NaNoWriMo Once More
In a few hours, the elusive National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo begins. This November tradition sets a goal of 50,000 words in 30 days on the same project. I wrote about my first experience in 2014: excitement here and 30,000 word failure here. In 2015, I dived right back in here, but barely made 7500 words by the end of the month. For 2016, I didn’t blog about it at all. I focused on beating 2015, which I barely accomplished with a total of 10,000 words.
So, why don’t I learn my lesson and abandon the torture of repetitive failure? For a few reasons:
1. Networking
I’ve met some amazing people through this program. It gets writers excited and we support each other with a higher dose of energy than any other time of year.
2. Forced Deadlines
It really helps productivity when you have a determined deadline with a crowd of people keeping you to it. For all of us writing in our spare time around our other jobs and responsibilities, it’s a huge boost in motivation to stick with it. Plus, this year, I have a my-publisher-expects-a-completed-book-two deadline.
3. Completion of Work
I have finished every project I worked on during NaNoWriMo.
2014 -> Tarbin’s True Heir is published.
2015 -> The Innkeeper’s Daughter: An Ella and Wink Story is searching for an agent.
2016 -> The Case of the Missing Dragon has been drafted and awaits a full revision.
2017 -> Tarbin’s False Prophet must be drafted. I have readers now. I can’t disappoint them.
What are my goals this year? 50,000 words, of course! But I’ll feel accomplished if I at least get 35,000, which will beat my previous record. I have gotten better at this turning the white page to pretty black symbols thing. So, maybe, just maybe, I’ll get that 50K this year.
Come on NaNoWriMo 2017. I’m ready for you.