#NaNoWriMo: The Key to Success

What is the key to success for NaNoWriMo?

This is the second biggest question in the universe!! (The first is "Doctor who?" -- and okay, it's really only the biggest question in the months of October and November, and for writers, but go with me.)

Here's my answer. Ready. It's going to change your life! CHANGE YOUR LIFE I SAY. To show it the best, let's turn to this lovely picture:

There are thousands of people who write books daily -- and none of these people write the same way. Some of us are plotters and some pantsers; some analyze every single sentence before they move on and others power through a whole entire book filled with crappy words. There is no one single right way to write a novel.

And while we know this, there's something about NaNo (especially if you are like me and hate failing at a goal that you want to achieve, and even more so if a prize is involved and everyone else is doing it!) that makes us feel like less of a writer if you don't try to write 50k words. Or worse, you try and fail.

This is wrong. And that's taken me a long time to come to grips with.

Even though there is one 'rule' of Nano -- which is to write 50k in a month -- that's not an actual requirement for success. I've done NaNo four times (this is four right now) and I've only won once. Only once. But does that mean the other times I tried and didn't write 50k words I failed? No.

That's because I do NaNo my way.

I know what works for me, my life, my schedule, my strengths. I know how best to achieve the goal before me.  I often feel like the years I didn't win were more important to me as a writer than the one I won.

The first time I did NaNo I wrote a lot of words, but not 50k. I was a brand-new baby writer and this seemed like a great idea. I learned a lot about my writing process that year, and even though I failed, I gained something useful. It was a very big learning experience--and now that book lives in a closet (It's so bad!) but the things I learned from that year changed the way I did the next book, and the next year of NaNo.

The second time, the year I won NaNo, I was a rebel and started a book that I was rewriting. (Follow Me Through Darkness, actually, revision 2 or 3 of 8!) I had an extraordinary amount of time to devote to it. I had clear direction with that story. I wanted to win and I had something to prove (mostly to myself) and so I dove in with everything I had. It was really hard, but I did it. I was so proud of myself that year, not necessarily for winning a prize (though it helped) but for accomplishing what I set out to accomplish.

The third time (last year) I tried NaNo and I had just started a new job, and I was in a new place and working on the sequel to FMTD. I'd already had 20k words before NaNo, and I was going to finish it. I didn't. In fact, I wrote 30k but they were so bad. I failed NaNo. Was I sad? Yes, because I really wanted to finish that book. But later I ended up sending that 50k to my editor --and she made me through that whole sequel out because it wasn't working. It was the wrong side of the story. So in the end, I was happy that I hadn't wasted even more time trying to force a book to work just so I could win NaNo.

This year, I wasn't going to do NaNo.
Even though I wanted to.

I didn't have time. I didn't want to lose myself in it. I didn't know what happened in Salt 2 so how could I write it? I made it exactly seven hours into Nov 1 and then I signed up. Why? Because I love NaNo because I like the other people involved. It makes me feel like I'm not alone. Plus, I'm competitive, so I watch all the other charts go up up up and I want mine to go up. (It brings out an ugly side of me.)

But this year I went in with my own goals: write 25k words.

That's all I want. 25k.

Realistically, I knew I didn't have that much time to devote to getting 50k words, but I needed the words and, again, I like the charts/competition/community feel of it. So I went into NaNo wanting that.

It's day 17 when you're reading this (day 14 when I'm writing it) and I have almost 16k words. Good words. Words that I will probably get to keep! And I still have half the month to get the other 10k words. The best part is that when it's over, I'll have a portion of my book. I didn't have that 14 days ago. I didn't even have an idea 14 days ago.

I say that's success.

What's the key then? Do it your way.

Screw the rules! Use this time to reach your own goals. Write an outline. 10k words. 25k words. That revision of the book that you had to finish a month ago...whatever it is for you. Set a realistic goal and then be okay that goal. Be proud of what you accomplish because you know yourself, your life and your schedule more than those organizers of NaNo know it. Use NaNo as an excuse to write and then write! 

I really think there's something magical about doing NaNoWriMo. It's a powerful thing to think about how many people participate (a lot) and that for this 30 days every single one of us are connected, driven and working toward the same goal with the same passion. 

Being part of that community?

That's success.

Dear NaNoWriMo....

Dearest NaNoWriMo:

Oh, NaNo, you bright, shiny tease of a possibility. It pains me to write this, but alas, it must be done.

