We are just over the midpoint hump in NaNoWriMo — so it’s time to check in, see how you’re doing. I’ll have a post later about dealing with the midpoint of your book, but in the meantime, how has it been for you? How is the book? How and what is your process? If this is your first time doing NaNoWriMo, how do you find it?
I’m unofficially participating, as I do with many months — I’m presently just over 41,000 words, though that’ll slow down because I travel this week and because next week is the TURKEY PARADE that is Thanksgiving. I am dubious that my 41,000 words are worth a single good goddamn, but that’s the burden most writers bear regarding their own work. Show me an author who is uniformly pleased with everything she writes all the time and I will show you an ANDROID WHO MUST BE UNMASKED BEFORE IT MURDERS ALL OF HUMANITY.
So, status updates — let’s hear them.
larryhogue says:
27,000 words this month, 40,000 total on the novel. Halfway happy with it.
November 16, 2015 — 8:16 AM
Mozette says:
Dammit…. it’s not.
Not going well at the moment, I mean.
I was writing over 1,000 words a day and really kicking arse to begin with, then –
fuck it, man. My car was broken into last Tuesday night in my driveway I was watching television! And I’ve just lost my mojo since.
Haven’t written a friggin’ thing since then – and I’m only a little over 6,000 or so words into it.
The police know who did it too.
I haven’t written anything much since last Tuesday… I hate that this has screwed me up so much.
November 16, 2015 — 8:16 AM
Aimee Ogden says:
Oh gosh 🙁 I’m sorry about your car! I hope justice is swiftly served and that it comes with a side helping of Your Mojo.
November 16, 2015 — 8:37 AM
Andrea Stanet says:
That’s awful! You’re totally justified in being distracted and in no mood to spin tales. I hope it gets better for you soon.
November 16, 2015 — 8:37 AM
John Appel says:
In the immortal words of Otto Rocket, that stinks on ice. It always stinks when something like this comes along and just completely sucks the air out of one’s balloon.
But you’re only down, not out! See if you can somehow manage to bang out a single paragraph, even a single sentence today. Every little bit of progress, even if only a few hundred or few dozen words, builds upon the work before. Don’t worry about them being good – just get a few down. See if shifting your goal from 1667 words a day to just ANY words a day helps you keep going.
I’ve found that even when I can just manage to scratch out a couple of lines, however painfully, it helps me keep attachment to my story. And that makes it easier to get back on the horse properly once I’m ready.
November 16, 2015 — 9:19 AM
Mozette says:
Thank you all for your wonderful support. My car wasn’t physically damaged (ie: no smashed windows, not a scratch, no torn-up seats within… for this, I’m thanking my very lucky stars!). I made it easier for the little grots by accidentally unlocking my car by dumping my keys on the table and then dumping my mail on top the remote! Oh, yay… it unlocked the car when I did that! 🙁
I’m only just getting a full-night’s sleep again when I found out that my bank account – where my pension goes into it – was empty! I totally freaked out and went to the bank where they told me that I had done that 3 weeks ago. I forgot about this as I was preparing to use that money for the markets as a float… dammit… the stress from this has completely screwed me up.
I think it’s time I had a trip to my shrink again… and just when I want to get back into writing another book, just when I want to try NanoWriMo… oh well, there’s always next year to conquer it..:)
November 16, 2015 — 8:36 PM
JT Lawrence says:
I’m so far behind I’m practically in October. However, this particular android is not to be defeated. I will finish my manuscript before the end of the month. I’m loving the story and the process, but GOOD GOD the words are slow in coming.
November 16, 2015 — 8:16 AM
Nellie says:
I’ve been behind since Day #2. I made use of a word crawl yesterday and came up with five thousand words, so I only ended last night about 5k behind. I plan to do another and make up the words that I’m behind up to this point. The word crawls are pretty fun.
My story is okay. I have a bunch of research to go and since my character is going to be time hoping, I have different places to put her that I need to look into.
November 16, 2015 — 8:18 AM
writing, writing, words words words. says:
Would you please explain what a word crawl is? Whatever it is, sounds like something i could benefit from. I’m woefully behind. TY! 🙂
November 17, 2015 — 5:51 AM
Katy Mann says:
I hit 50K on Saturday. Not all will be usable, but I”m pretty happy with the novel. Doing some minor character stories right now to fill it out a bit better in my head.
