Friday

Why I Couldn't Complete NaNoWrimo

Hello everyone! Sad day, 5 days left in NaNo and I should have been done. Should have been done. I still have 20,000 words to go, and with only 5 days left, that's 4,000 words a day which is nearly impossible for me.

It's very sad for me to say that I will not be able to complete NaNoWrimo this year. Despite all the hype I had getting ready for it, I now realize that I wasn't ready for it.

However, that doesn't mean that I'm giving up on the novel. I plan to take it back up in January, after I finish my mourning and move on, not quite, but move on from the loss.

This loss has really helped me to see the bigger picture, how I can become more organized, how to manage my time, etcetera, etcetera. So I decided to share my findings with you all! Although I am somewhat ashamed that I only made it to 30,000, when last year, when I was a worse writer and younger I made it to 60,000, I think this will help me grow as a writer and as a person!

After all, mistakes are only part of the journey.



i didn’t prioritize or make time for writing

This was probably the major part that caused my doom. It wasn't that I didn't have time, I had a lot of it, I just didn't make time. I wouldn't set up a time for writing, I would just find a slot and fit some writing into there.

I also didn't make it a higher priority. Of course I put things like homework and violin first because I definitely needed to get those done, but for some reason, writing was pretty low on my list of priorities.



A nice thing I could do is possibly make myself a lil to-do list (because LISTS MAKE ME HAPPY and they make me want to actually DO THINGS) and order it based on importance (because ORDER MAKES ME HAPPY)

I should probably set up a time for writing, where I'd actually know when I'm going to write.. good plan.


i slacked and let myself do it

Error number two broskis. Slacking. My goal was 2k words a day, so I would write 600 and then come back and write another 400 and then just didn't write. And I knew I was supposed to be writing, but I didn't do anything?



you know what you gotta do, so do it. For me, 1000 words takes 20 minutes, 2000 would take 40, so why not? Actually by 2000 I'd probably be tired, so take a half an hour break in between.


i wasn't ready

I knew I was going to take on NaNo, and I started preparing in August, but then I slacked. I didn't truly prepare until the last weeks of October. I thought I was prepared for it, but I wasn't. 

I may have been physically prepared, my computer was ready, so was my outline, but I wasn't ready. My brain hadn't really processed that I had this dedication to write 2000 words a day. 

The funny part is, my novel was great. It wasn't a disaster. I was the disaster. I just couldn't GET myself together enough to write it more often. When I did write, it wasn't bad, I'll be honest. 


Start working in late September. Know what you have to do. Make your outline better. Just plan, even if it may not be for your novel. 


So I'm hoping to have this done by January, and then begin editing in March which means I'll maybe be having beta readers by end of March?? Look forward to that I suppose. 



how was your november? did you complete nanowrimo? do you have any tips for this loser? ahem. any tips about recovering from a loss?



Thanks for reading,
Noor

Sunday

NaNoWrimo Recap #1 - In Which Outlines Are My Best Friend

Hello everyone! Week One of NaNo is complete, how are y'all feeling? I'm TIRED, it's been such a long week, I just want to sleep for 1000 years.. goodbye..

Recaps are a little fun, I enjoy checking in with you guys and seeing how you're doing, share some tips, some word counts, some tales of treachery and dismay. cough.



goodnight


day one // 2137 words written | 2137 words total

first day!! went good, i didn't follow any crawl or sprints, but i did participate in the virtual write ins, which are always loads of fun.

day two // 1892 words written | 4029 words total

i started a harry potter word crawl, didn't get that far as i was sick, but still very fun :D

day three // 1971 words written | 6000 words total

kept going with the harry potter crawl, i was so tired that day, so i barely got anything done.

day four // 1698 words written | 7689 words total

friday blues, i relaxed today and forgot about writing until like 7 o clock.. yikes.. 

day five // 3006 words written | 10895 words total

gotta love saturdays, i was at a friend's house for the majority of the day, but managed to fit a lot of writing in. i was really hoping to double up my word count, which didn't happen, but i managed 3k, which was satisfactory. 

day six // 2689 words written | 13384 words total

grr, was really hoping to hit 15k today and make it a 5k Sunday, but didn't work out. i had a pretty good schedule up until 3 o clock, and then i began slacking. although, i started a hamilton crawl, which is fun!!

I love outlines. seriously, i thank myself and my outline for being my savior, i honestly don't know where my novel would be without it. 



I didn't follow it completely, I made some tweaks and completely changed a couple plot lines which may end up being my doom, but I kept the basic structure. I SUCCEEDED WITH MY OUTLINE. probably. 

not to toot my own horn but gosh, I adore my characters. I've been really trying to fit characterization wherever I can, and I LOVE THEM. they are my children and I must protect. they all have their own cute little personalities and they're really really cute. they're all so interesting and are really going to develop as the plot goes on. probably. 



I awarded myself with a donut today, and I gave my character a donut, which I dedicated an entire two paragraphs to. yes, I love donuts. 

Also, completely irrelevant to my novel, but I didn't find a single pumpkin muffin at the store today. CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS ABOMINATION. 


I have, much to surprise, not encountered that many problems yet. my biggest one is that I have not had a pumpkin muffin since Wednesday.. I am DEPRIVED. 

However, I do often feel like my writing isn't unique enough. I'll read back on a passage and harrumph because it doesn't have pizzaz. (yes i did just use harrumph and pizzaz in one sentence, and no, i do not regret it thank you also pizzaz looks a lot like pizza)



It feels so bland, I try and add imagery and sensory language but then I think that I'm trying too hard. I WILL NEVER WIN IN THE BATTLE AGAINST MYSELF. 

I also feel like it has a lot of plot holes. Like really small ones that will leave my reader thinking: "Why the heck? or "How the heck?". i thought that to myself, that's probably not a good sign.

Also one more thing, I'm only at 13k but on the 10th chapter, this is not good. i'll be stuck. AAA



do things that will motivate you to write // sometimes, if you feel a little lazy and not wanting to write, do a word war, a word crawl, do your writing in sprints. give yourself something that will make you want to write, or at least challenge you to write. 

take breaks. please. // i don't care if you're superman, don't write for 3 hours straight, it's quite strenuous and you'll be so so tired. take a 10 minute break every hour and make some tea, eat something, etc, etc. take care of yourself like you take care of your characters <3 (unless you're a murder machine who kills off every single character in the novel, then do the opposite)



the harry potter soundtrack is really great to write to // like honestly, there is a song on that soundtrack for every mood, it's literally perfect. and it's harry potter, magnificent. 


do i have to. 

- - - 

Avis was having trouble breathing herself. 5 minutes ago, there was no person in her room, just her and her angry thoughts of throwing her stepmother out of the window. And then, there’s a ghost in her room. She was ready to call up the mental asylum. 
- - - 

“You may think that now, but once you feel like you could lose it all, you get a whole new perspective. Look at the trees, each one has a different beauty to them, they’re all different in their own way. It’s like; they all hold a story in their leaves, a truth, something magical. Sometimes, once things reach the human eye, they lose their magic completely. That’s why they’re so magical, because no one does appreciate them, so they keep their secrets and hold their beauty. It’s amazing.” Sanyi shook his head, still looking at the trees. Avis gave him a soft smile.  

"You sound like my English teacher." Avis replied. 



How is NaNoWrimo going? Any problems, any wickedly amazing things? And what’s your NaNoWrimo User, so we can become buddies? Ooh, what’s your favorite album/song/soundtrack to write to? Share with me dudes.


Hope your week is lovely friends <3

Thanks for reading,
Noor