My Nanowrimo Challenge

I’ve been swept up in this November insanity for a long time now.  This is my ninth year participating.  When I first started, I was a junior in college, double majoring in two different engineering degrees, and I would fit in my words in between my classes and occasionally writing deep into the night to catch up.  I’ve done Nano around working full-time and taking graduate engineering classes.

I know some people feel the need to switch it up.  I am not one of those people.  I like my first drafts viable, something I can tweak into something potentially sell-able, something that other people are going to want to read.  50K in a month is a reasonable goal.  Each story has its own quirks, its own issues, and is a journey all its own.

That being said, this year I am attempting 100K.  Part of this is because I’m only working part-time, and so I have more time than usual, but most of it is because I couldn’t pick what I wanted to work on, and the extra free time allowed me to say, “Oh, why not just do multiple books!”

We will see how it goes.

If you’re doing Nano, don’t be put off by the people who are going for 100K, 150K, 200K (or more).  Even though there is a large group component to Nano, in the end, it’s still your challenge.  Do what you need to do for you, not anyone else.  There’s nothing wrong in playing within the rules if they work for you.

This year, I wanted to try two in one.  Thus far, it’s been interesting.  I may get to 50K and declare it a year anyway.  I may get to 50K and decide I don’t want to switch to the other story because I’m having so much fun with the first one.

Here’s the thing: anything goes.  Have fun.  Just write.