November 16, 2015 — 8:19 AM
Aimee Ogden says:
Congratulations on 50k!
November 16, 2015 — 8:35 AM
Tracey says:
30,700 terrible, terrible words.
November 16, 2015 — 8:20 AM
Aimee Ogden says:
I broke through 30k this weekend! I love 25% of what I’ve written, like 25%, hate 25%, and long for angry weasels to eat my eyeballs when I look at 25% of it. So about par for the course for me, I think.
My 2-year-olds both woke up with a disgusting cold this morning, though, so I dread what that will mean for this week’s word count. It’s a lot harder to write with a pair of snotty, drooling toddlers trying to wrap themselves around your face. 🙁
November 16, 2015 — 8:34 AM
Andrea Stanet says:
It’s going okay. Not great, but okay. I’m on track to finish 50K on time, but I’m writing non-fantasy for a change, so there are no frenetic fights or action sequences to give me little bumps. Otherwise, I’m feeling decent about the story. I almost never write contemporary, but I’m not bored out of my mind yet, so I think I might have something workable when I’m done.
November 16, 2015 — 8:35 AM
todddillard says:
I’m about 8k in, but I never planned on hitting 50k. (New dad here.) I’m aiming for 25k, and think the 8k I’ve written so far is all keepable as far as the story goes. Mostly I’m glad I’m “in the zone” and writing almost every day, and I’ve managed to master plotting on my iPhone’s Notes app while feeding my baby 🙂
November 16, 2015 — 8:38 AM
Susan says:
30K as of last night. Smooth sailing thus far, but I’ve hit the point where my meager outline is gone. I went in having no idea what happens in the second half of the book. I still have no idea. I’m taking a long walk with my MC today to pick her brain, find out what she plans to do with the mess she has gotten into.
November 16, 2015 — 8:44 AM
Erik says:
4,730 words. It all came to a screeching halt when I realized the pivotal chapter, where my heroine decided to move forward, sucked. Took 5 days to rewrite that. Now it is done, time to get rocking and see if I can catch up. Because fun :-).
November 16, 2015 — 8:47 AM
Remy says:
I’m at 25,100 as of last night. I’m really enjoying this story, and I’m finding that this year (as opposed to others), the pace is very easy to keep up with. I don’t feel rushed or lost, the words come easily, and I’m only taking 90 minutes to two hours to finish.
I think the outline helped a lot, and doing a lot of worldbuilding before I started. I’ve tried to do other projects with a less-formed “hey wouldn’t this be cool,” sort of thing and lose the thread. This has been working much better!
November 16, 2015 — 8:50 AM
amariesilver says:
I’m using this month to work on revisions and last week didn’t go so well for me, I’m hoping to make a comeback this week. Ultimately my goal is to finish these revisions by Christmas. I think it’s do-able but only time will tell. Good luck to everyone participating!
November 16, 2015 — 8:52 AM
overclicked01 says:
28,000 – was hoping to hit the 30k mark this weekend but I’m falling behind, I keep falling into editing holes rather than just finishing the stupid thing and editing after. Hoping to power through and make up for lost time.
November 16, 2015 — 8:58 AM
Elena Linville says:
I’m at 30k words and 6 chapters into the story and I feel like everything I write sucks 🙁 The characters keep talking instead of acting, the action scenes suck and the story isn’t going anywhere fast. But I press on, even if some days (like today) it takes a real effort to start putting words on the page.
November 16, 2015 — 8:58 AM
Meghan says:
I found out this month that I’m loosing my job in a company-wide shake up. My word count has suffered as I deal with this because AHHH JESUS WHAT DO I DO FUCK FUCK FUCK!
I added about 6k to an already 10k work in process. Not that it matters. Sigh.
November 16, 2015 — 8:59 AM
Meghan says:
Losing. Can’t even SPELL anymore. Swear to god.
