Getting There with NaNoWriMo: Day 10 Check-In

Well, it's the tenth day of NaNoWriMo and I'm way off the mark, word-count wise.  However, I'm happy with my progress so far, in another way.

I discovered as I delved into my project that I was trying to stick too much stuff into one book, and that things would work better -- especially for the reader -- if I were to reorganize things into two or more books.

These are non-fiction works which I plan on uploading as eBooks on Amazon, etc., when I'm done.  Breaking the project into smaller bits, targeting to specific issues, may be welcomed by a reader who's not interested in more than specifics in one area.  A smaller word count will probably work better here when setting a price point, too.

So, am I where I need to be numbers-wise?  Nope.

I'm satisfied with how things are progressing though, and that's important.  Success for me this month will be to discipline myself to work steadily on my own projects and get them finalized (as opposed to working on work for other folk).  With this, I hope to have a new routine established that gives me a block of time each day dedicated to my own publications.

So, here I am evaluating things on Day 10.  I can catch up on the word count, and I think the change in perspective towards this project is a real breakthrough.

So, when I look at my NaNoWriMo progress, I'm succeeding.

Ready, Set, Go: I Signed Up for NaNoWriMo

 After debating for the past couple of weeks, I signed up to participate in National Novel Writing Month 2014.

I signed up on the last possible day to do it — on Halloween.  I tried not to ponder the implications.

Shortly before noon yesterday, I went to the NaNoWriMo site and entered my username and password.  It was easy enough.

And, yes, it was pretty spooky, too.  I've made a commitment now.  Gulp.

Thing is I'm not interested in publishing what I write into their website so I can obtain "Winner’s Badge."

What I'm doing is using the pressure of the daily word count from NaNoWriMo to help me discipline myself to write 50,000 words. In one month.

This month.

I'm not writing a fiction work, so it doesn't really fit into the "novel writing" which by definition is the goal of NaNoWriMo.

I hope this isn't cheating.

Image courtesy of National Novel Writing Month.

National Novel Writing Month Begins on November 1, 2011: Will You Participate?

In less than 30 days, it will once again be National Novel Writing Month ("NaNoWriMo").  For all the official information, check out the homepage where things are provided like FAQs, Forums, Breaking News, etc. 

What's it all about?  Writing 50,000 words in 30 days time.  As a fiction novel.  Or, I suppose a non-fiction novel works just as well: the key is to get a novel done, first draft, start to finish within the time frame of November 1st to November 30th. 

You're not alone.  People all over the place take up the NaNoWriMo gauntlet each year.  There are local groups that get together to write at coffee shops, for example, supporting each other in getting that word count. 

In addition to the help provided at the official web site, there's also a Facebook page for National Novel Writing Month as well as a Twitter feed that's begun already as "sprints" during October, to prepare participants for the November word marathon.  Interested? Check it out at @NaNoWordSprints.

I haven't decided if I will participate this year.  Mulling it over. 

books, writing, nanowritmo

NaNoWriMo Starts Today - Without Me

National Novel Writing Month starts today, thousands of folk all over the world, banding together in the common goal of writing a complete novel in one month's time. 

Professionals (Lynn Viehl, for example) and hobbyists alike, joining together in NaNoWriMo's joys and sorrows.  To meet the 50,000 word count goal, you need to write 1700 words a day, every day, on your project.  Some will fail at the starting gate, others will falter somewhere along the way, and the furious few will skate across the finish line on November 30th with some kind of finished product. 

My hat is off to all of them.  Good luck! My prayers go with you. 

Me?  I'm not doing it.  And today, as I've got tons of writing projects on the runway and it's the official first day of NaNoWriMo, boy am I glad.  Glad, glad, happy, happy.  Yea.

More NaNoWriMo Prep - The Pros Come Out

Well, here you go.  S.L. Viehl (one of her many nom de plumes) has announced on her Paperback Writer blog that she is unofficially entering National Novel Writing Month this year -- and she's setting a personal goal of 2000 words/day.

That's right, dear reader.  Two thousand words.  A day.  That's about 400 over the minimum to win NaNoWriMo. 

And what's more, she'll do it.  Oh yes she will. 

If you follow PW, which I do, this woman is a fiend.  She's more than able to hit 4500 words a day, and she does a lot of this via Dragon Naturally Speaking because she's got some hand/wrist issues.

Five Things to Do to Get Ready for NaNoWriMo 2009

NaNoWriMo starts in 26 days.  When the clock strikes 12:00 am on November 1st, participants will have 30 days to write 50,000 words.  That's 1667 words/day if you write every single day. 

What can you do to get ready?  Here are 5 things to do as you're getting ready for the Big Day:

1.  Get your research materials together and organized.  You may not want to trust the web, and some books may be vital to your work.  Things like a dictionary, thesauraus, atlas, near at hand may be valuable time-savers as well as those reference works particular to your genre or plot, e.g., Grey's Anatomy if you're going to be the next Kathy Reichs, or Daily Life in Elizabethan England if you're writing a historical romance.  Buy what you need, gather what you already have, and put everything near to your workspace. 

2.  Warn family and friends that you're not being rude when you totally ignore them the entire month of November.  Maybe a free autoresponder for your emails will help.  And don't feel guilty when they call or text anyway and you don't reply.  You're writing, and it's important. 

It's National Novel Writing Month - Again

Sure, for most people November 2008 is a big deal because we're electing our president, but for many writers out there, November means one gut-wrenching thing: it's NaNoWriMo time again.

National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) is an annual challenge to put 50,000 words of a story down on paper in 30 days. Hopefully, in some sort of organizational format so you end up with the first draft of a publishable work when the bell rings.

Here's the website if you dare.

At 1667 words per day to meet quota, you're only 3334 words behind as of the date of this post ....

Write A Book Fast: In a Week, Two Weeks, a Month

Lots of people do this: put the pressure on themselves to write a book fast. After all, Jack Kerouac wrote On the Road in three weeks. (Kerouac's famous first draft in its scroll format is pictured here.)

First, there are the groups, that provide help and support.

1. NaNoWriMo stands for "National Novel Writing Month," with a website, forums, and a national following. Lots of books actually get written during this time period (in 2005, there were 59,000 participants and 9769 winners). You "win" NaNoWriMo by writing 50,000 words by midnight on November 30th. Every year, there are many winners. No awards are given; however, each winner gets an official "Winner" web icon and certificate. During the month, there are open forums, where lots of good advice is shared on writing, grammar, and other helpful topics.

2. BIW is similar to NaNoWriMo, but it is for those interested in writing a book in a week. The site is coordinated with a Yahoo Group, and on the first full week of the month, participants go for it. They are scheduled a year in advance. For 2006, the remaining three BIWs are: Oct 2 - 8; Nov 6 - 12; and Dec 4 - 10. The site is run by published authors, includes a chat room, and has a great list of helpful sites.

Second, there are online articles by writers who share their tips on fast writing.

3. Romance writer Elizabeth Rose wrote her first published novel (Eden's Garden) in two weeks, and provides the steps to do write a book in one month in two great posts: How to Write a Book in a Month, part one and part two.

4. Writer John Coyne offers How to Write A Novel in 100 Days or Less, with excellent, practical advice for each step along the way.

2011 Update: I may have found the book for me where you learn to outline and write your novel in 90 days, read about it here.