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garnigal ([personal profile] garnigal) wrote2005-11-09 03:31 pm
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Looking for NaNo Advice

To all of those who read my journal, not just those who are doing NaNo or who are writers:

I'm considering dropping NaNo. My reasons are multiple, and are listed below. First, I want to clarify what kind of advice I'm looking for from you.

I'm not looking for blind encouragement (as wonderful as that is). I'm looking for real reasons that I'm not doing as badly as I think I am, that there is some merit in this project despite my misgivings. I suppose I'm looking for some value in my work.

My reasons for considering dropping out:

1) I'm behind. Not seriously behind, but far enough that I'm going to have to work hard to catch up. My current word count is 6,071. If I was on track, I would have 15003.

2) I'm lacking concentration. When I'm writing, I'm thinking about getting ready for my Tae Kwon Do grading; when I'm at TKD, I'm thinking about writing. Neither writing nor TKD is progressing as needed.

3) I'm not loving my story. The concept is lame, the plot is hokey, the characters are one-dimensional. In all of my previous writing, I've been able to see good bits - a great character, some excellent writing, a really good plot. In this, the only good I see is the further development of my outlining process. The new process is good; so good, in fact, that I'd like to move on to something that matters so I can try out the process on that.

So, what do you all think? Is a hokey, completely unpublishable story worth devoting my time to? Should I forget about NaNo and go back to work on one of the original projects that might be publishable, or one of the fanfics that has a readership built in? Am I ignoring/forgetting all the valuable aspects of NaNo simply because I am frustrated and/or lazy?

Looking forward to your comments.
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[identity profile] sandraregina.livejournal.com 2005-11-09 10:25 pm (UTC)(link)
First - I don't think you're that much behind. If you were more in to your story, I think you could catch up in no time.
Second - NaNo is supposed to be fun. Which isn't to say 'give up' at the first rough patch (what's the fun in that?), but if everything is a slog, maybe what you're working on isn't meant to be.
Third - if you like the planning process and want to try another story, then go for it.

You can always try to do NaNo with the new story. What I mean is, write/work on it every day, try to get as much written each day as you can, and if you actually make 50,000 at then of of November, then bonus!!

If not - at least you tried, right? And you found what didn't work for you, which is important.

[identity profile] midknightwriter.livejournal.com 2005-11-09 10:31 pm (UTC)(link)
I'm a bad person to listen to, because instead of starting a novel, I've committed to finish one started last fall. But here's my recommendation. If you've got other projects, no harm in making the completion (or at least the working-on) of those your November project if you're really disillusioned with your current story.

But don't throw it out. Come back to it near the end of November or early December or something, and you might find something you like. That's why I am finishing my St Catharines story. I ended up hating it with a passion, then I put it aside and came back to it, and realized that it was only partial crap rather than total.

[identity profile] adiasplat.livejournal.com 2005-11-09 10:39 pm (UTC)(link)
Life is too short to do something that is not rewarding in some way. Spend your time on projects that will give you satisfaction and a sense of completion.

[identity profile] maes.livejournal.com 2005-11-09 11:21 pm (UTC)(link)
There's always going to be a reason to not-do something. And there will always be bumps in the road on the way there. I know, I'm not even doing NaNo, but I think that you should try your best to keep trying to go forward, just to see where things go from here.
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[personal profile] serennig 2005-11-10 12:12 am (UTC)(link)
What, exactly, then, is the point of NaNo? Because I never did see it as anything but a kick in the pants to get started on something. It seems to have morphed into something more like a marathon of mediocrity. If you're already started on something great, then... work on that! That's my opinion. But maybe I'm missing something here.

[identity profile] whatawookie.livejournal.com 2005-11-10 03:07 am (UTC)(link)
I might suggest an alternative, but I have a selfish reason... I want motivation to complete a short story.
Do you think you could make a stronger short story out of it?

[identity profile] jen-the-great.livejournal.com 2005-11-10 03:39 am (UTC)(link)
I think the important thing is that you keep writing, and if you're going to work on more viable projects, that's probably the way to go. It might just be laziness and frustration now, but is you don't see this story going anywhere and start to resent it, you're better off turning your attention to something more important to you.

It's a shame you did all that prep work though. If I'd gone that far, I'd want to see it through to the end.

[identity profile] rockinkitty.livejournal.com 2005-11-10 05:23 am (UTC)(link)
First off, I haven't read any other comments yet so forgive me if I'm repeating.

I think, with NaNo, you really have to go back to the basic premise of it. NaNo isn't about writing fantastic prose, it's about setting pen to paper. It's a motivation tool, something tangible that all those "oh I'll write a novel someday" people can hang onto.

NaNo for me, I've decided, is more about being social and trying out something fun rather than as a stepping stone in my literary career. I've come to the conclusion that I write in a journal with some regularity but I don't write fiction throughout the year. I just never have been one to do so, and can't see myself being of that mindset anytime soon. I don't feel guilty about not writing. I don't beat myself up for not coming up with a great plot or decent writing.

I don't think you should stick with NaNo just because you started it. But I do think you should take NaNo in its intended spirit and have some fun with it. Relax about it, sleep on it over night or over the weekend, but don't beat yourself up about it. It's such a rush when you hit the 50k mark, but it isn't the be all and end all.
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