Now that it’s December 1, I feel like I can freely confess this: I blew off NaNoWriMo this year. I’ve written a “novel” (I use the term loosely) every year since 2004. Some are better than others; none are great. I’ve always been ok with that. I know that I’m not a novelist, but after…
Category Archives: nanowrimo
Giving 128%
I crossed the NaNoWriMo finish line with flying colors — 128% of quota — and yet the win has never been less satisfying. I ended with approximately 528 words of quality fiction, but I certainly didn’t end with anything close to what you might call a novel. As I think about it, the 528 words…
Blowing Past the Halfway Point
I have amazing time management skills when I’m crazy busy. Only 20 minutes between the completion of this revision and my next conference call? Fill the gap with NaNoWriMo! Using this method of zero down time, I’ve plowed ahead with random fictional passages, jumping across that mythical halfway point and ending up at 67% by…
36.9% and Stalling
So here’s the thing: if your plot abandons you, it’s really hard to do NaNoWriMo. Oh sure, I could write 30 different short stories of 1,667 words each, but it’s hard. Really hard. Even lengthy and detailed characterizations — like the one about the woman who scoops the foam out of her cappuccino and feeds…
34% of What?
I’ve reached 17,011 words and I think, to be fair, I should stop calling it a novel. This is little more than a random effort of disjointed fiction. And while my feelings about it may change down the road, I think I’m ok with that. Even without a coherent plot and discernible character arcs, it’s…
Progress Meter: 23.7%
Somehow, 11,880 words doesn’t sound nearly as impressive as 23.7%. Don’t ask me why. This is, without a doubt, the most disjointed excuse for a novel that I’ve ever written. There are flashbacks. There are parallels to current events. There’s a guest appearance by Anderson Cooper. (Anderson, I apologize for dragging you into this.) And…
14% of a Novel
I hit the ground running with NaNoWriMo this year, and did my best to write like a maniac at every available opportunity on Sunday and for an hour this morning. I’ve got 7,003 words under my belt, and I’m doing my best to build a solid word count cushion before a big project comes through…