It didn’t work out between NaNoWriMo and me. We just weren’t right for each other. I don’t think either of us was completely to blame, though one of us was kind of demanding of the other one (coughNaNoWriMocough).
We both just went into this thing with unrealistic expectations. It all felt too rushed. We were doing things I wasn’t ready for, and NaNoWriMo wasn’t very understanding about my hesitations. He was all, “Just shut off your inner editor! Just write 1,667 words per day!” and I was getting a little irked.
It all started out pretty well. I was writing more than the requisite 1,667 words and was feeling pretty proud of myself. My mind was focused on the end of the month, when I would have a completed or nearly completed novel. How tempting.
Then it all went to hell. One day, just one, I tried to have a life outside of NaNoWriMo. Well, he wasn’t very fond of that and made me feel super guilty the next day. And there’s nothing like guilt to make me shut down and not write.
At least now I know: NaNoWriMo and I aren’t meant to be. It seems to work for some writers, but I don’t know that I’ll ever be one of them. It was too much pressure, and I was so singularly focused on writing that I didn’t get to do anything else I enjoyed for the first eight days (he even made me miss Homeland! What nonsense is that?).
I won’t say it was all bad, though. The positive thing about this experience was that it pushed me out of my comfort zone and made me realize that I can top 2,000 words in one day. I just can’t do that EVERY day. So now, only ten days into the month, I’ve already written almost 12,000 words when my monthly average before was only 10,000 words. And I’ve still got twenty days left of this month to write more. In my book (pun intended), that’s not too shabby.
Nanowrimo, c’est difficile!!! I totally empathize. For me the 1,667 words is an all free hours+ plus effort (good-bye, ye sweet restful sleep) and since the beginning I’ve been lagging. I’m hanging in there, still about 1,000 words behind, but I really, REALLY want to be able to say “I did it” and “I WON!!” (because apparently that is the actual term one uses for successfully completing Nano). Such pressure!
But even if you’re calling it, I can see that the experience has still been valuable for you. You should be proud of your progress and the lessons you’ve learned!
AND, just in case you change your mind at some point, I couldn’t help noticing this *featured* thread Nano put on their website today, with stories of laggers suddenly writing 10,000 words in the last 36 hours: http://www.nanowrimo.org/forums/reaching-50-000/threads/86086
I know the feeling, I really do. It happens to me every November too, at around this point. I’ve written about 1500 words over the last 5 days, and fell from being ahead to about 4000 words behind, and growing. But I think it’s the dreaded teens, too – I always fall apart here, and then once I get into the 20 thousands I roar ahead again. It depends if you can really be bothered summoning up the strength to speed through catching up for a little while. But I know every year I suddenly want to do that, and pour our 10000 words in a single day and surge back ahead, and I already know I’ll do this again this year if I have to.
But as you say, even if you don’t push for the 50k this month, you’ve already broken some barriers for yourself, so you’re already the victor in a lot of ways!
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Shame it didnt work out with you two, but good for you giving it a go. also, i dont like to break to you like this, but youve a right to know… Nano was erm… seeing a few other people too.
Oh my god! The nerve!
LOL1!
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Yeah, I can’t do NaNo, jus does not work in my schedue at all.
I like to think that I could do it if I didn’t have a full-time job, but maybe not even then. I don’t know if I’ll ever be the 1700 words/day type.
I could do it if I did not have a full time job, but I do. I also have a part time job, anf five kids. Convevtional wisdom that a person has to write daily in order to be successful writer would seem to preclude me. I refuse to believe it though.
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