Comments on: NaNo Gutcheck

by: Kathleen Bolton

Tue, 20 Nov 2007 10:47:27 +0000

I finally figured out what’s been holding me back (besides Real Life): the fact that last year I chucked everything I wrote during NaNo in a re-write. This year I was kinda hoping I wouldn’t have to do that.

Who’m I kidding?

Thanks, everyone, for sharing. It helps to know others are out there clutching their hair. Lea, link away. Eric, wise words as usual.

Ok, enough stalling. Back to work!

by: spyscribbler

Tue, 20 Nov 2007 05:48:57 +0000

Oh, man, I really feel your pain! Thanks for the encouragement! Neil Gaiman’s pep talk was great, wasn’t it?

by: Jennifer

Mon, 19 Nov 2007 21:06:08 +0000

I haven’t done great on pacing, I write slow, but I’m giving myself the same pep talk you are, especially the “You can’t fix a blank page” and the “Hey, that’s (fill in the blank) more words than you had yesterday” parts.

Hang in there. This is my first novel, but from what I understand, slogging through the middle always sucks.

by: Lea Schizas

Mon, 19 Nov 2007 18:46:01 +0000

I just wanted to congratulate you on being named as one of Writer’s Digest Top Writing Sites. My own community The MuseItUp Club made it once again as well so I know how thrilled you must be.

If you have no objections, I’d like to post your blog link in my FREE Links PDF I offer to my readers four times a year.

Once again, congratulations.

by: Eric

Mon, 19 Nov 2007 17:29:44 +0000

You have to fail to succeed.

by: Jennifer

Mon, 19 Nov 2007 16:19:45 +0000

I’m doing okay this year. I haven’t got to the juicy middle yet, even though I’m over the 25k mark. I’ve been consistently one day behind in my writing goals, since I just haven’t been able to get a big word day in. I hope that once I get to the juicy part things will go faster. I also have no idea how this one is going to end, so it will be kind of a crapshoot leading up to Nov 30…oh, and my laptop screen is slowly going dark. I just hope it lasts until Dec 1 when I can take it in for repair (still under warranty, thank goodness).

Anyway, I’ll tell you what I tell the folks in my region: There’s still time, and the only way to get ahead is to write. Write like little plot bunnies are nipping at your heels, like those zombie/vampire ninja pirates are coming up behind you, like this is a first draft and no one will care. Take breaks and keep your eyes open for new ideas. Do something else creative and sometimes that sparks a plotline. Hop on the NaNo forums for a word war (in the Making 50k thread).

And believe that you can do it. Good luck!

by: Elena Greene

Mon, 19 Nov 2007 15:05:39 +0000

Well my kids and I all got this nasty sinus thing about Oct 30 so I’ve spent some of what could have been writing time doing research on the Napoleonic wars. Watching Sean Bean in the Sharpe series counts, right?

Having the kids home for Veterans Day and parent/teacher conference day didn’t help. They’ve promised to be good and let me write over the Thanksgiving break so we’ll see how that goes.

I’m still not hopelessly off the 50K a month pace (at about 23K right now). Maybe I can make it all up in a mad spurt the last week. It’s a crummy plan but it’s all I’ve got right now.

Hang in there and keep the faith! If you come out of NaNo with new ideas it doesn’t matter so much if there’s little salvagable prose.

by: Jenna

Mon, 19 Nov 2007 14:00:44 +0000

Heavenly for the first two weeks and hellish since the start of week three. You’ve said what’s been running through my head for the past few days .

I spent all day yesterday trying to find some way to salvage what I have and continue, but no light bulb’s going off.

I think what I’m going to do at this point is open the draft, start at the top and every place I think I’m missing a transition or a piece of the story I’m going to type the info…kind of weave an outline into the document.