November 16, 2015 — 8:59 AM
Aura Eadon says:
It goes smoothly. I write every day. Some days are better than others. It’s my job to write. Unpaid as of yet but at some point that will change. NaNoWriMo was nothing more than a challenge. I started my novel before NaNo started and began around 9K words. I am 46K in (37.5K for NaNo) and I plan to continue writing even after the end of November, until I’ve hit around 90K words, in which case the 1st draft will be complete. I will then go back to my other WIP and do draft 3 before returning to this one to do draft 2 and the necessary rewrites. I don’t judge my work but I am a pantser and I am at peace with the fact that rewrites are necessary. Rewrites are also writing. All of it counts towards the ever elusive mastery. But the main thing is: it’s a job. One I love. And that’s why I do it every day, always without judging myself or my work. That’s the gist of it. 😀
November 16, 2015 — 8:59 AM
Tom Erdman says:
I’m way behind, and all 8000 words I’ve written are juvenile, boring and in need a good whupping. BUT THEY’RE DOWN, DAMMIT.
And I WILL defeat Nano this. Bring on all the words!
November 16, 2015 — 9:00 AM
Tonks (@captainraz) says:
Managed to hit exactly 25000 words yesterday. I’m super please with how NaNo is going a) because this was my first try and b) because I had to defend my PhD thesis last week. Word count understandably dropped off in the run up to that but I’m hopeful I’ll hit 50k now my schedule is pretty much clear. Whether those 50000 words will finish the book off I don’t yet know.
November 16, 2015 — 9:00 AM
SolidJim (@solidjim) says:
Chilling at 18,000 words. This is my first time and I am finding that 1000 per day is a good average for me. I expect to get more prolific as the months stretch on — this is just the beginning. I think this sucker will wind up being about 90,000 words.
November 16, 2015 — 9:00 AM
Jason P. says:
Going well. Hunkered down after turning in my screenplay revisions and sitting at 25k words. To be fair, I had almost 8k done before this started, so 17k this month.
November 16, 2015 — 9:02 AM
tigs (@syzara) says:
I’m so behind… 12k words. I am quite happy with the story idea, but I can’t seem to write. Real life interfering didn’t help much either (mom’s surgery, emergency dentist apt., world exploding… >.< ) I have a really hard time to shield myself from the internet, especially news. 🙁
November 16, 2015 — 9:02 AM
sporkdelis says:
Realized at about 15000 words that this book has so many issues and I should be working on a massive final rewrite of another book.
It’s what I do every year, but I thought it would happen in the middle of a much better book since I actually outlined. I made the mistake of not knowing the characters.
November 16, 2015 — 9:04 AM
hccummings says:
I got to just over 28,500 words before I went to the Christmas Gift & Hobby Show this weekend. I still managed over 1,000 words on Saturday, despite working the show from 10AM to 9PM. Didn’t get anything done on Sunday, but since I was three days ahead going into the weekend, I don’t feel too bad about it. I plan to make up the lost words this week and hit 50,000 before Thanksgiving, preferably MUCH sooner than that because I doubt the novel will be finished at that point (even though I’m a rebel and I already had 52,000+ before NaNoWriMo started).
I MUST FINISH. I WILL FINISH. I just found a new writing opportunity with a deadline of Jan. 15th and I plan on having that done by then as well (it’s only about 10,000 words though). For the next 6 weeks, I WILL BE A WRITING MACHINE!!! (When I’m not working my day job, of course).
November 16, 2015 — 9:04 AM
Melanie says:
25000 words. Right where I should be. I’ve done NaNoWriMo since 2007 and I’ve won most years but I’ve never cared enough about my novels to actually edit them. This one is different. This one might just get published! *scurries off to write another 6000 words*
November 16, 2015 — 9:05 AM
Peter Hentges says:
I’m not doing the full NaNo (Full NaNo = album #bandoralbum), but I’m on a 15-day writing streak at 750words.com! http://750words.com/entries/share/5176021 And the story I’m working on is doing decently, though I suspect there are some chunks I’ll have to ditch and I’ve already made notes for a rewrite. But first! to finish!
November 16, 2015 — 9:12 AM
The Daily Assassin (@TDA_Rook) says:
30,625 as of last night. Weekdays are hard between work and social committments, so trying to use what time I have to be double productive and give myself a buffer. I figure I will try and keep on after I hit 50k, novel seems like it’s going to need around 75-80k minimum, and then I will coat myself in butter and garlic pepper and begin the slow roast of editing.
