Wednesday, November 21, 2012

NaNoWriMo: What I've Learned So Far


1. Even though I end each day thinking that I'm all writ out and these 2,000 words are the last I'll ever write, somehow the next day I wind up writing 2,000 more.

2. The parts that I have the most fun writing are the parts that require the least editing the next day. Yes, I know you're not supposed to edit during NaNoWriMo and I haven't really edited, meaning I haven't done a read-through of what I've written since November 1 (see counter above!), but I do start off each morning by going over what I wrote the day before to give me a springboard for the new day. And I quickly saw that the skydiving parts are a lot more fun to write and a lot better than the non-skydiving parts (you can see a video of my recent jump, if you're interested).
3. My typing has improved radically! (I know; big deal, but I find it interesting.) Spellcheck has very little to do these days.

4. If I take a day off, it's hard to get back in the groove the next day. Hmmm. Maybe, despite all my protestations, there's some truth to this "write every day" thing.

5. Writing full-time is hard.


4 comments:

  1. I was thinking the same thing about the day off. I've also been at the other end, though, where my ideas and motivation dry up because I never give myself a day off. Looking for that balance, I am. If you happen to find it, let me know:)

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    1. Hi Karrie, I still plan to take off one day a week. After all, I didn't quit my day job just so I could work all day, every day, right? Plus many cultures have found a great benefit in a sabbath, whether religious or secular, and who am I to argue with that? The post where I talked about this sabbath idea includes links to some interesting articles in the NY Times that support it. See http://tinyurl.com/aodqkfh if you're interested! And keep us posted about your search for balance. I know I'd love to hear what you come up with!

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