blast writing it.
PS we did go to the party and it was fun to meet so many other people who love books and writing as much as we do.
November 25, 2013 — 9:53 AM
Ryan Anderson says:
So far I’m right on track. I managed to win once before, back in 2008, and promptly banished the resulting monstrosity to a filing cabinet. This year I think the end result will actually be something worth editing, so that’s something!
The main thing I learned this year is that I am definitely an outliner. I had about 2/3rd of the novel outlined at the beginning of the month, so when I came to the end of the outline and gazed on the blank void beyond, I was seriously stuck. Then I skipped a day of writing and outlined the rest and things are going smoothly again. So. Lesson learned there.
November 25, 2013 — 9:55 AM
Adam Short says:
Didn’t try this year. I knew it would be a non-starter because of many many other commitments at the same time, but when I have tried in the past I’ve ended up getting to about 15-20,000 words, writing myself into a corner and failing to come up with a way out. I have 2 incomplete first drafts still sitting on my PC waiting for me to come up with the next chapter, or even the next scene, and I’ve still not found the way out of that corner. I try occasionally, I know there’s a story in there, and friends who’ve read what there is so far assure me it’s a good one (in both cases), but I’m damned if I can find the right words.
I will keep coming back to them though. Sooner or later I’m going to get it right…
November 25, 2013 — 10:15 AM
Justine says:
This was my first NaNo, and my goal was to finish a novel I started over a year ago. Almost 22,000 words, which is pretty decent considering the crazy month I’ve had. I doubt much progress will be made the rest of the week, what with the holiday and kids out of school all week (I can barely keep up with my blog and email), but I’m 22,000 words ahead of where I was nearly a month ago, and that is a major victory IMHO. Will I do it again? Abso-frickin-lutely. It was a great motivator, and I learned that I can produce some serious words when I sketch out the scenes to write beforehand.
November 25, 2013 — 10:31 AM
Emily says:
I’m at 43,000. And my story hasn’t even really started yet. >___> (It’s a Wild West pulp kind of in the same vein as The Hunger Games / The Running Man)
But one thing I have learned about my own writing process is that that there is indeed some sort of weird invisible writing “muscle” somewhere in my head. Just a year ago it was almost like pulling teeth to just get five-hundred words out of me. Thanks to NaNoWriMo (and of course this wonderful blog) I’ve been able to slough off about 2k to 3k a day, 1k on busy or bad days.
November 25, 2013 — 10:37 AM
adelinekay says:
I failed two years in a row. This year, I’m straight winning.
I focused on routine rather than “let’s go to a coffeeshop for three hours at a time and write like freakin’ poets whilst drinking all the gimlets, huzzah and good day!”
So stupid. This year, I sat my ass in front of my computer after work every day and hit my word count. Like an adult. And now I’m winning. Lesson learned.
November 25, 2013 — 10:48 AM
Rebecca Douglass says:
Yeah, pretty much my approach. Treat it like it’s my job.
November 25, 2013 — 11:05 AM
Aerin says:
I might be a planning convert. I had an idea going in instead of treating it like an extended writing exercise, and put in the time doing worldbuilding and actually writing down an outline. It’s gone very smoothly, and I’m on track to finish by tomorrow, which would be my earliest win yet.
It’s also nice to have my experience as a writer validated. I’m confident that I know what I’m doing enough to recognize a problem (things are dragging, but can’t jump ahead to the finale) and figure out how to fix it (remind us of the larger danger, because rescuing the kidnapped kids isn’t the only thing at stake). It’s taken a very long time for me to get to this point, but it’s pretty sweet.
November 25, 2013 — 11:06 AM
Rebecca Douglass says:
I passed 50,000 words on Friday, and took the weekend off. Just needed to recharge, and also to think about the story and figure out my way from the late-middle (where I currently sit) to the exciting ending. On the whole, I’ve found it easier than expected to write 2000-2500 words a day. I attribute that to several things. For one, NaNo (and Chuck’s stuff on being a writer) sort of gave me “permission” to write several hours a day. For another, I actually had a sort of outline from which to depart, for the first time ever. And I bought The Kick-Ass Writer and have been using bits of it to inspire me to get back to work.
This is my first NaNo, but about my 5th or 6th novel (two are published, one almost ready, and several consigned to dark drawers) and far the easiest to write. I’ll give some credit to Chuck and his constant encouragement to do it–thanks, Chuck!
Now I need to get back to work.
November 25, 2013 — 11:10 AM
Rebecca B. says:
I’m sorry but I find this hilarious. I do not think it reflects on you as a person at all. I have been feeling homidicial urges while writing my NaNo novel too because I realize I HATE some of the characters. Why am I writing them the way I am?! UGH.
Of course if you think therapy might help you should go. Maybe it’ll give you some good ideas for the motives of your homidicial characters 😉
November 25, 2013 — 11:53 AM
Rebecca B. says:
OMG someone delete this. Not only did the reply not attach to the right post but I cannot brain today and there are stupid spelling errors. AH!!!
November 25, 2013 — 11:56 AM
Jenn Poniatowski says:
Well, my attempt failed, but I’m okay with that. I learned a lot – I reached about 15,000+ words or so…. your posts here were and are so helpful, and helped me get unstuck a number of times. I enjoyed the dialogues very much so!!! I realized through the experience that writing will always be a cherished hobby, but that’s about as far as it goes. I’m meant to READ great stories, not write ’em, lol. Thank you for writing one of the best blogs out there!
November 25, 2013 — 12:07 PM
Justine Spencer says:
First WriMo. Finished in 10 days. Had extremely high blood pressure on day 11 and could barely think or speak straight for at least two days. HAHA, but I’m still alive! I haven’t touched the word count since, but I am so excited about the material that came out of it, and can’t wait to get back to it after I finish editing my current book.
November 25, 2013 — 12:39 PM
Rebecca Douglass says:
Hmm. There are limits to how long you should stick your bum in a chair and write each day! I’ve done half my writing (okay, no writing but most of the thinking) while biking and swimming. At least my blood pressure is good!
November 25, 2013 — 1:57 PM
Justine Spencer says:
To be fair it probably wasn’t WriMo that gave me high-blood pressure, it was most likely the two little kids I mother along with my full-time job . . . but I’ll put biking and swimming on my list for next year.
November 26, 2013 — 9:36 AM