Don’t quite have the time to churn out 50,000 words this month for NanoWriMo? Or maybe the inspiration train hasn’t been stopping as frequently at your station? So what’s a writer to do?
Between work, weddings, birthdays, etc. this month I knew I wouldn’t have the time to pen 50,000 words by the end of November, but I still wanted to challenge myself despite the time constraints. So I’ve resolved to partake in my own mini NanoWrite, where instead of producing the full 50,000 word count I’m going to shoot for half or 25,000 words by midnight on November 30th. Still no piece of cake, but more than enough to keep me occupied.
So what types of compromises do you work out with yourself when trying to maintain your daily/weekly word counts? Obviously content counts for more than quantity, but about how many words do you usually set for your personal goals throughout the year? And how much exactly do you plan to write this November?
I think that's a great goal, and the charged nano atmosphere will hopefully push you along. Good luck reaching 25,000 words, It's still a great goal!
ReplyDeleteI love that people all over the place, while unable to participate in the official NaNo this month, are still finding ways to push themselves. Go you!
ReplyDeleteAwesome goal :) My usual non-Nano goal is 1000 words a day, M-F (I take weekends off). Or a chapter a day if I'm revising. I'm attempting Nano this year. And am behind already LOL But still not doing too bad so we'll see how it goes :D
ReplyDeleteMiniNo sounds like a good idea. Another blogger was calling it HalfNo. Go for it!
ReplyDeleteGood luck! :) Sounds like a great goal.
ReplyDeleteFor my personal goals during the rest of the year, I usually aim to finish a particular part of a novel or the book itself; I don't usually focus on word count so much as in November for NaNo.
You remind me of when I was writing my thesis...for 4 straight months I would start writing at 7 a.m. with 10 minute break each hour and I would not stop until 11 p.m. It was surreal not to talk to anyone for that long. Of course I would have to go to the grocery store but it was an isolated experience, and I loved the discipline. I miss that now.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I can't do NaNo. I'm a slow reader and an even slower writer. But NaNo does inspire me to push a little harder. I get a little competitive fire burning in me when I see all these big numbers going up on people's blogs about how many words they wrote. Still, if all I get is a page a day, I'm happy with that.
ReplyDeleteHi Mark
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on taking on such a major commitment. Wishing you success
Helen
Good luck with the 25,000--you can do it!
ReplyDeleteI'm putting the final polish on my MS--it has to be done by November 30th!
Some of my students have also compromised, deciding to write a novelette or a novella this month. Hey, as long as they're writing, right? As for me, I still have 9 weeks left of Write1Sub1 (writing and submitting a short story every week this year), after which I'll probably need about a month to recover...
ReplyDeleteHmm. I never set exact word counts for myself. My goals tend to run to, "Finish the book. Finish the book! FINISH THE BOOK!!" And then my muse has a tendency to move the goal posts.
ReplyDeleteBut I am currently aiming for February now. Once it was November. :-)
J.A. – It’s not as ambitious as 50,000 words, but it’ll keep me plenty occupied.
ReplyDeleteDonna – Thanks, I’ll need all the encouragement I can get:)
Michelle – You make a good point about revising, as that can have a lot of rewriting in it as well, and I think that should count too.
Alex – HalfNo, I like it!
Eagle – That’s good too, as sometimes its easy to get so caught up in word count that we forget the end goal is to complete a manuscript.
LittleJeans – Well, isolation is a big part of it. Oddly, there is a serenity about though too:)
L.G. – That’s okay, doesn’t matter the pace so long as you like the product. A page a day is a lot better than no pages;)
Helen – Thanks!
Stephanie – Thanks as well, and good luck getting yours finished up by the end of the month!
Milo – Wow, I appreciate the dedication and work you’ve committed yourself to, and my hat goes off to you sir:)
Elizabeth – Finish the book;) Very good common sense:)
What a great idea! I might actually be able to do a mini NaNo. :)
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great goal to me! I hope you hit it. You didn't want to call it MarNoWriMo?
ReplyDelete