Saturday

i won nanowrimo! - how i bounced back from failing last year



On Wednesday, November 22nd, at 7:26 P.M... I WON NANOWRIMO 2017!


CONFETTI AND CAKE FOR ALL! It was a surreal moment and I was completely and utterly over the moon about it.

This year I worked my butt off. as of yesterday (I'm still going!), I've had five 3ks, one 4k, two 5ks, and get ready. ONE 8K.

I KNOW SOME INSANELY TALENTED PEOPLE CAN WRITE 30 THOUSAND WORDS IN ONE DAY BUT. 8,000 words in one day is a freaking ton for me!

Last year the most words I had written was 4,304 and on Thursday, I pulled a 5k with no problem, and I'm planning to do the same today (pulling my word count up to 60,000 AHH).

I'm feeling so confident about my writing and the novel is going so so well and I'm actually excited to edit it and hopefully write the second draft when Camp NaNoWrimo comes around in April!

ANYWAY, last year, I did a post about not being able to finish NaNo, which really took a toll on writing, and I stopped writing everything including fanfiction, which made me in turn lose faith in the blog, and well, it wasn't good.

It was really difficult coming back from that, and it took me a long time to figure out if I was even going to attempt NaNo this year, but here I am with 56k and 6 days remaining. SO HERE IS MY STORY.



warning: this may be the cheesiest thing you have EVER read.

Last November, I stopped writing at day 24 at 29,682 words. I was far far behind and I would have to write an insane amount of words every day to keep up.

I was not an optimist, and I didn't see reason in completing NaNo if I wasn't going to finish 50k by the end of the month. I had done it last year, when I was a year younger, so why the heck didn't I do it this year? Was I incapable of writing? Did I lose the drive I had to write? Maybe I wasn't cut out to be a writer.

I had promised myself that in January I would pick it back up again, and then I never did. I couldn't bring myself to do it. This had been a failed piece of writing that hadn't my expectations. I went back and read it, and naturally was revolted, so I suppose I just convinced myself that writing wasn't my thing.

Something I taught myself throughout this prosperous month of November was that giving up is not an option. Mistakes have to be made to find the right track of life, and I found it. I used the many mistakes I had made last year to set an example for my writing path this year. 

I set aside time for writing, I set aside time for 5ks, I helped to motivate myself, I did everything that I could to keep myself going.



And sometimes things don't go your way. I was a kid who immediately gave up when I didn't get what I wanted, or I didn't accomplish something. Which basically made me give up everything I tried to do.

News flash: life doesn't work that way! In October, I wrote an extremely short story that I improvised along the way to get myself into the groove and to see if I actually wanted to write. And it made me realize how much I enjoyed writing and wanted to do NaNoWrimo. Don't get me wrong, it was godawful and I knew that, I just didn't make myself read it. teehee.

I realized how much I enjoyed writing AGAIN on the day I wrote 8k (mind you, I was fueled by Starbucks, but that is unimportant. actually it's not, their chestnut praline lattes are SO GOOD.)

And I kept realizing it and finding more love right up until today, writing this post right now, staring at the scene cards on my bedside table, just wanting to finish this freaking post so I can write my next scene.


But wait. What if I realize that I'm just forcing myself to like something and I actually abhor it down to my core but I just don't know it?


Do what I always do, make a pros and cons list. Or, if you're not a list freak like me... do something you know you love to do. If you're trying to get back into writing, and you also love your violin with every cell in your body (no that is not about me psh wha), then pick up your violin and play.

Do you feel a certain way when you play? Yeah, that's called loving the heck out of what you do. Now go and write for a half an hour, do you feel similar? Or at least something that's not pain? That's also called loving the heck out of what you do. It may not be the same feeling, because they're different things, but you have a feeling! THAT'S GOOD. That means you probably don't hate it.

I'm like the worst advice giver ever but THIS STUFF WORKED FOR ME. It may or may not work for you since I'm almost 100% positive I'm from another planet. heh.

