The reason I’ve never done NaNoWriMo in the past is because November is a busy month for my family. With two birthdays and Thanksgiving, and the kids out of school for Thanksgiving break, it seemed like it would be difficult to find time to write.
I’d done a pretty good job of keeping on pace, but this week is where things fell apart. I have a title under a pseudonym coming out and had some editing stuff that just had to be done Thursday and Friday.
Then, I’d also reached a point in the story where I wasn’t sure exactly what I wanted to happen next. And my husband’s birthday was Friday. With all those things dovetailing, I fell behind.
The good news is that on Saturday, I sat down and wrote a story synopsis for the whole thing. Yes, I probably should’ve done that to begin with. However, I’m typically a pantser, so I like to just sit and write and let the story feel its way out. But, you really can’t do that with NaNo, because of the extensive word count that you need to contribute to the story each day. When you don’t know where things are headed, it can get really off track.
Having finished the synopsis, I’m feeling good about completing NaNo. I hope to get back on track today, and get a little ahead Monday and Tuesday, as Wednesday and Thursday will be tougher with the holiday. I’m not a Black Friday shopper (except online), so I don’t expect any additional pull for the remainder of the weekend.
So, here’s my NaNo totals so far. By day 21 of NaNo, if you’re on track (1,667 words per day), your final word count should be at 35,007. So, I’m a little behind, but not by tons.
Nov. 15 – 1,184
Nov. 16 – 616
Nov. 17 – 1,866
Nov. 18 – 1,920
Nov. 19 – 124
Nov. 20 – 0
Nov. 21 – 2,661
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Week 3 total – 8,371
Week 2 total – 12,745
Week 1 total – 13,075
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NaNo Total – 34,191
Best of luck to you, RJ; I’m very impressed with what you’ve already accomplished! I’d like to say that the month of November wouldn’t work for me because it’s a particularly busy month. But when I try to nail down ANY month I might have time to write anything longer than a blog post, I come up with nothing. Take care and happy writing! 🙂 ~Stephanie
Thanks so much. Novembers’ a tough month. Appreciate you stopping by.
I’ve enjoyed your posts as part of Indies Unlimited and through them I’ve found your blog, too! Best of luck in the final stretch of you NaNo challenge. I know what you mean about busy – we’ve got 3 birthdays, busy school sports, etc. I’ve written 15K for the month (I cheated a bit, I had 25K already done) and expect to knock out the final 10-15K by the first week of December – I’m a lightly planned type of writer, so things accelerate as I reach the end.
Thanks, Armen. Good luck with your writing this month.
I’ve enjoyed your posts as part of Indies Unlimited and through them I’ve found your blog, too! Best of luck in the final stretch of you NaNo challenge. I’ve written 15K for the month (I cheated a bit, I had 25K already done) and expect to knock out the final 10-15K by the first week of December – I’m a lightly planned type of writer, so things accelerate as I reach the end.
I’ve enjoyed your posts as part of Indies Unlimited and through them I’ve found your blog, too! Best of luck in the final stretch of you NaNo challenge. I’ve written 15K for the month and expect to knock out the final 10-15K by the first week of December – I’m a lightly planned type of writer, so things accelerate as I reach the end.
Good morning. I started NaNowriMo and did about 25,000 words this year. But things came up and now I’ve pretty much put the project on hold. (Indies Unlimited sent me.)
Thanks for stopping by, Richard. Sorry your NaNo project got put on hold. Hopefully, you’ll get a chance to restart it soon.
Hi RJ, Indies Unlimited sent me. Looks like you are a busy girl. 16k words to go to reach that magic 50k by next Monday. You go girl! Don’t waste time on my site!
Thanks for stopping by, Frank. And I did check out your site. Lovely. Your books look great. I’m hoping to “finish” NaNo on time, though I’m pretty sure the book wont’ be finished when I hit 50k.
Hi there, RJ. Looks like you are a busy girl. 16k words to go to get to the magic 50k by next Monday. You go girl. Don’t waste time looking at my site!
Indies Unlimited sent me! Good luck with the NaNoWriMo novel!
Thanks for stopping by Stevie. Appreciate the good luck wish. 🙂
Good luck, RJ! I’m so behind, but I’m good with that. At least I have an idea of where I’m going.
Thanks, Laurie. And having an idea where you’re going is so important. My stall was all about not knowing what to do next. So, if you’ve got that down, the writing it part should come when the time part gels. Of course, it’s the time part we all struggle with in this busy month.
Good luck. Hope you make it. I can relate to busy Novembers. That’s why I’ve not done NaNoWriMo for the past two years. I have birthdays, anniversary, and holidays in November, in addition to a ton of other work. I might try again next year, but couldn’t even find a free day this year, so I envy people like you who manage to take a stab at it, even with your busy schedule.
Thanks, Charles. Yeah, I think November’s a tough month for it. Someone told me the NaNo founder picked November because he knew it was busy and wanted to help build confidence — if you can do it in November, you can do it any time. But, that’s a different approach than I’d take. I think if people are trying something for the first time–completing a novel–going for a month that’s not particularly busy would be better. Maybe March or May.
I think the most important thing about NaNo, though is to gauge your own time. And if it’s impossible in November, don’t feel pressured to undertake it. Do your own NaNo in a more conducive month.
Good luck. Hope you make it. I can relate to busy Novembers. That’s why I’ve not done NaNoMoWri for the past two years. I have birthdays, anniversary, and holidays in November, in addition to a ton of other work. I might try again next year, but couldn’t even find a free day this year, so I envy people like you who manage to take a stab at it, even with your busy schedule.