IT IS ALMOST TIME.
The time when we open the gates and human and novel run through the city streets, goring the unsuspecting while crushing the cobblestone beneath their stampeding hooves and feet —
Or, uh, something like that.
It’s NaNoWriMo — or one week from it.
National Novel Writing Month, for the uninitiated.
So, my question is:
Who has done it before?
How’d it go? What are your thoughts about it?
And then:
Who’s doing it this year? What are you planning to write?
ANSWER IF YOU DARE.
*thunder of hooves*
Jeffrey Howe says:
Did it in 2003. Wrote 52k words based on a Nyquil dream I had in late October. No one will ever see the result again, but…
…it proved to me I could write coherent long-form stories, and that writing pretty much every day (I took Thanksgiving off IIRC) wasn’t burdensome. The month was a useful and illuminating exercise, but not one I feel inclined to repeat, as I’m not sure what it would prove to me the second time around.
October 26, 2015 — 10:32 AM
decayingorbits says:
“Nyquil Dreams” sounds like a great book title, BTW.
October 27, 2015 — 6:06 AM
Christine says:
I’m in for my first year. I’m working out an idea that I got her for the Title flash fiction about an excop solving an identy theft. Identity theft meaning stealing clones and backed up consciousness.
October 26, 2015 — 10:34 AM
jmaysky says:
If you wanna be first time support buds let me know
October 26, 2015 — 11:26 AM
Elizabeth Mallory says:
I’ve done it twice, and I find it a great way to spew words on the page. The first year I wrote 80k during November, making it my most productive month of the year.
I’m doing it again, although I’ve slowed down in my writing. I’ve learned I need time to ruminate on a story on order for it to be good, and that it’s not a bad thing to take my time. But a friend of mine is trying to write 50k in short stories, and I think I’ll do the same.
October 26, 2015 — 10:37 AM
Alice E Keyes says:
I have entered NaNo several times and have won each time. It really pushes me to write and not be distracted by social media etc. I like the image of thousands of people typing away on an idea for a story.
I will be on of the herd this year too. I’ll be writing a story about an inventor’s daughter caught up in a steampunk world where her mother’s invention of a special camera takes her to Montreal.
October 26, 2015 — 10:39 AM
emosewa13 says:
This is going to be my first year in NaNoWriMo, whoop! Really excited for this, since it’ll be the first proper novel I’ve committed to in years.
October 26, 2015 — 10:42 AM
jmaysky says:
Let me know if you wanna be first time support buds!
October 26, 2015 — 11:27 AM
ChelseaIRL says:
This will be my sixth year participating, and I’ve won three times. I’m a planner. I like to have some solid bullet points in place so when I’m in the midst of the hazy creation mire, I always have a milestone in the near distance to orient myself.
And this year I’m writing about a young woman in a post-apocalyptic world who’s a member of the militarized clergy fighting in the war between angels and demons.
October 26, 2015 — 10:43 AM
Alexander Pierce (@RedAntisocial) says:
I’ve done it 4 times, and I’ve won 4 times. I like to have a fairly solid outline going in, but I rarely stick to it until the end.
This year I’m on the fence, as I’m 3/4 of the way through a story and can’t start at word 0, and I would have to switch gears between stories when this one wraps up.
I LOVE the community around it, and the people I’ve met each year, so I’m going to participate in that way at the very least.
October 26, 2015 — 10:50 AM
dein211 says:
Psh. Make your own rules. Be a Nano Rebel (there’s quite a few of them) work on your current story or start a new one. In the end, the only thing that matters is you were writing.
October 26, 2015 — 11:32 AM
David Wilson says:
I did NaNo in 2013 on a lark, knowing nothing about writing. During this, I found this website through Chuck’s NaNo Dialogues. I both succeeded and failed. I reached the word count, but didn’t finish the novel. The next year, I start a new project but fizzled out half and went back to my book. I don’t believe that I will do it this year because I don’t really need to as I write every day anyway. Im closing in on the 2nd draft of my NaNo 2013 Novel (no Title as of yet)
October 26, 2015 — 10:52 AM
Fatima says:
I have done NaNo since 2008. In fact I found Chuck’s blog thanks to a participant saying ‘you should check this guy out’, two years ago. I ‘won’ last year after years of a few thousand words. The process helped me shut down the inner critic during the creation process. I had an idea, and I just wrote.
