NaNoWhyNot?
So, yesterday marked the beginning of 2011’s NaNoWriMo. I participated (and won) last year. Funnily enough, I wrote 50,000+ words in Screechers, and then threw the whole thing away a few months later and started completely, 100%, not-a-single-word-saved over.
I love me some NaNoWriMo, guys. The camaraderie, the sense of achievement at the end, and the all-around awesomeness that is the Office of Letters and Light.
This year, I’m kinda cheating. I’ll be working on A Darkness Strange and Lovely as well as a side YA contemporary project (with an awful working title of Purely Platonic).
A Darkness Strange and Lovely is my #1 priority. In addition to hammering out a minimum 1,667 words per day in new chapters, I intend to revise about 1,667 words a day too.
Purely Platonic is just something I work on at the very end of my evening. My “hobby book”–a reward for getting the real work done.
Not that I don’t love A Darkness Strange and Lovely–of course I do!–but I’m writing it ON A DEADLINE and according to a STRICT OUTLINE. Both of those things are very new to me, and I’ve found that they really make this whole writing thing feel a lot more like woooooorrrrrkkk.
Purely Platonic on the other hand is the story brewing in my heart that I just have to get on the page right now. NOW, I say, and if that means staying up until 3 AM every night, then so be it.
I know I won’t finish Purely Platonic–know I can’t finish it with my current work load–but I’ll keep plugging away for as long as the Muse is still feeling generous.
I’ve already started both novels, and their numbers look something like this:
A Darkness Strange and Lovely
63,366 words written
42,775 words revised and polished
20,611 words to revise and polish
24,000 words TO WRITE
Final Word Count Goal: 87,000 words
Purely Platonic
11,873 words written
10,000 words revised and polished
48,000 words TO WRITE
Final Word Count Goal: 60,000
I don’t expect to write 72,000 words this month–I’m not CRAZY. But I do hope that between these two books, I can reach a total of 50,000 new words.
What about you? Are you doing NaNo? What are your goals, if so?
And be sure to add me as a buddy, if you are!
♥
November 2, 2011 @ 2:10 pm
I love the idea of NaNoWriMo, but I can’t do it. I’ve tried twice, and failed miserably both times. It just doesn’t suit my style of writing! Actually, Maggie Stiefvater blogged about her thoughts on NaNo recently, and that’s when I finally realized why I failed so miserably! However, I am still insanely jealous of people who can do it!! And, I’m intrigued by your contemporary project! I’ve been feeling the draw to contemporary myself lately! good luck!
November 2, 2011 @ 9:42 pm
I failed miserably my first year. I can only churn about 40-50K at max speed like this, then I always peter out…and find myself so exhausted, I can barely think straight for weeks. Worse, since 50K isn’t *actually* a full novel, I’ve got to gather up the dregs of motivation to somehow write 50-40K MORE. 😀
Sounds terrible, but seeing as I really do have almost 30K that still needs writing for ADS&L, and seeing as my deadline is fast-approaching, I have no choice but to POWER IT UP NANO-STYLEE!!!
November 2, 2011 @ 2:23 pm
Hey, great work so far!
I’m personally not doing NaNo–no real time on my hands. I hate college. But don’t worry about your working title…I just started something that’s currently called “Shelf Space”. I feel your pain, haha.
November 2, 2011 @ 9:43 pm
Hey, I kinda like the name SHELF SPACE. 😛
Well, good luck with that whole *college* business. NaNo will be there when you one day finish. 😉
November 2, 2011 @ 4:00 pm
I’m doing NaNoWriMo for the first time this year. So far, I’m loving the extra pressure it’s putting on my writing self. I promised myself though that writing everyday is my goal – no word counts to meet, no pages to edit…just write everyday. With my life as busy as it is (teaching, working a day job, raising two kids, being a wife, lover…) writing everyday on the same project is accomplishment enough. It’s day two and I’ve been able to fulfill this goal so far. I got up early and wrote 504 words this morning. Wrote over 1500 yesterday. For me, time is both my enemy and my friend. I’m working on a YA novel that I started forever ago and that I WILL FINISH by the end of this month – well, the first draft anyway. I already had about 40 (edited) pages done…so I started from there. I’m glad I’m challenging myself to do this.
