After a ton of debate, I have decided to get ready and gear myself up for NaNoWriMo this year. Eek! I had never heard of this event until I began following blogs several months ago in January. I'm totally freaking out; this will be the biggest step yet I've taken towards becoming a writer. I'm doing my best to push my negative thoughts away and am saving all blog posts that give advice on writing into a separate folder simply titled "NaNoWriMo." (I know what you're thinking...how did she come up with that??? lol).
I'm terrified of letting you know this and then not following through with the challenge. My mind went back and forth between whether I would even participate let alone announce it in public. Ultimately, I just decided to suck it up and do both. You know what I wish I had right now? A copy of Stephen King's On Writing. The crazy thing is that I did have one but I think I must've sold it or something some time ago. I'll just have to go pick it up at the library--that is, after I pay my humongous fines.
Are you planning on participating in NaNoWriMo this year?
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I did the Camp August NaNo, and I'm still recovering. LOL! I've got so much already written, and it's time to sit and revise.
ReplyDeleteIt's definitely worth it. Set your daily goal, and work from there. There will be days you can't write, and then you'll double up somewhere. I would go on writing binges, where all I did was write and write and write! I came out on the other side with an additional 4k.
I think the key is be kind to yourself. The moment you start feeling discouraged, get outside and take a walk. Then go back to writing. Don't beat yourself up about not making a goal, just fix it the following day. And certainly do NOT fret over everyone else and their successes. Don't worry about disappointing your followers here; we'll be rooting for you. Focus on you and your story.
One last bit. Find one or two super-great buddies to write with, even if their not in your NaNo group. Encourage each other, either on your blogs, FB or Twitter. Check in daily or every other day. I had 3 writers I corresponded with, and I'd have to say, they're one of the main reasons I found the ambition to push through until the end.
Best to you. :)
Thank you for your kind words and support!
DeleteI meant to write more earlier but had to give up the laptop for a while to my daughter. She's so funny. :D
DeleteI think the most difficult part, at least what I'm anticipating it to be, is being kind to myself and refraining from judging my progress against everyone else's progress. I'm a complete novice with no real attempt at doing something like this before, but I also recognize I need to do this. It'll get myself in gear hopefully. :)
You can do it! I'm taking part in NaNo too, so if you ever need anyone to rage at, send me a tweet. :) Make an outline and have a small idea of what the ending is going to be like. It'll give you something to fight for as you're writing. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to hear you're taking part in it, too. Of course I'll send you a tweet! Speaking of which, I am forever grateful to you as you were one of my very first followers on Twitter and here as well. Through you, I have discovered so many resources out there for writers that I never even knew existed! Thank you from the bottom of my heart!
DeleteYou are absolutely right on with the outlining. I'm working on my ideas and outlining them and doing so beforehand is the message I've been hearing from a lot of writers. Are you starting a completely new novel or working on one already in progress?
You'll do great! Don't worry so much. I f your stuck just take a shower or run to clear your head. That's what I like to do. Do you know what genre/type of book you are going to write about?
ReplyDeleteShe’s Got Books on Her Mind
Thank you! Very good advice, too. I'll have to walk instead of run due to breaking my ankle a couple of months ago, lol! ;)
DeleteGosh, I've been writing pages of ideas as to what I want to write about. I already have a book in progress at the moment, but it's a memoir and not fiction. I need to take a break from it and want to create a fictional novel, and this is the perfect event in which to do so. :) I have two ideas right now that I'm leaning towards, and I'm not sure about either one of them. It's possible I could even combine them! I'll have to dig deeper to see if they'll make a good novel.
The one idea is from my sister--she suggested I write a book about zombies from their perspective and make the reader sympathetic to them instead of humans. Instead of humans fighting for survival, the zombies are. They're intelligent and can think for themselves. I really like this idea the more I think about it. The thing is though zombie novels and shows and movies are super popular right now, and it's going to be difficult to put my own original spin on a genre that's been done so many times. That's a danger to starting a novel like that since I'm brand new to writing a novel.
My other idea is to write a dystopian novel where the President is treated like a celebrity more than a political figure. I haven't figured out yet what the society would be like. I must admit I'm influenced by the message I feel like The Hunger Games gives to us about our society being obsessed with reality shows and celebrities to the point where we don't even see people as people--they become almost unreal to us. I also saw President Obama on The David Letterman show last night, and this gave me the idea along with how Republicans complain President Obama has always been viewed as more of a celebrity than a politician. I don't necessarily agree, but I thought it would make a good basis for a dystopian.
Sorry, I'm rambling here! What do you think about these possibilities? I really could use some feedback before I dive into this thing! :)
I started writing a little over a year ago. I was SO nervous for NaNo. The trick to NaNo? Write. Write, write, write. When you think its crap. Write. When you think you can't write. Write. When you think you have no ideas or don't know where to go from here. Write. NaNo is all about getting the words on the page. DON'T edit. DON'T go back and read. (Unless you need to remember where you left off). Just keep writing. All words are good words.
ReplyDeleteThat's what worked for me. And its simple enough :)
Yes, that sounds great. I'm just gonna keep on writing. From what I've heard from every writer is the first draft always sucks. This will become my mantra for the month. Thank you for your support! It means so much to me!
DeleteHi! It's been a while since I've been anywhere on my blog or any other blog. I've never heard of this event. Sounds great. I do understand the whole not following through with things. I'm terrible with that. Either way good luck with it. Hope you have fun!
ReplyDeleteThank you! I hope to just let myself go and have fun with this. Have you thought about joining in?
DeleteI'm not sure. I get to a point in the stories I write where I'm just stuck. I can't think of where I want to go and a month sometimes goes by without a bit of movement. It is interesting though.
DeleteI think it would be a good way to challenge yourself. If you get stuck, start writing a different scene and then you can go back to fill in any holes later. This is the advice given to me. I have the same problem with getting stuck. Let me know if you change your mind about taking part.
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