We first met back in 2011. I had been writing for hardly a year. With my shiny new agent and  shiny new idea, I was pulled in by your siren's song. And I wrote--oh, how I wrote! The crap that poured forth from my fingers, over the keyboard, and is forevermore a part of my computer's now-rusty memory was prolific. Dear, sweet NaNo. What a flurry of words!

What an ever-loving mess.

Every year since, you've tempted me. Every year I swore I would write.

And for the past two years my promises have been for naught. Last year, I had a new job--two, actually--and not even the temptation of "winning" was enough to sacrifice the luxury of sleep. This year, I promised, promised!, things would be different. I touted your brilliance near and far. I made plans. 

Oh, how I've failed! You are now one-third past, but I have written nothing new.

Do you know what I have done, gentle NaNo? Do you know what I continue to do?

Yes, that is exactly right--I continue to work on that bit of temptation that I first began two years ago with you.

It is time for the truth my lovely--but the fault does not lie in you. No, those wild nights of flailing words, those days of walking through a land of dreams instead of, say, feeding one's children--what luxury! What temptation! But it is simply not for me.

No, my dear NaNo, mine is not the path of words vomited onto paper (or screen). No, neither the call of your public declarations nor the shame-induced productivity your progress bar portends tempts me this year.

So I will continue on, as I have done for many a day now. And I will write, not words in the thousands, but words with enough weight to stick on my page.

And when you come again next year....



Oh, who am I kidding? I'm TOTALLY doing NaNo next year.

NaNo: The Alluring Bitch

You know what I love about having friends who completely and without-question understand the need to write?

I get to hear/see comments like this that really and truly just make sense:

"NaNo is an alluring bitch and she takes a new victim."

These writing friends are also the very first to jump in line and tell you to DO IT. WRITE THAT BOOK NOW. Even though you have absolutely no time to do so. Even though you seriously need to finish the last book you've been revising first. Even though you now live in cramped quarters and have virtually no alone time for the foreseeable future.

And you know what? I appreciate that. I appreciate the craziness that NaNo creates, because, well, I like crazy.

So here we are, one year removed from when I very nearly finished my last novel and I'm itching to do NaNo once again. Maybe I want to feel the rush of writing an otherwise nearly impossible amount of words in a single month. Maybe I just want to remember what it feels like to create a brand new story, to see those characters that have been living only in my head for months to finally have a place of their own. Maybe all I want is a break from revising a book that I'm still very much in love with, but just can't seem to finish.

Whatever  the reason, I've made my decision. I'm going to do it. Will I strive for 50,000 words? Absolutely. Will I end up writing that many? Probably not, but I'm not too worried about it yet. I think I'm just more excited that it's November 1st and I am actually going to participate in NaNo again.

Hello, my name is Cindy, and I'm allowing NaNo to, once again, make me her bitch. I'm a:

Bring on the crazy!

 

To Listen or Not to Listen? Part Two

Yesterday, Danielle wrote an awesome post about Shiny New Ideas and how hard it is to ignore them (even though it's usually the right thing to do!)

Continuing her topic, I wanted to talk about those times when you should listen to those Shiny New Ideas! Quick disclaimer: Unfortunately, like everything in writing, I can only tell you about my own experiences. Please don't take anything I say here as a promise of a magical solution, only you can truly answer the question about whether or not it is right for you to listen to the Shiny New Ideas that are lurking somewhere between pages 50-100 of your current WIP!

Until recently, I have always subscribed to the idea that right way to handle Shiny New Ideas was to jot them down in their most basic form and then desperately attempt to ignore them while they drive you to distraction with promises of complex, complete plots and deep, multidimensional characters. And when your current WIP is starting to feel stalled out and never-ending like this:

 

It's just that much harder to ignore an idea that feels like this:

This is exactly where I am this week. 10K into my draft of PLETHORA I had a great idea. A different story, with different characters, and countless ideas for scenes. But I was committed to my current WIP, it was a story I needed to tell and I could see this Shiny New for what it was ... a distraction. It is a good idea and I will definitely add it to my queue for future projects, but it was not something I was willing to let interfere with my long-term relationship with PLETHORA. 

But then it REALLY happened... 25K into my draft and things started to get overly complicated. I found myself sitting on the floor, surrounded by piles of subplots and MIA characters. And then I heard it... a conversation between two characters that were NOT from my current book. But they were interesting, and they were snarky, and most importantly THEY WERE TALKING! So I listened, and they kept talking, and the more I figured out about their story the more I loved it. It is completely different from my current WIP, it was simple and fun and had a complete, linear plot that came to me fully laid-out. It had a bittersweet, heart-wrenching romantic ending that I instantly fell in love with.

