No video as promised, due to technical snafus. But here’s what I would have said:
We’re halfway through NaNoWriMo (if you don’t know, that’s National Novel Writing Month’s 30-day race to complete a first draft, along with tens of thousands of others, worldwide).
How’s it going?
Personally, I’m behind the pace, at only 14,500 words (I should be well over 20,000 by now). I have a crew of writing “buddies”–about 6 of us now (we had more at the start), and at last check here’s how the other five clock in:
8,000, 16,500, 16,500, 20,000, 32,700. All over the map.
One of the reasons I’m lagging (I hate to admit) is that I’m writing slowly, against all my own advice, to produce graceful, “acceptable” prose. When you teach and coach, it’s a hard not to.
If I want to “win” I’ll have to increase my daily word total sharply, and that will mean getting sloppy and not giving a damn. I’m determined to try, but if it it doesn’t happen, as I told my buddies, I won’t be upset because I’m excited by what I’m getting.
Most important, I’m not letting a day go by “dry,” even if it means I clock only 300 or 400 words.
Yes, I’m set on reaching NaNoWriMo’s “winning” word total by November 30, but if I don’t, I’ll still have accomplished my purpose–to blast me out of didactic and into creative mode, and most important, to give real life to an idea that’s lived nowhere but in the dim, closeted space of my private thoughts. Until now.
More shortly on “how to win” NaNoWriMo.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Bill, do you recommend the NaNoWriMo style as a way to really jump-start multiple story ideas? I have all kinds of book ideas (I think of five or six a year, I think…I write them down on post-it notes that keep turning up during the occassional geologic excavations of the woody deposits on my “desk”…) I’m wondering if it makes sense to try churning out a 50,000 word story every month or every other month, simply picking a different idea for that month and running with it no matter what. I know this would be a great way to generate rough drafts to refine in the off months, but would that be a reasonable pace? Would that leave enough time to turn those rough drafts into submission-quality manuscripts?
My answer to that is “yes, BUT…” Obviously, I’ve been preaching it as as way to jump start any story, and I totally believe in the method. If you want to write short stories, it’s a way to blast out 30 rough drafts in a month. Wow! But then what? It’s the second question that’s the tricky one, Ryan. If you’ve got the time and energy, sure, pump out 50,000 words NaNoWriMo style on a new “novel” every month. In a year you’ll have a dozen rough ground plans for possible finished novels–not bad. But take note: what you’ve really done is generate raw material for development over the next five or six (or more) years. That’s not a reason against! Just a realistic look at what this activity is. I like my present story a lot. Lately my word total has fallen–and I intend to do something about that–but the point is: whether or not I “win,” I’ve decided I will spend the bulk of my creative time on this story for quite a while after. If NaNoWriMo rolls around next year and I’m still on this one, I may pass. Here’s the thing: when you commit to bringing a novel in as a finished, fully-realized piece of work, it’s not unlike committing to a long-term love relationship. When you’re young it’s natural to have a number of exploratory affairs. Sooner or later, however, most people “grow up” by choosing to throw their lot with someone else on a deeper, more committed level. It’s not easy. You have to give up the freedom of being able to move on, not being accountable, etc. But successful relationships of the mature, long-term kind are ultimately necessary to have a society that works. Finishing, REALLY finishing a novel is roughly similar.