My Problem With Nanowrimo

Well, my problem with any type of thing that requires you to write a novel in a small amount of days. Don’t get me wrong, I did partake in this last year, but I wouldn’t call my finished product a novel.

Problem #1:

Setting a high word count number to reach expecting every person to reach it.

Sure, if you wasted every free waking moment to writing, or most of your free nights you could do this. There is the slight problem of going grocery shopping, spending time with family, eating, cooking food and any other things that need to get done. Even working is a challenge.

I worked 40 hours a week and spent the majority of my free time writing just to complete the challenge a few days early. It was tough to do on top of everything else.

Problem #2

Letting your brain process what to write.

Sure, you want to write the first thing you think of, but this could make the editing process much longer than it has to be. Your train of thought could work in your favour because it could flow, other times it could be terrible.

You may need  to take a couple hours to days off to let your mind breathe and process. Overworking your brain is what creates writers’ block and exhaustion.

Problem #3

People only write during Nanowrimo.

I understand you want to focus on revising and editing that novel, but you won’t get faster at writing a novel without more practice. Practice helps and only doing it once a year is not helpful.

I find that I write more during the spring/summer where the days are longer versus the winter time. A novel is not 50k, it is more, normally. To be honest, I spend a couple months after the last Nanowrimo to finish my book because of how much more I had to add to make it close, if not over 80k.

If people focused on writing half as much as they do during that month, they would be surprised at what type of work they could accomplish. People find that writing during Nanowrimo makes them an author, but I think authors write year round, not during a challenge-yourself month.

 

I am sure there are more problems, but this was all I could think of. I don’t know if I plan to participate this year because I will be just finishing a novel before it and want to type up another one.

If you are doing this, be realistic. Write for the sake of writing and not because you think Nanowrimo is what everyone is doing. It is not a fad.

Some writers do a great job doing it. I, on the other hand, like to not push myself too hard while working full-time. Hope this doesn’t offend any loyal Nanowrimo writers.

Completed Nanowrimo, Now Back to Normal Life

I am honestly considering never doing that again. That was way, way too much.

Back to normal life it is. I haven’t written or typed since Nanowrimo. I need a little mental break, plus health issues came up. For once in my life, something is actually wrong with me and I HATE it. Eek! Do not even get me started.

But, I still work and live life. Just cannot work out as well as I like. Got back to the gym and then Bam! no luck. I keep a goal of 3-4 times a week, but that can be altered due to what I have.

Yet, with the holiday season coming around my work quiets down a little bit, which means I will have more energy to write/type at night. Maybe over the winter season I can finish typing and writing two books.  How awesome would that be?

My goal is to continue self-publishing a book a year. Like normal. No way am I self-promoting to increase my sales. Too much work, plus, I do it just for my family and me.

Since Nanowrimo, I slack at motivation and keep procrastinating. Want to know why?

Skyrim happened. I have tried playing and well, suck at it, but the hubby keeps playing and it is quite amusing. Intelligent, long, fantastic game to watch. As well, reading has been happening as of late. Finished a novel by Kay Hooper and one by Michael Connelly.

I figure as the time goes I will get back in to my habit of writing. It is amazing to see how books have evolved since I was a teenager and often wonder why, at Brock U, they never offered a creative writing-novel course. They offered it for short stories and poetry. Hmmm….ponder.

See! Distractions are everywhere. Terrible. Today I set the goal to keep blogging and to argue with my mind to get back to typing and writing. No more slacking. Time to function…in a more pleasing way than studying and writing essays ever did.

The struggle of being a writer: trying not to distract oneself. Alas, that never quite works out well.

Never Writing This Much Again Unless Being Paid

There, I have said it. I never want to write this much again….while possessing a full-time job of course. It is hard to get myself into a routine to write a lot at night when I am tired and ready for bed.
Sure, if I had all day to write this would be no problem. In fact, I would probably write more, but alas, reality beckons and I have a full-time job to pay the bills.
No, I am not whining, just merely stating a fact. Hand-writing 50k is a lot to do. Damn me and being a traditionalist and liking to handwrite. Maybe once I am done my other 20 blank journals I will move to typing or using a tablet. One never knows what the future holds, other than handwriting hurts the hand.
Well, in other news, an outside person from my circle of family and friends has read Unknown Caller and the only thing I hear through the grapevine is: “It was deep”.
Well, of course it was. I don’t want my books to not have substance to them and not have a little me in it. I am sure years down the road this will change, but at the age of 17 (when I originally wrote that), putting a lot of me in a book was what I did.
Okay, okay. I am a terrible procrastinator. Time to eat brunch and get writing.