IN SHORT. Find a way to reignite your passions! But just remember that passions should come fairly naturally, don't force yourself to do anything you really don't want to do. Life is about choices, so make the one that is best for you. You don't have to do anything.

Except eat. and sleep. and drink water. DRINK YO WATER. And do what you love. That's all. 



What is one hobby that you've lost interest in but want to bring back? How do you bounce back from failure? What's one thing you accomplished this month?

apologies for the long and sappy post hehe 

peace out,
noor

Sunday

how to avoid the dreaded writing burnout

NANOWRIMO IS ALMOST OVER. 


By almost I mean there are 13 days left, but that's simply not enough!

Some of us are in a deep panic, scrambling to find words. But others are relaxing with their wordcount far above 50k and their first draft/rewrite completed. (i envy you)

I successfully did my very first 5k last weekend and I'm attempting another one today :D (maybe even higher, I'm at 33k and I want to see if I can hit 40k :0) But one huge thing that I suffered with was burnout, in which I couldn't bring myself to write more than 2k because my mind would turn to LITERAL MUSH. 

SO this past week I've come up with a few tips for myself to avoid getting tired while writing, and they've worked for the most part! I SHALL SHARE WITH YOU SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO SUFFER EITHER.


if i had a nickel for every time i used bath and body works products or lights in my photos..


do short sprints


YOU WILL DIE IF YOU TRY TO ATTEMPT A LOT OF WORDS IN ONE WRITING GO.

Break up your writing time into short sprints, whether it's time sprints like 5-30 minutes (you could do more than that, my attention span is short so I'd die if i tried an hour sprint) or you could do word sprints like 100-500 or whatever you wish!

THE WORLD IS YOUR OYSTER, sprints are your oyster!

After a longer sprint, take a quick break and stretch or get a healthy snack. Emphasis on HEALTHY. Filling yourself with sugar and too many fats can make you not want to do ANYTHING, and that includes writing.

Also try not to stare at your word count while sprinting. Keep your eyes on your words and just type type or write write until the sprint is over.



You could also use the Pomodoro Method which is something I discovered on Tumblr for studying! You work for 25 minutes then take a break for 5 minutes, and get back to work :D It works super well and keeps you productive. BASICALLY work your butt off for 25 minutes, which is really not a lot of time once you get working. 

Here's the Chrome extension for the Pomodoro timer if you'd like to use it.

use some resources


The NaNoWrimo forums have so many different resources that you can use to keep the writing train going! I am a huge fan of word crawls, I'm sure everyone has heard of them but just in case: they're like compliations of challenges that usually have a theme. I'm chugging through the Harry Potter ones, which are tons and tons of fun and help me get a lot of words done. There are ones specific for certain word counts, or ones just for fun.

If you're feeling particularly unmotivated, there's even a crawl for that! It helps you get around 3k, and it really doesn't even feel like 3k.


make your space nice


The worst thing you can do for yourself is write in a place where you're not comfortable. Prepare your space in a way that makes you ready to write.

Try to avoid writing in bed! I KNOW I KNOW YOUR BED IS SUPER NICE. AND YOU ARE COMFORTABLE IN YOUR BED. but. You will fall asleep or get tired and just want to turn on Netflix and chill. BUT YOU CAN'T CHILL YOU'RE DOING NANO.

I like to sit on my desk (at night, I'm a night writer lol) or at my dining table, throw a blanket over me, light a candle, grab some pomegranate seeds (I <3 pomegranate seeds they are the bessstttt writing snack) and churn out some words like butter (bad analogy? i think yes.)



If there's a particular scent that motivates you, FLOOD YOUR SENSES WITH IT. ok don't actually make your whole room smell like peppermint because it WILL get obnoxious.

I personally prefer writing at night, but if you do write in the day, use natural light! (if you can) It makes you feel more awake and ready to go.

