NaNoWriMo 2021

It’s mid-October, so naturally my mind has turned to this year’s NaNoWriMo. For those who don’t know, NaNoWriMo is National Novel Writing Month, where writers challenge themselves to write 50,000 words over 30 days just for the fun of it!

And, when I signed into the website to announce my project for 2021, I realised that this year will be the tenth time I’ve participated in the challenge. Woohoo!

So what am I working on this year? There is always a part of me that wants to start a new writing project for NaNo. I can’t help it. I’m a serial starter, who suffers severely from an over-abundance of inspiration. Yes, I want to write ALL the stories. But…I know I can’t start another story when I have so many WIPs. Sigh.

For the past two NaNo’s I have turned my attention to completing projects (or, at the very least, making progress on on-going projects), and this year will be no different. Here’s the project summary I uploaded to the site, along with this year’s project front cover:

I’ve a list of half-finished projects that I want to complete…some are short stories, some are collections of flash fiction, poetry and short stories, whilst others are novels and novellas…my aim is finish some of them…as many as I can over the course of November.

My one rule: not to move on to the next project until I’ve finished the one I’ve been working on.

The first step…to decide which projects I’ll be adding to my short list 🙂

No edited words will be counted towards my total word count, only new words written in November. That should give me the opportunity to finish a handful of projects – I hope!

So, over the next few days, I’m going to be working on this short list. But…I have decided that, because this will be my third NaNo in a row where I try and wrap up projects, next year I will rewards myself with being able to start something new. Yay! I’m excited already!

Are you doing NaNo this year? If yes, what are you working on? You can find my NaNo profile by searching for “Sammi Cox” under the “Find Buddies” section of the site. Then we can be buddies 😀

Another NaNo question: groups. I’ve yet to join in / participate with any groups over on the NaNo site (except for the private cabin our little wordpress-based writing group had a few years ago – Go Plot Bunnies!). What are your thoughts on these groups? Do you find them helpful and supportive – or not? Or have you yet to join a group? Maybe you don’t want to, don’t have time for one, or haven’t find the right one…I would love to hear your views.

NaNo 2018 – Days 6, 7 & 8

Daily record of my 2018 NaNoWriMo journey…

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NaNo 2018 – Days 6, 7 & 8

Goals:

• To hit daily minimum word target of 1667

“It’s slow going, but I’m not as far behind today as I was yesterday…”

My cold has really knocked me for six these past few days, hence no NaNo journal updates. I haven’t done much for three days at all, and I guess it will be like that for a few more days yet.

I’ve decided to skip posting Friday and Monday updates for Oath Broken – I would much rather wait until I’m feeling 100% before publishing chapters. Hopefully by the time next Friday comes around, I will be back on form.  And, apologies, I’m behind with responding to comments, so please bear with me…

So let’s take a look at what I’ve been doing / not doing for NaNo for the last three days:

Day 6 I did absolutely nothing in terms of writing, though I did think about writing – a lot! If only that counted…

Day 7 I just about managed a short scene for Novel #3, amassing a total of 454 words before giving in.

Today (Day 8) has been a little better. I’ve reduced the notes on my phone from 488 to 426 (which includes 4 new notes I’ve started – sigh). I also completed Short Story #3 and wrote a chapter for Novel #3.

Currently, I’m 2000+ words behind where I would like to be, but there is still plenty of November left to catch up, so I’m not too worried.  And at least, I’m not as far behind as I was yesterday…

Achieved:

• Hit daily minimum word count 1 day out of 3 days
• Reduced the number of notes on my phone
• Short Story #3 completed
• Wrote 1 chapter & 1 scene for Novel #3
• Total word count for Days 6, 7 & 8 – 2217
• Monthly total so far – 11724

NaNo 2018 – Day 5

Daily record of my 2018 NaNoWriMo journey…

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NaNo 2018 – Day 5

Goals:

• To hit daily minimum word target of 1667
• Edit Chapter 2 of Oath Broken

“Something is better than nothing…”

A slow day. I did wonder if I was going to bother trying to get anything done, but I have scheduled Mondays (along with Fridays) as posting days for chapters for Oath Broken on Wattpad. So, I did edit and post chapter 2. You can read Oath Broken here. Sorry for the shameless promotion but I need to fill today’s post out somehow… 😉

I decided to call it quits for today, once that was completed. I’m ahead of the estimated word count for this stage of the challenge (8,333), thanks to a good Day 1 & 2, but I am almost 1000 words short of the daily minimum target. But at least those numbers are still ticking over…

Maybe I’ll look into some more writing techniques. Any suggestions?

