I don't talk about writing much here because I have my own weird style and it doesn't really fit into any writing box. And basically, if you want to be a writer, you have to find out what works for you. Some people have to write on schedule. Some people have to write every day. Some folks only write when they have time...in 5 min spurts here and there. ANYWAY, you do what you gotta do no matter how you do it.
I've never participated in National Novel Writing Month before and I'm not really going to this month either. BUT, I have to do something because my writing well has been bone dry.
So I'm setting a goal for finishing a synopsis and a proposal for the month of November. I can't do a novel in a month. I have no intention of putting that kinda pressure on myself--I'd be doomed to fail if I did. But I am going to set a real goal and meet it because I have to pull myself out of this funk.
Have y'all ever done NaNoWriMo? Was it successful?
Hi Mel
ReplyDeleteThis is my fourth year doing NaNo. Of the three MS's, all three were published. I don't try and 'finish' a complete novel in one month. It is a very rough outline by the time I cross the finish line. For me, it is a lesson in self-discipline. Good luck in reaching your November goals!
I blogged about NaNo today too. And no, I won't be drinking the koolaid because quite clearly, NaNo is crazy-making.
ReplyDeleteI think NoNo is good for those people who need a push, but I agree it wouldn't work for me. Mainly b/c I don't write by word or page counts and I HAVE to stop and edit. It would drive me crazy if I didn't. I write useing a finished scene as my goal. When a scene is finished, then I go to the next one. It might take me a day or a week to finish a scene, but it's done when it's done and I just can't rush it. I signed up for NoNo to get the inspirational prodding and I applaud everyone who has set goals for themselves. The important thing in the long run is just to write!
ReplyDeleteI have done my own version of NaNo, but I don't formally do NaNo or follow the NaNo rules.
ReplyDeleteTwo years ago, I had only about a partial finished of my then-wip (about 50-ish pages) and I really liked it alot, so I wanted to enter it into the Golden Heart. Problem was, it was already the end of October and all I had was 50 pages, and you need a full to enter.
Then I took a good look at the rules, called RWA and found out that if you final, they notify you if a final editor judge requests the full, and give you 24 hours to email them a new revised version, if you so choose. So technically, while you need a full in order to enter, nobody will ever read the full unless you final and an editor requests it, and even then, it doesn't necessarily have to be the version you'd entered.
So I did a modified version of NaNo where I fast-drafted the remainder of the novel. Those first 50 pages ROCKED, and the other 250 pages, well, not so much, but that was OK.
It ended up working for me. I finaled in the Golden Heart, and requests (if they come) from editors don't happen until roughly mid-April at the earliest, so as long as you can commit to revising the utter crap you spewed onto the page in November, then it's not a bad method. Of course, it takes dedication, because the crap you wrote in November is generally REALLY crappy. LOL
But no, I didn't technically follow the rules, because I didn't start with Page 1 on November 1. I stated with page 51. :)
Rules are for cowards. I'm with Mel... I will be inspired by the notion, and then do it my way.
ReplyDeleteMy way is always better.
I did it last year and I really liked it. But this year, I have a few complications that are keeping me from committing 100%.
ReplyDeleteI do a modified version of NaNo. I'm technically participating this year, but I already had 32 pages written before diving in. Therefore, I don't declare myself a "winner" at the end, but I use it to spur me into writing!
ReplyDeleteNot in a million years.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure it hasn't escaped anyone's notice that I tend to be rebellious.
I did find "Writer or Die" this weekend, which gives you timed writes. I enjoyed that.
I think its a good news for writers ....good luck to all of you...
ReplyDeleteI'm in the 'modified NaNo' camp. The only rule I try to stick by is writing 50K in a month. It's just the push I needed to get my buns in gear.
ReplyDelete