Starting tomorrow morning I will be joining forces with legions of other writers who have committed themselves to writing 50,000 words during November for National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). Some of you are undoubtedly wondering why I would want to do such a thing when I am currently revising my novel Lost Girl Road. Here are the best reasons I can come up with for subjecting myself to the NaNoWriMo madness:
- I need to draft some more short stories so I can start submitting them to literary journals. The stories I’ve already self-published in Such is Life are not eligible.
- I would like to publish another eBook by the end of this coming April. The focus will be on travel memoirs.
- Drafting my novel has taken place in fits and starts. It’s imperative that I re-capture a sense of urgency in my drafting process if I am to move forward.
My NaNoWriMo Plan of Action
Based on the speed of progress on my novel, some of you might be wondering if I can pull this off. Rest assured, each writer tackles the process in a different way. I know myself and my capabilities. My ever-cautious self tends to over-think things, which is its own blessing and curse.
- I will aim to write 2,000 words a day. November has 30 days. I will not be writing on four of the five Saturdays of the month, nor will I write on Thanksgiving.
- Two hours have been set aside each morning to accomplish this task. It’s imperative I reach my word count before engaging with social media, email, blog posts and comments, novel revisions, and editing projects. Distractions must be kept at bay!
- My daily word count will only include short stories and creative nonfiction, not blog posts, journal entries, or progress on my novel.
- To help break my self-editing habit, I will hear a rubberband around my wrist that I will snap when I pause to ponder my sentences. The only ovement my cursor makes on the page must be forward movement. No revising!
Short Stories Ideas for NaNoWriMo
As I’d hoped, my current internship with The Idaho Review has helped spark my motivation as a writer. I will kick off NaNoWriMo by drafting a few short stories that I can later polish and start submitting to literary journals. Such journals typically only ask for first rights, and then the stories once published will be mine to do with as I please. I’m the type of writer who wears her heart close to her sleeve. The collection’s tentative title Childfree Choices makes it apparent I’ll be using the stories to sort through my feelings on the issue. The first three stories will be titled “Beauty Shop Baby Talk,” “Dolly Down the Stairs,” and “Women of a Certain Age.” From there, other titles and plots related to being childree are messily scrawled in my writer’s notebook.
Travel Memoirs for NaNoWriMo
Early on in my self-publishing endeavors, I hastily published a travel essay titled “The Vacation Vaccination.” For numerous reasons, the effort was not quite ready for prime time, and I unpublished it on Amazon. Alas, books can’t be removed from the GoodReads library. My plan of attack is to now revise my personal essay of an ill-fated trip to Yosemite National Park. Plus, I will be adding more short memoirs that cover the time I spent living and working in Yellowstone and Everglades National Parks. The working title will be The National Park Experience, and I hope to explore the title’s implications based on my encounters with the park system.
Do you tend to pace yourself as a writer, or do you prefer the fast and furious approach? Have you ever participated in NaNoWriMo?
Image Credit: Face The Monster by Frits Ahlefeldt
I’m about to embark on my fourth NaNo. I’m Nephylim if anyone wants to buddy me. I love the buzz and friendship and encouragement, not that I’ve ever needed encouragement to write what NaNo is is an excuse to indulge a passion
Nephy, the NaNo website seems to be down right now, but I’ll add you as a buddy later today 🙂
No, I don’t pace myself even though I’m certain that I should. I don’t know if I’d call style fast and furious either. It’s more like what you said near the top of this article, in fits and starts. The problem seems to lie in how I veiw myself as a writer, which is extremely ameteurious right now.
No, the NaNa thing scares me to death psychologically. The self-induced pressure would, most assuredly send me to the funny farm. 🙁
Glynis, the more you write, the less amateurish you will feel. However, writers need thick skins. Even when I think I’m on the right track, I always second guess myself which really slows down my process.
Jeri: Good luck. You’ll make it with slightly less than 2,000 words per day, but just a note – November only has 30 days, so if you’re basing your output on 31 days, you could stumble. :-).
Charles, thanks for the clarification. I fixed the number of days above. Thank goodness my other calculations fit the number of days in the month.
