So what did I learn from NaNo? Um, I'm crazy. Dos, I really need more time to stew on my characters before I just delve in. I normally do dive right in, but I don't have to get so many words in a certain time frame. I can slow down and speed up as the writing flows. Oh, but not during NaNo. It's a writingapalooza. C) brainstormage is good. Helped me through some rough patches.
I'm happy to report that I didn't use a single song lyric, ten-word name, or cell phone convo between two characters who know everything about each other. Not that I'm better than you if you did. But that's not how I NaNo. I wanted something I could continue to work on after November, something I could edit and revise over the next several months and not hate myself for forgetting that I put "100 bottles of beer" in there just to get the words.
Officially, I wrote 73,788 words during the month of November. Holy lotta words, Batman. I've never written that much in a month. That's like three (okay four) months of writing for me. It really helped that I had five entire days off in a row. I don't think I did anything on Saturday except write. And write. And write. Sometimes that's okay (nice, even), but I need balance in my life. So back to writing on the side.I'm actually sorta sad it's over (and that shows my psychosis more than anything). Now what am I gonna use to motivate me? My own pathetic self? I don't think so. Good thing I have writerly friends...with goals they'll let me latch on to as if they were my own.
11 comments:
Congratulations!! That's a big deal. My two day stint with NaNo has made me respect all who can accomplish it. Tell Eliza I'm sorry I didn't have any pink Starburst. She was REALLY mad at me. Good thing I was just substituting yesterday. I don't think I can show my face in that class again.
To the previous commentator: Personally, I wouldn't pick a fight over pink Starburst. Yellow, on the other hand . . . :D
Elana, CONGRATULATIONS!! YIPPEEE!!! HOLY 73,788 WORDS!!! You didn't just NaNo - YOU NANOED!!!
When I won NaNo last year, I literally quit writing in the middle of a paragraph when I saw that I had hit 50K. It was, like, 11:00 on the 30th. Not so for Elana the NaNo Queen.
Sorry, I shouldn't gush so much. I'm just way impressed. Happy writing and revising! :)
Megan, yeah, Eliza had a small mental breakdown. Luckily, when I opened the blue starburst, it was really purple (blueberry). Phew. That saved the day.
Jennifer, um, I sorta cheated on NaNo. I wrote the 50 K on a new novel, just like the rules of NaNo say. When I "finished" last week, I started something else. I just couldn't keep up with that story. The characters were driving me nuts, and I didn't know where to go next. Yanno, my plotting issues...so that's why my word count jumped so much at the end.
Congrats! That's a huge word count. I NaNoed last year (and actually won), but I didn't do it this year.
Congratulations! What an amazing accomplishment...be proud, be ecstatic, get a good night's sleep!
This is what you then need to do to maintain your sanity. Take a paint roller, dip it in lime green paint, hold the roller by your teeth, crawl on all fours and strafe the lower wall on all four sides of your room while giggling like a mad dawg. After you're done, you watch the paint dry, giggling some more while eating Doritos.
So proud of you with alllll those words. And it is most certainly NOT cheating to start a new project. Especially since there wasn't a single song lyric in sight... ;-)
Over 70,000 words in a month? I think I need to go jump out a window now. Yeesh.
Holy $@*$! I almost fell on the floor when I read your final word count (luckily I was sitting down already.)! CONGRATULATIONS! That is just insanely awesome!
Yay, wordcount!
And *sniff* if you don't like my sarcastic and ridiculous wordcount inflating suggestions just say so! *snort*
LOL Heather. I loved it! *snort*
Carrie, no windows. I jumped through a sliding glass door once, maybe that's why I am the way I am...It only happened because I didn't do anything else over the holidays. Like seriously. I'd tell you more, but that would be TMI. :D
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