Week two of NaNoWriMo officially started over the weekend, and I’m happy to report that I am still feeling really excited about the entire process. I have been happily neglecting my paid freelancing work (though this may not make me happy a week or two from now) in favor of the more pressing needs of my characters, and am looking forward to continuing on in this vein for the rest of the month.
However, on about Thursday of last week, I realized that I hit around 20,000 words and had yet to even introduce one of the pivotal characters in my plot. In NaNoWriMo terms, I was almost half done, but in actual book terms, I was just getting started.
This left me with several options. I could:
a) Slow myself down to be on target to hit the 50,000 word mark by November 30. (Definitely better for business.)
b) Realize I’m being far too wordy and not enough plot-ty, and therefore need to move things along in the plot now and add the filler later. (Definitely not as much fun.)
c) Stop being obsessive about my word count and just get the words out. (Definitely a good idea.)
d) Double my own goal so that I have to work like a maniac to hit 100,000 words instead of 50,000. (Definitely the one I chose.)
So here I am, now tied to a goal of 100,000 words – a goal I am working toward obsessively.
NaNoWriMo itself tells us that 50,000 words isn’t really a whole novel, and that you can go back in and add words later. But the idea of having an entirely finished first draft in my hands come December 1 just seems too good to let go.
100,000 words it is!
FREE 21-Page Internet Business Idea Guide
Enter your name and email below and we’ll send you our unique 21-page guide chock full of Internet business ideas – for free! Your information will be kept private, of course.
Christina Lemmey is the mother of two school-aged girls, a wife, and the owner of 
It sounds like you are having a very typical first NaNo experience for an experienced writer from a different form of writing. Try to find a balance between advancing the story and getting “enough” words.
Often, and I have done this myself, if you happen upon a section which is tons of description the reader could need or it isn’t “office-appropriate” or you’re not comfortable putting down in black and white, just hit ENTER put a few dashes in the center hit ENTER again and type something like “This section needs development later” (make a note in your NaNo journal) hit ENTER again and put another row of dashes and move on. This is completely legitimate and you detour what could become a brick wall to meeting your goal.
Debs last blog post..Fall sunset – glorious!
Deb – Thanks for the tip. It’s good to know I’m not alone in my frustrations here.
I remember from your blog last year that you were a NaNoWriMo particpant. Are you doing it again?
My books are normally 100,000 to 120,000 words long, so the 50,000 is more of a marker than anything. For this year, I chose a project that I’ll actually end up cutting down from the 50,000 word mark. It’s meant to be a download for a gaming project. It’s something new for me, so I decided nanowrimo would allow me to use it as a good training project for myself.
When I first started writing book-length projects, I thought 50,000 words was astronomical. Now, I know better. But I think many getting into nanowrimo for the first time haven’t developed their writing style and habits yet. You have already, so you’re seeing it from the other side.
dianacacys last blog post..Not running so much…
Hi Tamara – I was a NanoVirgin too! I’ve used the month to give my next book a kick start, and it’s worked beautifully. Now – like you – steaming towards 100k. Good luck!
Kate Lord Browns last blog post..Duende – Magic, Fire