Last year I got a pretty great start on *NaNoWriMo before I burned out, like I do every year. I start out each year thinking, “1,600 words per day… yeah, I can do that easy-peasy!”, and I write about 800 words per day for the first three days and think, “I’ll catch up. I’ll have a mad writing spree on Saturday.”
Saturday comes and I decide I want to go visit someone, and it’s rude to write while visiting, so I figure I’ll write when I get home. And I get home and I’m too tired from visiting. And on Monday I write. Thinking I’m badass for having written for two hours straight, and positive I’m nearly caught up, I check my word count for the day: 300. And by mid-week I Am Done. Not “done” as in I wrote a 50,000 word novel, but “done” as in fuck this shit… I have a life. Except I really don’t, but I like to lie to myself sometimes to impress me.
But, whatever. I’m not technically doing NaNoWriMo this year. What am I going to do, you ask (I’m pretending you care)? I am going to give you last year’s great start bit-by-bit randomly throughout the month of November, but actually starting now because I can’t wait (well, maybe tomorrow, since it IS nearly 4 am right now). I only have six-and-a-half chapters written at the mo’, but maybe I’ll add on and eventually give you a whole novel. And then I’ll publish that novel and no one will buy it at the bookstore because here it is, and I’ll be poor forever. And it’ll suck.
Look for the posts titled “Amusement”.
*NaNoWriMo = National Novel Writing Month. They want to torture you by making you sit in front of your computer for the entire month of November writing utter nonsense just to say you did their required 50,000 words. It’s not for the faint of heart, but if you win… you win the Internet. It’s yours, and you can do with it as you please (one of my friends would kick off everyone but herself and Johnny Depp). The best reason to sign up? You can get a little badge from them to use as your Facebook pic to make everyone think you’re a real live author, for reals.
Last year was the first year I actually managed to finish after making good intentions and what turned out to be, false starts for three years running. I’m going to make the attempt again this year as well, but I know exactly how you feel – and found, for me at least, its darn near impossible to ever catch up if I fall behind.
Looking forward to reading what you have – and there’s no reason you can’t take that story and add to it during NaNo this year!
You are a more dedicated woman than I!
I think they consider a continuation of last year’s work “cheating”, but since I’m not in it to win it, I may use NaNoWriMo just to get myself moving again.