So after a few days of SQUEEing to myself about it, I decided to tell one of my CPs and my sisters about the idea. And ALL of the conversations started with them chastising me for letting myself get distracted by ANOTHER Shiny New. But then they heard the SHINY NEW IDEA. All of them loved it. And suddenly I was unsure of what to do next.

My options were:

1) Stay the course. Write it down. Ignore it. Come back to it after finishing current WIP.

2) Drop current WIP like yesterday's jam (bonus points if you get this joke) and run off into the sunset with SHINY NEW IDEA.

...OR...

3) Work on both books at once.

Now I'm going to be honest here, when I first considered this idea, it made me feel a little like this guy:

Writing a book is a LOT like a long-term relationship, you are dedicating a significant chunk of your time on this planet to loving and nurturing it. You will have moments of great joyful happy dancing and moments where you're so frustrated you want just want to cry. You will celebrate milestone and anniversaries with it. You will have fights about the way things are supposed to be and end up not talking for a few days, followed by a make-up session where you write the best scene of the book. It takes up all of your spare time, thoughts, and energy. 

So why, oh, why, would anyone work take on TWO of these book relationships at once?! 

But then I started thinking about my writing process. I love my writing, I love my characters and my stories, and I love the fact that I get so many Shiny New Ideas. But I think the real reason I get them so frequently is because I get bored with focusing all my energy on one story. I pretty much always have many different stories going on in my head at any given time and when I try to block them all but one, my brain gets bored and uncooperative and just shuts down.

Crazy person that I am, I've decided to try it! My hope is that this way I can be thinking about one book and when I get to that point where my brain doesn't want to think about that anymore, I can just switch to the other book and not feel guilty about changing tracks. I'm particularly excited about trying this now because these two particular stories have the main ingredients for being a perfect match: 1) they are different genres, plot styles, and POVs, and 2) I would be happy to finish either of them, so I'm not concerned about one book getting more attention than the other.

I think the moral of the story is this: Until you know what your ideal writing process is, it's important to try new techniques and tricks when you feel like things aren't working. Because if you don't keep trying new things, it's unlikely you'll find the thing that works.

So tell me: Have you ever worked on two projects at once? Any advice? Do you think I'm crazy for trying this? What is the writing process that works best for you?

NaNoWriMo: Week 1 in Review

My original plan was to pop in on Wednesdays in November and regale you with how many words I've written since you heard from me last. But then I realized that I'm kind of behind (not by A LOT, but still) and even though it's only been a week I'm already feel the Week 2 blues, so let's talk about something else. (If you're feeling cheated, you can always check my progress here! Just need to remind me to update it! :)

One of the best pieces of advice I heard going into NaNoWriMo was: Have fun! Don't kill yourself over it! Make sure to do non-writing activities! 

And I have followed this advice SPECTACULARLY! In the past week, here are the non-writing fun things I've done:

I watched some fantastic TV (a HUGE cut from the number of shows I usually watch! See? I'm being good!) 

 

Ok, since it's just us friends here, I'll be honest: I also watched some re-runs of these! (But they're SO GOOD! And for those of you about to have a seizure: No I am not putting Felicity on the same level of awesome as Doctor Who, I just happened to watch them both this week...)

 

I went out with the hubby and ate some YUMMY food:

We also went to the movies and saw (which was hilarious and full of Neil Patrick Harris-y goodness!):

I have been to the grocery store three times, the gas station twice, and a lovely, local Christmas bazaar once. The bazaar was my favorite because I got THESE!

How was your week? Are you surviving enjoying NaNoWriMo? Any other writing news to share? Any non-writing adventures to tell us about? Have you seen A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas? How badly do you want a WAFFLE-BOT now!?

Monday Check-In

Welcome to another installment of the Monday Check-In! Every Monday we'll post small updates on what we've accomplished in the past week with writing. If we've gotten a lot done, or accomplished some of our goals, we cheer each other on. If we've not gotten enough done, or are in  writing slump, we still cheer each other on. Sometimes you just need someone to remind you that you really can do it, right? 

So without further adieu, here is our check-in for this week:

Danielle's Check-In: NaNoWriMo is going well! I've written 10K in 5 days. I'm very excited with how everything is moving. I did discover a problem with my timeline in the story, but I'm plotting it out on the wall with post-its and hoping to figure that out so I can move forward without issues. But I'm loving writing so far this month. I missed being in that place where it's all you can think about and the consumption is a great feeling!!

