Okay, so this past week I decided I really, really needed to buckle down and get some writing done on the ole NaNo novel (Elemental Hunger, hereafter referred to as EH). I deleted 27,000 words from the monster last week. That was about 95 pages.Yeouch.
So I needed some lovelies to fill the now-blank pages. One day I wrote 1200 words and I was so proud! I hadn't written anything new in about two weeks. But I didn't write anything else for a few days. I needed some motivation. #wordathon came up on twitter. So I joined for the weekend with random strangers all over the world who were going to write.
And I wrote 9868 words!
Wow, it's amazing what I can do when there's a focus, a competition or someone else I have to report to. Or I can justify twittering...ahem.
But...there's always a downside with me. I haven't written a single word since 6 PM Sunday night. I'm one of those all-or-nothing girls. Or something.
So here's my (maybe not-so-) brilliant idea. Who out there wants to commit to writing with me? I'm thinking along the lines of Bobby Flay's Throwdown, where he claims he can out-do anyone's recipe. Sorta like that, where we claim we can write right alongside the best of them. We could be accountable to each other, report in on what we're doing, rally around to support, that kind of thing. I'm thinking of something I did with a group of people way back in the fall of last year. The challenge was to write 1000 words a day. We reported to each other (nearly) every day in a forum on Rally Storm (which is free and easy to join).
Now, 1000 words a day might be a little steep for me at the moment. Heck, anything over zero seems steep at the moment. But I'm thinking more like 500. Even people who aren't currently writing could join the fun. If you're editing, maybe your goal is to edit 10 pages a day. Or whatever. And maybe we can commit to this for the next 30 days.
The point is to get my own butt in gear and finish this darn thing up. I'm sitting at about 60 K and heading into the climax. Maybe if I have some of you to report to, I'll feel the pressure more. Cuz right now there's no pressure. I can read blogs all day without consequences, sit and wait for someone to post on my forums and then pounce, or read another 50 ABNA entries.
And we all know that's got to change. *snarf* No, really. It does.
So leave me a comment if you're interested. If the crickets show up today, I'll back away slowly to my safe place inside my head, 'kay? But maybe, just maybe, I'll create a forum on Rally where we can offer support and encouragement. And do some actual writing. ("Writing Throwdown" is sounding like a really kewl forum name...)
Yes?
26 comments:
Oooh! I want to play! But I can't come out for another week. :( *wink*
I will. :) I haven't had a proper writing day in a while. I'm an all-or-nothing girl too. I'm either not in a mood to write or I can't stop.
I'm sitting at 36k and have to keep thinking of ways to make it longer. Afraid that it's going to be too short.
Count us in! We're in edit mode now, but we're mainly adding content, so I'm not sure if we should have a goal of pages to edit or new words to write.
Whatever, just let us know how it will work. Our goal is to wrap up these edits by May 1...
I'm very interested in this! I need to get motivated too and 500 words sounds feasible. I'm a bit of an all or nothing girl myself... When doing nano last November, I got 58k in two weeks. Granted, my husband had kindly taken full control of household and kids when he got home from work in order for me to accomplish that... The point is that having that goal to "win" nano and keeping pace with a friend who was also working on a novel pushed me to want to do it. I guess I have a bit of a competitive streak.
I'll accept your throwdown challenge. As a total newbie to this whole writing thing, it will be good for me to get in the habit of writing (something, anything!) every day. So, you're on!
Sure. Sounds like fun. :)
I'm in! I have a huge chunk of my WIP I have to whack out, and I really need to crank on it myself. So if you want someone to write 500 words a day with, count me in. It just might be the motivation I need to get stuff done.
Woot, woot! Thanks for all the love, writerly friends! We are so going to kill our WiP's... :)
I'm so in! This may lead to more sleep deprived nights, but I'm all about another motivator.
In edit/revision mode on one project, but only have about 26K on another.
Bring it on, baby!
Oooh, I loved when we did the 1K words a day challenge! I would totally be in, although mine would be more on the editing side of things for now:)
I'm doing a Book in a Month challenge right now, and my goal is to finish my rough draft by April 30. Unfortunately, I'm right with you on the whole "Anything over 0 seems steep" deal, and I've hardly written anything. This sounds like just the extra push I need to get the thing going.
I'll need to write more like 1K to 1500 a day or something if I want to have a prayer of meeting my goal, but 500 sounds more realistic. :D Anyway, count me in. :)
I am SO in! I am in LOVE with my new book and I have been so busy doing random other things that I have been putting it aside and just writing it in my head!
my head does not up my word count you see...
So let's do it!
Definitely interested! I'm always looking for motivation (read a good ass whupping!). Hard to commit to daily goals as my schedule sometimes makes writing impossible, but I'm still interested in playing.
I'm in the same situation as Lisa and Laura; I'm both writing new scenes and editing old ones. I'm not sure what would be a reasonable daily quota for that situation.
Oh, me me!
I was just talking to my friend about how the impending edit of my wip HOUND is killing my mojo for working on my other wip.
Count me in.
Oh, what the heck. I'll play. I can work on two projects at once!
I feel like I shouldn't commit to any more activities right now, but I'll do it. I have new scenes to write for my wip.
In one of my writing groups, the rule is you have to write 1k a week. It works out pretty well.
My problem isn't writing so much as editing. I would love to edit along with the writing, but sometimes it results in less of a word count. How can I join while in editing mode?
Count me in girl! I'm up for some good ol' fashion wrastlin'
Oh! Can I play? Chemo-brain sometimes puts a cap on my wpd, but I could definitely go for a weekly count. Lemme know!
Count me in.
NaNo WiP is sitting at 27K... I'm stuck in The Middle and trying to outline my way out... have sketched some scenes but now time to put flesh on them! And, The Day Job is eating my brain. And my evenings. Uh, put me down for 500 per day.
Count me in - A few twitters and I were going play in another #wordathon...so...I am SO IN!!! (nothin' to do but write most of the weekend!!!)
I'm in, Elana! I need a good kick in the butt, too, for both editing and writing. :-)
(My wordver is "irentene." Character name, perhaps? ;-) )
I'm in! I have a WIP that I've been ignoring.
coll
I'm in. I have a WIP that I need to get back to.
You'll have to tell me exactly what I need to do since I'm a bit computer challenged. Oh, I don't tweet -- I hope that's not required.
I can't remember my google password so I have to post anonymous but I'm Colleen Rowan Kosinski
Ooo! Tempting... I think I might have to join in the fun.
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