The first thing I've learned is that I'm not going to "win" this time. The second thing I've learned is that it is quite possible to win -- just don't try Nanowrimo the same month your oldest kid has to finish his college applications. But all is not lost. The applications are done, my son and I are still speaking, and I have a freshly created main character whom I love, living in a setting I'm excited to write about. There is still one thing missing. Oh yeah. A plot.
I don't regret trying Nanowrimo. And I'm not done yet. I have another week stretching in front of me and can hopefully knock out another 5,000-10,000 words. I want to move beyond my opening pages, which are mainly character development that will never see the light of day, and into action. I'd like to finish this month with an inkling of where this project might go. Then I'll be happy to walk away from it, let it simmer for a while, and get back to my other WIP.
Nanowrimo showed me that I can write fast. Heck, I found out that I can even type fast. I have a real good idea of where my other WIP is going. I can't wait to pound away at it and finsh the draft. And when that is done, my new project will have simmered long enough. It will be time to bring it to a boil.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
What I've Learned from NanoWriMo...So Far
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One question: Forget college apps., why is NanoWrimo held the same month as Thanksgiving?
ReplyDeleteJudy, it sounds like it has been a successful experiment. Nothing like a deadline to get those fingers dancing across the keyboard. G'luck with the final week.
I sure hope you're not hosting a T-day feast too.
I agree with Janice...Why November? I'd like to try in February (of course that is the shortest month - maybe it would be required to write only 40,000 words).
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure what I learned from Nano. I refuse to beat myself up about it. I won't even post my less than stellar word count, but it's definitely more than I began with. I knew going in it was nuts for me to attempt at the present moment. Maybe I learned to trust my instincts, lol.
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