Achieved:

• Oath Broken Chapter 2 edited
• Total word count for Day 5 – 685
• Monthly total so far – 9507

NaNo 2018 – Day 4

Daily record of my 2018 NaNoWriMo journey…

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NaNo 2018 – Day 4

Goals:

• To hit daily minimum word target of 1667
• Edit Short Story #2

“A day of low expectations…”

Today’s entry is a brief one…

Day 4 was pretty much a re-run of Day 3. My cold is keeping my expectations in check, so I aimed to reach the minimum daily word goal (by any means necessary), hopefully editing Short Story #2 along the way. At some points, even that seemed unobtainable, but I got there in the end, thanks to the time I spent on Novel #3, which contributed half of the words I needed. I also edited Short Story #2, which was thankfully nice and short and easy. The rest of the time, I focused on the organisational task I mentioned yesterday. The notes on my phone have been reduced from 517 to 488. If I can get that number down to 125-150 by the end of the month, I will count that a success!

I’m off to rest now, in preparation for tomorrow’s NaNo adventure 😉

Achieved:

• Hit minimum word target
• Organisational task – reduced number of notes to 488
• Completed a chapter for Novel #3
• Short Story #2 edited
• Total word count for Day 4 – 1690
• Monthly total so far – 8822

NaNo 2018 – Day 3

Daily record of my 2018 NaNoWriMo journey…

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NaNo 2018 – Day 3

Goals:

• To hit daily minimum word target of 1667

“Best laid plans and all that…”

My cold has struck with full force. I barely slept last night so I set my sight on the barest of goals…to meet the daily minimum word target of 1667 words.

I decided to work on Novel #3 – I have three novels in progress that are set in the same world as Oathbreaker. This involved typing up and expanding some scenes that I’ve been writing on my smartphone for the past few weeks.

This also overlapped one of my NaNo organisational goals: I have over 500 “notes” stored on my phone – complete and incomplete poetry and flash fiction, and chapters and scenes from longer projects, as well as ideas, planning notes and venues for submissions. It’s time these notes are stored somewhere more permanent, where I can’t easily delete them or lose them should something go wrong with my phone.

So a relatively easy day. I reached my target after about 45 mins then turned off the PC, hoping that I might get some more done in the afternoon. I didn’t. Tomorrow’s another day.

Achieved:

• Hit minimum word target
• Started major organisational task – number of notes on phone now 517
• Total word count for Day 3 – 1701
• Monthly total so far – 7132

NaNo 2018 – Day 2

Daily record of my 2018 NaNoWriMo journey…

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NaNo 2018 – Day 2

Goals:

• Complete Chapter 2 of Oath Broken
• Edit Short Story #1

“Start in the middle and work outwards…”

I mentioned in my introduction to the journal that I was hoping to experiment with a few new writing techniques this month. One of these was to start a first draft in the middle of the story and then work outwards, to see how this technique compared to my usual writing process.

Now, I don’t have a set writing process. I find one technique works well for one project and then not so well for another. That’s just the way things go sometimes, and that’s why I think it’s useful (for me) to have a number of different writing techniques on hand that have already proven useful.  But first I need to try them…

Starting in the middle of a story is not something I have intentionally done before. Sometimes I will write scenes / chapters out of order, because my brain wants to get them onto the screen / paper before it forgets them, but that isn’t quite the same. In this case, there is no structure, and no intent, and I may not know where these paragraphs fit into the story.

I used this method to write Short Story #1. I had done no planning but had a theme to work with and idea of a scene from roughly the middle of the story. At this point, I had no clue though as to how I wanted to open the story. Instead of worrying about it, I wrote the scene; the middle of the story flowed right on to the screen and very quickly I moved towards the end. By the time the ending was finished, I knew exactly how I wanted to begin.

Verdict: I found this technique really useful. It boosted my productivity (4000 words in 4 hours) and the draft I edited today wasn’t in too bad a shape. I will definitely use it again.

I also completed Chapter 2 of Oath Broken ready for posting to Wattpad on Monday.

Today was a good day, and I’m finishing it pleased with my efforts.

Achieved:

• Chapter 2 of Oath Broken completed
• Short Story #1 edited
• A new technique in my writing arsenal
• Total word count for Day 2 – 2684
• Monthly total so far – 5431

NaNo 2018 – Day 1

Daily record of my 2018 NaNoWriMo journey…

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NaNo 2018 – Day 1

Goals:

• Complete draft of Short Story 1
• Edit chapter 1 of Oath Broken

“I woke up this morning as excited as if it was Christmas morning…It’s the first day of NaNoWriMo! Yay!”

Started off really well, but as the day wore on, I started suffering from the beginnings of a cold. Not impressed.

Happy with how the short story turned out; its 4100 words long, and written in less than 24 hours (I started it the day before). More on the short story in the journal entry for Day 2.

I also edited the first chapter of Oath Broken. I’m quite nervous about this story. I posted a preview of it on Wattpad in anticipation of releasing the whole first chapter tomorrow (2nd November 2018). The reception was better than I could have expected, so I’m really pleased and excited.

Although I hit both my goals for the day, I had hoped to get more done in the form of tackling one of my organisational tasks (I’ll explain what these are when I actually get around to doing them). Still super happy though. Let’s see what tomorrow brings.

