I Failed NaNoWriMo 2011!
As you can see from the graph above, I did not reach the goal of writing a 50,000 novel in 30 days.
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little disapointed in myself, but considering what I accomplished over the past month (a draft of 14k words and an epic story with a possible sequel), I do have some things to be proud of.
NaNoWriMo helped me learn about writing under preassure. I realized I could write almost anywhere I wanted to, and got better at ignoring distractions that would creep up and try to take my attention away from my writing.
I also learned that my biggest problem with writing wasn’t distraction, but rather procrastination. Once I got into a groove could sit and write for hours on end.
Getting into that groove is what proved most difficult, and it was then that I realized the most important lesson of all: there will be time to review everything later. The goal of NaNoWriMo isn’t to write a completely revised and publishable novel in a month, but rather to write 50,000 words in a month.
If you cannot learn to avoid what some ‘Wrimos’ have dubbed the ‘Inner Editor’, odds are you will spend the majority of your time rewriting the same passage instead of putting to paper new words that serve to push your story forward and increase your wordcount. As many have pointed out in various forum and blog posts: ‘You’ll have plenty of time to revise your work once the month is over’.
So, what’s next?
Well, I think I’ll put aside the draft for a couple of weeks and get the second half of Equanimity posted on the site. After that’s done, I’d like to try some video ideas, as well as see if I can finish my NaNoWriMo novel and maybe get it published.
Of course, I’ll be waiting for November 2012, where I hope to attempt the challenge once again!
