Yes, that's right...anguish. Why? Because I am about 14,000 words behind on NaNoWriMo. I am so upset, I just want to sit and cry. I had planned on getting partially caught up today, but my sons were sick on Monday and Tuesday and my older son came home with a boat load of homework today. Plus, he's having a lot of trouble in school and I'm having to deal constantly with those issues. What I want to know? Is there any hope of ever getting caught up? I have my doubts, but then I think, "there's always hope, isn't there?"
Has anyone else ever been this behind during NaNoWriMo?
Goal....get caught up...that's about 18,000 words by the end of Friday...
18,000 words by Friday? Theoretically possible. But even if you don't write 18,000, you can still write something. Lots of people start NaNo and don't finish by the "deadline," but do end up with a good, solid beginning to what can become a great novel. Just commit yourself to writing this novel with or without NaNo, and your end result will be another goal accomplished. :)
ReplyDeleteAll that matters is that you keep writing. Whether it's 100 words a day or 10,000 - each is a step toward that finished novel. Sometimes life gets in the way and it can be so frustrating to feel like every minute of the day is consumed by all those other parts of our lives that require commitment too.
ReplyDeleteTake a deep breath and start writing. Ten minutes in bed. Two minutes between tasks. Set the timer and give yourself permission. It's amazing how all those tiny bits add up - even if they're no good, you can make them better later. When I'm really pressed for time I write notes about what my characters will do (make a tree fall on the house, have the hero get fired for doing the right thing, have the villain help someone, steal the neighbor's dog, she gets a flat tire/lame horse/depleted fuel cell, etc.) and that helps me think of plot points while I'm busy with life.
Don't get discouraged - the real goal of Nanowrimo is to get us writing all month, even if we don't hit 50,000 words.
Remember, you ARE that good. = )
Don't look at it as the over all catchup you need to do to hit the stride point of your original goal. There are still 20 days left. If you have nothing at all written, you only have 2500 words a day to hit your target. So if you have anything at all done, your in even better shape than that. You can do this.
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't have to be by Friday, only by end of the month. You can catch back up. Just commit to getting your daily count down and then do a little more to catch up. Keep trying!
ReplyDeleteYou're still ahead of me because I've given up on NaNoWriMo and I don't even feel guilty. I always thought it might be too much for me to do two novels at the same time and it was so I've given up the new one (for now) and am sticking to the one that I have almost finished the first draft of.
ReplyDeleteLast year I was behind by 10k. :) I spent about 8 hours one day catching up but did it.
ReplyDeleteDo it in little sprints. Time yourself for ten-15 minute sprints at a time. Take a break, help your son and then go back and do it over again. Rinse and repeat. You might be surprised how much you DO get done by NOT thinking it as 18,000 words but taking little bites at a time.
If you have Twitter, use @NaNoWordSprints to your advantage.
You can do it. :)
-Nellie
Aw Doll! Give yourself a hug or have the kids do it. You can do. Estimate the daily average for now through the end and write that amount daily. Or if you are ambitious. Spend a day writing. Just do your best and don't stress it.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to thank everyone for stopping by and offering such great advice and encouragement. It really means a lot and I just hope that I put it to good use. *hugs to you all*
ReplyDeleteDon't get down on yourself for being behind. I would say to just write, write and write some more. The purpose of NaNoWriMo is to get that story out of your head and onto the page.
ReplyDeleteSo strive to catch up, but don't burn yourself out too early in the race. You have the entire month to get to 50k, so don't stress too much.