The good news is that I have made a nice start to the novel. I've got an outline, chapter summaries for the first few chapters, a nice chunk of background info (world building sort of things and character summaries) and most of chapters one and two written.
Nope, didn't win NaNoWriMo this year - and I didn't expect to.
I expected it to be a kick in the ass to start writing down ideas that could fill a novel, and it was that. I also knew the combination of the emotional roller coaster I've been on, along with my fear of failure was a rich petri dish for procrastination to flourish. So my goal was just to start, just see I could get something done, even when I felt not so great. And possibly see where my procrastination temptations lie. I can't say house keeping is usually so alluring I can't resist it - but when the choice is between that and trying to figure out the perfect words to describe a scene, well, let's just say my house looked awesome in November. Also, I am glad Candy Crush has a limit on lives.
My actual goal is to have a rough at least 80% done story by the end on January, making this a 3 month jog instead of a 1 month sprint. It's just more realistic for where I am. So while I feel, yeah, I kind of was lame in making writing my priority in November, the 3 month goal works. I'm not giving up; I'm taking it at my own pace. The goal isn't to hurry. It's to finish.
Honestly, that is why I don't participate in NaNoWriMo; it's too restricting. I think it's great that you're still trucking on though! Keep it up and I can't wait to one day read your novel :)
ReplyDeleteThanks! LOL, I'm not sure how exactly it will turn out but it is fun working through the process.
DeleteLove the petri dish analogy. LOL. You are right. NaNoWriMo is one month. But writing a good novel takes a lot more time. Good luck finishing!
ReplyDelete--December IWSG co-host
I'm sure there are folks who can have a good rough copy ready in a month. I'm just not that talented! I'm glad NaNoWriMo made me commit to putting *something* down instead of letting the ideas flit around my head, but I need the extra time to really get a feel for who my characters are. I find I'm writing quite a bit of background stuff that really would be fluff in a novel, but it helps me understand the world and the characters better.
DeleteI think you did great. You wrote, and that is what counts. And plotted... for hours, remember? I'm half in love with your story already.
ReplyDeleteI can tell you that I finish NaNoWriMo out of pure stubbornness. I have the same plans with the 50K I completed--have a tight novel by the end of January, maybe February. I have a novella and a short collection of stories I want finished in between.
We can continue to encourage each other ;-)
Good, because I need it!
DeleteIt's not easy. I don't do much with creative writing. Probably because I'm OK with dreaming up a scene, but developing a long plot is a great challenge.
ReplyDeleteI have the plot I want to follow, and there are definitely scenes I want to hit, but there is a much higher challenge in weaving those two together.
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