I was fortunate to recently meet author K.J. Scrim.
A pleasant visit over a a meal I’d been craving. I probably annoyed her with my incessant questions. Brain picking experienced folks I admire is a sometime hobby of mine. I was so pleased to finally meet this woman and learn a few things from her.
In any case, a while back I’d seen on her blog mention of Insecure Writers Support Group. I was intrigued. This group of writers support and encourage one another through their blogs. The first Wednesday of the month, a question is presented; I appreciate that it isn’t one of the same tired old things I see asked regularly. I’ve never been part of a Blog Hop before, and this month’s question is relevant to me, so I decided it is time to give it a go.
The Question
“Win or not, do you usually finish your NaNo project? Have any of them gone on to be published?”
What the Heck is NaNoWriMo?’
For those who may not know, NaNoWriMo is National Novel Writing Month, and the goal of participants is to write a complete novel starting November 1st and finishing by the end of the month. The event began in 1999, and in 2005, National Novel Writing Month became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. NaNoWriMo’s programs now include National Novel Writing Month in November, Camp NaNoWriMo, the Young Writers Program, Come Write In, and the “Now What?” Months. Only 21 people participated in that first event. This past year, over 384,000 took the challenge.
The Short Answer
Super easy for me to answer. No and No. Not because I’m a complete failure at NaNoWriMo, but because this is my first year giving it a go. And This is Why
I plan on finishing, making it to my 50,000 words, and I hope to do so before the month is out. I never take the easy path, November is busy as it is, with Thanksgiving and the holidays just around the corner. This year, I’ll be dealing with some extra distractions beyond the normal. This, I hope, will make my victory all the sweeter.
As far as possibility of publication, I have a bit of hope, but think it will be unlikely. My primary motivation for participating in NaNoWriMo this year is to reinforce the discipline of the habit of writing regularly. I’m confident I’ll accomplish that. But I found, as I began getting words down today, the first day, I realized that I lean hard towards planner. Not such a bad thing, except I keep finding skips and gaps and holes in my outline. I’m forcing myself to just go with it, writing and only occasionally tweaking the planned chapters and scenes. But I’m pretty certain that the final result will need some serious surgery before being ready for public consumption.
New Approach Here
What fun I’m having, having excised my internal orders to not just write, but write really well from the get-go. I will be something of new experience holding off all that editing for later on. Word Sprints are going to be my friends.
The NaNo word counter I stuck on my home page is working! Now I have the accountability that goes with half dozen or so of you who stop by my blog viewing my progress. One more little nudge to keep me on track.
Once I get my own post live, figure out the linking for the Blog Hop, and get this out, I’m going to go and see what all those other writers had to say on the matter. I know I’ll be finding good things.
Thanks to awesome co-hosts for the November 1 posting of the IWSG are Tonja Drecker, Diane Burton,MJ Fifield, and Rebecca Douglass!
Good luck with Nano! It can be a ton of fun to have accountability and support from others on the same path as you! I’m not doing it this year, but I’ve had a ton of fun in the past.
Hi! This is my first time at your blog. Welcome to IWSG! I’ll connect with you online and follow your blog.
Nano is not an easy thing. More power to all who attempt it. No one is a failure unless they give up.
Victoria Marie Lees
http://victoriamarielees.blogspot.com
Thanks, glad you stopped by. My blog is still on its training wheels and likely to get a makeover soon. Hope you enjoy what you see, Victoria.
Welcome to IWSG! And you’re doing NaNo too. . .I’m awed and blown away by your energy this month. You’re right, especially with the holidays coming up, finding time to write all of those words is a challenge. Here’s wishing you all of those words and many more!
Tonja, I’ve got a bad habit of always doing things the hard way. Don’t know why I bypass the easy paths, but when I get through, I definitely feel a sense of accomplishment.
You can do it! Just a batch of words every day.
Welcome to the IWSG. You are in the right place!
One foot in front of the other, the best I can do. Thrilled to have found IWSG. I felt as if someone got inside my head and made a place just for me. So good not to be alone in my insecurity.
Hi, Gabaroo! I’m visiting as an IWSG member today. I enjoyed your post, and I think your idea of using NaNo as a way to get into the habit of writing daily is a great one! I’ve heard it said that if you so something 29 times in a row, it becomes a habit. Good luck with your November writing.
Thanks Louise. I’ve concluded that good habits as well as those we’d like to avoid are reinforced by repetition. NaNoWriMo forces a bit more discipline than just putting it on my calendar.