Yaaaaayyyy! Par-tay!
Current NaNoWriMo Wordcount: 50,048
Last Line of Dialogue: "Get out of there!" Finn yelled, and the leishy* lifted its head, jaw swinging, and looked straight at him.
Last Sentence: Gryce and Thorne took the opportunity to retreat, running backwards towards the Quicksilver Forest.
Ta-da! :D So I made 50K shortly after my last post ... oh, and then I got a phone call and a job offer! So all in all, it's been a pretty sweet day.
This is my 6th year of taking part in NaNo, and only my 2nd win. I have, however, noticed a correlation: the last time I won, in 2010, I was writing the back story for one of my already established characters. It was never intended to be something I would want to publish: I just liked the character, and as I'd given him a lot of history that would never actually feature in the novel, I wanted to explore his early life for a bit ... because I could. And this NaNo was the same; it was never intended as a serious first draft, I was just playing.
Anyway. I think, especially in the last couple of years, I've got a bit hung up on the idea of writing to be published. If writing is the only thing I'm any good at, it makes sense to make that my career; but that puts a lot of pressure on my already perfectionist nature, and nothing I did ever felt like it was good enough (you have no idea how many different beginnings Somnium has. If I ever do make it big one day, those opening chapters can all be auctioned for charity! XD).
I think what I need to do is have a tiny bit more faith in myself, and start writing for fun again. Write the stories I want to hear, and ignore that nasty little voice that says they're no good, or cliche, or poorly written. Not everyone will like what I write: that's a fact of life. I don't like Twilight, for example, but there are millions of people who do. Basically: don't try and please everyone, and don't feel like a failure just because I'm 27 and not yet a published author. There is no need to force it. The world will not end. If my characters are happy with how their story has been told, then I'm happy. Theirs is the only opinion that matters to me.
Another thing I've learnt this month is: write for a certain amount of time, not a certain amount of words. Ben 100% saved NaNo for me by suggesting that I just sit down and write for 20 minutes. I did, and I suddenly found that I had 600 words. Up until that point, I had always worked by telling myself how many words I had to write that day and not stopping until I'd achieved it. That could be very overwhelming at times ... overwhelming and boring. By breaking it down into 10 or 20 minutes sprints, it was so much more achievable. I can apply this to rest-of-the-year writing by making them slightly longer sprints; 30 minutes, perhaps, so that I have time to actually think about what I'm putting down on the page. :P
I want to make a massive thank you to all the people who supported me; your encouragement really kept me going. The camaraderie is what I love most about NaNoWriMo. It's a great thing to be part of. :) Extra special thanks to my husband-to-be, who continues to help me be someone I can be proud of.
Also there were way too many be's in that last sentence but I don't friggin' care, 'cause I just won NaNo and I have a job and Ben bought me a bottle of single malt as a 50K prize. :D
I LOVE YOU ALL.
* Oki so a while ago I was researching Danish folklore for fun, and I came across a kind of forest spirit who I wanted to include in my NaNo. I thought he was called a leishy, but as I was sprinting I didn't have time to check; and now I can't find reference to him anywhere. Does anyone know what I mean? According to legend, he was a friend to the forest, loved animals, was usually benevolent and often appeared in the guise of an old man.
Last Line of Dialogue: "Get out of there!" Finn yelled, and the leishy* lifted its head, jaw swinging, and looked straight at him.
Last Sentence: Gryce and Thorne took the opportunity to retreat, running backwards towards the Quicksilver Forest.
Ta-da! :D So I made 50K shortly after my last post ... oh, and then I got a phone call and a job offer! So all in all, it's been a pretty sweet day.
This is my 6th year of taking part in NaNo, and only my 2nd win. I have, however, noticed a correlation: the last time I won, in 2010, I was writing the back story for one of my already established characters. It was never intended to be something I would want to publish: I just liked the character, and as I'd given him a lot of history that would never actually feature in the novel, I wanted to explore his early life for a bit ... because I could. And this NaNo was the same; it was never intended as a serious first draft, I was just playing.
Anyway. I think, especially in the last couple of years, I've got a bit hung up on the idea of writing to be published. If writing is the only thing I'm any good at, it makes sense to make that my career; but that puts a lot of pressure on my already perfectionist nature, and nothing I did ever felt like it was good enough (you have no idea how many different beginnings Somnium has. If I ever do make it big one day, those opening chapters can all be auctioned for charity! XD).
I think what I need to do is have a tiny bit more faith in myself, and start writing for fun again. Write the stories I want to hear, and ignore that nasty little voice that says they're no good, or cliche, or poorly written. Not everyone will like what I write: that's a fact of life. I don't like Twilight, for example, but there are millions of people who do. Basically: don't try and please everyone, and don't feel like a failure just because I'm 27 and not yet a published author. There is no need to force it. The world will not end. If my characters are happy with how their story has been told, then I'm happy. Theirs is the only opinion that matters to me.
Another thing I've learnt this month is: write for a certain amount of time, not a certain amount of words. Ben 100% saved NaNo for me by suggesting that I just sit down and write for 20 minutes. I did, and I suddenly found that I had 600 words. Up until that point, I had always worked by telling myself how many words I had to write that day and not stopping until I'd achieved it. That could be very overwhelming at times ... overwhelming and boring. By breaking it down into 10 or 20 minutes sprints, it was so much more achievable. I can apply this to rest-of-the-year writing by making them slightly longer sprints; 30 minutes, perhaps, so that I have time to actually think about what I'm putting down on the page. :P
I want to make a massive thank you to all the people who supported me; your encouragement really kept me going. The camaraderie is what I love most about NaNoWriMo. It's a great thing to be part of. :) Extra special thanks to my husband-to-be, who continues to help me be someone I can be proud of.
Also there were way too many be's in that last sentence but I don't friggin' care, 'cause I just won NaNo and I have a job and Ben bought me a bottle of single malt as a 50K prize. :D
I LOVE YOU ALL.
* Oki so a while ago I was researching Danish folklore for fun, and I came across a kind of forest spirit who I wanted to include in my NaNo. I thought he was called a leishy, but as I was sprinting I didn't have time to check; and now I can't find reference to him anywhere. Does anyone know what I mean? According to legend, he was a friend to the forest, loved animals, was usually benevolent and often appeared in the guise of an old man.