Progress Definitely Not Perfection
As of last night I’m 22,065 words into NaNoWriMo. I will be at the halfway point soon. I’ve written a lot of crap. Letting someone read this first draft is akin to waterboarding. However surprises appear each day I write. My mind must be working subconsciously because I get ideas out of nowhere, while making tea. “Oh I could write about that!,” I think and a new path will flash before me. Characters appear that I never imagined when I first started.
I’m enjoying the process. The discipline of writing every day is challenging yet it is also fulfilling. This process is showing me that I had time in each day for something creative, I just didn’t take advantage of it. Having a deadline, a real deadline, makes all the difference. The pressure of 50,000 words by November 30th applies more each day. All that matters is getting that magic number of 1,667 words a day.
Another thing I’m learning is focus. Focus is king. Distractions taunt me every time I write: Twitter, Facebook, E-mail, Digg, iTunes. When I’m at the coffee shop I check out every person that enters. I have to overcome all that just write. The bottom line is word count, not quality.
Will I finish? I hope so. I’m one of those folks who have to finish what they start. I’m not sure how I’m going to crank another 28,000 words out of this story. I have a lot more to write about but 28,000 words? Do I have it in me?
Thankfully I have my good buddy JeHerv along for the ride. NaNoWriMo also releases podcasts and pep talks to keep you writing. They know this is no easy task.
If you’re rooting for me thanks. If not, thanks, I love to prove people wrong about me. 16 more days, 28,000 more words and we’ll know if I have my first novel under my belt.
Congrats on sticking out this far. I went over the halfway point last night. I pity any editor that tries to make a best seller out of this thing.
It has been an experience. I variously compare it to mental jogging, or a blog post on steroids. I am posting exerpts daily. There is a companion event called nablopomo, where all you do is agree to put up a blog post every day in November. After nanowrimo, this should…repeat should…prove easy.
Get back to work.
I am right about at the same point and have enjoyed it thoroughly. What you wrote is so true:
“This process is showing me that I had time in each day for something creative, I just didn’t take advantage of it.”
I am amazed at how much time i can waste every day.
I’ll go ahead and root against you.
So what exactly is the point of writing a book just to write it in a short span of time? Wouldn’t it be more beneficial to write something worth reading and not just a certain length?