To NaNo or Not to NaNo

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NaNoWriMo is that annual writing frenzy that occupies many writers across the globe.  Some finish, others don’t, but what the participants know that non-participants haven’t learned yet is that it’s the writing that’s important.

I’ve spoken to many people about NaNo in the past, and they’ve responded with statements like “Well, yeah, it’s 50,000 words, but is it any GOOD?”  They look self-satisfied as though that comment should be enough to put the silly idea to rest.

They’re missing the point.  When you write 50,000 or more words of anything, you get better as you go on.  You learn how to sustain long-term output.  You learn how to let the words come out, whether or not you’re in the mood.  The thing about writing a novel is that it’s a long process, it’s not something you can do in a night. 

On the other hand, it IS something that you can do whether or not you are an author yet.  It’s the process of doing it that makes you an author, not whether some external third party bonked you on the head and said “Thus I make thee an AUTHOR!”

So, should you NaNo?

My answer is, do you want to write a novel?

If your answer is yes, then my answer is too.  Why?  Because making the attempt will teach you a lot about yourself.  Many writers have become addicted to the mental masturbation of telling others they’re writers, and saying they’re writers, and talking about what they’re writing; however, they don’t actually write.  It’s hard to sell a novel that you haven’t written, and all the talking in the world won’t write it for you.  The only way to become a novelist is to, well, write novels.  And the only way to do THAT, friends, is to write.

Wish I had some magic potion for you, but I don’t.  That’s all there is to it.

So, I ask you:  do YOU NaNo?

National Novel Writing Month

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I can’t believe November is here again already.  Are you ready for a challenge, fellow writers?  Now is the time to dust off your keyboard and start on your novel.

“What’s that?” you ask.  “A novel?”

Well, yes.  All that’s required of you is that you abandon all excuses and just write as fast and furious as you can.

At the end of November we’d like to see you having accrued fifty thousand words toward a WIP.  It might be finished at that point and it might not but the effort is what counts.

That said, I’m going to go back to my work in progress and try to crank out the requisite 1,600 words in a day to start meeting my goal.  Happy writing!

Riding Nicole’s Coattails

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Not to cheat on my assigned blog post, I would like to build on the valuable one that came prior. Nicole Gordon’s thoughtful post inevitably makes me think of my own writing dry spell. She offers some truly useful advice. If I may be so bold, I’d like to reinforce something I consider important.

To cut down on distractions, Nicole mentions setting up a small desk designated for writing. She also made sure to give the space atmosphere. This is ideal!

I did something similar a while back, claiming the corner of a spare bedroom. I set up a desk and even installed a small aquarium. The problem is that, while the fish tank got me started on a whole new hobby, I drifted away from writing.

The lapse is partly due to a mentally tiring day job. Many aspiring authors suffer the same, however; it’s no excuse to let my art wither. How do I get back into a flow of writing through which I can find both enjoyment and pride?

For one thing, I need to resume utilizing that currently neglected space. Even sitting at my desk for non-writing tasks will hopefully spark a habit and ultimately the urge to write. I figure it’s a start.

Now I need to carve out quiet time and avoid distractions as Ms. Gordon wisely suggests.

All The Time In The World

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When I left my job at the end of June, I had all these magical visions of entire days spent writing, where tens of thousands of words would appear effortlessly on the page, and completed manuscripts would pile up faster than I could submit them.
Now here it is the middle of October and I have to say that pretty much the opposite is true.  I’ve written maybe 4,000 words total since the beginning of July.  I’ve missed several blog post deadlines.  I haven’t even opened the file for the project I’d hope to complete in July.
How is that possible? 

While I was working, there was no question in my mind that it was my job taking up my time and energy and preventing me from writing, but if that was the only issue then I would have a lot more words on paper than I do right now.
First, I have come to realize that there are always distractions waiting to rush in and fill the gap when you manage to clear one off your plate.  Suddenly it’s the TV show I have to catch up on, or the reading I’m doing in preparation for book club, or the extra long walk I’m taking rather than work, but they’re just as effective at eating into the time I have to spend in front of the page.  That doesn’t make them bad things, but left unchecked they can take over and make writing that much more difficult.
Second, I may not have a job, but I still have a Critic.  I still have that voice inside me pointing out that the sex scene I’m writing really isn’t that sexy, or that I’m not nearly as clever a writer as that girl in the Wordstock workshop.  In fact, my personal Critic has an even easier time in some ways, because I’m alone more often and that much more vulnerable to its insidious suggestions. 
So what do I do?  How do I defeat the distractions and send the Critic packing so I can be as productive on the page as I’d like to be?