The hardest part…finding an idea. I have bounced a few around, and I will not know until October 30th what ‘germ’ will get me going.
October 26, 2015 — 10:58 AM
julesdixonauthor says:
Who has done it before? Three times.
How’d it go? Two successes, one semi-success.
What are your thoughts about it? I think it has merits in encouraging consistency, but I try to go for quality over quantity, so I can become frustrated if I don’t hit my numbers. My husband has a pool for people to bet how many showers I take during the month of November. Apparently, four is a popular number. If you’re interested, I’ll give you his number. 😉
Who’s doing it this year? Yep, call me a fool and probably smelly.
What are you planning to write? New Adult Contemporary College Romance with International love as requested by the girls in my son’s co-ed dorm. They’re even suggesting names and character facts. Should make for interesting writing.
Good luck to everyone!
October 26, 2015 — 10:58 AM
Laura Rainbow Dragon says:
I’m in again this year for the 9th time. I’ve netted 50K+ words every year so far–sometimes great words, other times not so great. For me, NaNo is a great productivity booster in terms of helping me to get first draft words done and helping my housemates to respect the fact that I’m trying to get some writing done. The trouble with NaNo, for me, is that it doesn’t last. December 1st rolls around and my 50K words are still a long way away from being a publishable novel, but the rest of life (most especially the nattering housemate) are clamouring for my attention again. This year my goal is to keep the NaNo momentum going year round and actually get the novel finished!
I have not yet decided which project I’ll be working on this time.
October 26, 2015 — 11:00 AM
Elly Conley says:
I did it last year and won. I liked it, but I don’t work, so it’s not especially hard for me to carve out time. I’ve been editing and rewriting that novel ever since, in fits and starts. I think it has real promise.
I’m not participating this year because I’m still working on that novel, and because I’m taking a creative writing class (starting today, ending in 4 weeks) that’s going to suck up much of my writing juice. But I hope to participate next year!
October 26, 2015 — 11:03 AM
jackswanzy1022 says:
I’ve done it a couple of times. It’s definitely worth the effort. Revising what I did last year, so I’m not going to do it this year.
October 26, 2015 — 11:09 AM
gloriousmonsters says:
I’ve been doing it (and Camp NaNo, not all sessions but most) for 3 years. It’s pretty much single-handedly what took me from writing crappy novel excerpts that I never did anything with to writing mostly-complete drafts and slowly working up to editing and so on. It’s become for me very much a ‘cut loose and have fun’ time for writing, since I’m a very anxious person and I’m at this point spending a lot of the year on projects like short stories and serial chapters that need to be tweaked and edited and sent out for people to look at almost immediately; NaNo is a very important, ‘fuck it I’m gonna do something self-indulgent and weird and over the top and I don’t even have to know where I’m going with it’ time.
Despite IRL stuff that might make writing more difficult this year, I’m going in, and I’m really psyched about my project – basically a huge love letter to the bizarre glory and awfulness of fairy tales. Plus, I’m going to divide my time pretty much evenly between the heroes and villains, because I love writing villainous friendships. 😀
In a nutshell, it’s about a brother and sister – Ace and Alis – living on the edge of a semi-sentient forest that purposely engineers fairy-tale patterns because it keeps the forest healthy; it’s been barricaded by a spell for years, but the spell has finally worn off and A&A are drawn in by the forest, believing they can find something to re-erect the barrier. In reality, the forest wants to bring them into contact with Ace’s long-lost brother and shape Alis into a fairy-tale heroine – or give her a beautiful, dramatic death, whichever works better.
October 26, 2015 — 11:09 AM
Tabitha Lord Jorgensen says:
I started last year but realized I had to finished edits on another work to meet my timeline.
I am doing it this year and I know it’s going to be a challenge because a.) I am a slow writer. b.) I mess with my content way too much during the draft phase -the OCD kicks in and I can’t help myself.
But, I am committed to kicking out most of the draft sequel to my novel Horizon, so I’m in!
