In the words of so many suddenly-enlightened antagonists, "What have I done?"I'm post-midpoint now and waaaay below target. Yes, I've experienced many of the same inconvenient time-sucking hurdles all the other participants have, but they're not necessarily the bulk of the blame.
I've concluded, reluctantly, that I'm not the type of writer who can produce 50,000 words of prose within a month and be able to use any of it. Just ain't gonna happen. That's not to say I've not had productive spurts, but the massive majority of what I've written is completely unusable.
If the definition of "rewrite" is restarting from scratch, then what I've written needs to undergo a rewrite. If the definition is to re-do chapters, sections, characters, plot lines, etc., then a rewrite is not what this manuscript needs.
But this exercise has been worthwhile.
I've discovered characters and fleshed out ones I knew I'd have. I've learned that some of my original plotting ideas just won't work, but found others that might. Being that this manuscript could loosely be termed a prequel, I've got new things to enrich my upcoming sequel. But there will be no "editing" or "revising" of this manuscript.I intend to continue. That's how I am. If I say I'm going to do something then I do my dead-level best to follow through. (That's why I debate long and hard before committing to anything.) I'll do so knowing that I'll be sending it off to pixel purgatory when I'm finished, but there is still benefit to completing it--beyond following through on a commitment.
I will discover more characters. I will be able to further develop plots and subplots. I will find hidden themes, things I can foreshadow, envision new twists and a multitude of other things I can use. I just won't be able to use the words and structure I've already got. I think this is okay. Much of this is what I normally do anyway, albeit at a slower pace with far less throwaway prose.Perhaps by month end I'll have refined my target audience with this book. (It's not that I didn't have one in mind, but the story seems to want to unfold differently.) And when I begin writing this thing in earnest, for real, I'll have one mighty fine outline and maybe that's the whole point after all.
Have you experienced a NaNoWriMo or similar challenge? What were your experiences?
I smell what you're stepping in. I'm a slow writer too (relative to some). When I try to pound out a ton of words in a short amount of time I get a crappy product.
ReplyDeleteI knew better than to expect anything better than mediocre quality, but I had no idea it would be THIS bad! LOL. Actually though, it has helped me make some decisions regarding the story, so it's not a total waste of time.
DeleteI have never attempted NaNoWriMo. Mostly because I want to stay married with children who will talk to me.
ReplyDeleteIt DOES require quite a commitment. My wife is the greatest. The alternative is that she LIKES me out of her hair... yeah, I'm discounting that as completely impossible.
DeleteI would never attempt it. No way I could write that many words in such a short period of time. But from what most people say, they're glad they did it. Sounds like you'll get a lot out of it.
ReplyDeleteI can honestly say that if I had noticed no benefit whatsoever that I probably wouldn't continue. The chances of me actually reaching the target at this point is next to nil, but I shall plod along and continue to make my best effort with the time I have left.
DeleteOnce done, I'll pick up the pieces and begin again. My primary goal was to learn to silence the internal editor while drafting more than attaining any particular word count anyway.
I'd love to do NaNoWriMo. But I know the pressure would impact the quality of my writing, and like JoLynne said, priorities are important. You know what? You've written an entire novel. It doesn't matter how long. You already know you can do it. (Or maybe that's just how I make myself feel better when a day goes by and I don't write a single word).
ReplyDeletePlus, I think word count only covers half of the actual work that goes into a novel. Some of my best ideas, characters, and scenes are developed in the car. Or before a nap. Or in the shower. All of that counts.
I fully agree with you, Jen. In truth, word count is probably less than half once you factor in all the creative preparation, editing, revising, rewriting, and the many things that follow even those.
DeleteAnd you're correct. I wrote my novel without any NaNo stimulus or targets. Until there's an editor breathing down my neck comparing the minute hand on his/her watch to a deadline, I'll just do what I do best in the time in takes to do my best.
I did the actual NaNoWriMo last November, and I loved it. Working with a deadline is a great motivator. However I did find that the two novels I churned out during that month were only good for getting the concept down. I do know that with planning, I could write something worthwhile during these events, because I am a naturally fast writer. These kinds of things are my forte.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with finishing your writing this month though. I'm cheering for you.
Thanks for the cheer-leading! I can use it.
DeleteDo you find that editing/rewriting those novels requires more or less time and effort than if you had written them at your normal pace?
Probably more, depending in how much planning I managed to do first. However I find that it's a great way to get the idea down on paper and see what will work, and what won't. The non NaNo novel I've been w/working on will need a lot of reworking, but it was based off last years NaNo novel, and so already had a start. Thanks to doing NaNo, I had the Baal. Idea to work off, and knew how I wanted the storybti go. As far as getting a workable first draft down, that hasn't happened yet, but it us a great way to get down the initial ideas and discover what I actually want to say.
DeleteWow, coming back and looking at this, I can see the bad effect my new tablet's auto correct has. I might have to turn that off because the auto corrected stuff makes less sense than the spelling mistakes!
DeleteLOL. You did far better on your tablet than I do on mine--with or without auto correct. My wife laughs at me typing six words per minute on the tablet compared to the 60-90wpm I do on my trusty 20 year old, 5 pound, 101-key enhanced IBM keyboard. I like how it clicks and feels. I'm totally lost without it. (I'm so thankful for PS2-USB adapters.)
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