Today, I put off doing NaNo.
Yes, today I had 2,000 words to write.
No, I didn’t feel like doing it.
I’ve never hit the second week blues before. Other NaNoWriMos talk about them. But I’ve never actually been there. Until yesterday, when I paid them a visit. It’s a horrible, lonely place to be.
What happened yesterday? I wrote drivel. Absolute drivel. Too fast. Too staccato. Too desperate to move the action on.
Today I sat down again and opened up Scrivener, ignored all the usual advice about not re-reading, and took a look at what I wrote yesterday.
And discovered something.
It’s not bad. Not bad at all. In fact it’s pretty good.
Pacey. Urgent. Exciting.
Yes, of course the prose needs some serious editing.
- I’ve used ‘suddenly’ several times, and that’s one of my never-words.
- And I’ve used the word ‘then’ in places, as a way of moving the action on – another no-no.
- And I started far too many sentences with the word ‘And’!
But, given that it is a rough first draft with no revisions whatsoever, it really wasn’t bad. And so, just like that, I’ve left the blues behind.
Now, if you’ll just excuse me, I’ve got 2,000 words to write before dinner…
Ruth Livingstone 
Hope you’ve managed your words now Ruth…keep the faith, you know you can do it.
LikeLike
Hi Maria. Only a few hundred words today, but fleshed out an outline for the next few chapters, so feeling very optimistic about tomorrow.
LikeLike
Sorry I missed this post last week. There’s a bench in the picture! Love it!
It’s amazing, the difference of writing fast with no plan compared to knowing the plan so well that your writing is calm but continuous. This year I’m doing the second and it’s so different from what I’m used to. I doubt I’ll reach 50k though. Have completely fizzled at 45ish..
LikeLike
Thought of you when I put the bench picture up there! If your book requires 45K words, it requires 45K words, not 50K. 🙂
LikeLike
I have these moments ALL the time. At least once at the beginning of the writing day, and some days are worse than others. It’s all a “mind over matter” situation. The worst is when the mood hangs over me for the rest of the day and it colors everything I do. Or when I tell myself I should just stop trying to be an author and leave it to those who can do it better. -sigh- Not a way to think at all.
I’m glad you pushed on and that you saw the light in what you had for the day. Good on you, Ruth.
Keep keeping on! I’ll drop in to check on your NaNo update at the end of the month — eek, there’s less than a week now! I’m nervous and I’m not even participating in writing frenzy this year.
LikeLike
Hi Hana. I know what you mean by colouring your whole day. When you don’t feel like writing you feel bad because you don’t feel like writing. And at the end of the day you feel even worse because you haven’t written! I guess that’s the brilliant thing about NaNo. The deadline makes you write, whether you’re in the mood or not!
LikeLike