November 2018. My first official NaNoWriMo.
So how did it go?
Well….
Ok, so obviously the Monthly Challenge in November, for Kaila’s monthly membership group, was about taking the organisation and goal setting from Octobers “Preptober” and taking the biggest of stabs at achieving those goals. For many of us, those participating in Nano, that goal was a whopping 50,000 words.
That was my goal.
Ha.
Much like an All Day Slay, or a 24 hour write-a-thon, Kaila also planned a 10k In One Day to help us achieve our goals. It’s exactly as it sounds. A couple of write-ins to encourage us to write a massive 10,000 words in one day.
Like that was going to happen.
Ha.
Ok, ok, it’s not like I didn’t try. But can I remind you all of a few things?
I’m not a daily writer
I’m not organised when it comes to my WIP
My shifts change constantly, making it hard to get into a writing routine- which we all know makes writing (or anything else for that matter) that much easier
Christmas is right around the corner, making us all a little busier
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not making excuses for my Nano result. If anything, this experience has just made me so very aware of the impressiveness that is a Nano win, and I am in complete awe of those who pull it off. Because, if you haven’t guessed by now, my result was….
Nano FAIL.
But don’t feel bad for me. I am completely happy with my effort for my first real NaNoWriMo.
I managed around 14,000 words in 1.5-2 weeks and then hit a wall. I needed to flesh out my outline and character profiles, but I was struggling to focus on them with the other things I had going on. I chose to prioritize other things in my life over my writing- and that’s ok. (Gasp!)
Look, I’m not saying that “life” should always come first- because if you always put writing last then you will never finish that book. But, Nano or not, if you can look at your to do list objectively, and you see that there is an area that needs your attention, you are allowed to rearrange your list of priorities- it is your list after all.
Here’s the thing, I’m a big believer in doing something. Making some progress is better than no progress. So, if all I managed in a month was 14k words, that’s ok. That’s 14k I didn’t have before. And most of those I did in just two weeks- and that’s amazing progress for me. Did I win? No. Do I consider it a win? YES.
Oh, and the 10k day?
Ha.
Yeah that didn’t happen.
I actually had the plan to break it up into two 5k days, to make it more manageable for me.
Yeah, that didn’t happen either.
But I did have a couple of days where I knocked out big word counts. But then that’s me. I’ve learnt that I’m not a daily writer. But give me a day off to focus on my writing I can knock out 3-4k and still get some housework done on the side. Honestly, this is what I was missing from the second half of November. I had less time to myself and struggled to get into the writing groove.
So, what were my biggest takeaways from NaNoWriMo? I’m going to give you my lessons in dot point this month (to cut down on the word count… hehe) and I’ll stick to a short list. But really, I learned a lot this month. Here are my biggest takeaways for the month:
Know your flow. Don’t force a daily writing habit if you really can’t do it. It will burn you out and suck you dry of your passion for writing. On the flip side, if you benefit most from a daily writing routine, stick to it. Don’t get distracted.
Push yourself; but know your limits. Pushing yourself is important. You almost always learn that you are capable of more than you think. But you can also learn where your limits lie- if you’re paying attention.
If you can get ahead early- do! We all have the best intentions when we do the minimum, planning to stick to the schedule and get by in time. But let’s face it, life can, and usually does, throw us curveballs when we least expect it. So planning ahead and getting a buffer going is a great idea.
Self-care is a must. Whether you use a reward system after every day or break up the stressful moments with something to calm your body and your mind, pushing yourself to such an extent needs the self-care element to balance it all out. Take care of yourself, or you may suffer once November ends- if you even make it that far.
Look, real talk. NaNoWriMo or not, November or any other month of the year. No matter what part of the book your working on, at whatever stage, the important thing is not that you smash out a massive goal. Sure, goals are great for pushing you to work hard and get closer to your dreams, but I never want to hear people talking shit about themselves because they didn’t “win” Nano. If you can, GREAT! But if you don’t reach that lofty goal, that doesn’t mean you failed. Celebrate what you did accomplish. Some progress is better than no progress, remember? Learn it. Live by it. And keep chipping away bit by bit.
So whether you won Nano or not, whether you participated or not, congratulations. You’re writing a book, and that’s hard- so be proud of what you’ve managed so far.
Now get back to work- the work doesn’t end on Nov 30th.