Lessons Learned from NaNoWriMo

So far, I've written over eight thousand words of my NaNoWriMo novel.  Twice I stopped to edit.

I know the core idea for NaNoWriMo is to write without allowing yourself to go into editing mode.  I think that is a super good thing for writers to do - if they are people who normally self-edit while writing and need some freedom from the internal editor.

But the thing is, I'm not one of those people.  I let the words spill out of me as fast as I can type.  I don't edit while I'm writing.  I allow myself to write crap if crap is the best I can do - but only to a point....

I need a breakpoint, several breakpoints along the way, where I stop and edit what I've written so far.  Ideally, I like to do this self-check after a handful of chapters.  Then I can move on with confidence while getting myself back into the mindset of the story.  For me, it makes for better writing.

And for me, the point of writing is to write well, not to write voluminously.

So the first thing I've learned after a week of NaNo-ing is this:

1.  I need to do what works for me. 

I need to write a few chapters without editing, edit them, and then write some more.  I need to do this whenever I feel the need.  I need to stay on the path of my novel, not by continuously writing, but by stopping every now again to check to make sure the ground is solid and I'm on course.

The second thing I learned is about failure.  I've spent my life being a bit of a perfectionist and being very hard on myself (and possibly those around me - sorry about that if you are one of them).  Any kind of failure, even a perceived failure or the threat of failure, usually makes me feel very uncomfortable.  I avoid it at any costs. 

A fact I know is true:  I will fail at finishing my NaNo novel before the end of November.

But, honestly, what I've accomplished so far this month on my novel feels like complete success.  It feels fantastic.  And it's only been a week.  I'm elated not just because I love what I've written, but I'm finally free of my fear of failure (for today at least).

2.  Success is carrying on with the knowledge I can't finish on time.

I am back in writing mode and am suddenly now able to write on a much more flexible schedule than normal - morning, afternoon, evening, late night - whatever time I have.  That is huge.

For those of you power-writing this month, I hope it's going as well for you.  And I hope you are feeling a sense of success no matter how far along you are. 

A Haiku Kind of Weekend

My daughter is a fantastic writer, but she doesn't want to be told what to write and doesn't want to read her words aloud, especially if she didn't get to choose the subject or poetic form.

Her assignment this weekend for her sophomore English class is to write five short, haiku-like poems.  She has a long list of onomatopoetic words she and her classmates are encouraged to use in their tiny poems.  It is very likely she will have to read one in class.  Did I mention she's a perfectionist?

So a somewhat simple assignment has been made very difficult because she's fighting it and will not be satisfied until it feels perfect to her. 

I, on the other had, am excited and want to do it too.  I really need to write four new chapters, the ones I've been putting off, so this is an excellent diversion for me.

Every day of this long weekend, I am going to sit outside or go for a walk with my daughter and observe nature with composition books and word list in hand.  I'm confident by the end of the weekend, we will have a collection together of twenty or more.  

Too bad she's unwilling to write five poems about how much she hates this assignment.  She would be done in three minutes.

I need to look up haiku format now that I figured out how to spell it.  Have a great weekend!   

Vacation from Writing is Over

I have intentionally taken a break from working on my children's story over the last week.  I love writing, particularly this story.  I feel very driven to write today, the way I feel the need to have a cup of coffee in the morning.  I think this compulsion to write this morning is a sign I am doing the right thing with my life (as opposed to traditional work). 

I promised myself I will exercise before I do anything today then I will spend the afternoon writing today until my kids return from their dad's house.  It feels like a gift to myself - like a spa day.  Maybe I can convince my husband to cook a wonderful low fat lunch for me (to not undo the exercise).

I always wanted to write and remember a writing assignment in 6th grade.  Our wonderful teacher, Mrs. Pennington, who replaced our horrible troll-like teacher, Mr. Wells, gave us a creative writing assignment.  I choked.  I remember wanting there to be a Christmas mouse in the story.  All I had was the character, a picture I drew, and absolutely no plot.  I was eleven and exactly the same perfectionist I am today - in my entire K through 6 experience, only the toll-like Mr. Wells had given me a grade less than an A. The perfectionism paralyzed me and my Christmas mouse story.  I wanted to write a story so much and couldn't write the first word - I knew in my heart I was a failure. 

I think that's funny how that day that I couldn't write the story has stayed with me - as has the C on the social studies homework graded by the troll.  Maybe I can write a Christmas mouse story today and convince my inner 6th grader that I just needed some time and confidence.