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  • Confessions of a NanoWrimo Failure

    As previously mentioned on this blog, a little over a month ago I suggested to Jess Barnes that it would be a good idea for us to participate (unofficially) in National Novel Writing Month. The goal: write 50,000 words during the month of November.

    And the result: about 14,000 words.

    So, I’m a NanoWrimo failure. I could make some excuses–like how in the middle of the month my agent suggested that I work on a different book than the one I had been writing. Or how work was really busy. Or how I was working on a freelance project (which might not be entirely true, as I didn’t actually start it until December).

    But the excuses just don’t cut it. I shoulda written more. I coulda made my goal. I just got distracted by shiny things that seemed more fun than writing.

    So I failed to meet my goal, but I’m convinced that it wasn’t a complete waste to try. You know that saying: Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss you’ll land among the stars. Cheesy, yes. But I think it fits. I mean, I might not have made my goal, but I certainly wrote more than I would have without any goal. And those 14,000 words? They’re not too shabby. They gave me a really strong start to my next book, gave me a foundation from which to write the synopsis. It helped me really get into the characters’ heads and figure out where the story needed to go.

    I refuse to beat myself up over being a NanoWrimo failure. I’m just glad that I’m still writing. And stretching myself as a writer is never a bad thing. Next year. Same goal. More discipline.

    Same attitude.