I'm doing NaNo this year! Sort of. I'm actually still putting the finishing touches on my planning, and haven't written a single word yet. Hopefully that will change tonight-- I'm a little nervous about starting off behind.
But not too nervous. I'm using NaNo as a tool, not as an end-game in and of itself. I want to punch out a draft quickly, and NaNo is a great way to encourage that. However, I don't want to turn out a crappy draft-- well, I guess I don't want to turn out a crappier first draft than I have to. I want to make sure I get it as "right" as I can so I don't have to spend extra time in revisions. Basically, I don't want NaNo itself to get in the way of the story, so if I don't "win," I'm okay with that.
NaNo is a short-term goal. Writing this book and writing it well is a long-term one. I don't want the short-term to short-circuit the long-term.
On the Healthy Writers Club front (you can join here!), I'm finding a similar issue. I twisted my ankle earlier this week, and wasn't able to run. I DID walk twice, half a mile each time, so I got some exercise in. But I don't want my short-term goal of running three times a week to get in the way of my long-term goal of running a half-marathon. So I scaled back in order not to injure myself.
So, my friends, are you NaNoing? What are your goals? Did you have a healthy week? And if you are NaNoing, I'd love it if you buddied me! My username is Shallee.
NaNoWriMo: Don't let the short-term goals get in the way of your long-term goals
Nov 2, 2012
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Shallee McArthur
Author of YA sci fi THE UNHAPPENING OF GENESIS LEE (@skyhorsepub). Gamer girl. Budding seamstress. Genealogy enthusiast. Repped by @hannahnpbowman.
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16 comments:
Hey Shallee, I'm not NaNoing, but I just saw a post about NaNoReviMo that looks promising.
Good luck at NaNo!
You're doing the right thing by staying off your ankle. It's the only way to heal. Then start back slowly and work your way up again. You can do it! Plus, even if your cardio isn't up to par, there are lots of walkers doing the half marathon, too.
Hi Shallee,
Stopped by to see how you are. Get that ankle healed!!!! Glad you're doing NANO. I'll try and look you up there. I've gotten a good start, I just hope it continues.
I didn't post for The Healthy Writers Club, but am still into it.
I worked my ass off outside the beginning part of the week to get ready for Sandy, put myself out of it for two days, but I am back on track and still down 3 lbs. Next week I'll do a post, and will hopefully have even better news. Keeping my fingers crossed. NANO has me inspired in more ways than one regardless of the ass in the chair for 50,000 words. :)
Stay well!
I hate when an injury slows me down- it's frustrating. The blessing in disguise? Maybe that it forces us to rest and slow down and not put all our esteem eggs in the exercise basket (or maybe that's just me). Hope you heal quickly.
Like Gwen, I am NaNoReviMo-ing. Two chapters a day. One down, a little procrastinating, one to go. Thanks for the diversion! :)
Hope your ankle heals quickly. Smart move not to pressure it. Moving through with stuff I have to do, but won't be doing NaNo 'cause I have all sorts of stuff to finish.
I'm doing NaNo for the first time this year. I'm also using an outline, which is new for me. (I tried once before and it didn't work. At all.) But I'm really excited to see how this works out. I've been wanting to write this story for a long time and finally figured out how the pieces work together. Now we'll see if I can write it all in a month. :)
Sorry to hear about your ankle. I have managed some aggressive gardening and moved along to an exercise DVD to entertain the grandchildren during half term.
Good luck with the NaNo chaaallenge. I am not signing up for NaNo. It does get you writing, but I feel it makes for too much editing, so I use Write1Sub1 as a monthly challenge. I may step up to weekly in the new year.
I'm sorry to hear about your ankle!
I'm doing NaNoWriMo. Good point about long-term vs. short-term goals--NaNo does sort of push you to make snap decisions that can wildly derail the intended story.
Sent you a buddy request on the WriMo site. I'm SalFlorentine. :)
Good luck with the newbie!
I'm in much the same boat... setting up a good foundation, but haven't written a word yet this month so far. But in my mind, NaNoWriMo is less about the 50k and more about just getting your butt in gear. So to that end, I'm challenging myself, but not strictly shooting for 50k. Good luck reaching your goals, whatever they may be!
Hi Shallee, I'm doing NaNo for the first time this year, and I'm not doing it to win either. In fact, I'm already seriously behind in my word count and haven't even posted what I've done yet. But, like you, I'm using it as a tool to write every day on a new WIP, a sequel to a book I finished last month. For me it's a good motivator to have some kind of a goal, as I can do a good job of dawdling. :-)
Good luck with your own goals. Ciao for now
PS: sorry about your ankle. Hope it is better now.
Sorry about your ankle.
I'm doing NaNo too and I don't want to have to spend a lot time rewriting.
I'm off to find you on nano now...
I'm doing NaNo but I'm already behind! I'm trying to focus on the long term goal - finishing a draft that I'm happy with, instead of worrying too much about "winning."
Good luck this month!
I can't Nano this year due to time constraints, which is a shame. And yes, NaNo is a GREAT tool.
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