To NaNo or not to NaNo?
Random note: I've cleared out my e-mail. If you need to e-mail me, you should be able to now.
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I don't know if I'll be doing NaNoWriMo this year. I did it last year, and the good thing was, it did force me to sit down and write, and I did get the words out, and when I went back to re-read it, it was way better than I remembered (while of course still being pretty bad, given the circumstances of NaNo). Writing that way led to a bunch of people, places, and things that I had never considered, and while I could see that many would lead to dead ends, some of them opened up whole new areas of story that I never would have found otherwise. I really liked the unexpected turns my story took.
On the bad side, it was June before I could actually make myself sit down and re-read what I'd written. I was that much sick of the whole thing. In fact, I haven't written nearly so much since then, although it's hard to say whether that's turn-off from NaNo or just general lack of time with the different job and kids getting older.
So I don't know. Do I need the additional stress? No. Do I need an artificially imposed deadline to kill myself trying to achieve, only to feel incompetent somehow if I fail? No. I feel incompetent enough most days as it is. Last year I didn't care; this year, I don't think my mental state needs the strain. Do I have many other responsibilities that need my attention and should take priority? Yes.
However. Do I have nagging plotbunnies that I'd like to get out of my system? Of course.
Maybe I'll set a lower goal, difficult but achievable without going psycho: 20,000 words, for instance. I do need to get back to writing.
Or maybe I'll set a different goal entirely, one that meets my needs but still lets me participate in a community event of getting really worked up over a self-imposed standard (this idea courtesy of confettiofstars.) Something like cleaning out my room and my closet to where I would not be ashamed for total strangers to peek inside. And if you don't think this is equivalent to 50,000 words, then you have not seen the affected areas.
I don't know. Is anybody on my flist doing NaNoWriMo this year? What are your thoughts?
In the meantime, I have a baby blanket to finish. In typical fashion, I have procrastinated for nine months, so the baby is here, while the blankie is not. So October will be TerCroChetMo for me.
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I don't know if I'll be doing NaNoWriMo this year. I did it last year, and the good thing was, it did force me to sit down and write, and I did get the words out, and when I went back to re-read it, it was way better than I remembered (while of course still being pretty bad, given the circumstances of NaNo). Writing that way led to a bunch of people, places, and things that I had never considered, and while I could see that many would lead to dead ends, some of them opened up whole new areas of story that I never would have found otherwise. I really liked the unexpected turns my story took.
On the bad side, it was June before I could actually make myself sit down and re-read what I'd written. I was that much sick of the whole thing. In fact, I haven't written nearly so much since then, although it's hard to say whether that's turn-off from NaNo or just general lack of time with the different job and kids getting older.
So I don't know. Do I need the additional stress? No. Do I need an artificially imposed deadline to kill myself trying to achieve, only to feel incompetent somehow if I fail? No. I feel incompetent enough most days as it is. Last year I didn't care; this year, I don't think my mental state needs the strain. Do I have many other responsibilities that need my attention and should take priority? Yes.
However. Do I have nagging plotbunnies that I'd like to get out of my system? Of course.
Maybe I'll set a lower goal, difficult but achievable without going psycho: 20,000 words, for instance. I do need to get back to writing.
Or maybe I'll set a different goal entirely, one that meets my needs but still lets me participate in a community event of getting really worked up over a self-imposed standard (this idea courtesy of confettiofstars.) Something like cleaning out my room and my closet to where I would not be ashamed for total strangers to peek inside. And if you don't think this is equivalent to 50,000 words, then you have not seen the affected areas.
I don't know. Is anybody on my flist doing NaNoWriMo this year? What are your thoughts?
In the meantime, I have a baby blanket to finish. In typical fashion, I have procrastinated for nine months, so the baby is here, while the blankie is not. So October will be TerCroChetMo for me.