I feel like I’m always making excuses for being behind on my writing goals. But to be fair, I don’t know very many many authors who aren’t, so there you have it lol.
Here’s a breakdown of my very first NaNoWriMo experience:
I set my goal way to high — kind of on purpose, kind of not. A part of me wanted to set a completely outrageous word count goal, just because if I reach even half of it then it’s still a win. I mean, lets face it, I’ve slacked off on my writing this year… more so than I have in the last six years, so any progress at all is huge for me right now!!! Part of me knew that setting an 80k word goal was kind of silly, when really 50k is recommended — and that’s a stretch.
We’re halfway into the month and I’m just shy of 10k words!! NOT. EVEN. CLOSE.
Not only did my family get the stomach flu, which put a complete kibosh on everything I should have accomplished so far, but I also booked tickets to Disney on Ice for this weekend, AND my daughters birthday is right in the middle of the busy holiday week. Talk about slaughtering any hope of catching up — even a fraction of the way — my NaNo profile is doomed.
HOWEVER, I’ll still plug away at what I can when I can. I also still consider the entire thing a win and here’s why:
It’s gotten me back into the groove of things! I finally feel like my head is exactly where it needs to be. I LOVE my book-to-be in every way. It’s light and fun and sarcastic and the very type of writing that I needed to pull myself back into the line of publishing what I’m meant to publish. I have the entire novel plotted, the scene is set, and my characters are outlined. This is my first time writing a Romantic Comedy and I’m enjoying it SO MUCH! I can’t even describe how much this book is shaping my intentions for the future.
In the past, I’ve written mostly psychological stuff, which I also love, but the character attachment issues that come with creating such books is just not something I’m in a place to withstand right now. Writing characters that are lighthearted is just the ticket to keep my spirits up and my wits at their best!
Because of all this, I think NaNoWriMo 2019 is a WIN WIN WIN… despite my word count failures lol.
So, keep at it NaNo warriors! I can’t wait to see what this season brings about for us all!!
Didi Oviatt -Author 
I like your positive attitude!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you! 🤩
LikeLike
“A part of me wanted to set a completely outrageous word count goal, just because if I reach even half of it then it’s still a win.” That was totally my mind set for last NaNo. I set my goal for 50,000, but I wasn’t really expecting to actually reach it, especially since I tend to write 500-700 words per chapter. But I was very happy to end NaNo at 20,000+ words. That was a big win as far as I was concerned. 😀 I’m hoping to hit at least 30,000 this time around.
“I finally feel like my head is exactly where it needs to be. I LOVE my book-to-be in every way. It’s light and fun and sarcastic…” I’m so happy for you! 😀 That has to be one of the best feelings….to love and really enjoy the story you’re writing.
I’m also in a very happy place with my NaNo story. I love my characters, especially my two MCs. I’m having so much fun setting up future conflicts that are based on their current interactions. (Gah! That sounds like a tangled up mouthful, but I’m tired and that’s the best way I could think of to phrase it. 😆 )
My Internal Editor, however, is displeased (as usual). He thinks that my two main characters sound far too mature for their supposedly young age. I tried to wave him off with an offhanded “Upbringing. It’s all about their upbringing.” comment. But that didn’t reassure him at all. I had to give him a new jumbo-sized bag of Reeses’ peanut butter cups and a promise to fix it when I reach the end just to calm him down. He gets angsty about a great many things.
I feel like this is a very long comment. So, I think I’ll end it now. 😉 Wishing you all the best through the rest of NaNoWriMo!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Lol I love long comments! My inner editor is in hibernation for the winter. All bets are off here 🤣🤣
Isn’t so much funnier when you love your MCs?! I’m so excited that we’re both writing something fun and mostly upbeat! Its refreshing!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Make sure that your inner editor is well stocked with food and such. Otherwise, he might try to escape. 😆
And I absolutely agree that it’s a lot ore fun to write when you love your MCs. I especially love my main female character, May Rose. She is such a spitfire. It’s easy to see where her descendent in my non-NaNo WIP got her personality from. 😀
LikeLike
I’ve completed NaNo twice. Once in 2012 and again in 2019. The trick is to get ahead of the curve and write as much as you can in the first two weeks.
However, even if you don’t complete NaNo, just to get into the writing groove is good :).
LikeLiked by 1 person
Good move!! Perfect for me, I’m not much for stamina, but very strong out the gate 🤣. Dispite my fail, I’m still going for it again next year!
Good for you to give it a go again after such a break ❤ I’m willing to bet your book is beautiful!! 🤩
LikeLike
Aw thank you… I’m not sure it will be that good. I wrote it as SoC and it was more for a personal challenge rather than for publication. We will see 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
❤❤
LikeLike