NanoWriMo Update #1
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What’s up swimmers? I’m currently on Day 4 of NanoWriMo and having incredibly mixed feelings.
On the one hand, I am 3/3 on meeting my daily word count goals and I am celebrating that! I am definitely a writer that like to go back and read and reread and edit, so to continue moving the story forward with less than normal regard for what came before has been quite the interesting challenge!
On the other hand, I’m feeling incredibly nervous and insecure about the world that I’m building—Am I giving enough detail? Do my characters jump off the page? Are they too alike or too comfortable in situations too quickly? When do I need to introduce the main conflict? Are their wants and needs clear enough? Is my dialogue too crass? Should I just quit now and reread Red, White & Royal Blue for the hundredth time?
It’s a lot, and it’s also incredibly “normal.” And no, I’m not going to quit.
Today, I plan on finishing the first draft of Chapter 2. After all, that’s all that I’m attempting to do this month—a first draft. Words on paper. Something, anything!, to fuck around. The existence of a story that I can later craft into something worth reading.
Then, this weekend, I will spend some time with the overall arc of the novel to ensure that I’m moving in a solid direction. I found this tarot spread by Kat Asteria of @celestialviolence, designed to help with NanoWriMo specifically, but also story-crafting as a whole, and I think that I’m going to use it to help iron out some kinks that I’m feeling indecisive around.
I know enough about my process now to know that I need to equally know and not know what’s coming while writing. When things become too pinned down, they become a bit boring for me. I have friends who essentially write their stories twice—once as a huge outline and then again to turn it into prose and fill in the blanks. But this method would absolutely kill my creativity and my curiosity. If I know too much about the story, I get a bit bored.
Why spend the time writing it if there’s nothing to discover?
But I also need to know where this baby’s headed, in ways that are a bit more structured that I have now. I didn’t prep in October as much as I could’ve, so in some ways, I’m playing creative catch-up now. Again, that’s okay, too! This is all a creative experiment. An exercise in commitment and forward momentum.
All during eclipse season, too. Wish me luck! 🥴⚡️
A SASSY SNIPPET 👀
He’s objectively hot. Slightly unkempt, but exceedingly put together. Well kept in a way that Mol wants to tear apart with her teeth.
And she might just get her chance, for when she swivels her head to the side, committing to ogling him fully, she’s met with deep brown eyes that are already staring back. Something sizzles in the air between them as she takes another swig. He smirks, his lips quirking up into a grin that she feels in her toes, and she takes a calculated risk. Offers him a drink, which he accepts, swirling the crimson liquid around just below his nose to take in the aroma.
“A 2012 Cabernet Sauvignons,” Mol says. “Touch of oregano in the nose.”
ON WORD COUNT GOALS & ACCOUNTABILITY ✍🏼
To write 50,000 words in a month (which honestly is about a half to two-thirds of a draft, I think?) maths out to 1,666 words per day.
Because November gets a bit busy towards the end of the month, a friend of mine has created another calendar with extended word goals to capitalize on the momentum one might have around getting started!
If you’d like this calendar, feel free to email me and I’m happy to share it!
Day 1
Traditional Goal: 1,666
Extended Goal: 2.4K
Actual Words Written: 2.5K ✅
Total Words: 2.5K
Day 2
Traditional Goal: 1,666
Extended Goal: 2,375
Actual Words Written: 1,700 ✅
Total Words: 4.2K
Day 3
Traditional Goal: 1,666
Extended Goal: 2,360
Actual Words Written: 2K ✅
Total Words: 6K
Day 4
Traditional Goal: 1,666
Extended Goal: 2,350
Actual Words Written: ????
Total Words: ????
I won’t share this every update, but I wanted to share it now in case it’s helpful for anyone to see how I’m breaking things down and keeping myself accountable and on track!