By: Katrina Penaflor Managing Editor
NaNoWriMo Update : I am completely behind and writing will be what puts me into an insane asylum.
Melodramatic? Yes. Is this somehow even harder than I expected it to be? Absolutely.
With a daily word count goal of approximately 1700 words I’m finding it almost impossible to make the time to write enough to make that quota.
Sunday was a breeze (coincidently it was the first day). I had plenty of extra time on my hands, and I casually wrote while watching a documentary series on HBO. The rest of the week, I’m barely making a fourth of my daily goal.
I’m finding that realistically looking at it by “I need to type 1700 words a day” is not going to work into my schedule. I now need to focus on taking three or so days out of the week where I have more time, like weekends, and focus on filling those days with as many words as possible.
Currently I’ve written 3377 words (I’m writing this on a Thursday) and by the end of the week I need to have written 12,500.
If anyone needs me Friday through Sunday, I can be found with my hands glued to my keyboard.
EMILY UPDATE
- How many times have you done NaNoWriMo?
This will be my fifth time doing NaNoWriMo.
- How did you first find out about NaNoWriMo?
I first found out about NaNoWriMo in 2011, during my first year at Western. A friend encouraged me to give it a try, and I’ve participated every year since.
- What was the name of the first novel you attempted with NaNo?
The first novel I wrote for NaNoWriMo was called Larkspur.
- Give us a 1 sentence summary of what you’re writing this year.
In a fantasy version of the 1850s, city states struggle for dominance while trying to contain mages, river pirates, and the rising anger of the masses towards the people in power.
- Why do you love writing?
I have always believed strongly in the power of stories, and writing is a way for me to channel that. There are books I’ve read that have fundamentally shaped me as a person, and I want to be able to cause that same change in someone else through my own writing.
6. What makes NaNoWriMo different from writing any other way/time?
NaNoWroMo is different because it makes a writer accountable for actually producing work. Writing every day is important, but it’s easy to push this to the side when there are so many other things that take up our time. During NaNoWriMo, I make a promise to myself to write at least 1,700 words a day. This is difficult, but it also gives me more practice with writing then I get any other month of the year.
As someone who wants to be a professional writer, NaNoWriMo gives me experience in having to produce a lot of writing within a set time frame. It also gives sense of community, knowing that other writers are also attempting this massive project.
