About Robert
Robert McKay. Still a 20 something, but not for much longer. Married. Writer. Geek. Vegetarian. Technophile. Bibliophile. Audiophile. Lover of learning. For more about me, check out the about me page.
| Lessons NaNoWriMo Has Taught Me |
| Written by Robert McKay |
| Wednesday, 04 November 2009 22:30 |
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So, here we are on day four of NaNoWriMo 2009. This is my very first NaNoWriMo and I'm already learning some important lessons.
1) Getting behind doesn't mean you can't finish. I decided to start NaNo this year knowing that I would start one day behind because my birthday is the 1st. I had a blast and woke up later than usual the next day because I didn't have to be up for my regular job. So, not only did I skip day one, but I started late on day two. Now it's day four and I've gotten my word count almost back on target. (I'm at 6502 and the day 4 goal is 6668) For me that is amazing progress. My previous writing goal was just 666 words a day. How did I more than triple my writing output? Did I drink a magical potion thrice blessed by Ye Olde Word Faerie? Nope. I just silenced and old friend. That brings us to lesson 2.
2) Silencing your inner editor is crucial. I couldn't have cranked out of 2,000 words a day if I didn't duct tape my internal editor's mouth and lock him in the basement. I can still hear him thumping around down there during the silences between songs on Pandora, but I can easily ignore that. I just hope that he remembers how to use a comma when I pull him out and start feeding him during editing time. I know what some of you are saying right now. “I could never do that with my internal editor. He's made mocking company memos the only bearable part of my day job!” or “We are one and the same. It's like asking me to cut off my arm!” I used to feel exactly the same way, but if you want to get across that 50k goal line with just as much hair as when you started then you will find a way.
3) It's much easier with a support system. I don't think I ever would have signed up for NaNoWriMo this year if it weren't for my wife and all the other lovely writers on Twitter. They've been an incredible inspiration and they keep me going when I think I can't possibly write another word without my head exploding. Now, I'm sure the more observant among you noticed that I just said I check Twitter while I'm writing. I bet that rings all kinds of alarm bells about procrastination. That brings us to our final lesson for the day.
4) Know how to procrastinate. Yep, you read that correctly. I'm not going to tell you not to procrastinate. That would be ludicrous. Each and every one of of procrastinates at some point when we are working on a difficult project. The important thing is to know how to do it without having it stop your progress altogether. I know for me it's not the procrastination itself that ruins my productivity; it's the guilt that does me in. I play a game for a while to let my mind wander and relax and then I start to feel guilty. Once I feel guilty I do it some more to try and escape the guilt. Before I know it entire hours are gone. The key to avoiding this cycle is honest and gleeful procrastination. Don't hide what you are doing. Tell yourself that you need a break and that you will play a game or read Twitter for a few minutes to get your morale back up and rest your brain. Then dive back into work feeling refreshed.
So, those are the lessons I've learned four days into NaNoWriMo. Will any of my lessons help you? What lessons have you learned? Please, tell me in the comments. I'm always looking for good writing tips.
Comments (5)
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I 100% agree that getting behind does not mean failure... in fact, getting behind spurred me on to pull an incredible all-nighter (well, until 3 a.m.) that produced some of my best ideas.
I never did compleltely silence my inner editor, but I know my words would have been more fluid if he was not in the room.
I was writing so well by Day 9 that I celebrated (procrastinated) by taking a two-day mini-vacation trip. I came home relaxed but WAY behind in my word count... I stayed behind for the rest of the month, but joyfully wrote "The End" at 4:37 p.m. on the final day (50,143 words).
Writing a novel in one month is the highlight of my year, so far. I wish you and all of the other NaNoWriMo participants all the best as you create exciting new worlds and fa...