November 16, 2015 — 9:13 AM
gluedwithgold says:
This is my first time doing NaNoWriMo and I’m proud to say I’m right on track with 25k words. 25k terrible, meandering, soulless words in a plot that sucks sweaty goat balls. But hey, I’m writing every day, and I know how to edit.
November 16, 2015 — 9:16 AM
writing, writing, words words words. says:
Excellent and bravo! 🙂
November 17, 2015 — 6:24 AM
sundayjb says:
i’m behind (at 19k), but i killed off my original idea (for recovery at a later time) and have instead decided to write some shorts. so far one is completed and off to beta (yay!) and another is underway. am hoping to finish that one (takes to c.35k) but unsure about 50k. life – weddings, gin festivals, moving house – is getting in the way a little!
November 16, 2015 — 9:16 AM
writing, writing, words words words. says:
Me too shorts but mostly a lot of character sketche, some essayish stuff, and a few prose poems For me, it’s totally the word count, though I’m doing a lot of warm up crap, e.g., What’s for dinner, my butt itches, I should get that cobweb, etc, etc., etc.
November 17, 2015 — 6:37 AM
bethraymond says:
I am terribly behind, but am still holding out hope that I will catch up after this coming weekend or around Thanksgiving as I’m taking a few days off work.
Either way, I will be considering the month a success as I have words for my next novel that I didn’t have previously!
November 16, 2015 — 9:22 AM
John Appel says:
Thanks to terrific support from my spouse & family, I’m on-track. I had about 32K words done on this book already, and I’ve added a bit under 26K in November. (I’d be a bit further ahead in the total, but I had some contracted game writing, about 9K words, in October.)
Since I have some regular weekly commitments that mean there are days I can’t write, I make up for it on the weekends. That’s when my spouse and kids really pick up the slack and have given me the space to make up time.
Does anyone else listen to the Writing Excuses podcast? I’m listening to back episodes during my day-job commute and am finding it both a motivational assistance, but also of great help improving things as I go. I can see some of these later scenes turning out better than ones I’d written earlier. It’s also helping me identify things I’ll need to address in revision.
November 16, 2015 — 9:28 AM
Jack Fairey says:
25,082 words written. Not sure if any of its any good – there are moment and pieces of writing I love, but the overall picture is muddled and has very little focus. Still, I haven’t written a novel this year, and this is making me write one, which is great. Normally I outline extensively, but this was a last minute decision, and pantsing is quite a fun experience.
November 16, 2015 — 9:28 AM
Sheridan says:
I’m over 25K, sleep-deprived, and fostering a lingering, violent cough. Just getting by on the fact that I very much need to get this novel done this year, or else admit failure when I write up my 2016 New Year’s resolutions. I outlined the heck out of the novel, which helps. Overall NaNoWriMo status: Not bad!
November 16, 2015 — 9:31 AM
Peg says:
I am not going to make it, by a long shot. My daughter is getting married in Vegas Saturday, my husband got his finger amputated at work the first week of November, my story is boring me because, at the moment, real life is a cluster fuck of excitement and stress.
November 16, 2015 — 9:43 AM
kirizar says:
Yikes. On the upside, you will now have excellent material for NEXT year’s Nanowrimo. Suggest title: “Losing One’s Mind (and other body parts) Before the Wedding.”
November 16, 2015 — 11:19 AM
Peg says:
Ha, yes, going to the Grand Canyon while we are close and hoping it’s as inspirational as everyone says it is. I feel like I need a refill.
November 16, 2015 — 6:45 PM
Josh Neff says:
It just so happens I posted a midway point State of the NaNoWriMo address on my blog this morning (about a minute ago, actually): http://www.goblin-cartoons.com/2015/11/16/nanowrimo-2015-shaking-through/
November 16, 2015 — 9:43 AM
Tia RAGEFACE MCAVOY (@tiakall) says:
Dang, you’re killing it, Chuck! (May or may not be literal)
Just crossed 160k after a 20k day yesterday and finished 1 of the four novels in my big project this year (57k, but there’s room for extra scenes and details, so I’m not worried.) I’m about a day ahead of the pace I want for the month but that’ll probably go downhill today because Mondays are a busy day for me. (Work+class+writein=not home until after 9.)