Christina's Check-In: I finished one chapter this week. I was hoping to get two done, but this was a pretty long chapter, so I'm okay with it. I'm not doing NaNoWriMo, but I'm hoping to get lots written this month. This week I plan on fixing my plot outline and writing another chapter or two.

Cindy's Check-In: I'm also not doing NaNoWriMo because I'm trying to finish up revisions to my rewrite. I lost power for a few days due to the crazy October snowstorm that took a million people out of electricity last week. It kind of sucked not having internet or really having a good place to write when our generator could only power up so many things at one time, but it was also kind of nice to have some space from it. I had lots of time to think about where this story really needs to go and have been unable to stop thinking about the things that need fixing. Over the days that I did have power, I got a good amount of revisions done and I'm actually thinking (HOPING!) I'll be done with this round of revisions by Sunday night. 

What about you? We'd love to hear how your last week in writing went. Please leave us a comment to let us know.

Overload: Day 3

This post is going to be a random assortment of random things. Why? Well, I'm having one of those days. And these are fun for me. This post is called "Overload" for a reason: It's how your brain feels on day 3 of NaNoWriMo. Why? Because you're looking at ALL THE THINGS you have to do and you're slightly freaking out at word counts, at plots, at the number of days that remain and OMG what happens now? Anyone else...?


Let the randomness ensue...

1) This song. I like it and it's stuck in my head and wanted to share it. It really inspires me to write a post about world building. I'll probably do that soon. Stay tuned. (Note: I love/hate world-building.)



2) This morning at work all the things were broken! (and they keep breaking. They're overloaded) ALL THE THINGS. The phone, the internet (someone typed google into google!!*), the scheduling system--and one of the PTs called out sick. It was mass chaos for about ten minutes. And then, it was quiet.

It was quiet and I had nothing I could do. No internet to distract me. No twitter. Only Patricia--who was at work, working. She let me toss out some plot ideas with her. And for two hours, I got to think about plot and about my character and about what is supposed to happen in the next scene. Sometimes those next scenes are killer.

So I started plotting.

I made a list of all the things that need to happen still in the book. The big things. And then I thought about where my characters are and where they are going. How will they get there? I picked two things that could happen first--whether they have an importance now or later--and now there's a scene awaiting when I get home. I'm pretty pumped about. Everything's about hit the fan in my WIP.

3) Here's a line from my WIP.

I’m going to die today.

Everything inside me wants tell Xenith I changed my mind. Wants me to run and hide. But I know I can’t hide from death. Not when I’m putting myself right in its path.

4) Go read this interview with debut author Jennifer Rush (Altered, 2012). It's a character interview--and her boys are HOT. And funny. Everything mine strive to be.


5) I'm very excited to write tonight. I love when I'm excited because it's GREAT motivation to write scenes well. Which is different than just writing scenes, even for Nano. (Be my buddy!! @DanielleEWrites)

I need to go now. I've had a lot of Skittles today and my brain is overloaded by the work I'm not doing and should be.

What about you? What are you doing this week? Are you overloaded by anything? Do you want a Skittle?

*This reference is because of the show The IT Crowd. You should watch it. I love it--and love to quote it more. It's on Netflix and is (seriously) a 24 episode commitment--and they're only 30 minutes each.

NaNoWriMo: Day 2

Hey guys! Welcome to the craziness that is National Novel Writing Month! (If you love to write, but have no idea what I'm talking about, you can learn all about it here.)

If you missed yesterday's post by Danielle, I highly recommend you take a minute to check it out, it had some fantastic (and hilarious) NaNoWriMo resources!

Photo Credit: http://bit.ly/sWGjOD

For the next 29 days, things are going to be pretty much insane for all of us attempting this crazy-fun-exhilarating feat! (emphasis on the crazy...) My posts are pretty much going to consist of a quick update of how I'm doing or whatever else I can figure out in the 30 minutes I have scheduled for a break in the evening. I apologize in advance for their scatter-brain-dead-ness. All available writing brain power has been diverted to my WIP for the month of November.

This year I am going to be attempting to finish a first draft of my current WIP, PLETHORA. Technically, since I've already started it I'm a "rebel". Or not, since it's looking more and more likely that I'll be starting from scratch. Either way, I'm really hoping to get the majority of a first draft out of this month and hope you will all be here to cheer me on. I'm going to need it! 

And if you are going to be NaNo-ing add me on the site (my profile is here: http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/participants/patriciaeriley) and we'll cheer each other on! 

