#NaNoWriMo Stage 1

/ Nandini Bharadwaj

I feel like I should be saving my words up for my novel, but of course I couldn’t resist checking in on my favourite readers. Also, I had an epiphany and realised that writing blog posts are much easier than trying to write a fictional chapter. I had no idea I was so out of practice and that third person would feel so unfamiliar to me all of a sudden. Of course, it had to happen in November.

NaNoWriMo 2016 Participant Banner

Speaking of things that happen only in November, I was sucked into reading a fanfiction by one of my friends and I’m addicted. Have you heard of The Life and Times? I was surprised to find it on Goodreads and so happy when I realised it will add towards my reading challenge goal. I don’t really like the writing, but I’m addicted. I cannot explain how that works, unfortunately.

With all those distractions abound, here’s how I’ve managed so far:

Day 1 – 2552 words

Day 2 – 3070 words

Day 3 – 3070 words

Although Day 4 is not technically over, I fear the count will remain 3070 words. I do want to make up the difference over the weekend and I fervently hope I do. It feels as of the more I make up my mind to write, the more unexpected things creep up to eat up that time. I think I messed with the wrong person on Halloween. Maybe someone can write about that and call it The Curse of November. Okay, I really need to get back to my novel.

Before I do that, however, here is my piece of advice for all those brave souls attempting this insane challenge this November –

Don’t compare your word count with your buddies or any other writer.

This is actually pretty obvious, really, but since this is a social activity, you get to check on where everyone else is at. This can lead to discouragement and doubt. I’ve been there too. But I set a personal goal for myself everyday (not necessarily the daily word count) and work to achieve that. If you really think about it, when you’re travelling on the road, no matter how many vehicles you overtake, there’s always someone ahead of you on that road (till it leads to a dead-end, but I hope you get my point). So, don’t get caught up with where others are and measure your worth as a writer based on that.

That’s it for the week. Are you doing NaNoWriMo too? How has the journey been so far? Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below. Happy weekend, folks!

 

21 thoughts on “#NaNoWriMo Stage 1”

  1. I signed up last minute and I’m not thinking of actually completing this. I signed up to see what it was like, to be perfectly honest. I’m only on 2183 words but I will not compare, haha! I’m not on track but then again I’m not planning of actually doing this, it was just something I wanted to try and test out. Hopefully next year, I will be more prepared and actually take part! I have taken the chance to sign up to 30 days, 30 covers or something like that, ahaha! 😀

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    • I gave life advice? Yay! 😛
      I was just trying to get all these thoughts out of my head and it sort of surprised me when it showed up. I thought I made a mess of explaining that metaphor though. Thanks for the comment, Megan, reminding me that my writing sometimes makes sense. 😀 I needed that.

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      • Me too. I usually start feeling like it’s a big mess somewhere in the third week or so. Then at the end of NaNoWriMo, I’m just so glad to have it finished that my happiness overshadows any doubts about my writing. But then comes the editing, and I’m certain it’s a mess again. 😀

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      • I’m shuddering thinking of editing even though I’m only 3k words in. It’s a humongous mess. But people do smear paint on canvas and it’s supposed to be modern art (no offense to art lovers), so I think I’ll be alright in December. If I get those 50k words out of my head, that is.

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      • Very true. I’ve recently tried painting for the first time (it wasn’t modern art lol) and couldn’t help but think how similar it was to writing. When you first start the picture, it really does seem like a big mess. It doesn’t look anything like it’s supposed to. But then you add detail to it, and by the end, it actually looks like a picture. Picturing my story as a painting in progress really has helped me from that panicky feeling that it’s a hopeless mess. Right now, I’m just smearing paint on for the background. I can add the details in my second draft.

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      • Wow, never thought of it that way. You paint?! I’m too impatient to do anything artsy as it takes a lot of time, but it’d be cool if I could. Much cooler now that I know you do. Woohoo! You’re all kinds of talented, aren’t you? 😛

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      • I attempt to paint. 😀 It something I’ve very recently decided to try. I’m teaching myself through YouTube videos. I’ve been surprised at how well they turn out. YouTube can teach anything. 😛

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  4. I second the comparison advice, and not from a NaNo perspective. I’m not a fast writer, so when I see how other writers’ word counts over a certain period of time are higher than mine, it can be discouraging. But I’m learning to make peace with my “speed” (and trust me, that “learning / accepting” process has been going for some time) and just do what I can with the time I have. It sounds like you’ve adopted a similar method / mantra, and I hope it continues to propel you forward while practicing kindness toward yourself and acceptance of your process. 🙂

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