Are You Ready?

Halloween tends to be a busy pre-NaNo day in my household, so I'm throwing this post out (and scheduling a couple to throw out the first week) to get revved up for what's ahead.

(Quick update: I've gotten three of the UnQuadrilogy covers done, but considering the third and fourth books have yet to be written, I'm a-okay with not finishing them pre-Nano. It was a busy week with new kittens and my bear-like instinct to hibernate in cold weather.)

First off, from what I've learned, it's REALLY tough for writers with a full-time job to adhere to the 1,667 word daily average needed to get your 50K by the end of the month. Even if you do manage to flow with a 1K per hour output speed, you're still looking at about 2 hours of time dedicated to it. An already hectic lifestyle would make this next to impossible to squeeze in during the work week and, supposing you have two solid days off, the idea of shoving 14K words, or at least 14 hours of writing in two days (that's full time writing!) just doesn't fly. I've seen that some people will squeeze in an hour or even specifically schedule it as a word sprint, just so they knock off at least 5 hours-- still leaves about 9 hours to be fit into two days...

So yes, the full 50K is a pipe dream for people with that kind of lifestyle. I'd still encourage people to participate as they can, or set a NaNo-lite goal. 25K is still huge and I can tell you now, it's not really about how much you do. It can be a great learning experience and a way to boost your camaraderie with other writers. Over the course of the month, authors will put encouraging messages in your inbox that might offer encouragement or habits that can help you.

Busy lives can come from those who don't work outside the home too. Among the participants, you'll find the parents of young children who struggle for time to focus. 

 

Not many of my Buddies reported as Winners, but it really didn't dull their accomplishments one bit. It's not a strictly monitored event and what you report or how you report it is up to you. You can drop your text in to have the word count tallied up or you can just manually type it in. Some people will fudge it to get the Winner discounts-- no shame in that. The Scrivener discount alone is worth it. I do think the system should go ahead and allow those discounts for anyone who put in the earnest effort. 

As for habits, most people suggest a sort of ritualistic entry into each session. Make coffee/tea, light exercise, music (too distracting for me, but works for some), blog/free-write-- it's like a romance so bubble baths, scented candles and chocolate are fair game too. Habits are harder to come by if you're busy, but you might successfully squeeze in a pep talk while walking to your car after work, grabbing your favorite take-out, or keeping a voice recorder (bonus if it has a dictation feature) to multitask the mentality you need to motivate yourself to use your time the best way possible.

Any type of big goal is going to be a sacrifice so 50K may not even be a priority. In fact, word count goals can be intimidating. Maybe you're just not fast at typing or you're lucky you can squeeze out 200 words, let alone 2K. I still think it's worth it to sign up and check in, see what's involved and how you can prepare for next year. Go ahead and throw your word counts in it to see if it's more doable than you thought.

Best of luck to all participants! Go ahead and add me as your buddy (I'm AbsentGoddess) and I'll add you back. It's a very secure system so don't worry about people harassing you. It's just as easy to block people as it is anywhere else. I've never had anyone even remotely do so. Above all, enjoy this time! Any goals that put you on course for what you want in life are worthwhile. Never set it in measure to someone else.