So I didn't end up posting at all about NaNo here while I was actually doing it. Oops. Better late than never, I guess?
It was definitely a challenge this year. For the first time in some years, it took me the entire month to finish. There were a lot of days where the words did not want to come. I really thought there was a possibility I might not finish. And my laptop was having problems, which certainly did not help. Luckily it waited until after I was done before it completely died (really just a couple hours after I finished the novel).
But I ended up liking this year's novel much more than I liked the crap I wrote last year. And don't get me wrong - this year's was crap as well. But it was crap that is not really painful to reread. It was about vampires. It was completely stupid, but in an I-am-writing-just-the-sort-of-lame-thing-I-secretly-like-to-read-but-would-never-admit-to-writing way.
I shouldn't have been ML again though. It had its moments of fun, but I really just didn't have the time to do a good job at it, and I pretty much fell apart at the end. Not the best way to end my last year of ML-ing (definitely last, as I'm going to be living in Japan when it's time for NaNo again and am not sure I'll even have time/energy/motivation to participate at all, let alone be in charge of anything).
So, a belated hurray for my 7th straight win. I'm glad I made it and, even with all the problems I had this year, I am glad that I decided to participate again.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Complications!
Of course, now that I'm all super excited about NaNo this year, things are springing up to make things more difficult. My important getting-prepared-to-ML time has been interrupted with emergency wisdom teeth extraction and recovery. And I've just found out that the next few months are going to be super crazy as I'm going to be moving early next year. To another continent.
Still, I will do the best I can!
I really have no clue what I'm going to write though. But no worries! It'll all work out!
I hope.
Still, I will do the best I can!
I really have no clue what I'm going to write though. But no worries! It'll all work out!
I hope.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
NaNo Addiction
So despite going on all year about how I definitely was not going to ML again this year and how I quite possibly wasn't going to do NaNo at all, I'm totally doing both (at least as long as no one tried to usurp my ML-ing power before I had a chance to respond; I wasn't able to do so by the you-are-guaranteed-your-spot response date).
I hope this isn't a huge mistake. I'm totally feeling better about NaNo in general this year than I was last year though, so I hope it'll be all right.
Have a big job interview later this month which, if successful, will mean that I'll need to be preparing for a huge move and huge changes, which might make November a bit crazier than usual, but I'll worry about that if it actually happens.
Am thinking about having another go at the first thing I attempted last November. After three days of writing it I decided it was unbelievably terrible and started over with something else (which was really unbelievably terrible). But I just came across the small bit I wrote of it, and it was totally interesting! What was I thinking?! I don't quite remember where I was going with it, so it'll need some thought, but the characters are pretty fantabulous which is the most important thing for me when I'm writing. The plot can generally figure itself out.
So, yeah. Apparently even more addicted to NaNo than I suspected. I tried to give it up, really! But the excitement of it being less than two months away was just too much for me.
Super excited that it starts on a Saturday this year. Yay for a big weekend chunk of writing to start off the festivities!
I hope this isn't a huge mistake. I'm totally feeling better about NaNo in general this year than I was last year though, so I hope it'll be all right.
Have a big job interview later this month which, if successful, will mean that I'll need to be preparing for a huge move and huge changes, which might make November a bit crazier than usual, but I'll worry about that if it actually happens.
Am thinking about having another go at the first thing I attempted last November. After three days of writing it I decided it was unbelievably terrible and started over with something else (which was really unbelievably terrible). But I just came across the small bit I wrote of it, and it was totally interesting! What was I thinking?! I don't quite remember where I was going with it, so it'll need some thought, but the characters are pretty fantabulous which is the most important thing for me when I'm writing. The plot can generally figure itself out.
So, yeah. Apparently even more addicted to NaNo than I suspected. I tried to give it up, really! But the excitement of it being less than two months away was just too much for me.
Super excited that it starts on a Saturday this year. Yay for a big weekend chunk of writing to start off the festivities!
Friday, July 25, 2008
some months later
So I did finish. And finish early. Apparently I just didn't want to talk about it.
Probably because it was the worst thing I ever wrote. And I know that sometimes I say that (especially about NaNo), but when I go back a while later and reread it, things don't seem quite so bad. But not this time! I really never intended to look at the novel again, but a couple weeks ago I read the whole thing while I was battling insomnia. It managed to be even worse than I remembered.
I think that a lot of my problem was that the past couple years of ML-ing had been so fantastic, but last year ended up being really frustrating in that regard, and it was hard to get inspired to write a good novel while I was spending so much time worrying about running things and trying to get people to, you know, show up.
I don't know if I'm going to do NaNo this year. It might be time for a break. Or, if I do, it might be a good idea to step down from the ML-ing for now. It's been fun - even with the frustration last year, it was fun - but it's a lot of stress that maybe I just can't deal with right now.
I think I might try to do a bunch o' writing in September though. No word count goal, no real pressure, just making myself sit down and write as much as I can. And hopefully have it not be insanely sucky. Stay tuned.
Probably because it was the worst thing I ever wrote. And I know that sometimes I say that (especially about NaNo), but when I go back a while later and reread it, things don't seem quite so bad. But not this time! I really never intended to look at the novel again, but a couple weeks ago I read the whole thing while I was battling insomnia. It managed to be even worse than I remembered.