In conclusion, don't sit in a square white room with no windows because it'll feel like writing jail. You gotta want to write.


motivate yourself 


This is going to sound so strange but I give myself mini pep talks sometimes.. DON'T LOOK AT ME LIKE THAT. it helps. okay. 

If you feel like absolute death while writing, and you're hanging onto a cliff by your fingertips screaming I CAN'T GO ON, then take a super duper quick break and pull out a journal or another document. Remind yourself why you're doing NaNo/this current project and why you like writing in general. Why do you want to be a writer? Why the heck are you taking time out of your binge-watching sesh to write this stupid book anyway?

AND JUST FOR FUN HERE ARE SOME QUOTES

This is how you do it: you sit down at the keyboard and put one word after another until it's done. It's that easy, and that hard. - Neil Gaiman

There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit at a typewriter and bleed. - Hemingway

I write to give myself strength. I write to be the characters I am not. I write to explore all the things I am afraid of. - Joss Whedon

Another thing I've been doing is thinking back to the day I hit 5k. I thought about how I felt when I entered my daily wordcount into the NaNo site and it said "Words Written Today: 5,000". Basically I felt like I had just defeated Voldemort, Sauron, Darth Vader, the Demogorgon, and the Huns in one blow. I felt inviscible. I call on that emotion regularly to prove to myself that I can do it. 

And then I go kick my novel in the butt.




don't read your writing. please. 


Everyone and their mother has told you this tip but you need to hear it again. If you are on your first draft, don't ever go back and read what you've written.

There will be tears and screams of horror, you will despise it, because it's probably bad. You'll think that what you're about to write is bad, and it might be. So it'll make you want to never write again and curl up in a ball and make a cup of tea and sob for eternity.


basically me to me when reading my writing


NO. I AM NOT EXAGGERATING.

I constantly have the desire to go back and write more of a scene but that involves reading the scene again which is a big no no. FIGHT YOUR STUPID WRITING DESIRES. 


always refer back to your outline - if you have one


If you are a pantser IGNORE THIS.

When I have burnout, I always tend to stray away from my outline and write a random scene that has nothing to do with my novel just to get the words in. Heck, I forget the outline even existed.

But when you're feeling tired, pull out that trusty outline and get your novel back on track, it can even motivate you to write the next scene. You were excited to write that outline, and you want to pour your heart into every scene, SO DO IT.



Even if the next part of your novel isn't so interesting, make it interesting! Use some vivid language to develop the scene, or just have fun! Chances are, if you think it's boring, everyone else is going to think it's boring. MAKE IT FUN. 


and remember...


Take some deep breaths. If you can't reach your word count for the day, it's okay! Life goes on. The Earth will not implode in your face, I promise. The most important thing is that you don't push yourself too hard. 

If you have other, more important priorities, take care of those first. Your novel will always be sitting here waiting for you when you need it. (just remember to save ;)) 

YOU GOT THIS. DON'T GIVE UP. YOU ARE A CRAFTER OF WORDS. YOU ARE A SLAYER OF DRAGONS. 

I BELIEVE IN YOU.




Do you have any tips for dun dun dun WRITING BURNOUT? What's your favorite writing snack? And how is your writing going? Have you experienced burnout yet?


peace out y'all,
noor

Saturday

nanowrimo wrap up #1 + life updates - i only stayed up past midnight once!

SORRY FOR THE BRIEF ABSENCE!! I was getting caught up with my new writing schedule, so I just couldn't find the time last weekend to put out a post but here I am :D

NaNo has been going on for 11 hectic days but IT'S BEEN GOOD TO ME SO FAR!! I hit 20k today, and the day is not done so we'll see if I can maybe write 5k more :0 IT'S POSSIBLE!!



picture is mine!!


word counts


day one 

NaNo started on a Wednesday this year (strange how I said NaNo instead of November. NOVEMBER ISN'T A MONTH ANYMORE ONLY NANO.) So it was a tad bit awkward, middle of the week bluez :P

words written: 2025
total: 2025
highlight of day: eating all of my halloween candy from the previous night heheheeheh

day two 

1978 is close enough to 2k? right. yes. yes it is. Thursdays have slowly become my favorite day of the work week next to Friday because my day isn't as hectic lol

words written: 1978
total: 4008
best meal: this chili my mom got from a local cafe? so yum. i love chili.


day three - 5k!