October 26, 2015 — 11:11 AM
Nikki says:
This will be my fourth year. I won my first year, but have fallen short of the 50k goal in subsequent years. I work for a large online retailer, and I’ve struggled to balance writing and work. I credit that for why I’ve fallen short, but also why NaNo helps me. Even if I don’t make it to 50k, I still write something. Most of it will never see the light of day, but it’s good practice? I guess?
October 26, 2015 — 11:12 AM
Toni J says:
I’ve done it the past few years. I’m not so great at updating the website, but I won unofficially a couple times. November is a rough month for this kind of thing. If it were me, I would make NaNo in February, when (for Chicago at least) nobody wants to go outside anyway, so why not write?
I’m doing it again this year, and actually went to a kickoff party for once! I’m very excited. I’m working on a supernatural horror comedy novel. This’ll be the year I log all my work properly (I swear!).
October 26, 2015 — 11:15 AM
Shay says:
Hello there!
I too have joined the frenzy of November. Last year, NaNoWriMo had it’s interesting experiences. I was told about the program a week before it started, threw together a jumbled sentence about my concept and bravely faced a write-in with my nerves in utter chaos.
Forced, by way of NaNo, to experience a lot of firsts, NaNoWriMo instilled a fervor to pursue my novel (no matter how lame my idea). I stubbornly decided to jump all in and completed a messy first draft of Open Deception, a YA Fantasy with over 95K words. While the editing process has been unruly, it allowed me to continue my belief in a personal future of writing. I stepped out of my comfort zone and joined virtual/physical write-in’s to pursue the crazy idea that I could write a novel. I was pleasantly surprised to find fellow writers who also carried the same passion to finish a novel. Through meeting new people, we created friendships that have helped increase my writing productivity, post-NaNoWriMo. I believe it was worth it. (:
Now that I’ve rambled, I shall pull back from the weeds and finish answering the questions. Let’s see… My thoughts on NaNo, hmm… If you are considering participating, I say, “Don’t hesitate. Just do it.” The worst that will happen? You don’t write anything. However, I believe that you can do it! {{Yay!}}
1.) Make sure to set aside some time to work on your project, whatever it is. If you purposely choose to set aside the time, you’ll see your writing (and numbers) increase.
2.) Actively participate! It’s a great way to stay encouraged about writing. While you may not have a plan going in to writing your novel, there are many people who can help you perservere and push through those roadblocks.
3.) Check back with the website/forums for NaNoWriMo. They offer motivational webinars/tweets to help you press forward, throughout the month. You will see others writing in the process and it may empower you to want to write too. There’s something about doing activities in groups that helps uplift one’s spirit to press forward.
As I enter my second NaNoWriMo year, I’m anxious to participate and get started. My current work in progress is: Silhouettes of Red. The main character, Edgar Bates, will be slaughtering his way to a Serial Killer status. With an obsession for blood and all it has to offer, he’s in search for his next victim.
Now I need to focus on finishing this outline of mine so that I have a consistent plot.
NaNoWriMo, here I come! (;
October 26, 2015 — 11:15 AM
Cat says:
This will be my…counts on fingers…fifth year doing NaNo. I’ve only won once, when I was writing the first draft of what became the novel piece of my Masters thesis. Basically, I finally won because if I didn’t, I couldn’t graduate. So uh yea, outside deadlines that invoke catastrophic consequences are what work for me I guess. I don’t have a Damoclean sword for this year’s novel, but I do want to publish it as a serialized piece on Wattpad or other such place…and have now declared that in public so there’s that.
October 26, 2015 — 11:22 AM
Shirley Will says:
I love the idea of NaNoWriMo, and for the first couple of years jumped right in. Then realized that November is a TERRIBLE month for me to try to take off from life.
In addition to it being right in the middle of the US’s 100 Days of Holiday, it’s personally busy for me. Mine & half my friends birthdays are in Oct, my son’s is in Nov, and several friends b-days are in Dec – and you want to acknowledge those, because you *know* they grew up with relatives sending “combined” presents.
Also, when you’ve been costuming at conventions as long as I have, people start asking if you can make something for them, then they start telling their friends, then Al Gore petitions the government to open up the Internet* to the general public and suddenly you have an online store, and Halloween & the midwinter holiday gift-giving season is a very very busy time of the year for you.
