I'm at 33,000 words and after 7 years and 4 attempts, I think NaNo has finally helped me figure out a pace that works for me. That's what this year is all about. It isn't about getting to 50,000 by writing any old thing that comes into my head. It's about writing well (enough for a fist draft anyway) and getting a story straight - not just ploughing ahead because: oh my god! word count. It's about using the motivation to come up with a steady routine that I can follow all year round. And I've figured it out. And this figuring out brings me to the understanding that I won't be finishing NaNo with 50,000 words this year, but a very respectable 40,000. And that's what I'll be aiming for every month for three months until I have draft one of this novel finished.**
And if anyone's curious, the routine is 2,250 words Monday to Thursday, 1,000 on Friday and the weekend off. The 1,000 on Friday and the weekend off is the most important part. No matter what I do to try to motivate myself to work more than a half day on Friday, I can't do it. My brain goes, "Lunchtime Friday. Playtime. Woooooo!" It's probably because there's a lifetime of programming in there telling me this (from arts and crafts after lunch on Friday in primary school, to Liam getting of work early on Friday afternoons) and I'm okay with that. As long as I'm aware of it, I can work with it and do that 250 words more on the main weekdays.
Right so. It's lashing here. Our roof is leaking. And I'm going playing in a closed beta all weekend (so excited :) ).
*which, coincidentally, is today.
** I do kind of wish NaNo wasn't in November, because keeping the momentum going through December, when my brain says I should be on holidays, is even harder than writing on a Friday afternoon (keep reading, it'll make sense in a minute).
22 November 2013
10 November 2013
Nanowrimo 2013
I'm doing nano a little differently this year. I find that the non-stop pace of the month burns me out and while I get loads done in November, I don't do anything else until March, and I'm well sick of writing by the end of the month. So this year, instead of writing close to 1,700 words every day I'm going to write 2,400 words every weekday. It's not that much more to write and having weekends off will (the theory goes) keep me fresh and interested.
So, what am I writing this year? Well, as I get older I'm realising that the nano rules aren't for me. I can't start something new in November because I come up with ideas by writing. I have to just start whatever is forming in my head and let the idea grow with the writing. And the breakneck pace of nano doesn't leave much time for idea percolation. In the past I've found that I get to the end of the month and I might as well have spent it doodling ideas in a journal, because that's about how useful the manuscript is to me. Anyway. This year I started back in August and got 15,000 words in by the time November came around. Shush. I was away for five of those weeks or something. And sick for two more. Yes, I'm making excuses. Well - I got nicely off the point of this paragraph. The story is about a country girl whose sister falls ill and she sneaks away to the dreaded city to get medicine. But on the way, she gets struck by lightning which awakens her magical powers. The only problem is, the city executes casters and she doesn't know how to hide her powers. (Now, if only I could write an intro to Artificer as easily as that.)
And that's mostly this year's nanowrimo. As of today I am 45 words behind. Not bad at all. Ooh, and I made out a mad spreadsheet with maths and everything that lets me mess around with words per day and days left and other fun things.
In other news: those five weeks off were spent at PAX and on a visit home (via Germany). PAX was brilliant, as usual. Of all the events I've ever been to, only Glastonbury and PAX feel like home to me. Like I belong there. Like it fills a gap in my soul. The trip home was great too. There's nothing quite like getting to see everyone and hang out.
So yea. In very small news, I'm playing Morrowind (via Oblivion), Privateer 2 and Deus Ex: Human Revolution, watching Agents of Shield, Korra and Once upon a Time, and we're off to Thor 2 this afternoon, having watched Thor 1 and the Avengers last night. And my hair is pink.
So, what am I writing this year? Well, as I get older I'm realising that the nano rules aren't for me. I can't start something new in November because I come up with ideas by writing. I have to just start whatever is forming in my head and let the idea grow with the writing. And the breakneck pace of nano doesn't leave much time for idea percolation. In the past I've found that I get to the end of the month and I might as well have spent it doodling ideas in a journal, because that's about how useful the manuscript is to me. Anyway. This year I started back in August and got 15,000 words in by the time November came around. Shush. I was away for five of those weeks or something. And sick for two more. Yes, I'm making excuses. Well - I got nicely off the point of this paragraph. The story is about a country girl whose sister falls ill and she sneaks away to the dreaded city to get medicine. But on the way, she gets struck by lightning which awakens her magical powers. The only problem is, the city executes casters and she doesn't know how to hide her powers. (Now, if only I could write an intro to Artificer as easily as that.)
And that's mostly this year's nanowrimo. As of today I am 45 words behind. Not bad at all. Ooh, and I made out a mad spreadsheet with maths and everything that lets me mess around with words per day and days left and other fun things.
In other news: those five weeks off were spent at PAX and on a visit home (via Germany). PAX was brilliant, as usual. Of all the events I've ever been to, only Glastonbury and PAX feel like home to me. Like I belong there. Like it fills a gap in my soul. The trip home was great too. There's nothing quite like getting to see everyone and hang out.
So yea. In very small news, I'm playing Morrowind (via Oblivion), Privateer 2 and Deus Ex: Human Revolution, watching Agents of Shield, Korra and Once upon a Time, and we're off to Thor 2 this afternoon, having watched Thor 1 and the Avengers last night. And my hair is pink.
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