There is no one right answer to those questions, but here’s what I’m trying to do right now.

1.       Schedule writing time.

When I just let things happen, I never had any time to write.  I had to take control of my time, consciously set aside time that is devoted entirely to writing, no matter what.  

To help myself be more accountable I created a calendar that clearly marks the dates I’ve set aside to write, as well as any deadlines I have, and I posted it where I can see it every day.  That is not to say I’ve been one hundred percent successful at sticking to the schedule, but I did better this week than I did last week, when the schedule was a mental decision and not a physical piece of paper clearly reminding me where my focus is supposed to be. 

2.       Remove distractions.

My writing used to happen at the dining room table.  Every time someone came over for dinner I’d have to pack up the computer and then set it back up again the next day.  I was sitting right in front of a large window and the sliding door.  The natural light was great, but I’d look up every time someone walked their dog past the window, and that led to a drink or a snack or a stretch and suddenly I’ve killed 20 minutes not writing.  And then the next person walked by.  

Now I’m writing at a small desk.  It had to be small, because my apartment is tiny, but I now have a permanent place set up to write.  And I can see the laptop from anywhere in the house.  I still get the light from those windows, but those dog walkers are much less distracting from the corner of my eye than they were right in front of me.  And the pretty flower-shaped lights and candles give me plenty of ambiance.

3.       Tell your accountability buddies.

Once I made my schedule and set up my desk, I told my family and friends about it.  I confess this was more about keeping them in the loop than an attempt to garner their support, but that’s how it worked out.  The potential is there for the people in your life to abuse this knowledge, to deliberately sabotage your plans, but hopefully that will not be the case.

I have been fortunate.  If I talk to my family on a Tuesday or a Thursday they ask me what I’ve been writing, because they know those are the days I’ve scheduled to work.  My friends call me to chat on Mondays and Wednesdays so I can have a break from job hunting and my writing won’t be interrupted.  It has been an unexpected, but awesome reinforcement that has helped keep me on track. 

Ultimately I’ve come to realize that I write when I’m focused and prepared, and when I’m not, I don’t.  Writing is never going to be something that magically happens, even if I become lucky enough to support myself by writing full time.  Opportunities to write come because we work at that them, because we carve out that space and time and make it happen.

What worked for you?  How do you make time for writing?

Wiley Wednesday – Writing Quantity Over Quality

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As the month of October quickly slips along, I’m left to contemplate participation in NaNoWriMo. That is shorthand for November’s National Novel Writing Month. It’s actually a worldwide affair during which writers of every conceivable genre scramble to put out 50,000 words toward one story in thirty days.

This is no minor feat, demanding an average of over 1,600 words every day. Last year I count myself blessed to have succeeded. The resulting manuscript still needs work, as I set it aside in favor of other projects and then life in general. Still, I did it!

Dogged persistence isn’t the only requirement. A big part of the process involves turning off the inner Critic. That alone is no easy task. Another is ignoring the desire many of us have to edit what is on the page instead of continuing to write. Edit in January or February after the pressure is off and you’ve stepped away from the project for a time.

Finishing fifty thousand words in thirty days requires each author to focus on simply spooling out the story rather than worrying over the quality. This is key to completing a tale under any conditions, let alone increasing the rate of production.

So, write instead of editing. Write despite any murmurings of an inner critic. Just sit down and write.

Have I decided to participate in NaNoWriMo this year? I honestly can’t say. First, I need to figure out what to write! It’s great fun, though, and provides an opportunity to meet writers online and in person at various events or through the website.

If interested, you should definitely check it out. Instructions for participation are simple, and then you put fingers to the keyboard and get busy. It’s that simple, if not exactly easy.

Write, right?!