The crew at YA Buccaneers are hosting an awesome contest in honor of the upcoming NaNoWriMo. We're having a NanoWriMo Tip Treasure Hunt!
Here's how to play:
- Read fun tips on how to
surviveexcel this year at NaNoWriMo - Follow the blog trail by clicking on the links at the end of each post
- Leave a comment in the comment section
- Every NaNoWriMo Treasure Hunt blog you comment on gains you another entry for our awesome giveaway!
My NaNoWriMo Tip
Don't worry so much about winning. Really.
The majority of people who participate in NaNo don't actually make it to the 50K mark. And you can drive yourself a little crazy if you keep watching that word count graph instead of actually having fun with it.
I'm not sure who decided November was the best time to try and write a novel from start to finish. But if you're like me, you've got a bit of "life stuff" going on in November. Oh say, organizing a 200-seat Thanksgiving event for a local non-profit, driving 18 hours round trip to your pseudo-inlaws with a cooler full of veggie field roast, a traveling cat and a very prickly lemon tree that took up the entire back seat. You know, nothing much. Certainly the
And the first year I participated in Nano, I was agonizing that I didn't make it to that 50K finish line. Short of feigning an illness, or locking myself in the bathroom to write, there was really no way I was ever going to make it to 50K. But instead of agonizing about it, I decided to be proud of what I had accomplished. I wrote roughly 33K in about 14 days. That's a lot of words. And some of them were actually good. I'd never done that before. So for me, that was a win.
And that's how I've chosen to approach NaNo now. Use that motivation and all the great encouragement that comes with it to accomplish something. Ride that NaNo wave for all it's worth, but don't worry about winning. Winning is a matter of perspective.
Posts
Very encouraging. Thank you. Oh and did you really travel with a lemon tree? I've traveled with hermit craps in my lap and a great Dane/lab puppy but never a tree lol.
ReplyDeleteHahaha! "Hermit Craps" BEST. TYPO. EVER!!! That totally made me snort laugh in an embarrassing fashion. Thanks for that. :)
DeleteI once traveled on a bus for 36 hours with a cake on my lap (or in the overhead compartment). Ever get off a bus in the middle of no where--with a cake--and have to use the bathroom? Uh, yeah.....cake in the bathroom....on top of a suitcase.....still not good. Not that I ever mentioned that to anyone at my destination.
ReplyDeleteThey all survived, by the way... :-)
Great, great advice about not over-thinking things and getting caught up in the number count.
That cake story should Definitely make it into your NaNo book somehow. Hilarious! And yes, it's probably best you didn't mention the bathroom pit stop to anyone who ate the cake. Especially mid-bite. :)
DeleteThis is great advice. I tried NaNo last year and quit after 5 days because the stress of trying to hit the word count each day was too much for me. This year, I have a first draft to write but instead of pressuring myself to "win" NaNo, I'm just going to embrace the energy and excitement of the month and write as much as I can. You're so right that winning isn't really what's important!
ReplyDeleteSounds much more enjoyable! I'll be here on the sidelines cheering you on for that first draft! :)
DeleteSo your Thanksgiving wins the INSANE award. Hands down. :) I LOVE this reminder. It is a really challenging month to write, and I think that 50K goal can be really discouraging when you just don't have time. Great advice, Kris!
ReplyDeleteTechnically, that was last Thanksgiving. :) This year should be a lot more peaceful. I am getting a little better at saying "no". (just a little)
DeleteHoping that will translate into a little more time to write. :)
Oh how I <3 you, Kris. If your advice isn't the best way to say it, I don't know what is.
ReplyDeleteAnd I agree - who thought of November? April. Now there's another month with 30 days...and not a lot going on. Okay, maybe Easter. Whatevs. :) Or how about June? Now that there is a GREAT 30 day month! But November is tough, especially when lemon trees are involved (I'm still waiting for mine, you know?).
Best of luck if you decide to take it on this year -- I'll be cheering for you!
Yeah, or August. August is a dull, holiday-less month. And no epic road trips or epic baking involved. :)
DeleteAnd hell yeah, I could use some NaNo cheering over here because I NEED to get my butt in gear and Write Some Words. :)
Another tip is to listen to Coffitivity while writing or brainstorming. It really helps! :D
ReplyDelete