Tag: nanowrimo progress

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NaNoWriMO 2016 Update – Decisions, decisions

by SimoneLeave a Comment on NaNoWriMO 2016 Update – Decisions, decisions

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Challenges are always tough for me. It has something to do with my need to reach the end. Even in school while a deadline loomed over me, I struggled and stressed out by the fact that this paper needed to be X number of words or Y number of pages. Why couldn’t I say what I wanted to say without forcing myself to bullshit the rest?

I’ve come across NaNoWriMo challenges in the past and met them but not without a lot of strife and turmoil. Having a full time job and wanting to pursue a career as a writer are two halves to two very different puzzles.

During the eight hours I’m at work, I’m all business jargon and data crunching. But then I get home and I have to switch that off entirely so the creative side can come out. The imagination can finally play, but sometimes it feels tough when it stays dormant all day long. It’s like going to workout with cold muscles, it takes a while for your brain to wake up.

So I’ve decided to do something a little radical, yet true to the very nature of NaNoWriMo:

I’m going to pace myself.

Yup, that’s right. I’m going to take my slow ass time writing this book. Why? Because the reality of the world outside of NaNoWriMo is that books take more than 30 days to write. I want to spend my 30 days and even more writing this book, taking my time to develop these characters, research parts, and edit edit edit.

This isn’t an attempt to try and finagle my way out of writing this book. No, I just have a lot on my plate right now. Back when I was a kid, the only things I did all day was write Support emails and then come home. Now, I have to pay bills and buy groceries and go to the gym and basically be an adult.

I can’t do that with a challenge facing me…in the face. I need no boundaries. I only need the motivation to write this novel because it’s something that I want to write and hope people will appreciate.

There are no guarantees that this book will amount to anything aside from space on my hard drive, but I know I’ve got the motivation to write it and I know that it’ll be great even if the only person reading it is my therapist.

How are you getting along with your NaNoWriMo challenges?

 

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NaNoWriMo 2016 – Introduction

by Simone3 Comments on NaNoWriMo 2016 – Introduction

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Happy November, everyone! I’m super excited about this one because I’ll be participating in National Novel Writing Month also known as NaNoWriMo. The month where you challenge yourself to write 50,000 words to your novel.

I’m going to be writing my third book throughout NaNoWriMo. Yes, this would be my third time participating in the marathon writing month, but my first time talking about the book I’m writing and also tracking my progress through elaborate blog updates.

I’m not just a fan of reading, but I also aspire to be a writer. I’ve done some freelance jobs here and there with nothing more than exposure available to me. It’s good exposure, but what I think will make me feel accomplished in life would be to have one of my fiction stories be enjoyed.

There’s a lot of components that led me to this point and making this decision. I think the first and foremost is knowing that I may never be published. Ever.

This isn’t me being defeatist. This isn’t me throwing in the towel on The Dream™, but knowing full well that writing a novel is not some “get-rich-quick” scheme. There are so many authors that write amazing and beautiful stories that definitely shine above others, but their ultimate goal is to make people happy and to write as their full time job. I would love that to be me one day.

What you need to remember is that writing is for the sake of writing. You have something to say or need to express or there’s a story you need to tell. That’s a reason to write. If you get lucky, then that’s great, but don’t expect offers on your table the moment you hit “Submit.”

I think that’s the big hurdle I needed to jump before making the decision to write. If you don’t, you find yourself pressured to writing The Great American Novel.

I’ll be making periodic updates throughout the month with my progress and my thoughts. I’m so excited to share with you this process and hope you’ll want to share with me.

Happy NaNoWriMo!