November 16, 2015 — 9:46 AM
L.A. Barnitz says:
This is my first NaNoWriMo, and it has definitely motivated me to kick up the daily word count. Unfortunately I came to this not with some sparkly new novel idea, but in the middle of my second draft of a WIP. My plan was write wonderful new prose for the gaping holes in some chapters. But, my god, it’s all holes. It’s swiss cheese. I’m having a hard time avoiding editing (and throwing up when I read what seemed like a brilliant plot just a few weeks ago) but I’m telling myself to stick to the plan for the rest of the month.
November 16, 2015 — 9:51 AM
Maggie Maxwell says:
It’s the midpoint and I’m… at the midpoint. Just a smidge over 25k. However, my goal was to finish two WIPs versus 50k. As far as that goes, the first story is almost done! I’m in the midst of the climax and am just trying to pull together all the pieces and get to the end. I think I might have two or three days left before I write “The End” on that one. Two more days will put it at ~65k total.
November 16, 2015 — 9:56 AM
ChelseaIRL says:
Finally caught up and am on track for the first time this NaNo. Just gotta keep that up, cuz not reaching goal is not an option.
November 16, 2015 — 10:10 AM
Chris says:
Short answer, I’m behind at almost 14k words, but cautiously optimistic.
I’ve hit my daily quota target of 1700 words on only three days so far, and my projected total for the month is far below 50k, roughly half that at my current rate of progress. There have also been a few days where nothing at all got done. Stupid day job.
It’s frustrating, but I’m doing a “soft” participation this year (tracking my own progress, not actually doing the whole website thing), like last year, and I went into the month not expecting to hit 50k.
I said above I’m cautiously optimistic – not about increasing my productivity, necessarily, but about the content and quality of the writing. I’m using November to continue a WIP, and I’ve been pretty successful so far not just writing new content, but stitching together various disconnected tidbits of story that were spread across multiple files. I know I’ll have to revise and tighten things up later, but I generally like what I have so far. We’ll see what my personal editor (i.e. girlfriend) thinks when she reads it in December; she tore apart last year’s effort and really helped me rework and refine it, so I’m expecting the same for this year’s content as well.
Congrats to all those who are on track or ahead of schedule, and to those who feel “behind” or that the quality of what they have so far is sub-par: don’t give up! Like I see all the time on this blog, whatever you’ve written is more than you had on October 31, and even if it has to be reworked, it’s a framework to build and improve upon.
November 16, 2015 — 10:22 AM
AA Payson says:
That moment when you run after the car that’s speeding off down the road, and you suddenly realize that you can’t run as fast as a Lincoln Continental? And the car gets smaller and smaller into the sunset and you’re on the side of the road puking your guts out?
Kinda like that.
Just a smidge below 18K words as of last night. And I’m happy about that because if it weren’t for the spurt of inspiration splattered all over my face yesterday, I would be further behind. I’ve been skipping days. There were days where the kids needed attention. There were days when family needed attention. There were days when the lawn needed attention. Some days, like today, where sickness is nuzzling its cold nose in my neck and making me want to go back to bed.
But, I shall persist. This is my first time. I had the confidence to reach 50K, but at this point, it’s probably not realistic. If anything, NaNo has taught me to just get it out and fix it later.
November 16, 2015 — 10:31 AM
PJ Carambia says:
This is my first NaNoWriMo. I’ve fallen a little behind my personal goal but have reached just under 26,000. I’m enjoying the pace of it though. I have a terrible problem with focus but setting these daily goals helps a lot. I can see myself doing this again and not just in November. Right now I’m pleased with what I have even though it’ll need a lot of patching up in the second draft stage.
November 16, 2015 — 10:39 AM
otterpoet says:
I’m way behind (16,000wds), but I’m not going to stress it – as I have every other year. I’ve gotten into the rhythm of writing a minimum of 1000 words every night, and I’ll keep doing that from this point forward, well beyond November. That’s the true benefit of this NaNoWriMo; acquiring the ‘muscle memory’ of simply pounding the keys every evening rather than finding every excuse under the sun to do anything else. I’m actually looking forward to it now, rather than dreading the blank screen.
I’ve embraced the Pomodoro Technique, which has helped considerably. Tomatoes… is there nothing you cannot do?!