So without further ado, here is my Day 2 AM Update:

Photo Credit: Pinterest.com

Last night I wrote 1884 words. And they were terrible and wonderful at the same time. I'm still feeling pretty excited about the whole process and the breakthroughs I've made on the plot of my WIP recently. At the same time, I'm already looking forward to editing this mess. The not-editing part is my biggest challenge so far! Also, I found this picture which is almost exactly like the tattoo I envision my character having. So far I've still managed to shower, eat, take care of my family, and do my day job. But then again... it's the morning of Day 2...

Are you doing NaNoWriMo? Any tips or tricks you can share with me? If not, what are your November plans? Do you have any extra coffee/tea/soda/candy/cookies/cake I can borrow? Or some hours for sleep?... I could really use with some of those...

It's November!!!

Our lovely Cindy had today's post....but she's been without power and the things in life (like internet) since Saturday. So, I decided I'd jump in and say hello.

HOLY CRAP FRIENDS---It's NOVEMBER. It means a few things.

We're getting closer to this.... 

 And THIS (One of my favorites)....

 And this.....

And these things, which may not be as fun as the others....

And for some people, November also means NaNoWriMo. Which may be fun or not fun, depending on your view. But something that is fun about NaNo? This silly song.




There's also this great video from John Green. AND this post from Rachel Hawkins (Hex Hall) in which she congratulates writers for participating---or not participating---in NaNo. 

The whole point of this random post is to say Welcome to November.   It's a new month. A new time to find something to focus on, to achieve and to look forward to the things that are coming up. The Tangled Girls are excited to spend another month with you talking about writing, goals and all the things in between.

Let us know what you're up to for November!!

Some Things You Should Know About NANOWRIMO

November is the bane (or joy) of every writer's existence. It's the time when nation-wide, all the people buckle down and attempt to write 50,000 words of a novel. Some authors/writers/agents/etc love NaNoWriMo. (National Novel Writing Month) Some hate it. Some have no opinions--at least none they're willing to voice.

Whatever your opinion of NaNoWriMo, it doesn't matter. It's a GREAT challenge for anyone who calls him/herself a writer.

Why? Quite simply: it makes you write.

There's a way to track your progress in pretty little charts. Other people get to actually see what you're doing and if you're writing. There's encouragement, accountability, persistence--all the things we talk about on Tangled. Sometimes, you won't finish--because 50K in 30 days is kind of crazy. Honestly. When we attempt it, we're basically saying "I have no experience in hiking but I'm going to climb this mountain and not die." Especially when you have other things going on in your life.

But there's something about attempting that's so fulfilling. And then, on the off chance you succeed---well. That's just about one of the coolest things ever.

Last year was my first year doing NaNoWriMo. And guess what? I won! *insert happy dance here* The problem with that is when I look my life this year, I'm not quite sure that I will win again. There's just so much going on with school, work, life, and all the things in between. I know the odds of me winning  have decreased. I know it will be a treacherous hike. I know that I have a massive 10-12 page paper, plus my normal homework, plus the Spooktacular all happening in the next three weeks.

Maybe attempting NaNo is already labelled a disaster. But you know what? I don't even care!

So why am I telling you all this? A few reasons.

1) Patricia and I are both doing NaNo. We'll be talking about it on the blog through November. If you are participating, you should add us! We want to connect with you. I'm @danielleewrites on NaNo site and Patricia is @patriciaeriley.

2) Even if you don't participate, there's still A TON of good writing advice out there about NaNo and writing and all the things in between. Here are some things I found last year that you may find useful, encouraging and challenging whether you're doing NaNo or not.

Writing Prep for NaNoWriMo from Persephone Magazine
Rules for Writers from the late L.K. Madigan (Mermaid's Mirror, Flash Burnout)
You Gotta Believe from Myra McEntire (Hourglass)
My Pro-NaNo Rant from Julie Kagawa (The Iron Fey series)
Remember to Suck from poet E. Kristen Anderson
Why NaNoWriMo Rocks My Life by Courtney Allison Moulton (Angelfire)

3) It makes you think about what you want, when you want to do it and how you will accomplish it. We do weekly check-ins, but think of this is a monthly check-in. Set a goal and do everything you can to achieve it. Even if it seems crazy. It may be crazy, but that doesn't mean it won't be fun.

4) I really wanted an excuse to post this video. Because I love it. So much.




Are you participating in NaNo? If so, leave us your username so we can find each other!

What are some goals you have for November?