I think that a lot of my problem was that the past couple years of ML-ing had been so fantastic, but last year ended up being really frustrating in that regard, and it was hard to get inspired to write a good novel while I was spending so much time worrying about running things and trying to get people to, you know, show up.
I don't know if I'm going to do NaNo this year. It might be time for a break. Or, if I do, it might be a good idea to step down from the ML-ing for now. It's been fun - even with the frustration last year, it was fun - but it's a lot of stress that maybe I just can't deal with right now.
I think I might try to do a bunch o' writing in September though. No word count goal, no real pressure, just making myself sit down and write as much as I can. And hopefully have it not be insanely sucky. Stay tuned.
Friday, November 16, 2007
vive la misère!
Just a bit over 35k! This is my favorite number to reach (apart from the obvious 50k, of course). It feels so much better than 25k; in a truly glass-half-empty way, that milestone tends to make me think, "Ugh, I still have to write the same amount I just wrote? That's too much!" But just 10,000 more words, and it feels like an accomplishment. It feels really close to the end.
If I write 3,000 words a day from now on (which is approximately what I've been doing all week, although I did have one day with 4,000), I think I should finish on Tuesday which should be the earliest I've ever finished. Which would be awesomeness. I would not be adverse to finishing sooner, of course, but we'll just see what happens.
Last night at our meeting we were talking about how being depressed and miserable seems to make it easier to write, and I think that really says a lot about why my second week was so much more productive than my first. Week one was a pretty good week for the most part; week two was misery itself thanks to illness and a panic attack about life stuff and then an utterly crappy work week. Word count at the end of week one: about 8,500. Word count at the end of week two: about 32,000.
If I write 3,000 words a day from now on (which is approximately what I've been doing all week, although I did have one day with 4,000), I think I should finish on Tuesday which should be the earliest I've ever finished. Which would be awesomeness. I would not be adverse to finishing sooner, of course, but we'll just see what happens.
Last night at our meeting we were talking about how being depressed and miserable seems to make it easier to write, and I think that really says a lot about why my second week was so much more productive than my first. Week one was a pretty good week for the most part; week two was misery itself thanks to illness and a panic attack about life stuff and then an utterly crappy work week. Word count at the end of week one: about 8,500. Word count at the end of week two: about 32,000.
Monday, November 12, 2007
halfway there
Characters wangsting about their attraction to other characters makes for good word count.
Got to a little over 25k easy as anything. Writing gets worse and worse, my spirits get better and better.
Huzzah, terrible writing! Huzzah, word count!
Got to a little over 25k easy as anything. Writing gets worse and worse, my spirits get better and better.
Huzzah, terrible writing! Huzzah, word count!
Sunday, November 11, 2007
crazy writing frenzy
This was a bad week for writing, by which I mean, I didn't do any. I was more than a day ahead on Monday, which turned out to be a crappy day, so I felt all right not getting any words in that day. Alas, then the week got crappier and I got sick, and before I knew it, it was Saturday afternoon and I only had 8500 something words.
As of now, Sunday evening, I have just a little over 22k.
My brain is so close to falling out.
I think this is how I have to do NaNo now. The first couple years it was a challenge enough to get through the month and get my word count. But I know I can do that now. I've done it five times before during November and once again last July. But without a challenge, I'm super unmotivated to finish. But writing a ton of words in one (or two) days? Still a challenge. Still exciting.
Anyway, I should get to the halfway point tomorrow with no problem. I'm more excited to get to 35k though. That always feels so very close to the finish line.
And I really want to be at the finish line really early this year.
My novel continues to get dumber and dumber. I've always gone on in previous years about how the novel o' the year is terrible and no one ever needs to see it, but there are always at least a couple people who end up reading parts (or all) of it. This year's? Seriously never going to be shown to anyone. I haven't even managed to write anything apart from the first three paragraphs of the first chapter that I'm willing to put up as an excerpt on my profile. Last year I was throwing whole chapters up there. This year it's all just too truly terrible. At least I'm having fun with it though. The first week was really hard, what with the starting over and all, and the second week obviously got off to a bad start. But things are looking up.
As of now, Sunday evening, I have just a little over 22k.
My brain is so close to falling out.
I think this is how I have to do NaNo now. The first couple years it was a challenge enough to get through the month and get my word count. But I know I can do that now. I've done it five times before during November and once again last July. But without a challenge, I'm super unmotivated to finish. But writing a ton of words in one (or two) days? Still a challenge. Still exciting.
Anyway, I should get to the halfway point tomorrow with no problem. I'm more excited to get to 35k though. That always feels so very close to the finish line.
And I really want to be at the finish line really early this year.
My novel continues to get dumber and dumber. I've always gone on in previous years about how the novel o' the year is terrible and no one ever needs to see it, but there are always at least a couple people who end up reading parts (or all) of it. This year's? Seriously never going to be shown to anyone. I haven't even managed to write anything apart from the first three paragraphs of the first chapter that I'm willing to put up as an excerpt on my profile. Last year I was throwing whole chapters up there. This year it's all just too truly terrible. At least I'm having fun with it though. The first week was really hard, what with the starting over and all, and the second week obviously got off to a bad start. But things are looking up.
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