NaNoWriMo BUST...
November 30, 2009 
Wah, wah, WAAAAH.
Yeah, I didn't make it. But all for good reasons: I was working on something that I really had to work on. I promise! It came in the second week of NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), and I've been working on it since.
Here's the good news: I wrote 21,000 words the first week. (Supposed to write 55,000 words -- or is it 50,000? -- in a month for National Novel Writing Month.) The fact that I produced so many words surprised the heck out of me -- I'll tell you that. Truth is, I don't count words ever (except at the end when I need too see if I'm long or short for the genre). I write by time. Once my time is done, I'm done. So who knew I could spew verbiage?
Was it genius writing? No. 'Spew' -- used above -- is an apt verb. There's a good chance my fifth grade journal is better writing. I'm not kidding -- I mean, I didn't censor myself. In addition, I wrote whatever scene I wanted to write whenever I wanted to write it (meaning I did not write my story in order).
When I got stuck on the third day (could not think of a THING to write) I got out Noah Lukeman's book, The Plot Thickens, and started writing out answers to some of his questions. And yes, I added those words to the great word count. It did cross my mind that some NaNoWriMo purists might say I cheated by using a book as a crutch. Me though? I've got new material about my next book and that makes me rejoice, rejoice, REJOICE.
But it's now the end of the month and I haven't finished a novel. It IS a little disappointing. But I've got a place to start from once I finish this other thing -- and that's fine too.
I'm still wearing the NaNoWriMo sweatshirt and t-shirt. I'm a fan. And maybe -- if I can figure out a way to make it work -- I'll do NaNoWriMo next year.
Now isn't this photo cool? It's an inside of a Hubbard Squash and it's where some little insect made a home. I think it's beautiful. Does that make me weird?
Reader Comments (1)
Hi Amy -- I think you should be enormously proud of your 21,000 words. NaNoWriMo is a great way to try things a little differently. Like yours, my plan (pretty simple: write every day), did not go exactly the way I'd hoped it would (I did not write on even half the days in November). But at least we're still swinging away at that ball, right? Thinking of you, and hoping our paths cross sometime soon.
Rebecca