Peggy Jaeger's Blog - Posts Tagged "nanowrimo-2015"
Almost 2 weeks into NaNoWriMo…
and I’m still plugging away.
By the halfway mark, many writers fall into a plot hole abyss, wrestle with a character who wants to take over the story, or they come to the realization the story line isn’t really keeping their attention. And just for clarity’s sake, this happens to all writers whether they are doing the NaNo challenge or not. The difference in November is that you only have two weeks left in the challenge to fulfill that 50,000-word minimum and declare a win.
Pressure, much? Stress, maybe?
No worries.
The best thing about the NaNoWriMo challenge is the only person you are competing against is YOU. Now is not the time to start editing or switching POV, or changing the rudimentary goals, motivations and conflicts of your hero and heroine. Now is the time to freestyle and just write it all out. December ( and the rest of the new year )is for editing and refining. Tweaking and changing.
Now, the goal is to write – albeit you want it to be good writing, that goes without saying. But as long as you are pounding forward, getting those fingers on the laptop keys, or writing out long hand, you are winning.
The tagline for my website is Writing is my Oxygen, because I need to write in order to exist, just like I need to breathe in order to live. A day without writing something, anything, to me, is a wasted day. I approach NaNo the same way. As long as I am pushing forward on the story, I am in the positive column. And even if I get to 11:30 pm November 30 and still need 500 more words to get over the finish line, at least I know I got that far.
To me, partaking in the NaNoWriMo challenge IS the win. The 50k words are just the cherries on top.
By the halfway mark, many writers fall into a plot hole abyss, wrestle with a character who wants to take over the story, or they come to the realization the story line isn’t really keeping their attention. And just for clarity’s sake, this happens to all writers whether they are doing the NaNo challenge or not. The difference in November is that you only have two weeks left in the challenge to fulfill that 50,000-word minimum and declare a win.
Pressure, much? Stress, maybe?
No worries.
The best thing about the NaNoWriMo challenge is the only person you are competing against is YOU. Now is not the time to start editing or switching POV, or changing the rudimentary goals, motivations and conflicts of your hero and heroine. Now is the time to freestyle and just write it all out. December ( and the rest of the new year )is for editing and refining. Tweaking and changing.
Now, the goal is to write – albeit you want it to be good writing, that goes without saying. But as long as you are pounding forward, getting those fingers on the laptop keys, or writing out long hand, you are winning.
The tagline for my website is Writing is my Oxygen, because I need to write in order to exist, just like I need to breathe in order to live. A day without writing something, anything, to me, is a wasted day. I approach NaNo the same way. As long as I am pushing forward on the story, I am in the positive column. And even if I get to 11:30 pm November 30 and still need 500 more words to get over the finish line, at least I know I got that far.
To me, partaking in the NaNoWriMo challenge IS the win. The 50k words are just the cherries on top.
Winner, winner, Chicken dinner?
So two days ago I WON NaNoWriMo. And by won I mean I got to the minimum 50,000 words for the month. And I still have two weeks to go in the month of November. That doesn’t mean I’m stopping; no. I’m not done with the story yet. In fact, I may need another 25-30 k to finish it to my satisfaction.
So, what exactly, did I win?
Well, first and foremost I’ve got the guts of a really good storyline down on the laptop. Yes, it will need editing, and yes, it will probably wind up being a total of between 60 and 70,ooo words when all is done. And yes, I’m sure there are plot holes, character problems, and even very bad grammar ( hey, this is me, after all!), but the fact that I have the major guts of the story down is a win in my book.
I also think it’s a win that I worked on the story every day for multiple hours a day. I didn’t get distracted, or work on something else, or go shopping. The last one really hurt, too.
It’s also a win that I participated in something so worthwhile, and in so doing, encouraged other writers in the same boat as me. Misery loves company, it’s said, but I think camaraderie and sharing a similar goal is much more descriptive of our November endeavor.
So, have you won yet? If not, how many words to go? Remember, even 100 words a day is 100 more than you had yesterday.
So, what exactly, did I win?
Well, first and foremost I’ve got the guts of a really good storyline down on the laptop. Yes, it will need editing, and yes, it will probably wind up being a total of between 60 and 70,ooo words when all is done. And yes, I’m sure there are plot holes, character problems, and even very bad grammar ( hey, this is me, after all!), but the fact that I have the major guts of the story down is a win in my book.
I also think it’s a win that I worked on the story every day for multiple hours a day. I didn’t get distracted, or work on something else, or go shopping. The last one really hurt, too.
It’s also a win that I participated in something so worthwhile, and in so doing, encouraged other writers in the same boat as me. Misery loves company, it’s said, but I think camaraderie and sharing a similar goal is much more descriptive of our November endeavor.
So, have you won yet? If not, how many words to go? Remember, even 100 words a day is 100 more than you had yesterday.