Eek! Forgetting to Blog

I set this up to talk about my writing and how it is going.

Now look what happens when I start writing, I FORGET to blog. Such a terrible thing to have happen. The only upside is, I have written ALOT.

Since starting the whole Nanowrimo adventure, my hand has been frantically writing. It’s amazing having written over 20,000 words. Normally this would take a couple months.

I am not going to lie, it is really hard to do this and work full-time. I have to devote hours and sometimes, I can’t because I get distracted or cannot think of what to write next.

Thank goodness I am not professionally published because I do not know what I would do. This challenge is amazing, but difficult for those who work 40 hours a week.

Some people are even done their 50,000 word mark at day 13. What the hell? My max is 4,000 words in one night.

I am just imagining writing that much and how many novels I could pump out. That would be amazing. New goal, write like a fiend.

But, I think I will take this challenge again next year. If this existed in highschool, I would have made that goal mark so easily. Writing was all I did then. 2-3 novels a year.

My novel is being really nice to me, not so nice to the characters. I do admit I ask friends a question because the decision is too tough. The hubby I ask too.

But, time to eat and get my butt back into writing. I only wonder, who the hell will get my writing books after I die? I am already over 30 books written in. Fun question to ponder….

See how distracted I get? Alas, goal of writing 2-3,000 words is in place today. I would say wish me luck, but for those who know me, they know the answer to that.

No More Typing…Must Get Writing

Am I a procrastinator? Sure am.

Since when? Since essays in university existed.

What am I procrastinating? Writing my book.

Eek! At last, I am forcing myself to stop typing up one of my other books and making myself handwrite my novel.

Why? Because the idea needs to come back into my brain, finish being written and then leave again.

Splendid, such a happy image for one to think of when writing a novel. I want the idea out.

With most ideas they get stuck in my brain and loom. This book idea has been waking me up in the middle of the night and not providing me with any idea of what the hell to write. Just wants to say ‘hi’ I guess.

With the month of November being NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), it is time to kick my butt into gear and get writing.

This procrastination, easily distracted part is why I could never be a real, published, novelist. I would need an office with no distractions.

So, my writing book is beside me and pen too. It is time to start writing…or when the hubby wakes up so I can turn on the light to start writing.

Novel writing is difficult, but only if you make it. Learn from me. I can make books come out easily, other times the novels are a pain in my butt.

But, if I do not write…oh god! I do not ever want to think of what I would be like if I never wrote. It is such a terrifying image.

Back to writing I go! Everyone have fun in NaNoWriMo. And a shout-out to all the men participating in Movember. Time to see some epic moustaches and even beards for some.

Back From Vacation

Florida was great. Long ride though, so still recovering from that.

Went to Harry Potter World in Universal Studios. Absolutely loved it. Yes, I support Harry Potter. In a recent study, it was researched and proven that that novel series increased literacy rates by 13% in Canada alone. That’s pretty impressive. So, did I get anything there? I got stuff for two other people, and in fact I did get something for myself. A really wicked writing book.

My first ever young adult novel was written in a Harry Potter journal; which was a long time ago. A decade ago.

We did go to Disney World. Had a great time. Enjoyed the changed firework show at Magic Kingdom. The before show was fantastic with a great message. It shows how one dream created something so spectacular.

I did get another writing book from Disney World. Sadly, not Eeyore but it is Pirates of the Caribbean. Could I find a picture of it anywhere? Nope.

Well, enough of my trip, now on to my writing. I wrote 4 pages. Crappy. But, to save my lack of writing I did think about where to take the novel. Do I still get some credit with that even though I did not produce much on paper?

Ugh, being a writer on vacation sucks. So much fun and distractions. I will write more being back home…

Maybe I should challenge myself to write a certain amount for NaNoWriMo? I have never done it before.

Alas, my writer mind is all confused. I will do my best, read a little more for inspiration and then get writing.