After those first couple of years, I didn’t even TRY, lol. Which is too bad, because I love the sense of community, and it’s fun. But why didn’t they pick August? Nothing ever happens in August, yeesh. (um, sorry, all you guys born in August, lol)
*He said he was ‘responsible for the World Wide Web’, not the inventor of the internet. Not his fault people don’t know the difference.
October 26, 2015 — 11:22 AM
gregmulka says:
I have tried and failed many times. Failure is my default state. I will try again. Because we can boot into other than our default state.
October 26, 2015 — 11:23 AM
angeliquejamail says:
Because I am not able to commit to writing 50,000 words in 30 days (two young children plus full-time teaching high school plus a thriving writing career), I just pledge to do SOME significant writing work every day in November. This has been working well for me the last few years because I find it challenging, sometimes, to make the time every day to do it. This year, I’m making my NaNoWriMo project to finish editing a new collection of my poems for publication. (Hopefully this new book will come out next year.) It’s a doable goal for 30 days.
October 26, 2015 — 11:23 AM
Terri Herrington says:
This will be the second year for me. Last year I won, but didn’t start with a plot and although I wrote every day and got my word count in, it was meandering garbage. This year I’m working on my plot beforehand so I won’t know until Nov 1st exactly what I’m going with, but so far I have a Human Colony on another planet that receives a cryptic message from Earth warning them never to return home.
October 26, 2015 — 11:24 AM
Joe says:
First timer this year. Still outlining my plot arc but I am confident I’ll have something coherent by nov 1.
October 26, 2015 — 11:24 AM
otterpoet says:
I’ve tried it before… gotten pretty far. This year, though I intend to go all the way to the end. More and more success stories are coming out of the NaNoWriMo, so that’s encouraging 🙂
October 26, 2015 — 11:25 AM
M.A. Kropp says:
I have done NaNoWriMo every year (except 2011) since 2008. It has helped me develop a daily writing habit. Not every 50K I have written will ever turn into something usable but I learned I can do this.
This year? Oh, yeah. I am participating. This year it’s space opera. Pure fun. Entertaining (I hope). Fast starships, pew-pew lasers, and, maybe just a wee bit of snark.
October 26, 2015 — 11:31 AM
ffflip2014 says:
This is my second year. NaNoWriMo is a good way to get your words onto the paper. I won last year, and I’m still editing that book. I am doing it this year, I just started formulating ideas. Wish me luck!
October 26, 2015 — 11:33 AM
hccummings says:
I’ve participated every year since 2007. I only missed my goal the year my first wife died. Sometimes I write an entire novel, but lately, I’ve been writing as much as I can on whatever novel I’m actually writing (at least 50,000 words of it).
Since I still have a 40+ hr. a week day job, I find setting aside a period of 30 days (or 31 for Camp Nano) to dedicate my free time for writing fits well with my other responsibilities. I will admit Nov. is a difficult month for it, though. It’s a very busy time at work and it’s also a busy time around the home. Camp Nano is actually easier. Still, it helps me get what I need written.
At least, a first draft. Only my first round editor EVER EVER sees what I write during NaNoWriMo.
(For those interested, I typically write the 1st draft in 30-60 days, then spend 6-9 months editing, revising, and producing a completed product, including back & forths with editors & beta readers).
October 26, 2015 — 11:37 AM
saywhatnoona says:
I am in for this year. First time, debating on doing a series of short stories (hi, alliteration!) or just going balls to the walls and start with my dystopican idea.
October 26, 2015 — 11:37 AM
Kait Nolan says:
The last time I successfully finished NaNo was in grad school (I actually finished my master’s thesis that way). Since I started adulting full time, November is just a supremely craptastic month to do this (December would be worse). But that, said, I tend to get sucked in every year by the enthusiasm, at least for a while, because NaNo fever is SO REAL and infectious! Nothing like it!
For folks who are looking for something that isn’t a one sized fits all writing challenge, one that’s more than just a month, and where we recognize that you have a life and that goals can and do change, I started A Round of Words in 80 Days (http://aroundofwordsin80days.wordpress.com), which runs year round. We’re finishing up our fourth year. We tend to scoop up a lot of NaNo burnouts or folks who want to maintain the momentum once November is over.
