The awesome co-hosts for the November 2 posting of the IWSG are Diedre Knight,Douglas Thomas Greening,Nick Wilford, and Diane Burton!
I first took part in National Novel Writer’s month back in 2011- maybe? It was my second attempt at writing a book and I got to 49,000 words and ran out of story. (The goal is 50,000 words.) I did go back after the month was over and edit the story to try to get more words, and make it a better story. I even rewrote it in a different tense and then switched it back again. But I eventually realized the story was too derivative of someone else’s work and gave it up.
That story also hooked me on writing novels. I’d been writing poetry up to that point, and the new form let loose a flood of creativity.
That wasn’t my only attempt. I have ‘won’ a couple of years. And I’ve gotten a couple of decent stories out of it. There have been others that were backburnered because they didn’t satisfy me, but they were good practice.
NaNo is not for everyone. It’s a lot of work-writing that many words can be stressful. You have to turn off your inner editor and let the words speak for themselves. It can also be a lot of fun, watching your story take shape every day.
I’m not participating this year because I’m 50,000+ words into my current WIP and I don’t want to stop and lose my flow. (At 48,000 words, the story took a twist I wasn’t expecting and I’m enjoying where it’s leading me.)
So for those of you trying to meet the 50,000 word goal this year, good luck and congratulations!
Don’t forget to checkout some of the other entries in this blog hop by following the links below.
And, until next time, please stay safe!
Very inspiring, P.J.! Great perseverance. Keep trucking on your current novel!
thanks. the story has taken yet another turn and I’m along for the ride.
Glad to hear your current story is going well!
Thanks!
I’m glad doing NaNoWriMo opened up your creativity. I think it’s worth doing at least once, so we can work out our strengths and weaknesses as writers. I’ve participated three or four times and every time, I’ve learned different things about my writing process. Best of luck with your current project! I’m glad it’s going well. 🙂
That is awesome that you have won in the past. Good luck with your WIP.