Oh, and to answer your questions: I did NaNoWriMo last year – won, just barely. I’m going at it again this year as well. I’m an in-between type of writer. I do a chapter by chapter summary with a list of characters, and then start writing. My notes get ugly, because, as I write I come up with more chapters, which are cryptic notes inserted in my original notes. I shoot for 2,000 words per day, but more often than not do 3,000 to 5,000 because when it starts to flow I can’t stop until my fingers are too tired to depress the keys. In other words, like many writers, I’m a total schizoid.
Charles, I’ll look for you later and add you as a NaNo buddy as well. I can’t remember the last time I wrote over 2,000 words a day when working solely on a creative piece. Isn’t it so true that the writing process is totally schizoid?
Distractions are hard to avoid, so I get your need to try to avoid them. Having a plan and a focus does help but being aware that things can hamper your intended process really helps.
2000 words a day is awesome. I might even be able to do that some day. My writing process is slow and laborious so that seems such an impossibility to me right now. What I do know is I look forward to your end result.
Susan, I’m not quite sure how I’ll be balancing everything during the month of November but I really hope I can meet the 50k goal.
Good luck with Nanowrimo. It’s a big undertaking, especially at the start of holiday season.
RJ, it would be kind of nice if NaNo took place after New Year’s Eve…
Love your plan Jeri. And that rubber band trick, it works. As a corporate trainer I would often suggest it for people who wanted to break a bad habit and replace it with something good. For those who acted on it, it worked.
Hey, I know you will likely do so, but keep us posted! And best wishes for success.
Patricia, I didn’t have my pack of rubber bands for day one, but I’m locked and loaded now!
Awesome to hear that you’re participatiing! Best of luck.
Loni, thanks for the wishes. It’s gonna be tricky to revise chapters from my novel and be writing so much material at the same time. Here’s to hoping I don’t go bonkers.
I’m so impressed by all who undertake NanoWriMo–all the best to you. You sound organized and committed so I have no doubt you will achieve your goals. Due to that ridiculous need to make a living, I can’t give my fiction writing this sort of gift. Someday.
I’ll look forward to reading about your progress and results.
Jagoda, somehow I’m fitting it into my schedule. My editorial internship has been well worth it for the experience, but it tends to eclipse everything else I need to work on.
Love your plan! I am not participating but maybe I will think about the plan. 🙂 I am cheering for you my friend!
Cheryl, maybe you can participate next year. It would definitely be cool if everyone in our Engagers group decided to take up the challenge and act as cheerleaders for each other.
Well done Jeri- you’re a braver soul than I. Hope it goes really well.:-)
Doin’ on my own – with my own plan of action. Never participated before now. Not sure about what’s involved, either.
I’m going to work on my book.
Lorraine, have you signed-up on the NaNo website? Since this is my first year, I’m still getting the lay of the land, but they have lots of resources as well information on local groups you can meet in person with. Plus, you can add buddies. Being able to share progress can be such a motivator.
No, I have decided not to sign up. I have too much else going on this month. But I am making my own commitments to myself.
I’ve blogged about it. I will list the post in your commentLuv to show you. 😉
Lorraine, good luck with your writing goals this month. Maybe next year you will take the official NaNo plunge.
We are on the precipice of darkness. This will be my first NaNo. But I am not a planner by any stretch of the imagination. This is going to be a fun month.
Jon, the precipice of darkness indeed. Here’s to seeing what each each of us comes up with…
Love your plan! I’m sure you’ll do awesome. This year would be my 4th Nano to participate in, however, having just received my MS back from an editor with some pretty major revisions suggested, I feel an urgency to work on that instead. I will be using the nano time frame as a goal/motivator, though. I hope to have my revisions complete by the end of November! I’ll really miss nano, but they’ll be others…. Good Luck, Jeri!!! Can’t wait to hear about the awesome stuff you churn out over the next month!
Beth, good luck revising your MS. I probably should make that my primary focus right now, but I’ve had such a go of it trying to revise my first novel that I need to take the month of November to get some necessary distance from it.
You go girl! I love your determination and how you go about the whole NaNo madness – it’s not yet started and look at you – all looking good with a plan, and self-motivated – go, Jeri, go, go!
Yes, please fo keep us posted! And i am sure you can do it 😉
I am not participating in this challenge but your post inspired me – i am going to work on MY plan and finally start working on my first book. I have been playing with the idea for a few months now but never acted on it – well, it’s time. Thanks for inspiring me and good luck with your NaNoWriMo! 😀
Diana, so glad to hear you’re gearing up to work on your first book. I’m sure you’ll keep us posted via your blog.
