Three Things I Learned from NaNoWriMo
This was my first year participating in this writing competition. Read on to find three things I learned from doing NaNoWriMo.
First off, you might be asking yourself, “What the heck is a NaNoWriMo?” NaNoWriMo (which stands for “National Novel Writing Month”) is a non-profit organization that puts on a writing competition each November. The goal is to write 50,000 words in a month. If you reach that word mark and enter it into your profile on their website, you win! Sounds simple, right?
1. There are creative ways to make time in a busy day
Even though I don’t work outside the home, my days are still very busy. Between teaching my two homeschool kiddos, trips to the library, club meetings, making homecooked meals, keeping up the house, walking the dog, and trying to (ahem…) keep up a blog, many days there’s not a lot of time left over for writing. If you’re a grownup, you can probably make a similar list of things that keep you too busy to write. And if you’re a kid, you can make a list that’s different but still just as busy with school, homework, family, friends, and extracurriculars.
But I’m here to tell you that there are ways to find time in our busy lives if only you’re willing to slap on your problem-solving hat and do a little creative thinking. I discovered that I had times during my day where my body was busy, but my mind was not really occupied, and I could use that time to my advantage. For example, while doing the dishes I could be envisioning the next scene I want to write. Then when I had time at the computer, I could just write it all down in a flow; I didn’t have to do the thinking and planning. Waking up in the morning and showering times are also good times for planning/daydreaming about your story.
A different example was taking the dog for a walk. It doesn’t seem like you could write while walking, but you can if you have a way to record your voice. I used a note-taking app on an old iPod to record my notes and sometimes the actual writing. I had to polish things up more than normal using this method, but it did keep my story moving along when otherwise that time would’ve been wasted (aside from the exercise and time in nature…oh, and the dog doing his business, of course). A word of warning: only use this method if you’re not afraid your neighbors will think you’re the crazy person who talks to him/herself!
If you take a hard look at your day, you can find times to jot quick notes that will maximize your time at the computer, even if you only have a few minutes at a time to write. Keep a notepad with you at all times, in your purse, in your backpack, in your wallet—wherever. You can write your ideas while riding in the car, waiting in a checkout line—yes, even in the loo. (I’m not British, but doesn’t it just sound nicer to say it that way?) And one hard thing I had to adjust to was writing my draft straight into the computer; there was simply not enough time to write my complete first draft longhand in a notebook, even though that is normally my preferred method. I didn’t enjoy that part as much, but the time it saved was worth it, plus it made keeping track of my word count a million times easier.
2. It’s good to try different writing methods to see what works best for you
As I mentioned, I usually like to write my drafts longhand. Actually, for the longest time, I did most of my work straight to the computer. But for some reason, somewhere along the line I developed a bit of an aversion to being on the computer. I don’t know or remember why it happened, only that when I thought about writing and getting out my laptop, I just couldn’t seem to feel good about it. It was like a reverse magnet repelling me. Finally, the only thing that helped me get back into writing stories was pulling out my good ol’ notebook—nothing special, just some college-ruled blank paper and a Pilot pen bought at the grocery store. Something about it made me get back in touch with the way I would write as a kid, lying in my grandma’s house or in the woods near my house and filling notebooks full of ideas. Since then I’ve added a binder for organization and some fun, colorful pen for notes/editing, but all I truly need is a clear spot on a piece of paper and my fine-pointed pen to get the job done in a pinch.
Beyond changing the physical format of my writing, it was also different for me to write under such a short time deadline. While Craig and I take our books seriously and we do set goals for ourselves, we both have full-time jobs (whether paid or not) and sometimes our books get done, well, as soon as they get done. So I knew it was going to be a challenge finding the time and inspiration to get 50,000 words in one month.
I knew I would not be able to work on Darien #4 for this challenge; it needs too much planning and consistency with the other (probably) five books in the series. But I had a new idea I was interested to try that was vaguely laid out in my head. In the end, I found that I spent most of my time drafting like a tornado, and much less time planning and thinking compared to what I normally do. I don’t think I enjoyed the process as much—I would rather savor the ideas and excitement that comes when the ideas are flowing—but it did offer good lessons in being more disciplined. If you are not in a good writing habit, using some type of method to keep you on track will help you develop more consistency.
All in all, it was worth it to try and prove to myself how I write best, even if I don’t continue that way. I will note that the “crazy-fast drafting” method is going to leave me with a lot more editing, whereas my rather pokey “work in bursts” method leaves me with a much more complete draft that doesn’t change too much by the final printed piece.
3. To procrastinate or not to procrastinate
Sometimes “I don’t have time” is really an excuse to procrastinate—and let’s face it, we all do it sometimes, including me. But sometimes “I don’t have time” is the absolute fact of life and no matter how motivated you are and how many creative ways you try to fit writing time into your life, there simply aren’t enough hours in the day. Even though I did manage to meet my word count goals most days, and I did complete the 50,000-word goal at the end, there were times when the only way to do this was to stay up late into the night…or maybe the wee hours of the morning.
Now, on occasion I don’t mind this; I’m more of a night-owl anyway. In fact, that is how most of “Hope’s Melody” was written, a lot of it in one night. (That’s not the norm for me, however—just so you know.) But on and off for a whole month? Well, that’s fine if you’re in a place in your life where that is OK, but if you have school, or a job, or a family to take care of, then it’s not going to work very well. I don’t feel it’s a healthy choice to steal time away from sleeping, nor is it very responsible. It turns out that being a mom has made me fairly flexible with lack of sleep, so for the competition we toughed things out, but it doesn’t seem like a good long-term strategy for forming a writing habit. There are little pockets of time in most days when I can slip in some writing—especially if I’ve had planning/daydreaming time earlier (see Tip #1)—but not every single day, and not as much as 50,000 words per month would require.
Final thoughts
One thing to mention is that the NaNoWriMo website is set up with social aspects. You can chat with other writers and read posts for help or encouragement. However, I only used the site for keeping track of my word counts and earning my virtual “badges” along the way. I don’t know if it would’ve helped me feel more supported or connected to the community if I had gone that route, or if it would have simply been time taken away from my writing time.
In the end, I am proud of what I accomplished—I achieved the word-count goal and, more importantly, wrote a complete first draft of a new novel. I’m very excited about it, as it’s different from my other stories. It’s a mystery about a hotel in Wisconsin . . . and that’s all I’m telling you for now! But now that I won NaNoWriMo, I don’t really feel like it’s something I need to do again. I can remember the lessons learned from this experience and find new mountains to climb.
I would definitely like to have more time next year to help my kids take part. They did the Young Writers version this year and had fun, but I know I didn’t have a lot of time to guide them through things as much as I would’ve wanted. It will be a great experience to try again when I am more available to be their writing coach, rather than being caught up in my own story.
If you hear of someone you know taking part next year, make sure to give them lots of encouragement and support. It really is a big undertaking and commitment. And if you decide to take part: Have fun and good luck!