I went out with my friends that night so I didn't get much writing done. But we went to bubble tea which is actually my favorite place in the world.  Coffee blizzards 4 life. I wrote a bit before and the passed out the second I got home HAHA, 

words written: 1305
total: 5308
amount of caffeine consumed: one black tea, two iced coffees, one coffee blizzard . oops




day four

My friend came over this day and we made some certifiably AWFUL soup. It was literally water, and then we threw in an assortment of spices and veggies. HEALTHY. And then to cleanse our palette we walked to Starbucks and collected leaves. And then I came home and wrote 3k. Whatta day.

words written: 3446
total: 8774
struggle of the day: trying not to vom from poorly made... soup? you can't even call it that.


day five

I DESPISE SUNDAYS. I spent the whole day in another town and then I pinned a ton on Pinterest. Because when you're sad, the best option is Pinterest. Pinterest: look at obscure DIYs and solve all of your problems.  But I did go to Urban Outfitters which is actually my favorite store in existence.

words written: 2013
total: 10787
pictures pinned on pinterest: i couldnt even tell you

day six

I wrote like nothing today because I had practice from 6-7 which is, in my opinion, the worst time because it basically divided up my work time. I did wear my shirt from Urban which was yellow and had a bunch of strange faces on it. I'm 100% sure it creeped people out, but honestly that's what made it 10x better. I also was forced to clean under my bed, and there were some unexplainable things down there. gross.



words written: 1213
total: 12000
times 'ew' was said: none, i was too shocked at the mess to speak

day seven

Tuesday is like the time where I recover from being sore due to Mondays practice but then have to prepare to get sore all over again for Wednesday. While doing homework, I suddenly felt a spark to listen to Vivaldi and I believe I had his Four Seasons on repeat for hours on end. SO GOOD. 

words written: 2028
total: 14028
times i listened to vivaldi's four seasons: at least 10. that's over 6 hours of vivaldi. what. 

day nine

YES I KNOW I SKIPPED 8 i just didn't write anything because I was a bad bean. My dad brought me oreos, which I almost never eat and I had half of the dang container while writing.... BAD BEAN. They're too good though WHYYYY

words written: 3024
total: 17052
oreos consumed: too many

random rambles about my novel and problems and blagh


It's actually doing pretty great, I'm just struggling a little with description, per usual. I'm only at 20k and already in my 4th scene... I have 10 scenes.... THAT MAY BE DISASTER.




Also development? I love it but I SUCK AT IT. 

Me while writing: Development? Idk her sorry.
Me while reading: I NEED ALL THE CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT.

My outline is working well! I only did a chapter outline for the first four chapters until I realized I only really needed my scene cards. #plansters for the win!

also snacks are very necessary. I think I would have died without my oreo fix. AND MUSIC. I couldn't write in the quiet :0 It's good to find an album that really fits the mood of your scene or novel, it inspires you.



The story is nice and the plot is going on well, I just feel as if I am straying from the central idea, but that could be because the particular scene I've been writing today doesn't focus too much on it. My mood about this novel changes every hour. #THESTRUGGLEISREAL

ALSO BLESS THE PEOPLE WHO CAME UP WITH WORD CRAWLS. They are my saviors and they're so much fun. 

I also am a faster writer than I thought? As in I can successfully write 1k in 20 minutes? Without making typos? What is this new found power??? 




How's the noveling going for you? If you're not doing NaNo, how is life? Do you have any new found every day powers? What is your guilty pleasure food? SHARE SHARE!


peace out y'all,

noor