Nano count: 17,194 words
A great day yesterday. Once the first Someone With Tools left, I was able to get a lot of writing in for Nano. The second SWT never showed, so I had ample time to get my thoughts down. I’m relishing this short-lived free time. My word count doesn’t necessarily reflect the progress I feel I’ve made. There were some major plot points worked out yesterday, so I’m excited.
There seems to be a ton of great advice out there on how to approach Nano to increase your chances of success. Frankly, you could use a lot of that, I suspect, to increase your results in a non-Nano setting. But since Nano is rolling off everyone’s tongue this month, I’m just going to stick with that.
Advice is great. Advice that fits is even better. Knowing what advice works for you and what doesn’t requires a bit of trial-and-error sometimes. Nano isn’t the time to test every theory, but it is a time to opt out of advice you already know won’t fit you. If it’s not something that works for you in your nonfiction world, I don’t imagine it would work in your fiction world, either. I could be wrong, but for me, I have some basic truths I already know from having written several children’s and young adult manuscripts.
What doesn’t work for me:
Setting word count limits. Some days I can write 3,000 words and some days I can muster only 300. If I set a limit on myself of 1,500 words, I’m going to feel good one day and lousy the next. Worse, I’ll see those extra words and think I can slack off a bit.
Editing as you go. I’m a born editor. Every word gets thought out twice as I type. But in fiction writing, that’s a dangerous habit. I’ve had manuscripts stall and die because I was busy re-reading and fixing. That’s why Nano works for me – I have to press forward.
Watching the clock. When I write, I don’t say “Okay, just fifteen minutes and I’ll quit.” I just write. If I’m on deadline, maybe then I’d give myself a limit, but it seems to me it’s the death of creativity to have fingers on the keyboard and eyes on the clock. Just write until you’re happy with your progress.
Laboring over an idea too long. Two days ago my scene was giving me fits. Instead of trying too hard to force something plausible out, I just gave it one of those “what the hell” moments – I wrote whatever came into my brain. It saved the scene and saved me from discouragement.
The funny thing about my list is it may not be the same as yours. What doesn’t work for me may be just what you’re needing. I have one friend who cannot understand how I can write without an outline. Honestly, I’ve tried it. I found myself getting so stuck in the outlining process that I never put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard. It doesn’t work for me because I’m more fluid than an outline would allow. As long as I can see the ending, I can write it. Outlining works beautifully for her, though. Different strokes.
Are there approaches you use in either your fiction or nonfiction writing that you know don’t suit you? What are they? What works better for you?
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