From The Archive
But, for the record – any day at a Day Job that requires the use of an Exact-O Knife is a good day.
Apollocon starts tomorrow, and I’ll be busy, so here’s this week’s archived writer post early…
From November 2008
It’s November again. That means it’s National Novel Month – NaNoMo – and the internet blogosphere is jammed packed with writers scrambling to write their 50K word novel in 30 days – just before the Holidays kick in, too. I admire everyone who participates in this endeavor. However, I am not one of them.
I like what NaNoMo sets out to do – encourage people to “Just Do It!” To get over the fear of writing crap and reach a word count every day. That’s great. I wish everyone luck who’s working on their NaNoMo project. Setting a 1667 word/day goal and sticking with it is a great habit to get into. I wish it were something I could stick with. Their habits, unfortunately, are not MY writing habits. Unless I’m under a more serious deadline than a ribbon, pat on the back, or bragging rights, I don’t concentrate that well on one project at a time. If I write 50,000 words in a month, it’s on several projects. But that’s me.
NaNoMo strikes me as an amazing phenomenon. I love watching it. I know many writers – friends and acquaintances – who participate every year. Some manage to meet the goals, many do not. Having a particular month to put the “coulda/shoulda/oughta” into action is a major milestone for many writers. This is the month they have no excuses not to try to write that novel they have burning inside them.
I wish all who participate in NaNoMo luck and success, and I’ve just discovered there is a “sister” type of group called NaNoCoMo – which is National Novel Continuing Month – for those who want to keep going and do a more consistent word count. This is probably more my style.
Most writers tell new writers to set a daily word count and keep track. NaNoMo and NaNoCoMo are great ways of doing that by providing forums and communities to garner support. I “should” keep better track of my word counts per day. Between the non-fiction work of things like this weekly blog, and everything else I do, I probably meet the goals. Except I don’t always input work into the computer on a daily basis, and many days I write with paper and ink.
But every November when NaNoMo comes around, I can’t help treating it like New Years Resolutions. It’s the writing time of the year when I reassess my writing habits, make new goals, and try to stick with them. And maybe that’s the point of it all. I’m doing it, now maybe I should keep track of it… better.
For those of you participating in NaNoMo – good luck and much success. The month is still young. You have plenty of time.