NANO – Day 10 and counting
Road blocks and “Holy moly I’ve written crap” moments.
Kendal: So on Sunday (day eight) I reviewed my word count and realize I had not met the 1,667 words minimum a day. First I panicked, but after I calmed down I reviewed my numbers and realized if I step it up to 2,000 a day until the half way mark (Sunday, November 15th) I’d be able to make it…but then it happened.
I should first say that I am a short writer. I love writing a fast, plot driven 15 K short. I usually hit the end before I have time to freak out about how rough my first draft really is. But this is not the case with my nano project. I hit 9K and started wondering how much filler was in those opening scenes? Was I writing just to write and get words down? So I broke the cardinal rule…I reread over my first 9 K — keeping in mind that in a short I would be wrapping things up soon, or at least getting to the black moment, but in this piece I felt like it was still in the beginning.
And guess what? It worked! I know it could have completely blown up in my face but it didn’t! I reread my work, and yes, of course it needs work, but overall it wasn’t complete crap. Yah me.
April, have you looked back yet? Or are you just trudging forward full steam ahead?
April: Two things are a bit different for me. One is that I’ve written several novels above the 50,000 word mark so I’m already geared for that. And second… I had over four months of plotting and character development behind me already. I knew the plot, I even had a very rough line by line of every scene.
With all that in mind, I really thought I’d suck. I didn’t think… I just started writing. I shortly (shortly because I’m afraid to look too closely) looked back at the first two pages and IT LOOKS REALLY GOOD for a first draft. Who is this woman that wrote all this and so fast???????
I’m in a cloud of euphoria… disbelief… optimism… fear. They’re all combining to make this an absolutely phenomenal experience.
So at the rate I’m going I’ll be done in two weeks with the whole thing- 60,000 words. I would NEVER have imagined it was possible but I’m doing it. And I’m loving the process. I’m thrilled at how effortless this has become with the other things I’ve put into place for this. And Kendal… I’m totally in love with doing it this way.
Anyway, I’m thrilled you’re still chugging along. We’ve got to get these done so we can edit in January!!!! Because this baby is going to a publisher February 1st.
Kendal: I love, LOVE, your outlook on nano! Yup, I am ready to hammer this baby up. Edit in January and do another “nano’ in the new year. I think 2010 has our name written all over it!
Any fellow Nanoers out there? How goes your battle?
I only decided to jump in the nano game in the very last days of October when I wanted my current WIP to die a slow and painful death. I needed a break. Then I got a horrible, horrible flu that prevented me from writing for a couple of days. My original goal was to write over 3k/day and have 100k words by the end of the month. That might not happen, but I’ve stepped it up and I’m *almost* where I should be were I shooting for 50k. So go me! I’m pleased. Of course, I can’t tell whether I love or hate what I’m working on, but I’m trying to reserve judgement and just have fun with it.
We’ll see!
Catherine,
You go, girl!!! Way to make a comeback and keep up the spirit. At the end of the month you’ll be 50,000 words closer than you were before. Now where that story is on the suck-a-tude scale, i don’t know … but hey, we’ll take what we can take.
April
Actually, I think I like what I’m writing… it’s just not really the book I want to write or make my name on, if that makes sense. It’s not that the writing is so terrible, but it’s the story and characters. Oh well, onward I go!