Word Nerd Posted November 5, 2012 Share Posted November 5, 2012 What do you do if you just aren't into your story several days into National Novel Writing Month? Keep going and start a new story altogether? Make it all a dream? Stick with it even if it's boring? Write through it, even if you have to change the story completely? I should have done more planning before November, but I don't want to give up now. I suppose that since my real goal in participating is to start writing regularly, what I write is not as important to me as writing every day. If you're doing NaNo now, how's it going? (I know. I should be writing right now instead of composing a thread!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom22ns Posted November 5, 2012 Share Posted November 5, 2012 I'm 10,000 words into my story and it is boring. That is why I am here when I should be writing.:001_huh: Really, I just didn't pre-write this year. I went in with barely a story concept and no real plan. I'm drowning in minutia. I told ds today that I think I'm going to write 50,000 words that need to be edited down to 10,000. I'm going to write it anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenn- Posted November 5, 2012 Share Posted November 5, 2012 This is my fifth yr doing NANO and the first time I hated my story so much two days in I "scrapped " it. Now by scrap I mean I made all the 3442 words of boring dribble and turned them a pretty white color and started over with a new story. I wasn't going to fall behind on word count afterall. Now I am excited to write this new one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Georgiana Daniels Posted November 5, 2012 Share Posted November 5, 2012 When that happened to me the first year I participated I killed someone. Unfortunately it was the wrong character! But the whole process was exactly the jumpstart I needed. Simply put, do something completely unexpected. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted November 5, 2012 Share Posted November 5, 2012 I've been doing Nano since 2007 and this year I just don't have it in me to write like crazy and produce crap. So, taking it a bit slower, concentrating on the storyline and will even be editing when type it up. So if you don't like what you've produced so far, go with something else that makes you happy. You can still count the words of whatever you've done so far towards the goal. Brainstorm, come up with a vague outline and go from there. The good thing about nano is the energy it gives me to write. By the end of the month, I've formed the habit of daily writing which carries over for most of the year. Until I get stumped trying to edit. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seasider Posted November 5, 2012 Share Posted November 5, 2012 Start writing a new story you like better. However, change your already written work to a white font so it just "disappears." It will still be recognized by the validation program. You have written these words in November, so you get credit for them. Type in a line and start your new story above/below the line with the new stuff on the other side. To be fair, you should still plan to tell your story from beginning to resolution to be considered a winner. You only just have to squeeze that into less words. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenn- Posted November 5, 2012 Share Posted November 5, 2012 Start writing a new story you like better. However, change your already written work to a white font so it just "disappears." It will still be recognized by the validation program. You have written these words in November, so you get credit for them. Type in a line and start your new story above/below the line with the new stuff on the other side. To be fair, you should still plan to tell your story from beginning to resolution to be considered a winner. You only just have to squeeze that into less words. :D I would be in trouble if you had to have a story to completion at the end of NaNo to be a winner. I've done 4 NaNo stories and only made it to "The End" once. I just didn't like my other ones enough to keep writing after 50K. Well one I became attached to my character too much and he had to die at the end, so I just quit before I got there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenncslp Posted November 5, 2012 Share Posted November 5, 2012 Can I ask, on average, how long do you spend writing per day to get enough words in? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Georgiana Daniels Posted November 5, 2012 Share Posted November 5, 2012 Can I ask, on average, how long do you spend writing per day to get enough words in? It takes me at least two hours because I get easily distracted. And those aren't two hours all at once. OH, that would be heaven to have a block of uninterrupted time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted November 5, 2012 Author Share Posted November 5, 2012 Thanks for the tips! Last night I was able to write past the part where I was stuck. When I considered whiting out the story I've already started telling and starting over with new characters, it made me sad. That's a positive thing, since it means I like the story more than I thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Georgiana Daniels Posted November 5, 2012 Share Posted November 5, 2012 Thanks for the tips! Last night I was able to write past the part where I was stuck. When I considered whiting out the story I've already started telling and starting over with new characters, it made me sad. That's a positive thing, since it means I like the story more than I thought. It's easy to get attached to them!! I've had a few stories rejected by publishers with characters that I absolutely LOVE, and it really hurts to let those people go. Yes, they're real people, LOL! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted November 5, 2012 Author Share Posted November 5, 2012 Can I ask, on average, how long do you spend writing per day to get enough words in? I missed one day already because I was out of the house much of the day on Saturday, but so far it has taken me between an hour and a half and two hours. I don't write all in one block of time and plan to join some of the sprints on the @nanowordsprints Twitter feed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
higginszoo Posted November 5, 2012 Share Posted November 5, 2012 I did once change stories after about 6-7 thousand words because I didn't like it. I think that was a year that I didn't finish, though. When I get stuck, I just skip ahead in the story, and then can come back later and fill in (or not ... my several published writer friends have opened my eyes to how much they have to write and then cut to get a finished product -- and how many projects they start that get abandoned at some point in the process). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.