NaNoWriMo…oh no!

It’s that time again. November 1st. Embarking on my third consecutive NaNo…and this one the least prepared yet. Yikes. Found some great advice on this site, however, and am preparing to put it to work now. Good luck fellow NaNoers. Anyone else going to join this crazy ship?!

Procrapstination

What a joke. I have been working on editing a mystery I wrote during NaNoWriMo two years ago for a while now. But, in the interest of ‘research’ I keep reading books on how to write and how to revise first drafts and watching TV so that…well, that doesn’t really relate except that it, too, is getting in the way. I read a quote in Writer’s Digest (a few issues back…catching up is important, you know) tonite that stated that Harper Lee was given a Christmas gift by friends in 1956 which told her to write what she liked and take the year off (thanks to the year’s worth of wages that was the aforementioned gift). I immediately thought to myself…that must be nice. But, then I thought, hey…wait a minute. I don’t have to punch a clock (well, not really). I mean our lovely little tax deduction does get up in the same relative window of time daily and expects to be fed (among other things), but I don’t have to wear heels (thank God) or go to a meeting with people with coffee breath. So, I sort of have the same luxury she did in that there’re the proverbial roof and food in place.

So, I picked up one of the how-to books I recently purchased to get some insight. It’s good. I look forward to learning more from Nora Ephron’s sister. But, I still need to…wait for it…WRITE. There, my friends, is the rug…freudian slip as I procrapstinated by trying to figure out how to hang an oriental rug (for way longer than I should have truth be told)…Let me try that again.  There is the rub. Okay, okay…off to write now. Get it, right now. Alright, I’m going.

P.S. I know all the links in this post are also a form of procrastinating.

NaNoWriMo 2010 Winner! And the crowd goes wild!!

50,176 words in one month.  Thirty days! That’s the good news, fellow writers and loyal readers.

The opportunity for learning and growing news (read ‘pain’) is summed up in a quote from Holly Black “I liken revising to cleaning the bathroom: at least I can’t make it worse.”

My conundrum is do I edit last year’s novel which I have barely touched, or do I go with the momentum of this year and tweak this one first? And, no, editing neither is NOT an option this year. It is terrifying how quickly November came around again.

The old adage is true, whether you write (or edit) or not the days will still turn into nights which, in turn become days and so on.

There are some marvelously inspirational words from the pep talk authors on the NaNo website. And also, I am going to borrow the list of the resources for writing contests throughout the year and post it below. It is by no means inclusive of all the opportunities out there, but it is a terrific place to start and there may be a few more here.

And, while you’re cleaning (for the first time in a month perhaps – what happens at NaNo stays at NaNo — unless it gets published!), you may want to check out my favorite inspirational, organizational guru here and while you’re reading her site you can be smelling a meal cooking in the crockpot from her other site!

How are you going to approach your editing phase?

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NaNoWriMo-style events (from NaNo’s site)

There are also heaps of events run by other people to provide some structure and community for your post-NaNo endeavors. We’re not affiliated with any of these (except Script Frenzy), but all of these events are free and open to everyone. If you know of any other sites or events we should be posting here, drop us a line!

NaNoFiMo.org – National Novel Finishing Month (December). Goal: 30,000 words.

De-PlotWriMo – Plot Writing Month (December). Goal: Refine the plot arc of your first draft.

WriYe – (Year-Round). Goal: Set a word-count goal for the year and work towards it between January 1 and December 31.

JanNoWriMo – Goal: Write either 50k or your own word-count goal in January.

FAWM – February Album Writing Month (February). Goal: Write 14 original songs in a month.

NaNoEdMo – National Novel Editing Month (March). Goal: Commit to 50 hours of novel editing.

Script Frenzy – NaNoWriMo’s sister challenge (April). Goal: Write a 100-page screenplay or stage play in April.

RePoWriMo – Refrigerator Poetry Writing Month (April). Goal: Write poetry using only refrigerator poetry magnets.

National Picture Book Writing Week – (First week of May). Goal: Write 7 picture books in 7 days.

NEPMo – National Epic Poetry Month (May). Goal: Write 5,000 lines epic poem in May.

SoFoBoMo – Solo Photo Book Month (Between May first and June 31). Goal: Create a solo photo book within 31 days.

WriDaNoJu – Write a Damn Novel in June (June). Goal: Write 50K in the 30 days of June. It’s perfectly situated six months from November so you have optimum time to prepare for WriDaNoJu and NaNoWriMo.

SoCNoC – Southern Cross Novel Challenge (June). Goal: Write 50,000 words of fiction.

JulNoWriMo – July Novel Writing Month (July). Goal: 50,000 words for a new or unfinished manuscript.

24 Hour Comics Day – (Changes annually, lasts 24 hours). Goal: Draw a 24-page comic in one 24-hour period.

48 Hour Film Project – (Varies; operates via tours around the USA, lasts 48 hours). Goal: Create a short film in 48 hours.

April Fool’s – (April). Goal: Set a word-count goal for yourself and fulfill it by the end of the month.

