Wednesday Words: New Goals for NaNoWriMo

I sit here writing this half in a state of shock that I actually signed up...again. I mean, just glancing at my calendar, November is already going to be insane. I had these EXACT same thoughts last year, and NaNo almost killed me. I mean, I got to 52,000 words by the end of the month, and finished my first draft of that story in mid-December at around 61,000 words. And I haven't looked at that story since, and I swore I'd never do it again.

So of course, here I am. I fully blame my friend and fellow aspiring writer, Sarah - she's a dangerous influence on me.

For those of you who may not know, November is National Novel Writing Month, also known as NaNoWriMo. The goal laid out by the people who run this free, online event is simple: participants aspire to write the first draft of a novel, at least 50,000 words, between 12:00am November 1 and 11:59pm November 30.

It's crazy sounding to be sure. That's about 2,000 words a day. And it's a first draft, which aren't usually particularly pretty in the first place. Attempting such a feat is madness, but last year I tried it for the first time and I 'won' - but was it really winning if I haven't looked at that story since? The experience was so draining that by the end I wasn't inspired, I was exhausted. Some people do their best, feel their most productive work done by this insane deadline, but it's just not for me. I tried it, but that's just not the way my best work works.

So this year, I'm coming into NaNoWriMo differently. My goal isn't to finish a first draft in 30 days. I know me. I know my writing style. I know that will NEVER happen because if it does, I'll just have 2 manuscripts sitting on my computer hard-drive that I'll never take a second look at instead of one. This 30 days for me will be about carving out time every day to write. To get to know my characters. To build a world and get lost in thoughts and reaffirm my need to write, and it's a good way to show that to others too. So you kids should feel free to let the insanity begin. I'm just along for the ride.