October 26, 2015 — 11:41 AM
A. R. Stone says:
I haven’t done it before and as much as I’d like to this year, I don’t have enough of the (re)worldbuilding done to make a reasonable attempt at 50,000 words for a novel. 50,000 (first draft) words of related short stories to help flesh out the (re)worldbuilding … maybe. That said …
The work I’m doing for GravTech Games and the time I spend doing critiques at critique.org (critique.org being an online workshop I heard about here and highly recommend) is taking more of my time than I anticipated.
Next year, if all goes well, I may be in a position to write book two of the series for NaNoWriMo and if not, maybe I’ll just embrace chaos and write something completely out of character; pun intended. 🙂
October 26, 2015 — 11:42 AM
Sara Ivette (@saraivettepr) says:
First time Nanowriter this year. I’m excited to participate, and I think the challenge will keep me motivated to dedicate most of my free time to writing and not get distracted by, say, Netflix and video games.
Will be working on a futuristic space saga from the POV of XXXX, the first of her kind to join the Terran Military.
October 26, 2015 — 11:43 AM
Darius Sayers says:
I’ve done it the past two years and won. I enjoy it. It’s a good way to keep the press on and reach a word count goal and/or complete a full novel.
This year I am working on a sci-fi novel set a million years ahead of us, about a young boy with a disability and the power to speak with machines, searching for his missing brother and accompanied by his outcast mentor and a warrior woman.
October 26, 2015 — 11:44 AM
Martin says:
I tried last year and got to 10K word count. My productivity dropped week by week. I did learn more about writing, needing to outline more and let myself write freely. I also discovered how new ideas just keep flowing the more I am writing. I am going to try again this year.
October 26, 2015 — 11:54 AM
Jacey Bedford says:
Yes, I’m doing it this year, my third time. The first time (2008?) I wrote a big chunk of my historical fantasy novel, Winterwood, which I sold to DAW in 2013, and which is published in February 2016 as the third novel in a three book deal. So big tick. Success! The second time I wrote 50,000 words of a children’s novel which I didn’t like very much, and which now resides in a bottom drawer until I go back to it and see if it’s still crap.
This time I’m not starting from scratch, but I’m pacing myself alongside NaNo to add 50k words (or maybe more) to Silverwolf, the sequel to Winterwood. It’s under contract to DAW, and I already have about 30k words written, but with a deadline for the first draft of February, an incentive to add wordage is always good. I hasten to add that I have finished more novels without NaNo than with it, but if the timing is right and I’m working on a first draft, then I will always consider signing up. I have a few real world writer friends who are doing it this year (mostly pacing alongside, like me) so we’ll be chivvying each other on.
October 26, 2015 — 11:54 AM
tigs (@syzara) says:
I’ve done it before. Three times.
The first time was excellent in terms of getting me to *write* (instead of overthink and edit). I went in with an idea I’ve had for a long time, but didn’t prepare for it in terms of outlining. Didn’t make the official word goal, but it certainly worked out in the intent of NaNo.
The second time I actually finished the story I started the first round *and* I made the word count (as a rebel). Best Feeling Ever to finish a novel worth of words! In preparation I made an outline for what I got so far and what was still needed.
The third time I didn’t have any idea and that worked out as you might expect; not at all.
I do actually plan to try my hand at it again this year. I’ve got a title, but no clear idea to where I’ll take it tbh.
October 26, 2015 — 11:57 AM
Sara S. says:
I’ve done it off and on for the last 7 or 8 years. I’ve only won a couple times though. I really loved it, particularly when I thought I had a chance of being a full-time published author 😛 (ah to be young and naive again).
That being said, I’m doing it again this year. I’ve already forgotten the plot seed I came up with–hopefully it’s hiding somewhere on my laptop. It’s an old one, so I might be able to dredge it back up from somewhere else…
October 26, 2015 — 11:59 AM
R. E. Stearns says:
I participate most years and I’ve always met the 50k words goal on time. I love the enthusiasm, and the “put whatever down, fix it later!” excitement, and the forums full of sweet little newbies and hardened writing semi-pros and the super-ambitious one chaperoning a marching band crossing national borders while writing the whole way through… I just love NaNoWriMo 🙂
And one of the best things about it, in my opinion, is that it does take place in one of the worst possible months! The only more impossible month for high-volume writing might be December (or maybe February, when you can’t even count on having the same number of days from year to year). If you make your writing goals in November, of all months, you’re onto a method that works for you.
