More than I could chew

I started NaNoWriMo, and I have had to re-evaluate how much of it I can complete.

Have I given up?

No, but I am being realistic about how much spare time I have to devote to this endevor. When I commited to it originally I was unemployed and was watching what little freelance work I had disappear infront of me. So I thought I had enough time. But then I got a full time – temp position, all of the freelance projects came back, and I became a DJ with my friend Joe at a college radio station. So :poof: there went the copious amounts of free time. I’m still going to write something but it’ll but a lot shorter than 50K words. As I was writing I realized that I wasn’t just “pants”ing a story I was writing charactes, researching history, proper foreign name constructions, etc on top of trying to write the novel. While many of these things aren’t “writing” and can be skiped I would have trouble being satisfied with that. This does show me how much work goes into a novel, no matter it’s level of quality.

Could I have done all of these things and written the novel?

Probably. I’m fairly certain there is enough time for it. I choose not to because

1. Need better project/time management
2. Need a little more planning and structure
3. I like spending time with my wife

Next year I’ll be better prepared. That’s right I said next year! I’m going to do this! I will complete a full NaNoWriMo.

Also I will post what I do write this year. It’ll be a complete story, just not a novel

So it’s NaNoWriMo time

So it’s November. It came quick. But that’s not whet I’m writing about. Right now I’m procrastinating on NaNoWriMo. Because writing is easy, you just stare at the blank screen until little drops of blood appear on your forehead. Hahahaha … almost.

Writing is skill and art. And because it’s a skill it’s not _easy_. It seems easy, “Ya, ya’know … just write. yeah?” But it’s not quite that. Well not quite for me, right now anyway. I’ll admit there’s a pretty good chance I’m over thinking this. This is supposed to be fun. A chance to cut loose and let the words fly. Yeah. Right now I feel like I’m writing in a circle. I am not sure where to go or how to get there. This tells me I’m way over thinking it.

NaNoWriMo is about the “shity first draft”, that thing you plop on a page to then be dissected down to useful parts and rebuilt. It is not a finished product in and of itself. To get to the end of the project is the goal. A 50,000 word novel. It’s quite do able. Especially if you stop over thinking it.

I think I’m feeling the pressure because I’m about a day and a half behind on my word count, the goal is 1800 a day. I need to let go of _having_ to meet that goal. That and maybe spend a few more moments on a more solid plot arc. Too few plot points to aim for. I think that’ll be tomorrow’s lunch project.

Anyway, I’m not giving up. Just griping a bit. Thanks for “listening”.