Here is a rundown of what NaNoWriMo has been like so far. Posting this makes my accountable for my writing. It spurs me into action. Thanks for coming along for the ride.
Day 1: A family wedding and acute back pain. Putting off until tomorrow what I should have done today
Day 2: Pushing through the back pain. Writing on pain killers is an interesting thing. Managed 607 words (Note: I reread them on Day 7 … oh, dear. Thank goodness for rewrites).
Day 3: Pushing through and finding my feet. 1344 words, then hit a wall. Procrastination sets in. Instigating Procrastination Protocol 101: Took a break and tried to do some notes on upcoming scenes – not easy as a Pantser. Can’t access NaNo’s website to update. Total word count: 3200 words.
Day 4: Got bogged down in various machinations. Needed to make notes to keep all the twisty turnies in check. Spent a few hours sketching out clues and points to remember, for the next few chapters (and the endgame!) Wanted to keep the momentum, so am trialing Good Advice on how to prevent Writer’s Block #1 – wrote the first paragraph for the next scene in preparation for tomorrow. Total NaNo word count: 4587
Day 5: Not only did I manage 1998 words today (squeals of delight ensue), I also finished Chapter 10. First scene on Chapter 11 is now written (though I may split the chapters elsewhere on rewrites. I think there is a better cliffhanger earlier on.) A cool breeze through the back door, eggs and soldiers for lunch, and Jeff Wayne’s War of the Worlds with Richard Burton is playing in the background. A good day. Total word count: 4587 words.
Day 6: Extremely tired. Feel like I was hit by a bus. Is this the writing hangover I have heard talk of? Procrastination thy name is Facebook… and cup of tea… and chocolate… and blog post … and … The writing is not coming easily. I did manage 678 words – so not a total loss. Friday and Saturday is a total loss writing-wise. Preparing to push myself next week. Taking a break. Catching up on ‘writing’ podcasts. Some interesting stuff on publishing, and NaNoWriMo..
Total word count is over 7000 words in less than six days – a personal best so far.
Day 7 and 8: Prebooked professional conference. It is a must-attend to keep my registration up for my day job. With all the recent stress, I am not coping well. Longing for Day 9 – and writing.
NaNoWriMo word count. Day 8:
Total Words- first draft:
Here we are Day 9 has arrived. My purple notebook is filling up. Total word count is 7263. Time for some perspective. I went into my first full NaNoWriMo hoping for the best but not really expecting to ‘win’ (ie. achieving that magical 50,000 word count). My personal goal was to make a dent in my WiP manuscript, The Department of Curiosities. That I have done. Let’s look at the numbers so far:
- Total NaNoWriMo word count: 7263
- Total manuscript (first draft) word count: 55,550
- % of projected word count (based on average steampunk/SF genre books – 85,000): 65.35%
- words left til reach projected word count: 29,450 (less than my novella Doctor Jack!)
- Total cups of tea: 32
- One block of 85% dark chocolate.
- a large handful of homegrown carrot sticks
- Blog posts: 3
Puts it in perspective really.
The Department of Curiosities – Manuscript Word Progress: (65.35% first draft)
At 1st draft only:
Revised Words:
Total Words: