Skip to main content

No, No Nano

I had never heard of Nano (National Novel Writing Month) until this year. For those of you who don't know, you better ask somebody.

Well, since you asked, I'll tell you. It's insanity, that's what it is. The goal is to write 50,000 words - the equivalent of 175 pages -- in the month of November.

I didn't sign up to officially participate, but figured I would write the approximate 1500 words per day in an attempt to finish my manuscript before Christmas. I thought it would be such great motivation, knowing that other writers out there were sitting at their laptops and pounding the keys, forming sentences and paragraphs and scenes.

But I'm behind already and considering the wave of a white towel. I'd written 1500 words by this morning and proceeded to quickly delete the crappy half this afternoon.

I think that November is a sucky month for writing - November 1st, particularly, is really not the best day to start doing anything. Whether you were in a sugar coma from all the Halloween candy or hungover from twenty jello shots (as was the case with me) I just cannot imagine that yesterday was a productive day for anyone. If you were productive, then I want to tell you where to stick it that I am happy for you.

If I could count blog entries, emails, and facebook status updates, then I might actually be on track to hit 50,000 words by the end of the month.

I'm off to sulk. I'm all crusty nosed from being out in the cold at the Louisville football on Saturday and I feel like someone punched me in the liver. Take your 3000 plus words and shove them up your ass, Nano participants.

Yes, I am a little envious. No, I don't really want you to shove anything up your ass, unless you're into that, in which case I have no problem with the shoving of whatever your little hearts desire, except gerbils, because that's animal cruelty.

Comments

carissajaded said…
Props to you for even trying! I keep reading about people who are doing this, and I just don't know how people have the time.. much less the inspiration. I write when I feel it... and as soon as I commit to something it gets ridiculously more difficult.
Jenni Bailey said…
Well kudos to you for even signing up. It can be good to try new things. And if you could resist the urge to delete the crappiest of crap that comes out of your brain I think you've got a fighting chance. The whole thing is that some people (myself included) just cannot get on board with the "quantity over quality" thing. It does NOT compute.

I'll just take my time, thankyouverymuch, and join all the other fab non-Nanoers.
saucyminx410 said…
I've heard of this challenge before my creative writing prof. was super into it when I was in college and tried to get everyone to sign up then - I too think it sounds like insanity. I think the only way for the average joe to get it done is to just write free-flowingly without taking time to go back, restructure, and edit until all the words are done. I would love to try it myself sometime - but I think you're right - the months of November and December should not be the months for such tasks- January perhaps- after the holidays when there's nothing else to do but be cold and full from too much Christmas yumminess!
Wendy Sparrow said…
I think some writing styles are just more prone to productivity in this situation. If you're in the middle of an actual project--Nano might be more frustrating than exciting. If I had a WIP that I was moving on, I don't think I'd have tried NaNo.

Your post made me laugh, btw. As did my word verification: rembrum. (It reminds me of the "Shining" and "redrum"--if someone who'd over-done it on sugar or jello shots was saying it.)
Elana Johnson said…
You could do NaNoWriMoLite, something I recently heard a friend say. Set a word goal that would be difficult for you, say 25,000 words. Then aim for that.

Good luck!
if blogs, facebook or random message boards were books i'd totally reach my reading goal.
Tina Lynn said…
*wipes Dr. Pepper off monitor* Nice, Amber! That's all I can say. Nice.
Deb Markanton said…
Hahahaha! Yeah, I signed up at the last minute for NaNo. Only because I have this disease called Can't Stop Self-Editing. I'm hoping that in the attempt to regurgitate 50,000 words, I'll succumb and just let any old thing spew from my laptop.
Wish me luck. I personally don't think I'll make it. LOL
sj said…
Good job for trying!

I agree. November is a sucky month. I like Thanksgiving and all, but December is where it's at!
jayme said…
crusty nosed? ewwie.

Popular posts from this blog

in which i have a birthday and a giveaway

The blogger as a child. p.s. it's my birthday. And people at Starbucks like me. (I did get this for free, but it was not for the benefit of my blog.)  (Obvi, it was a gift .) There's a cupcake in that box! There's a hazelnut latte in that cup! In other news, I'm having a 100 Followers/ It's my birthday giveaway. You should enter. I'm giving away the following goodies: 1. A $25.00 VISA giftcard. 2. An original poem, which will be hadwritten and autographed on pretty paper. It might be about love, about being a writer, or maybe the winner will be able to choose the topic. We shall see. This giveaway is a bit seatofthepantsspice. 3. A frame from my wedding day. In fact, this very frame: 4. A mystery. The fourth goodie will be a surprise until you open the package! 5. The whopper: I will dedicate a karaoke song to you, personally, and put it on my blog, vlogger style. If you want to enter this smashing contest: leave a comment. 1 entry if you follow and comme...

possessive

I watched Hoarders last night. During the first commercial break, I dared to look around my living room and I thought, oh holy mother of four-letter-word. Color me cluttered. Yes, it's true that most of my mess is hidden and collecting dust in the dark, but I know what's there -- like the 100+ VHS tapes in my bookshelf/ media cabinet, for instance. Yes, I love knowing that should I desire to watch my old school copy of Riding in Cars with Boys or Girls Just Wanna Have Fun or The Royal Tenembaums or Serendipity or Ghost World or Memento or... okay. You get the picture. It's there. If I wanted it, it would be right there. Also semi-hidden? Probaby 50+ copies of this weekly magazine from the late 1960's - early 1970's called Story of Life. My grandma gave them to me. Have I cracked the cover of even one issue? Hell to the no. I don't have time for that type of nostalgia. Plus, I can't even find a link for it with a quick google search. Something tha...

First Page Blogfester

Preface: TGIF. It has been a day. So. I'm participating in the First Page Blogfest in which writers around the blogosphere post the opening 24 lines of their WIP. (In a "real" book, this is the approximate amount of work that would appear on page 1!) This blogfest is being headed up by Kelly over at Kelly's Compositions . Please check out the other entries and leave them a comment on their work. My own WIP will be featured on Roni's Beta Club next week, and I chose an excerpt from the beginning one chapter one for critque over there, so today I'll give you the true beginning: the opening lines of my prologue. Here goes nothing. My working title is A SAD SONG IN A FLAT KEY Genre: Literary Fictionspice Prologue May 2005      Laurel sits Indian style. She faces the head of her bed and tries to focus on Cafe Terrace at Night, pretending it is priceless artwork instead of a cheap replica. She counts the tables first, and the...