Good luck! I’m starting a new job, so I won’t be able to focus the way that this project requires. Maybe I’ll try next year.
Kitt, I hope you’re new job goes well. Based on how my first NaNo goes, I hope to make it a yearly event to kick off a new draft of a book each year. Granted, I’m working on too many projects right now, but I know things will work out in the end. They always do. I’m too stubborn to fail!
Wow I am glad I don’t write, as there no way I could even start that project. I always thought I had a lot to say, but I could never put it to paper. Good luck with Nanowrimo
Arleen, it’s often the thought of starting a book that is the most daunting. Based on your blog posts, I’m sure you could write a helpful and insightful nonfiction book. As for fiction, everyone has a great story lurking just beneath the surface… all it takes is a first sentence and determination.
You are very organized and I wish you much success with your month!!
Christy, the mere fact that I will be producing words at a much faster rate than usual is going to be a success in and off it self. I’ll end up with a few usable pieces that I can then revise, revise, revise…
I totally think you are only doing this because you are completely and utterly addicted to keeping yourself uber busy! Lol. No, good for you though, and very organized with it too; I can only write when the mood strikes. I don’t participate in Nano though, because every month is kind of that for me. But I laughed at your self editing thing… I’ve started doing that a great deal too, going over and over a WIP before the entire story is completed and not getting any further ahead. Maybe I have to get a rubber band. 🙂
SP, I think the busier I am, the more productive I will tend to be. I’ve found that giving myself too much time to write means I get less done. I gotta make those hours count and start abusing myself with a rubber band snap to make sure I get the writing done.
Hhhmmm….the only “ovement” you cursor will make is going forward. I think you already started. 🙂
You also forgot the 5th reason. We’re just plumb crazy! Did you make your profile on NaNoWriMo website yet?
S.C., oh dear… guess my cursor will have to make some backward movement after all so I can go and fix those typos. Thanks for pointing the out 😉
I’ve been working really hard on my creativity and description within my writing. I have no problem telling the story or telling it well. But, I want more “color” to it so I’m working on that. I’m getting a little better at having thicker skin but I still have those butterflies everytime I get ready to publish! I really enjoyed the post, Jeri! 🙂
Mike, first of all thanks for stopping by. It’s always fantastic to meet a new reader. Second of all, I admire you for knowing what areas of your writing your want to work on. Too many writers don’t take the time to consciously work on issues that crop up. As for me, I got so many issues. Sometimes, I really wish the editor in me could be bound and gagged.
Wow, Jeri, I admire your ambition and your discipline. I’ve been told I should be writing 1,500 words a day when I’m not doing “billable” work, and 500 words a day if I should. Yet it’s so very hard to switch between genres. I’ll be very enthusiastically awaiting your results – good luck!
Krystyna, I keep going back and forth on the word count I should be aiming for as well. My main reason for doing NaNo is to prove to myself that I am still capable of writing a lot in a short amount of time. I like how you adjust your goal according to how much billable work you have on your plate. I’ll be keeping that idea in mind.
I know you can do it! 50,000 words is a lot though (for me not you). You have a plan though and it will be accomplished.
Krystle, I’m on track so far. It’s very freeing to allow myself to not worry about quality and instead focus on quantity. A writer can’t revise what’s not been written. Funny how I often find it hard to take my own advice 😉
What an exciting adventure you’re on. I would love to do NaNoWriMo in the future. The drive to be creative every day is an excellent challenge to set.
I LOVE the title, “Women of A Certain Age”. It holds so much potential, I can’t wait to read it. 🙂
Debra, I just completed a draft of “Women of a Certain Age” today. It’s safe to say it’s a rough NaNoWriMo mess right now, but I think it could be a good one with time.
Hey Jeri
Great post, thanks.
I love the rubber band trick, what a great idea! 🙂 my bug bear is typos. When I get inspired and I’m typing fast, I litter my manuscripts with typos and I really struggle with not going back and correcting them all.
Having said that, fast and furious is definitely my preferred method. I’ve been trying for a double-nano this month. I haven’t counted it all up yet, but I’ll find out on Sunday if I’ve managed it.
I’m intrigued by the Yosemite trip, look forward to seeing it 🙂
Cheers
Mike