Achieved:

• Short Story #1 complete
• Chapter 1 of Oath Broken edited
• Total word count for Day 1 – 2747

NaNo 2018 Journal

I thought it might be interesting (to try) to keep a daily journal documenting how I get on with this year’s NaNoWriMo…

What am I working on?

The plan is to work on a number of projects. Some of them involve writing whilst others focus on editing. Some of them are unfinished projects that require a bit of attention, whilst others haven’t been started yet. There are also some organisational tasks I want to complete this year, as well as experimenting with some new writing techniques.

I have a list of what I hope to accomplish this November, but it is subject to change at a drop of a hat, and for that reason, there is no point in sharing it at this stage.

Why so many projects? Why so vague? I’ve been suffering from exhaustion for pretty much the whole of 2018, but I would have been really unhappy to skip NaNo this year. My hope is that, with so many different projects for me to choose to work on on any given day, the problems I have been having with focus and concentration should not arise and I should, in theory, still manage to get a lot done.

Watch this space…

(And just so you know…my NaNo diary entries won’t count towards my daily word counts.)

NaNoWriMo 2018

To NaNo or not to NaNo…that is the question…for today’s post…

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Questions about NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) always hit me with bouts of indecision at this time of year.  And it’s usually the same two questions: 1) Should I participate? and, 2) If I do, what should I focus on?

This year, these two questions are giving me a lot to think about, though I hasten to add, the first question has always been answered in the past with a “yes”.  That being said, I’m going to bore you anyway with this year’s deliberations…

Today’s random photos are all inspired by the element of water…

Should I Participate in NaNoWriMo 2018?

As I’ve already mentioned, in the past I have always answered this question with a “yes”.  I’ve joined in the yearly writing challenge for the last six years and learned a lot about how I write and what works for me.  Last year’s lesson was tailored writing sprints, but I digress.

This year, I’m suffering from exhaustion.  It’s been an issue I’ve had all year long, but instead of resting like any sane person would, I pushed myself harder in an attempt to work through it / ignore it.  I’ve now got to the point where that is no longer an option, and I’ve started to close down many of the projects I’ve been working on to create the time and space I need to recuperate.  This in itself, would be a sensible reason not to do NaNo this year.

However, even if everything stopped tomorrow, I would still be writing.  I, like most writers, write every single day.  So whether or not I sign up to NaNo, I will be writing.

NaNo has become an important part of my writing year, and I think I would be quite disappointed if I skipped it, even once.  This means I think I will be participating again this year, unless I find closer to November 1st, I’m really not up to it.  For now, I’m full of positive thoughts – always look on the bright side of life, and all that…so to the next question…

What should I focus on for NaNoWriMo 2018?

This is the question that stumps me every year; I think hard about it for two weeks, pick a project, plan it for a week and then change my mind the following week, only to pick something else on the 1st November. I’m so very indecisive.  I have so many ideas for stories that I want to write them all right now. But, I hope to avoid these shenanigans this year with a little prep and planning.  Whatever I pick, I’m going to stick with it, because an over-active, over-anxious mind equals exhaustion.

Last month I completed my latest novel, Oathbreaker (if you didn’t already know!).  75,000 words over 38 writing days produced the best first draft I have ever written.  It helped, I think, that I completed it from start to finish – hell, it helped that I actually completed it at all.  I have dozens of novels on my computer, in various stages, but only a handful can be described as complete – and it’s not just novels, but novellas and short stories too!

Anyway, back to Oathbreaker.  When I sat down and started writing it, it was supposed to be a standalone short novel, but as the story unfolded, it became clear that was never going to happen.  Now it’s a novel trilogy, and I’ve already had people interested enough in it to ask when will they be able to start reading book 2!  Not a bad result from a first draft!

It makes sense then that my next project should be book 2.  The problem is, I’m just about to make a start on it but NaNo doesn’t begin for another 27 days.  My project could be the Oathbreaker trilogy; I start book 2 now and finish what’s left of it in November, and should I need more words, I could start book 3.

But there is part of me that says pick a different project for NaNo and let Oathbreaker take care of itself (book 1 will also need editing at some point…).  Surely it will be simpler that way.  So what else could I work on for NaNo?  Earlier in the year I was working on two unfinished novels.  They each need 20-30,000 words to complete the first draft.  There are also a load of half-finished short stories awaiting some attention.

So I guess my options are:

• 50,000 words on the Oathbreaker trilogy
• 50,000 words split between the Oathbreaker trilogy and a few smaller writing projects
• 50,000 words split between unfinished novels
• 50,000 words split between unfinished novels and short writing projects
• Or start a  completely new project

It looks like I’ve got a lot to think about.

Wow.  That was a long post.  If you’re still reading, I’m both surprised and thankful 🙂

So what are your thoughts?  Any wise words or suggestions to impart to this indecisive writer?  Are you joining in with NaNo this year?  Do you know what you are focusing on?  Let me know in the comments.

And, should you wish to add me as a NaNo writing buddy, you can find me over on the NaNoWriMo website by searching “Sammi Cox”…