November 16, 2015 — 10:54 AM
Dave Shramek says:
I crossed 25,000 yesterday. I’m on track, but I know today is the day I fall behind. I needed to bank yesterday today, but instead, I’ll be catching up the rest of the week. As to how those 25,000 words are, some are good, some are bad. There are times I feel like I’m not writing what happens, just transcribing it, like I’m writing the world’s longest, most detailed outline. I suppose that’s something though. It’s like having blank walls up, even if they’re entirely without texture or color.
I think I’ll hit 50,000 on schedule, but (blank, bland walls notwithstanding) I don’t think I’ll be done by the end of the month. At 23,500 I felt like I was done with about a third of the story. That’s fine, though. NaNoWriMo is about momentum more than it is about actually having something finished.
November 16, 2015 — 10:57 AM
Lisa says:
God, where do I start??? I’ve finished 15,000 words. Yay!!! Hey, I’m a slow writer. Not my fault. You see my two finger typing-style is the true search and destroy way of using a keyboard.
Okay, yes, I’ll admit it; I’m behind. Good news? I like my story…BUT (there’s always a but), I need to know my characters.At the moment, they are little walking sticks, very pathetic.
What slowing down the creative process you might ask?
Appointments–doctors, teachers, 3 flats(my car hates me)–“real work”(the one that brings the money in) and a turkey that won’t cook itself–tried it last year. It was a disaster. You see I have friends who expect the stupid turkey…and the ingrates want it cooked too–unlike last year’s. Relatives who want to come over because my house is the “neutral ground,” if you know what I mean…I’m a very lucky person indeed. I’m going to give thanks this coming 26th until I’m blue or green, however, I AM going to finish this novel even if my fingers become stumps by Nov. 30th. Wish me luck… 🙂
November 16, 2015 — 11:01 AM
kirizar says:
You can have luck…or you can have a cooked turkey….but I doubt you can have both.
November 16, 2015 — 11:15 AM
Lisa says:
Do I have to choose?
I can see the hungry faces…Nooooooooooooooooo, I’ll do both. My family and friends are good people.They’ll forgive me…again.
November 16, 2015 — 12:47 PM
kirizar says:
Have freezer pizza handy, is my advice.
November 19, 2015 — 11:44 AM
writing, writing, words words words. says:
Luck and congrats getting this farr. Woo freaking hoo! 🙂
November 17, 2015 — 6:55 AM
Kevin Lighton says:
Just over 19K right now, so somewhat behind, but not enough that I can’t catch up. I don’t know if I’ll actually manage to do so, but I know I can. (And I’m managing better than either of the last two years, which is something.) Having an actual outline definitely has helped, even if it was thrown together at the last minute and has turned out to be a bit inaccurate (6 or 7 chapters in, and I think I’ve finally completed what the outline called “Chapter 2”).
Feeling good about the overall story and some of the writing, most of it is going to need some merciless hacking and rewriting once I’ve finished this draft.
November 16, 2015 — 11:05 AM
Cate Morgan says:
I’m a smidge over 34k words, as I lost valuable time due to the unadulterated evil that is allergies in Florida. But I plan on making that time up this week with the magnificent app that is Write or Die.
Have any of you guys tried this thing? Holy Wow, does it work. I came out of a 2500k session crawling on my hands and knees, but I SURVIVED GAWDSDAMMIT. *falls over*
November 16, 2015 — 11:08 AM
writing, writing, words words words. says:
Lol no but I’m intrigued and need all help I can get, thank you! Will Google “write or die”
November 17, 2015 — 6:59 AM
kirizar says:
Mid-month Nanowrimo is a dreary slog which kills the soul of a writer. On the upside, half-way there!
November 16, 2015 — 11:13 AM
Laura Roberts (@originaloflaura) says:
I’ve gotten way off my word count thanks to a bunch of terrorists in real-world Paris. Given that my book is set in Paris and involves murdering people, I felt really conflicted about continuing to write such things while actual people are dying in the same city for no good reason. But when I thought more about it, I realized you can’t let the terrorists win, and since my book is about organized religion and how it’s fucking poison for the modern world, I need to get back on the ol’ hobby horse and crank out more words, stat. My goal for today is the 25K mark. I’m at 16,044, so wish me luck!
November 16, 2015 — 11:22 AM
Melissa Lewicki says:
28,308 and still enjoying myself.
November 16, 2015 — 11:28 AM