By: Bill

Bill — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 09:23:07 +0000

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.

By: Ryan Edel

Ryan Edel — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 00:15:12 +0000

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?

Comments on: Due to Technical Difficulties

By: Bill

By: Ryan Edel