NaNoWriMo Day 2 - Is this writing sh@t?

Posted by Jennifer Baylor at The Writing Cocoon.  
Filed under "NaNoWriMo"

A slight infraction of one of my own NaNo rules occurred the night of Day 1, as I stayed up way too late catching up on the NaNo Internet chatter. I paid for it on Day 2, when I awoke at the crack of dawn from a nightmare where my husband was dead, and I was in LOVE with a young Charlie Sheen, not to mention, my father was alive, and I  was having a way-too-serious conversation with him.

It took me a minute, upon awakening, to determine that I was sitting next to my very-much-alive husband, and that my father and I had never had that particular talk. Not a great way to start the morning, lovesick over Charlie and trying to convince yourself that your father is, in fact, still dead.

But, that's a writing hangover for you...

Yesterday's writing happened at an even slower pace than Day 1. I still clocked in over 2k words, but I'm having a difficult time getting through the beginning.

The reason for this is three-fold: a) I can't find the off-switch to the inner editor,  b) I can't seem to beat-to-death the little writing demon that keeps telling me that my writing is crap, and c) the beginning is kind of boring me (not a good sign).

I know I shouldn't be hung up on this. Like I said on Day 1, the writing is better, there's no doubt in my mind that I've made some improvements in the last year. Many hours have been spent in studying writing blogs, websites, and books. I've edited my own first novel, noticing where I go sideways and backwards and diagonal, even. I've started to do a little critiquing for other writers on-line, and that has helped considerably. Plus, I just know, as I'm writing, that the structure and handling is simply...better.

Good news, right? But I think that this new knowledge and experience may be hindering me in achieving the aim of NaNo, which is pure word volume. I'm thinking too much instead of following the story and my plot diagram (Yes, I broke down and made a diagram. Yes, it's helping). I'm tightening up, restricting the flow, blocking the creativity...you know, THINKING too much.

So, let's take a look at my goals for week 1, shall we?

• Write a minimum of 2500 words each day; Close: 2600 Day 1 and 2100 Day 2.

• Each night, sketch out the scenes to write the following day; I've actually been doing this - and thank the maker, 'cause it has been a life saver for productivity.

• Get some fresh air and exercise, each day; I've actually practiced yoga and taken a walk outside, each day. It makes a big difference. Let's see if I keep it up.

• Continue to edit my WIP1, finishing the edits by the end of week 1. Nope. I actually sat down to do it last night, but I was just too brain tired. Nightmares about Charlie Sheen and dead fathers will do that. 

Not too shabby for a start. I've not broken too many of my rules, yet, but the NaNo is young. Wait a minute. Damn. I'm breaking a rule right now: blogging when I should be NaNo'ing.

Jennifer's Rules for Surviving NaNo...

Posted by Jennifer Baylor at The Writing Cocoon.  
Filed under "NaNoWriMo" 

My personal rules for surviving NaNoWriMo, gleaned from the experience of just one NaNo (Yeah, I catch on quick):

1. Do not stay up all night writing. Once you've switched day and night, there's no coming back to sanity, my dear.
2. Before you even think of spending hours on forums and blogs, write your damned word count.
3. When you've had two pots of coffee, it's time to switch to decaf (and drink some water, for the love of Jupiter).
4. Anything the cat "types" by running across the keyboard is fair game in NaNo word count.
5. Save, then save again. Then email a copy to yourself. They put it on your USB drive. Then, and only then, are you safe from calamities such as cats who erase documents (see #4 above). Some things you have to learn the hard way.
6. Drinking alcohol while writing is acceptable WriMo behaviour. 
7. Try to change out of your pajamas, if not daily, then at least a few times per week. I keep a pair of sweats crumpled on the floor next to my bed for easy, pre-coffee dressing. 
8. Taking a break for fresh air and exercise is not only a good idea, but it is an all-out necessity. This will prevent your poor spouse from finding you, sitting in a pink bathrobe in the middle of your office floor, crying and laughing while throwing index cards into the air. Plus I read somewhere, something about your brain needing oxygen and exercise increases oxygen, right? Really, take a break already.
9. Eating ten bags of microwave popcorn is just asking for trouble. Similar advice could be given about overindulging in just about anything. Try not to snack your brains out.
10. Do not stare at a blank screen/page for hours. This accomplishes nothing. Put fingers to keyboard and write, even if it is gibberish.
11. At the end of the day/night/whatever, take ten minutes to sketch out the first two scenes you plan to write the next day/night/whatever. Even though you have two claws instead of hands and your eyes are angry red orbs of fire and your spine is bent and crooked making you resemble the old crone in your story...take ten more minutes to prepare. 'Cause tomorrow you'll still have claws and red eyeballs and a hump, but you won't have to think about what you need to write.
12. For the love of all that is good, DON'T FALL BEHIND IN YOUR DAILY WORD COUNT. If you do, the likelihood of the above rules coming into play increases 10,000%. In fact, pad the word count whenever possible.

NaNo Day 1 Overload

Posted by Jennifer Baylor at The Writing Cocoon.  
Filed under "NaNoWriMo" 

I think I may have overdone it today. I didn't even get to my Day 1 goal of five-thousand words, but I still feel spent. All of this anticipation and anxiety and planning for this day, and I'm at the end of it feeling a bit rough and wrung out.

Writing is hard work.

I thought I was better prepared for NaNoWriMo this year ("And, I am" says the voice in my head), but the beginning of this novel is just not coming to me. This shouldn't be a surprise as TLCS's (WIP #1) beginning didn't come together until after I'd written the whole damned thing. Still, despite having a story idea that I love, with characters I'm excited to get to know, I just feel very blah about the whole thing right now.

Is it the NaNoWriMo blues? Is there such a thing?

I'm having this sort of déjà vu feeling. I keep flashing on my university graduation and my wedding day, two days that were a long time in the making and then over-and-done in a flash. It's unsettling to the system when you've planned and plotted over weeks and months for One tiny day, then -poof- the day has past you by.

I don't know, I guess I'm just feeling melancholy today. I see my characters so vividly in my head, feel their hopes and fears, then I write it all out on paper and it seems so...trite, flat, monochrome. I want to hit delete and make the below-average words disappear.

Don't worry, I won't actually delete a single word. I can't - I've got a word count goal to hit.  And, NaNoWriMo is all about word count, which is the first hurdle to good writing. I've been down this road before; I know I can produce the word count.

Good writing is the next layer, it's about weaving hundreds of threads together to make a whole, and I'm still mastering the techniques. I have to keep telling myself that the technique will come with time and writing/word count.

Despite my bad attitude tonight, I can already see that my writing is better this year. I have learned things - techniques and skills - and they are influencing my writing. Maybe it still isn't great or even good writing, but there's progress.

On that note, time to step away from the keyboard and get some sleep. Good night, my fellow Writers and WriMo's!