The blog hasn’t been getting as much love as it deserves but it couldn’t be helped as I’m focusing all my free writing time on NaNoWriMo.
The month has gone better than expected but it could have been better also. I have managed to maintain an average wordcount of 1,000 words which is below the 1,667 wordcount that is required. I think part of the problem is that between work and study, the window for inspiration on the NaNoWriMo is quite small. I have about 2-3 hours spread over the course of the day where I just need to be in “writer mode” once the allocated time comes round.
For most of the month it hasn’t been a problem as the story is developing from a blank page. So characters/plot all have to introduced and developed while trying to move the story along at a pace to keep the reader interested. I would say up to around 19k words things flowed pretty well. Once past that marker though, things needed to more focused if I’m to have any hope of tying things up by 50k words.
I have discovered that I’m a “planner” not a “pantser”. I had some basic character and story put down before I started. Then the story fleshed out the details. The problem is that some of the story went off on a tangent and means that my inner editor isn’t happy with the opening of the story. That’s not to say I’m unhappy with the story, it’s just that I wouldn’t have used the opener that I used knowing what the story now is.
Another problem is that because I didn’t plan the story out in better detail, there are large sections of the story that are a rambling mess. They need to be pared down otherwise the story would cruel and unusual punishment to inflict on any potential reader.
Even though the wordcount has slowed right down, the month has been a great eye-opener. I now know I do have the discipline to sit down each day and get part of a large story done. I’m also no longer put off by the blank page. It’s now a page waiting to be filled, even if takes a couple of weeks to get it completed.
I don’t know if the NaNoWriMo story will get completed any time soon as it needs a lot rewriting and plot fixing. But I do know that I’m going to be doing a lot more writing as a result of taking part in NaNoWriMo. And that’s a big positive to take away from the experience.