Thursday, November 15, 2012

50,000 Words or Bust by Tina Vaughn

For the first time in my life, I'm participating in a special event for November's National Novel Writing Month. The goal: write 50,000 words in thirty days.

For a plotter/pantser like me whose internal editor is like an uncontrollable beast, this project seemed, not just a daunting task, but an impossible one. How could I do this? I'm the writer who's lucky to manage a consistent five hundred words daily, who edits a chapter before I can move on to the next, whose writing comes in fits and bursts and whose plotting consists of a coarse outline on the back of an old page of my desk calendar.

I'm also the writer who's always up for a challenge. So, I overcame those doubts and insecurities to register for a special event at Savvy Authors. That, my dear friends, was the easy part. Immediately after registering, the doubts and, dare I admit it, the panic set in. What if I couldn't do this? What if I failed? However, a stronger and more hopeful part of myself said quite firmly: What if you can?

I spent the better part of October plotting and planning and making preparations, which included writing a blurb, synopsis and detailed outline. Details, people. I mean as much information as I could include. Nothing was too small.

I developed a desktop filing system where any ideas, bits of dialogue or scene ideas were kept in one spot and waiting for me when I was ready to write them.

I've learned to write at least twice a day, early mornings and late nights, in order to make sure I meet my daily writing goals.

My organizational skills have improved, even on the home-front, as I keep up with any and all outside commitments (my daughter's ballet classes, PTO meetings, outings, fundraisers, etc.) and adjust my schedule to accommodate writing time so that I can meet daily word or page count goals.

Since November 1, All I've done is write. No editing. No re-reading. Only writing. And I'm proud to say I've written around 27,000 words.

So far, my experience has been a positive one. I went from panic to excitement in just a few weeks. Paradoxically, I've found a writing structure and freedom in this challenge – and, for that, I am truly thankful.


Have you ever pushed yourself to move outside your comfort zone?

What did you learn?

7 comments:

  1. Go, Tina, go! You are kicking some butt! Woot! You can do it! *pom pom swish* (I'm right there with ya, girl.) :)

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  2. Go, Tina, go! You are kicking some butt! Woot! You can do it! *pom pom swish* (I'm right there with ya, girl.) :)

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  3. Awesome, Tina! I did NaNo one year and loved it-it's very different from how I normally write, but very liberating, too!! Good luck with the rest of it-and be sure to let us know how it goes!

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  4. Nice job, Tina! I participated in Nano last year, and I wish I'd planned better so I could do it again this year. It really is a great challenge, and I loved that I was forced to write with abandon: no editing at all. And you know, when I was finished, I didn't have the most perfect manuscript in the world, but I had a book that may not have been written if I'd labored over every word and plot movement. I definitely draw from that experience to this day.

    Best of luck, and keep us posted! You can do it!!

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  5. Excellent post! I'm so glad it's working for you and your word cnt is wonderful!!! I've done NaNo a few times in the past and the method worked for me. I also helps that I love #'s, formulas and spreadsheets. :-) So I have my own NaNo system set up and that's what I use when I'm drafting a new book. Doesn't work for editing but it's awesome for first drafts. :-)

    Let us know how it all turns out.

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  6. 27,000 words is impressive, wow. I think incentive is the key - it amazes me how pubbed authors have to rewrite half a book in two weeks and manage to do it. I haven't done Nano formally but did Candace Havens fast draft and went great at first but not having a concrete incentive (ie an editor expecting the book!) it was too easy to slow down - pressure is indeed a wonderful thing. Best of luck with the rest of it, sounds like you're on a roll.

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  7. Terrific progress, Tina! Sending you loads of good vibes as you plough to the finish. X

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