AugNoWriMo – August Novel Writing Month (August). Goal: Write a novel in one month.

3-Day Novel Contest – (September). Goal: Write a novel in three days. They’ve been doing this since 1977. So cool!

SeptNoWriMo – September Novel Writing Month (September). Goal: Set a word-count goal and edit, write, or edit and write throughout the month of September!

GothNoWriMo – Gothic Novel Writing Month (October). Goal: Write a gothic novel in October.

NaPlWriMo – National Playwriting Month (November). Goal: Write a play in one month.

PiBoIdMo – Picture Book Idea Month (November). Goal: Write 30 ideas in 30 days.

NaBloPoMo – National Blog Posting Month (Year-Round). Goal: Post every day for a month.

Novelling in 30 days or fewer

This little ditty really makes you think. I CAN do this. It’s things like this that keep pushing me forward on this year’s NaNoWriMo. I’m trying to catch up.

Note to self: DON’T get behind next year and DO outline before November 1st (or 14th). I will not only Survive, but Thrive, baby!

What gives you the kick you need at just the right moment?

NaNoWriMo 2010

Plugging along again this year.  Changed the topic/plot at the 11th hour with very little planning and am now paying the price.  I MUST plan next year.  It’s so much more enjoyable that way.  But, I’m slowly trying to chip away at the total number of words I need and get out of this deficit.  I am inspired by some of the folks I follow on there and some of the other blogs I read.  How do you motiviate yourself?

The Twelve Days of NaNoWriMo (or something like that)

On the 1st day of NaNo, my novel gave to me a fresh new pen to jot notes down.

On the 4th day of NaNo, my novel gave to me two MCs and a fresh new pen to jot notes down.

On the7th day of NaNo, my novel gave to me three supporting characters, two MCs and a fresh new pen to jot notes down.

On the 10th day of NaNo, my novel gave to me four red herrings, three supporting characters, two MCs and a fresh new pen to jot notes down.

On the 13th day of NaNo, my novel gave to me five plot hole things, four red herrings, three supporting characters, two MCs and a fresh new pen to jot notes down.

On the 16th day of NaNo, my novel gave to me six contractions avoided, five plot hole things, four red herrings, three supporting characters, two MCs and a fresh new pen to jot notes down.

On the 19th day of NaNo, my novel gave to me seven cases of self-doubt, six contractions avoided, five plot hole things, four red herrings, three supporting characters, two MCs and a fresh new pen to jot notes down.

On the 22nd day of NaNo, my novel gave to me eight Milky Way bars, seven cases of self-doubt, six contractions avoided, five plot hole things, four red herrings, three supporting characters, two MCs and a fresh new pen to jot notes down.

On the 25th day of NaNo, my novel gave to me nine robots dancing, eight Milky Way bars, seven cases of self-doubt, six contractions avoided, five plot hole things, four red herrings, three supporting characters, two MCs and a fresh new pen to jot notes down.

On the 27th day of NaNo, my novel gave to me ten landlords murdered, nine robots dancing, eight Milky Way bars, seven cases of self-doubt, six contractions avoided, five plot hole things, four red herrings, three supporting characters, two MCs and a fresh new pen to jot notes down.

On the 29th day of NaNo, my novel gave to me eleven pipes a-bursting, ten landlords murdered, nine robots dancing, eight Milky Way bars, seven cases of self-doubt, six contractions avoided, five plot hole things, four red herrings, three supporting characters, two MCs and a fresh new pen to jot notes down.

On the 30th day of NaNo, my novel gave to me twelve Purple Winner Bars, eleven pipes a-bursting, ten landlords murdered, nine robots dancing, eight Milky Way bars, seven cases of self-doubt, six contractions avoided, five plot hole things, four red herrings, three supporting characters, two MCs and a fresh new pen to jot notes down.

On the 1st day after NaNo, my novel gave to me waaaay too much free time!

I DID IT!

I am so excited that I did this, I can barely figure out how to express it in words. Funny, you would think writing in excess of 50,000 words would make one more expressive, but not the case my friends!

I highly recommend NaNoWriMo to all! What a blast! Can’t wait for next year!!

Countdown clock

These are usually met with excitement and anticipation. I’m trying to feel that, but seeing the countdown clock on the NaNoWriMo site  just … appear! Oohhhhh, it, quite frankly, freaked me out. I mean I knew the end was approaching, but…but…but…

Okay, enough about me and my fears. Back to upping my wordcount.  Maybe I’ll put on the song “Final Countdown”, too!

Procrastination Prize

Just found this site on one of the forums on NaNoWriMo and it’s addictive. Try it out if you’re a bit stressed. The fact that there’s an ocean track makes it perfect background for my novel! Off to write some more…

A bit of panic setting in

Am a bit behind on my wordcount. Caught up last night to the night before’s total. GULP! When will these clumps of time present themselves? I guess I need to take my own advice and start using snippets to get a couple hundred in here and a couple hundred in there. I truly love the site Write or Die! It’s fabulous and can make even the most blocked writer a bit more prolific!

How’s your wordcount coming?!