To NaNo or not to NaNo, that is the question....

I've been going back and forth over the last few weeks on this decision.

NaNoWriMo is huge in the writing community. It's a rough challenge; writing 50k words in 30 days. That's about 1667 words a day.

Many have taken up the mantle and many will accomplish this goal. I applaud all of you who are attempting this!

I would love to say that I can do it. I'm sure I could if given the time. Ah but there's the rub.

Time.

I just don't see myself having the time to devote to writing that many words. I work a 40hr week and have a family who demands much of my free time. Most of my writing tends to happen late at night, if at all. (Some weeks it's rough to get a free moment at the computer.)

So, rather than just opting out completely, I've decided to do my own *modified* version.

I've got lots of little projects bouncing around in my head, and some completed works that I need to edit.


The underlying message of NaNo, in my humble opinion, is "write." Like the Nike ad, Just do it! Butt in seat and fingers on keyboard.


So with that in mind, here is my *modified* NaNoWriMo challenge...

During the month of November. (every day)

The daily writing word goal will be set to 500 words.
They can be in ANY story I am working on. (this give me freedom to work when the muse is being stubborn.)

Or

A daily goal of one chapter edited. (My chapters run about 3-4k words)
The idea here is, if I don't write I should be working to polish what I have written.

And, I will post weekly updates on the blog, mainly to keep myself honest.

So how about you, blogger land? Are you doing NaNo or a modified version for November? I'd love to hear what kind of challenge you are setting for yourself during National Novel Writing Month.

11 comments:

Kristi Faith said...

I'm doing nano to give my head a rest from my current WIP. It's going to be "not as important" only because I'm at a slump with it. I need the distance for a while to get back into it. I figure if any kind of inspiration hits, I'll write in it too, but I really want to strive for 50K in a new novel. We shall see :) This is my first year.

Kristen Torres-Toro said...

Hey! I'm not doing it for the same reason. I know I won't be able to write every day. But I am going to put a concentrated effort into my writing/editing.

Have a great weekend!

Jessica Nelson said...

No, I'm not doing it, but I think you're right about the whole purpose on nano. Hope you meet your goals. :-)

Corey Schwartz said...

I think it's fine to do a modified version. the important thing is to PUSH yourself in whatever way works for you!

Deb said...

Sounds like you have a great plan. I'm skipping NaNo but have been thinking that I should commit to some firm goals for revisions. Thanks for the reminder and good luck with your goals this month!

Roni Loren said...

Good luck with your goals. I'm not doing NaNo officially either.

Melissa Hurst said...

I'm not doing NaNo. I am still working on my first manuscript. My goal is to have the first draft finished by the end of November.

Beth Overmyer said...

Sounds like a good plan, Katie.

Me? I'm not doing regular NaNo this year, but you've inspired me to perhaps set my own daily goals. Sort of a MiNaNoWriMo (Mini National Novel...)

Susan R. Mills said...

I'm not doing NaNo either. I'm trying to rewrite/revise one chapter a day. Good luck with your version of NaNo.

Anonymous said...

I'm not doing NaNo either. I'm working on rewriting one novel and doing some polishing on another.

Don said...

I feel the same as you do. I wanted to do NaNoWriMo, but the 40 hour work week and the commute leave me exhausted during the week. I can barely read without falling asleep. It would mean I'd have to do all the writing on weekends ( or at work, which is... ummm... not a good thing to do in my current situation ). And I'm the slowest typist in the world. Plus, If I did do it, it really truly would be making the whole thing up on the fly. I have ideas all over the place, but the thing is... they're all over the place. ( which isn't entirely bad, just scary ). Somewhere I read that it was 30 days of reckless abandon. My emphasis would be on reckless. Abandon too I suppose. Abandon all sanity.

About The Author

Katie Salidas is a USA Today bestselling author and RONE award winner known for her unique genre-blending style.

Since 2010 she's penned five bestselling book series: the Immortalis, Olde Town Pack, Little Werewolf, Chronicles of the Uprising, and the all-new Agents of A.S.S.E.T. series. As her not-so-secret alter ego, Rozlyn Sparks, she is a USA Today bestselling author of romance with a naughty side.

In her spare time Katie also produces and hosts a YouTube talk show; Spilling Ink. She also has a regular column on First Comics News where she explores writing from a nerdy perspective.