Monday, November 5, 2012

NaNoWriMo and #writemotivation Update Part 1

So, we're five days into the month of November. NaNoWriMo is in full swing. As of this post almost 600 million words have been written. Some people have already hit their 50K. Some people are half way done. Some people haven't written a word. I'm averaging close to their suggested number of words a day. I should have hit 6K yesterday, I didn't. A lot of people would stress about this. I'm not. If I stress, I stop writing. It's that simple. Also, I'm doing this for fun and to get myself back into a consistent writing regimen. So far, it's working.

I'm not doing NaNoWriMo by myself. In addition to the 260,000 participates world wide, I am joined by my two children (ages 6 and 11). Both of them wanted to do it. Both of them set goals and are working toward them. The 6yo is wanting to write 250 words (he's just over 50 now). Oldest is shooting for 8K. Both of them should reach their goals. I think it is awesome.

Last night it occurred to me that I may not play catch with my children, we do word-sprints. Last night, my oldest and I wrote for 15 minutes without stopping. I would have included the younger kid, but he had to go to bed. Maybe today we'll get another word-sprint in.

No matter what, the important thing is that we are having fun and expanding our creative minds. That is what NaNoWriMo is all about. Writing creatively for 30 days.

As for the novel I'm working on, I decided on the SciFi action-y story, Troubleshooter. It's been in my head for 20 years. It's time I got it out. I decided to do it for a couple of reasons.
  1. I have had it in my head for 20 years
  2. Most of the world has been built (see point 1)
  3. I needed something less emotionally intense than HJ to work on.
  4. If I get stuck, I can always blow up a building (or 3!).
  5. SciFi is fun!
The nice thing about NaNo (besides all the above), is that I can experiment with things and not worry about it. Editing comes later.

If you are doing NaNo and want to be a writing buddy, my username is: DrewPy42. Add me, and I'll add you back.

'Till next time.

8 comments:

  1. Sci fi IS fun! And blowing things up is always enjoyable :D

    Best of luck with the rest of NaNo.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! I knew you'd agree. :D Good luck to you to!

      Delete
  2. so cool that your kids wanted to do nano with yo and yay! to blowing up buildings! i could do that if i get stuck, too! just blow up the writer's block, nice. keep at it, andrew. woot!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Val! :D Yeah, the both really wanted to do that. The oldest had a minor meltdown over his story this weekend, but after some tears and alone time, he was back writing.

      Delete
  3. I think it's awesome that you're sprinting with your kids :D. One of my wrimos is doing NaNo simultaneously with her granddaughter (the GD is doing the YWP), and I think it's so amazing that NaNo is bringing families together to write now!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yup. My oldest has written 854 words since November 1st. Youngest is still at 50 because he hasn't told anyone how many new words he's written.

      Delete
  4. I agree - so cool that you've introduced your kids to NaNo and the love of writing! I hope they're enjoying it and feel good about the progress they make over time!

    And well done for starting work on the story that's been in your head for so long. Time to get it out there :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They are enjoying it. 6yo was telling me that he had a cool idea, but he forgot it. He seemed upset. Both boys are loving NaNo though.

      Delete