Tuesday, December 1, 2009

What I Learned from NaNoWriMo

1. I can write half a novel in half a month. *
2. I am better at beginnings than middles or endings.
3. There is a community out there for pretty much whatever it is you want to do.
4. Dialog is fun.
5. 2,500 words a day is possible.
6. Or, I can have a shower and clean the kitchen.
7. "Fail" is relative. I have more words than I used to, and that is a kind of success.
8. To write something, even if it's c-r-a-p, is better than to not write at all. **
9. Deadlines, helpful for some writers, give me the creeps.
10. If I weren't doing anything else, I could probably have finished a novel in November. However, the other things (see #6) are important, too.
11. Writing from my brain is not as effective as writing from my heart. This may not be true for everyone, but that's okay. I have more success when I write what I love, as opposed to what I tell myself I should.
12. I like to edit as I go. This is not a good practice for NaNo.
13. November might be the second stupidest month to dedicate to anything other than survival.
14. I may actually use this book I've been working on (someday), but for now, it's okay to set it aside.
15. There's always something to write about.
16. Yes. That means I've started something new. (See #2.)
17. A woman of character would have finished the Nano book before starting another.
18. Duh. I'm not a woman of character. We should all know this by now.
19. I can't actually remember what we've been talking about, because...
20. I just pulled 3 loaves of bread out of the oven. Mmmm.

So, here's the thing: This was a great exercise. I did not manage to finish a novel in November (oh, but I read a few...) but I worked hard for several weeks, and I could do it again. And there is a great deal to write, so I should go do it.

After I have a piece of bread.***

*This should mean, at least theoretically, that I can write a whole novel in a whole month. I can hold on to the dream...
**I am, and plan to always be, a fan of the split infinitive. Just saying.
***With a great deal of butter, natch.

5 comments:

  1. Mmm...bread...

    Sorry...the post was about something else entirely but I'm so distracted now. I want bread!

    Congrats on all you learned!

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  2. Ahem. A woman of character knows when enough is enough. A woman with nothing else to do can write a novel in a month.

    Now bring me some bread!

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  3. I'm totally impressed, "success" or not. If you're satisfied, it all sounds successful to me. And some of aren't even brave enough to attempt it.

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  4. I had a rotten Nano this year but I'm not beating myself up about it. I had some big things to deal with and those were important. I'm just going to keep plugging along now that it's over.
    And bread? Pass it my way!

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  5. It sounds like you rocked November. I don't care if you finished the whole novel, 2500 words a day is great, and any other amount you got down is awesome as well.

    You rock!

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If you want to say it, I want to hear it. Bring it on.