So this year I’m writing a sequel to the project from two years ago, and I’m looking forward to it! Actually I already started writing (NaNo rebels, unite!), but I’ll only count words written in November toward the NaNoWriMo goal.
October 26, 2015 — 12:12 PM
Di says:
I’ve participated four times and I’ve never won — but what I did was begin (over 30K words) four novels; one I’ve finished, one I’ve finished and I’m editing, and one is almost finished. (The fourth one not so much) I’m participating again this year. I have my story. I’ve done some research and even an interview so when I start to write my brain will just run with it. I love Nanowrimo and I’ve encouraged my friends who have stories in them to join in and let the words out. I think I’ve convinced one person so far.
Write on!
October 26, 2015 — 12:15 PM
Elena Linville says:
I did NaNo twice so far. Won both times and finished the novels I was working on during December, since my normal novel size is about 100k words.
I’m participating this year as well with a fantasy YA novel with strong Asian undertones. I already have the title and the outline ready. Basically, I’m all set to start on November 1st.
October 26, 2015 — 12:19 PM
melorajohnson says:
I’ve been doing NaNo for 8 or 9 years. I’ve had incentive the past few years because I’m a librarian and run a writer’s group. Write ins with other people are some great energy. There have been times I swore I wouldn’t do it again because all I end up with is a giant outline. But . . . I’m doing it, again, this year. I believe that I’ve become a better writer, I’ve learned a lot about preparation and I’m outlining using the index cards method, and I’ve learned that if I have words to re-write and edit, I am much further along then if I don’t.
October 26, 2015 — 12:24 PM
Holly says:
I signed up last year, but never met my goals. I did discover something that kind of soured the whole process for me though. I picked one of the fan fiction stories at random. When I started reading I realized I’d been following that story on ff.net for two years! I wrote the NaNoWriMo folks and asked about it. I guess it was naive of me to assume 50,000 words in 30 days meant exactly that. Bottom line it doesn’t matter what you write or what you submit or how long you’ve been working on the story. The whole point is to get people excited and enthusiastic and writing and that’s AWESOME. But adding 2015 NaNoWriMo Winner to the summary of your fan fiction story seems a bit silly. Anyway, I signed up again and I’ll be a winner this year 😉
October 26, 2015 — 12:26 PM
Misa says:
Who has done it before?
I have, many times.
How’d it go? What are your thoughts about it?
First time, I failed and badly. However it was the first time I’d ever tried to write a long piece of fiction (I’d been writing fanfic up to that point) and I fell in love with the process. I finished that first attempt in January.
Who’s doing it this year? What are you planning to write?
I ummed and ahhed about doing it this year, as I’m now in full-time self-employment and the shop takes up a LOT of time and energy. Then I realised I couldn’t not do it, so…
I’m writing space opera. Sci fi is absolutely my default setting. It tends to be ‘soft’, though I think this year’s output will be somewhat more tech based than previously. I’ve done very little planning. This is entirely normal.
October 26, 2015 — 12:27 PM
Madeleine Fehlman says:
Fourth time running NaNo and going to be my third successful run. It’s going to be successful!
My first year…what I wrote was abominable garbage. Last year’s was workable. Going to need a rewrite, but it’s a great basis for this year’s go.
I’ll be writing the second half of it, a young-ish adult fantasy novel. I’m likely to drown myself in ice cream and cookies by the 20th as I attempt to eat my characters’ emotions while they deal with the climax and fallout.
October 26, 2015 — 12:34 PM
Laura Roberts (@originaloflaura) says:
I LOVE NaNoWriMo. I’ve won (and lost) many times. Hell, I even wrote a book about my experiences last November. (It’s called “A Cheater’s Guide to NaNoWriMo,” and you can snag a free copy if you sign up for my mailing list.)
