Saturday, November 3, 2012

NaNoWriMo: Game On!

by
Scott D. Parker

I think the headline says it all. Yes, I'm doing NaNoWriMo this year. Let's get the obvious out-of-the-way: yes it is a gimmick. But it is a gimmick that could potentially pay dividends.

For the past number of months, my writing imagination has gotten rusty and slowed down to a crawl. I had one resolution for 2012: finish a novel. As of today, I have less than 60 days to do it. And while I may have wasted the previous 10 months, what better way to kick start the writing than with the writing gimmick?

Leading into this month, I've planned out my story. Hey, that's what worked for me when I wrote my first book so I'm sticking with it. I've also purchased and read Larry Brooks's Story Engineering: Mastering the 6 Core Competencies of Successful Writing. I basically treated and annotated it like a text book. I learned some great insights and it has immediately given me the arc of my story and showed me where to put some of the various scenes I had already dreamed up. I got a lot out of it and I'd recommend the book to anyone.

My goal, like all of the WriMos (that the right term?) is to write 50,000 words in the month of November. I consider that both my short–term and long–term writing goal. But what I hope to establish in the next 28 days is a habit. A writing habit. Even if I don't reach the magical 50,000 word number, I aim to write everyday.

Every. Single. Day.

Well, after the first two days. As much as I would like to be 3,000 words into the new book, I can't. I'm about 1,000 into them, because the day job completely consumed the first two days of the month. Oh well, still got time.

I know Mr. Weddle is doing it. Anyone else?

4 comments:

angie Brooksby-Arcangioli said...

I am doing it off the record in order to complete a first draft. Nano has to start from zero to be valid, my draft is half complete, not acceptable by the NaNos. The writing habit is a good goal

Steve Weddle said...

Hey, man. You're further along than you were. Which is where you want to be.
I've ditched the word count thing already and I'm using my own system.
On TH I was at Code Purple.
On FR I was at Code Rutherford B. Hayes.
Today I aim for Code Tiger.
ROCK!

seana graham said...

Angie, you should check in at the Nanowrimo rebels thread. There are all kinds of ways people use this month now, and no one looks down on them.

pattinase (abbott) said...

Good luck, Scott! (And Steve)