Words in the Dark: Post 6

NaNoWriMo is a nail-biter all month, because if more than one thing goes wrong, the whole month’s project can be derailed.

Suffice it to say my NaNo project this year has been derailed due to a number of events, not the least of which is that I had to make one more pass through the Beyond the Precipice manuscript before submission for its second edition publication next month. This left me several writing days behind, which is not something I can recover from while working full time. At 9,710 words by the end of Day 9, when I required a minimum of 15,003, I was left with a deficit of 5,293 words, an amount I could only hope to complete by writing all day on a weekend (Day 9 was only Wednesday). It’s not like I’m exactly bursting with ideas for Beyond the Music, either. Sometimes, life doesn’t go as planned.

What to do?

Make some sweet lemonade out of those sour lemons, of course. I went into NaNoWriMo this year believing I would be writing as a NaNo Rebel because of my intent to continue with an existing novel (Beyond the Music) rather than beginning a new one. Only on October 31 did I learn about the new rules, and followed up with this article: NaNoWriMo Novels: You No Longer Have to Start From Scratch. It should not be a problem, then, to go back to my original expectations.

I am now, at 12:40 a.m. on Day 10, once again proclaiming myself a NaNo Rebel, an “unfinished business” rebel.

Plan B: dealing with unfinished business

Writing as a rebel allows me some liberties, such as including my blogging word count and the flexibility to address writing projects that need some serious work, namely Ironclad, which should be published in fall 2017.

Thus, in true rebel fashion–not even working on a single project–I can accommodate the following:

• blog articles: use November word count
• Ironclad novelette: finish writing
• Druyan novel: finish climax; start revision/rewrite
• Beyond the Music novel: write if I have something usable

Sadly, even if I happen to write 50K words, I will not be claiming my 2016 NaNoWriMo 50,000-word winner’s badge, which is a disappointment. In return for that sacrifice, I will keep my sanity, enjoy my birthday with my kids this weekend, visit with my brother who is coming from out of town, and get an almost normal amount of sleep during the month.

For now, the pressure is off, but I will attempt NaNo again next year–because that’s just what I do.

Do unto others

I managed to do some greater good this year by convincing a new writer to sign up for NaNo. A member for a mere 7 days (she joined only on Nov. 2), Leslie, my new NaNo Writing Buddy, is motoring ahead with 23,263 words entered at the end of Day 9 (nearly halfway) and an average of 2,326 words written per day. You go, girl!

Leslie Hodgins – NaNoWriMo 2016