It's that time again....
We’re coming up on an annual tradition of mine and one for many others….
“National Novel Writing Month is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing. Participants begin writing on November 1. The goal is to write a 50,000 word, (approximately 175 page) novel by 11:59:59, November 30.” There were over 200,000 participants in 2010, with about 30,000 crossing the finish line. That’s pretty impressive when so many didn’t think they could get the words on the page.
Nano isn’t about quality….it’s about quantity. Getting the words on the page and getting out of our own way to do it.
I failed and failed hard in 2004. In 2005 I redeemed myself, finished 50k in 2.5 weeks WITH a broken collar bone and shoulder. After that year…nothing stands in my way. I find a way to get the words down on the page. I sneak in writing time every where I go.
What makes it even better this year?
- Technology updates. I’ve fallen in love with Scrivener for the Mac. And DropBox. Both allow me to pretty much write anywhere and everywhere. I have Index Cards on my iPhone and iPad, plus a few others like Manuscript…I can’t NOT write when I’m places now. No excuses.
- Writing Sprints. These have saved my tail on more than one occasion. Several of my writing friends and I log into Instant Messanger….we set aside 15 minutes several times a day…I shout go into the window….we all type at breaknail speeds until I type STOP. Usually I get around 800 words out of one of these sprints…makes it so much easier to reach the word count for the day.
- Well, I don’t skip my gym/training time. That’s just as important to me. However, you will probably see me typing away on the iPad while on the recumbent bike getting my miles in. Little harder to do while running, but we’ll see how it all goes.
- I don’t start ordering out more. No, I keep on my same healthy eating regime the entire time. If I start eating crap food, then I end up with crappy energy and get nothing done. Too much to do for that to happen.
- I tend to ignore my phone. Oh wait, I do that anyway.
- Energy drink consumption increases. This one is true…although I do try to limit myself to one a day AND, I like the healthier alternative I’ve found.
- Evenings end up dedicated to writing rather than working. Also very true….although, honestly, I should do this more anyway. The days can be draining though, making it a challenge to focus for extended periods of time at night anyway. This year, I’ll be trying to get up before the household wakes and getting some writing time in then.
Related articles
- Magic Monday: Nerves and NaNoWriMo (eulana.com)
- Just signed up for NaNoWriMo (writeontheworld.wordpress.com)
- Angelique’s NaNoWriMo survival guide (angeliquemichaels.wordpress.com)
- How To Prepare For National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) (kristinoffiler.wordpress.com)
- NaNoWriMo….NaNoWriMo Not… (scatteringmoments.wordpress.com)
- Preparing for NaNoWriMo: Day 2 (writeontheworld.wordpress.com)
- Write Here, Write Now: NaNoWriMo Update. (aardvarkian.com)