I’m cheating again this year with a manuscript I began during a previous NaNoWriMo, called “The Case of the Cunning Linguist.” It’s a sexy murder-mystery with wayward clergy, a randy rabbi and a Latin lover. I’m tightening the screws on my outline this year so I can actually get this mofo done. It’s my first attempt at writing a mystery, so I’ve been studying up on the post Susan Spann wrote about her rules for the genre – super helpful!
Oh, and you can find me on the NaNoWriMo site under the pen name “ValCapone,” if you want to be writing buddies.
October 26, 2015 — 12:36 PM
Killerpuppytails says:
For some reason searching for your pen name makes the NNWM site crash 😉
October 26, 2015 — 4:26 PM
Michael J. Martinez says:
I did it once back in 2012, and the results were not great — I think I got about 10 days in before realizing that it wasn’t going to happen, and so I stopped. I’m fairly certain that it’s not really about hitting deadlines or anything, because I just turned in my fourth novel to my editors, and I’m averaging a book a year.
Couple thoughts: If you’re already motivated to write, and have made progress in doing so, I’m not sure setting aside a month to crank something out is going to help. If your writing process is slower than, say, Chuck’s — and let’s face it, that’s 99% of humanity — then you may set yourself up for disappointment. If it ain’t broke, then don’t fix it. You be you.
If you feel this is the kick in the backside you need, go for it! LET FLY. See what you can do. Spread your wings, employ your favorite motivational saying. Do it. But don’t be a slave to it, and don’t let it torpedo your life in the process.
Finally…could we maybe pick a better month? November sucks. You’re coming down off Halloween, you got Thanksgiving lurking there at the home stretch, Christmas (or the winter celebration of your choice) on the horizon afterward. It’s a super-busy time for many people. I’d much rather see this in March. It’s a long month, still kind of cold and icky in many parts of the world, no major holidays. Greet spring by writing a book. New beginnings, yo.
Good luck. I will be cheering for you as I sit on the sidelines with a beer. I have a short story to write — maybe I’ll do that instead. But I’ll cheer regardless.
October 26, 2015 — 12:38 PM
Killerpuppytails says:
I’ve done NaNoWriMo on and off since 2000, when I told a friend I was taking Thanksgiving to write and she said “Oh, are you doing NaNoWriMo?” and I said “Whuzzat?” Turns out screenplays aren’t good for NNWM… I’ve won 2004, 2009, 2012, and 2013. I was going to try in 2014 but my pup died Oct 31st, so that was off the table and now I can’t even look at my old account. Sooo, I’ve created a new account to try again this year, since the timing is working out in terms of writing my supernatural/scientific horror novel.
I have tried Camp NaNo in 2013 and 2014 and failed miserably. Something about October/November has always “done it” for me, writing-wise. I get so much done if I take Turkey Day off from family.
Also, while being in NYC is terrific for NaNo if you’re a social being, I discovered I don’t like writing with other people in the room. WAY too distracting. But NaNo offers a lot of that social environment in cities if you like writing that way.
October 26, 2015 — 12:41 PM
Penquillity says:
I’ve participated in NaNoWriMo every year since 2006. I’ve “won” 5 of those years. I’ve been our region’s (Prescott, AZ) Municipal Liaison since 2007 and do my best to set a rebel example for our Wrimos.
This year, I’m starting a sequel to my 2008 novella, a YA/Children’s story about two cousins turned brothers who discover a 400-year-old pirate sleeping under a bush in the city park. The sequel takes place in their neighborhood where all types of mischief ensues after Esteban, the Pirate, learns about Halloween.
Jeannie Leighton
October 26, 2015 — 12:48 PM
victoryrock says:
First year for me, too. Stars aligned to have me between contracts for once.
Total panic about what I’m writing. But…
Since I’m weeks away from publishing a first romance, and I have nothing to follow it up with, guess what genre I’ll be spelunking through.
October 26, 2015 — 12:49 PM
Maggie Secara says:
I’ve done it. I loved it. It taught me I could actually draft a novel with a good story, if not a deep one, and finish it. Two years later, I sold the much revised and much longer book, as The Dragon Ring, and the two that came after it. I don’t have the dedicated time any more, and I don’t really have the need, but I recommend it highly.
October 26, 2015 — 12:54 PM