Friday, October 26, 2012

To NaNo or Not To NaNo? That is the Question!

NaNo WriMo (National Novel Writing Month) and I have a love/hate relationship. On the one hand if it wasn't for NaNo, I would not have set myself on a path to complete my first manuscript. On the other hand NaNo and I do not get along because I have to work at my own pace. Also I love to edit and write at the same time. Now don't freak out, I know you really shouldn't edit and write at the same time, but rather finish the manuscript and put it aside for a little while before editing. By edit and write at the same time I mean I always read the last chapter or two prior to sitting down to put "pen to paper", and when I do that, if I see errors I fix them. That said, while this practice is great for getting into the mindset it's not always conducive for NaNo, which at it's heart encourages you to just write and pretty much ignore everything else.

Then there's the schedule. While I used to laugh at the seeming impossibility of writing 1,666 words per sitting every day, now when I sit down to write I typically hit around the 2k mark in about 2-3 hours. The problem is I don't do it everyday, and don't have time to write every day. Excuses aside, I do however have a schedule that works for me. Which is a good thing, but this schedule is not a NaNo schedule. Granted my glorious beautiful schedule is already disrupted. So do I take the time to NaNo then fix my schedule later or try to fix my schedule ASAP to get back on track?

Then there's ideas. I have lots of new ideas, however I'm mid stream in edits on a project that I've sworn will be finished by the end of the year and about 30k into my WIP at the moment. So do I start something new for a month or continue edits and writing my WIP? Do I attempt to Nano with my WIP even though it already has 30k?

Then there's the fact that I learned so much from my first NaNo experience two years ago. However a lot of what I learned was how to make my own schedule and how to write a lot and eventually how to finish something. All great things to know but also things a new writer has to discover along the way. I know you have the potential to learn something in every writing experience, but do I stand to learn new things from another NaNo induce coma or am I better off going with what works for me?

The there's the fact that I'm very goal oriented. So maybe NaNo is just the kick in the pants I need to get moving again...Oh my brain hurts....What to do?

So I leave you with this, to NaNo or not to NaNo? that is the question!

10 comments:

  1. I say jump in- do something everyday to reach your goals and if NaNo is a way to do that- don't sit back and wait- go do something about it. :)

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    1. Yea I'm thinking about just going for it, with my current WIP and seeing how far I get. If nothing else I'm holding myself accountable for my writing :)

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    2. I'm going to work on my current WIP. Hopefully I can finish that and start something new. Even finishing it would be a success for me :) So I vote you should do it too!

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    3. Yea I think I'm going to track progress on my current WIP. I don't think I can juggle three things at once. And yes I hope to finish this WIP it's probably just shy of halfway done for the first draft.

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  2. Bad timing for me. I just finished editing my WIP and its within weeks of query ready. While I could do the "set it aside and come back" (and I will) now I am deep in agent research and writing the dreaded synopsis. While I would love to pick up the idea I have cooking in the brain pan. It isn't ready for a Nano run, so it's work on the research for me.

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    1. yea I'm not sure. My goal is to have my manuscript ready to query by April for the writer's conference here which means I really need to get my butt into gear. So I amn not have time for NaNo other than to track progress on my WIP.

      Congrats on getting your query ready! Let me know if you need help with your synopsis. I just started working on mine, and our writer's guild had a seminar on it. It's not easy but the more you do it the easier it gets. Let me know how research and querying goes :)

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  3. I understand your pain as I feel the same way - start a new one or keep working on the last one! Good luck with whatever you decide. Although my critique group decided that if we didn't do a "real" NaNo, we'd do our own... so maybe there's a group you can do that with!

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    1. ohh that's a great idea! Maybe I'll see if there's some people that will participate in a create your own NaNo

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  4. I am SO happy I found your blog. I love the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series. I've only just discovered it, read book one in two days and just started the second book.

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    1. oh yay! so glad you found me too! It's a great series! Make sure you check out the official fansite :)I work on the forum (although it's in the middle of transition) and on the podcast :) I can't wait for movie news :D

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