I slightly (sliiiightly) regret not doing NaNo this year.
Yes I miss the camaraderie and I feel a twinge of envy whenever I see anyone with their word count tallies (even those of you running behind. Yes, I'm envious of you too).
But it's more than just missing out. Come early January I have to attend my first residency for my MFA. And we have to have 15-20 pages to workshop.
What we workshop doesn't have to be what we work on with our mentors. It can be something different or completely separate. Or it could be a chunk of what we're going to work on for the semester too.
I could probably bring a chunk of All That Remains. But I've just started querying it, and the idea of workshopping it while it's out and about, makes me feel a little sick. I dunno, I just don't think I'm the type of person who can do that.
So that leaves something new. And that leaves under two months to come up with it.
Now, I've been brainstorming a new novel, but I've been taking my time, trying to come up with a side plot, trying to think of more ways it can get worse for my MC, trying to make sure he stays active instead of reactive (which is always a problem for me). I'm making good headway in the prep, but not enough to write an outline yet, which I need to have before I start drafting.
So. I've decided to set myself a goal/deadline. Spend the rest of November brainstorming and doing the rest of my pre-draft prep, but come December, time to start writing the new novel. I don't need to finish it, obvs, before the residency, but I would feel much happier and less stressed out if I could at least get like 20K or so down beforehand.
I wish I had realized all of this before NaNo had started. Then maybe I would have tried harder to get ready before November and join in with everyone else. But I had stuff going on with All That Remains, and that had to be my priority at that time. Anyway, nothing much I can do about it now.
How about you? Are you NaNoing? Or did you skip it this year?
Yes I miss the camaraderie and I feel a twinge of envy whenever I see anyone with their word count tallies (even those of you running behind. Yes, I'm envious of you too).
But it's more than just missing out. Come early January I have to attend my first residency for my MFA. And we have to have 15-20 pages to workshop.
What we workshop doesn't have to be what we work on with our mentors. It can be something different or completely separate. Or it could be a chunk of what we're going to work on for the semester too.
I could probably bring a chunk of All That Remains. But I've just started querying it, and the idea of workshopping it while it's out and about, makes me feel a little sick. I dunno, I just don't think I'm the type of person who can do that.
So that leaves something new. And that leaves under two months to come up with it.
Now, I've been brainstorming a new novel, but I've been taking my time, trying to come up with a side plot, trying to think of more ways it can get worse for my MC, trying to make sure he stays active instead of reactive (which is always a problem for me). I'm making good headway in the prep, but not enough to write an outline yet, which I need to have before I start drafting.
So. I've decided to set myself a goal/deadline. Spend the rest of November brainstorming and doing the rest of my pre-draft prep, but come December, time to start writing the new novel. I don't need to finish it, obvs, before the residency, but I would feel much happier and less stressed out if I could at least get like 20K or so down beforehand.
I wish I had realized all of this before NaNo had started. Then maybe I would have tried harder to get ready before November and join in with everyone else. But I had stuff going on with All That Remains, and that had to be my priority at that time. Anyway, nothing much I can do about it now.
How about you? Are you NaNoing? Or did you skip it this year?
13 comments:
I always regret it, but never enough to make me mend my ways. :)
You'll just be doing a December NaNo. It will be quiet here, so that's a good time to go for it.
My NaNo participation determined on TFB revisions as you know. But since a day job project has taken up a lot of my time in the last 2 weeks, I'm not done. And it's already halfway through the month. Oh well. Maybe I'll NaNo with you in December!
Never done it, and as long as I have a day job, I never will.
NaNo... yeah... I'm uh doing it. Just don't look at my word count. I think I've given myself over to it for three short writing sessions (out of 11 days) so, umm, maybe I'm NaNo dabbling. Yeah, that's what I'll call it.
And really to win NaNo, I only have to write 2500 everyday until the end to win. You too can pull it out in the clutch!
It sounds like you know what works for yourself and what wouldn't, so I say no regrets to not Nanoing. =) I've never participated myself, but you know what they say- never say never!
I always feel like I miss out on the camaraderie of Nano too, but the way I write just isn't conducive to doing it. I typically write about 10k a week and am usually smack in the middle of a book when it starts so...I guess I could say I'm doing it, kinda, sorta, but that just feels like cheating. :)
Good luck with the novel plotting and that MFA! Yes, Nano is great, but your activities are very important!
Hey, there's enough NaNo left to work in 20K. ;) I think there are seasons in life when binge writing just doesn't fit. Like when you're first book is coming out. Or when you get trapped in your fridgerator and have to spend a month thawing... Which has NEVER happened to me, but it may have happened to my pet zombie. *shifty eyes*
writing is writing! set your own goal, get a word count widget and update us =)
keep writing!
I tried it one year and there was too much pressure. I thought to do it on my own this year with my latest project, (which is why I'm not blogging this month) but I'm sucking at this too. 500 words a day if I'm lucky. See, too much pressure with word count. Even if it is my own pressure.
I'm doing it, and loving it, but there have been years when other things have got in the way for me as well. It happens. Still, I love the kick-in-the-pants that NaNo almost always is for me.
I would find it hard to write a novel knowing some of it was going to be workshopped. I guess I would feel extra pressure. Writing with no expectations beyond the next sentence is a lot easier! Of course that means that I have many rough drafts and nothing entirely polished. :P That there is MY current downfall.
I'm just glad, in this one instance, you're normal like the rest of us and decided not to drop writing another novel in a month onto your already busy to-do list. :)
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