Happy writing to you! Your contemporary piece sounds really exciting. Good for you!
November 2, 2011 @ 9:44 pm
It’s that extra pressure that I love too. That whole “putting in your word count at the end of the day and staring at it on a chart” really pushes me to go the extra mile. 🙂
And dude, you’re on a role so far! 1500 in one day is FANTASTIC–especially when it’s clear you have soooo much else going on in your life. At this rate, you’ll totally finish your book by the end of the month.
YOU CAN DO IT!!!
November 2, 2011 @ 7:10 pm
You are brave, my friend! That’s a lot to tackle. And yet, I have no doubts AT ALL that you’ll more than surpass your goal.
I’m not NaNo’ing this year, but I have set a goal to be 100%, completely done with revisions by the end of the month. I’ll get there. 😉
November 2, 2011 @ 9:45 pm
Aw, thanks, Mer. So far (all 2 days–ha!) so good. 😉
And you are gonna NaNoEdMo like a champ this month–I just know it. GOOD LUCK!! <3
November 2, 2011 @ 8:22 pm
YOU INSPIRE ME 🙂
November 2, 2011 @ 9:47 pm
Pffft. ::blushes fiercely and swats the air:: You are too sweet, Happy. <3 <3
November 3, 2011 @ 4:18 am
Hi Susan! This is the first time I’ve commented but I think your blog is amazing and your success story with Something Strange and Deadly is really inspiring.
I’ve tried to do my own mini-NaNo’s (one month, thirty words, April, and such) but this is the first year I want to do it officially. I kind of procrasinated, but now I’ve got a plot I can work with and characters I can relate to, but with tests and essays and homework I haven’t even gotten started yet! Any advice?
November 3, 2011 @ 4:19 pm
Hello, Kat K!!! THANK YOU FOR COMMENTING!! I wish I could give you a little “First Comment” star or something. 😀
Advice….DIVE IN. You’ve got your plot and characters, so you are totally ready to go!
Plus, you can easily catch up for your missing days, and once you get started–ah, it’s cracking the dam. The sentences trickle, trickle, then BOOM! They’ll pour. 😀
You *so* got this.
November 3, 2011 @ 3:36 pm
The first time I did NaNo, I should’ve known I wouldn’t be able to do it because it was around the same time as our revisions for our research papers (senior year of high school). And whenever I tried to write, I ended up not knowing what to write and gave up. So… this year’s pretty much the same, haha!
However, my best friend (who was my partner for said paper) was able to finish. She actually only had 30,000 words on November 29th, so she wrote 20,000 on the final day. I am not even joking. I don’t think she slept at ALL that night (^w^)
November 3, 2011 @ 4:22 pm
O_O
Oh. My. GOSH. 20,000 words?!?! This is MIND-BOGGLING.
Truly mind-boggling. Talk about a final sprint to the finish line… WOWZERS. Your friend is a real inspiration.
I’ve definitely been in the “want to do it but don’t know what to write camp”. The great thing is that you can always do it again NEXT YEAR. And now there’s the awesome Camp NaNoWriMo, if you’re looking to speed-write at a different time of the year. 😀
November 5, 2011 @ 5:34 pm
Good luck with your projects! I’m participating this year, as I have done before, but this time I really took the time to create a solid concept before starting. So far so good. 🙂
Glad I found your blog – new follower 🙂
November 6, 2011 @ 12:37 pm
Aw, thanks for following, Tasha!! <3
And that's awesome that you've got a solid concept. My project last year (that I threw out!) was definitely *not* solid enough. GOOD LUCK!!