Lessons From the Thickets of NaNoWriMo

I know it's a bit a a departure from what I've been posting about. So sorry if I'm disappointing anyone. For those who are interested, the book cover for "Days of Reckoning" is done and looks awesome. I have about 10,000 words left to edit, and then it will be ready for launch. So stay tuned. In the meantime, I figured I'd throw down some thoughts on my NaNoWriMo experience this year.

So we're entering the last 10 days of National Novel Writing Month. It was probably a huge mistake for me to try and take it on. I have my full-time job, the school semester is wrapping up in 20 days and I have a paper to write by the end of the term, and - you know - there's that whole book thingie that I want to finish editing so I can get it to market. But I had this story idea that I just HAD to write, because it's been gnawing at me since September. And what can I say? Apparently I'm a glutton for punishment. I'm almost a thousand words behind according to the word-count tracker (not counting the total due for today, since my day is just starting), and "Days of Reckoning" isn't finished yet (but it's close). So yeah, maybe starting a new novel wasn't the best way to allocate my time resources. But I'm pretty sure I'm learning some important lessons here. So I figured I'd share them with you, in no particular order.

1) There are some haters out there who think NaNoWriMo is a huge waste of everyone's time (if I can find some of the links I'll post them). Obviously I'm going to disagree. I will agree that it is a waste of time if you are expecting a perfect novel have developed at the end of 30 days. If you follow the NaNo guidelines, at the end of the month you will have a draft of what could be a novel. 50,000 words is about 15-20,000 words shy of what most publishers want for word counts. If e-books continue to become popular, that may change. We may start seeing more novella-length material on the market, the idea being that it is easier to digest on a computer screen than something that would be 300-400 pages in print. We'll see. Bottom line: have reasonable expectations, and if you are serious about writing, know that you will have a lot of editing to do after November.

2) NaNoWriMo is a perfect time to see just how efficient you can be. To illustrate: I have an hour commute to my job each way, give or take. So five days a week, I lose 10 1/2 hours a day that could be spent writing. Now, I was smart enough to read ahead for one of my classes, so I didn't have to worry about that this month. But I still had a 30-page story to critique, 2 critical analyses to post, and responses to other analyses to come up with and post. And don't forget "Reckoning." 72,000 words to be edited. I'm through about 60,000. And of course life continues to happen. But with all that, I've still written just shy of 31,000 words of a completely new novel. Granted, I'm tired every day, and I doubt I could keep this pace up for more than a month, but when push comes to shove, writing is important to me. And it's amazing how we can find time for the things that really matter.

3) Given the above, I have spent a lot of time wondering how much I'd be able to write if I didn't have that pesky job. If my book starts making money, I suppose I could find out. But would I really be able to write full-time, or is it the fact that I have so little time to write that makes it that much more appealing? I don't really know.

4) It's fun to write without worrying about something being good. When I first started working on "Reckoning" the only thing I cared about was it being "good." From word one page one, it had to be "good." That is a very self-defeating way to write, at least in my experience. There is always the possibility of making something better. But you can't improve something that hasn't been finished. So I would suggest that you let yourself play. Explore tangents, make your characters do outlandish things. Anything that keeps the words flowing, put it in there. You can always fix it later.

5) And you will have to fix it later. Whether you play and enjoy yourself during your first draft, or you torture yourself with every word, I can almost 100% guarantee you that you will have to fix things later. So you may as well have the most fun possible while you can.

And hey, if you're one of those folks who loves to edit, just imagine how much fun you're going to have come December.

Daily Grind

Since today is the start of NaNoWriMo I'm going to keep this short and sweet.

1) I purchased ISBN numbers for "Days of Reckoning."  I got the 10-pack for $250. I figure that should cover me for the various online retailers I want to post to, as well as a print edition if I ever go that route. I probably should have purchased more, but my credit card is already screaming at me. You can get a hundred for $575, currently. If this project is even remotely successful, I'll be going that route. For now, 10 will have to do.

2) Editing the final draft is taking longer than I wanted it to. That's to be expected, though.

3) My cover artist is still on board, despite having just had a baby. I'm very excited to see what she comes up with, as my pathetic efforts at creating back-up covers are, well, pathetic.

4) I'm still in a holding pattern on my other novels. I think I will wait and see what the next few months hold before I decide which way to jump with them. Besides, I need the extra time to clean them up, as they are both still in the early drafts stage.

5) Yup, even though I'm busy as hell with work and school and this publishing endeavor, I am going to give NaNoWriMo another go. I must be a glutton for punishment, and I may very well fail this time around (to date I'm 2-3), but I have some ideas bouncing around in my head, and I'd like to see how they come together. So if I don't post for a bit, my apologies. In the meantime, if you're a NaNoer, good luck and happy writing!