Comments on: Writing Excuses Season 3 Episode 26: NaNoWriMo

By: Writing Excuses for NaNoWriMo « work your way out

Writing Excuses for NaNoWriMo « work your way out — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 22:37:15 +0000

[...] Their NaNoWriMo specific podcast. [...]

By: NaNoWriMo Comes Again | T.N. Tobias

NaNoWriMo Comes Again | T.N. Tobias — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 14:18:29 +0000

[...] Writing Excuses talks NaNo [...]

By: Mostly

Mostly — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 16:32:06 +0000

My original comment was delayed so long I thought it was never going to see the light of day, which I would have been okay with. But it and a spam post (@ November 22, 2009 @ 9:47 pm) finally did come through, among others.

My sincere apologies for implying that those who didn’t make 50k (myself included) are “losers” in any but a very strict, technical sense specific to not reaching this particular goal. Or, rather, for reporting that my internal editor was of that opinion.

Thanks for the positive attitudes here. I’m trying desperately to look on the bright side. I can compare my NaNo 2009 26k words to my results in JulNoWriMo 2009, where I only had 723 words, and say that I’ve improved 3,600%! It’s a tough sell getting that past the internal editor, though.

Mike, that would have to be a steam shovel… oh the inhumanity! Oh what a rhinoceros rampage!

By: Mike Barker

Mike Barker — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:32:38 +0000

Ayup… I’d say if the challenge of nanowrimo in November leads to more writing anytime, including a personal marathon session anytime of the year or even just some windsprints during November, then it has done its work. And like a certain well-known hero of the past, Nanowrimo 2009 will simply ride off into the sunset, with a hearty hi-ho Silver ringing over the herd of tiny horned land mammals running rampant through your brains… Incidentally, rumor says that they can be held off with a shovel, if you are desperate.

By: Chaos2651

Chaos2651 — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 00:26:53 +0000

I’m gonna agree with Eliyanna. I didn’t get even close to winning NaNoWriMo, but I’ve still produced output. That’s a win in my opinion.

As for me, the college schedule does not make November the most effective month for cranking out stuff. I have finals a week from now. My novel understands that I paid money for college, and it’s not good to waste thousands of dollars I could do NaNo (ostensibly) in any other month EXCEPT November, holidays or no holidays.

I’m going to crank out some more this weekend, but I think it would be much better for me if I created my own NaNoWriMo, in between my month-long winter break before Spring Semester.

I can do that, right?

By: Eliyanna

Eliyanna — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 01:45:04 +0000

I agree that November is a good month. There is no such month where there are not holidays (particularly if you take into account a diversity of religious groups). We have to learn to write no matter what is going on in our lives, that I know to be true. Learning to write around Thanksgiving (and, in my case, early November election season, since that’s my biz) is part of the challenge. Fitting in the writing. Developing the habit.

I know a bunch of you wrote a million words in the last days of nano in previous years, but I will not be winning this year, I know that. I will probably get a little over halfway there (30K by Sunday night is my goal, and I am solidly booked Monday, so that’s my endpoint). I look at it like this. 1. I wrote almost every day. This is great. I wanna keep that up. 2. I have 30K of words I didn’t have before November 1st. This is great.

So? Success, as far as I’m concerned. Glad I did it even if I didn’t/won’t technically “win.”

By: Mostly

Mostly — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 16:24:49 +0000

I’ve never posted before because I’m just now (almost) catching up to “real time” on these, after listening to several a week for nearly a year.

I’m dying on NaNoWriMo… I’m at 24k and still slogging it out, but realistically… yeah, yeah, good experience, blah blah, but there’s this voice inside saying “you’re going to be one of THE LOSERS!” It is more a depressing voice than a motivational “kick it in gear” one.

I wanted to say what a big help these podcasts have been. Episode 22, which I listened to this morning before skipping ahead to this one, was a terrific help! Episode 19, however, with John Brown, may have saved my life. I’m reading Feeling Good (I’m a little shocked at how high I tested for depression, though I’m not at all suicidal) and I’m feeling a little better… I’m using the “write down negative thought and refute it” technique for catching myself at negative self-talk to try to quiet the internal editor, which helps me pump out words even though I was about ready to give it up. Now if I could just get the internal editor to put the sniper rifle down and come down off that water tower…

By: Jeff Creer

Jeff Creer — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 00:54:36 +0000

I think I’m one of the people that think it’s actually a good thing that NaNoWriMo comes in November. It is a busy month!

I’ve learned that I can find time to write a lot even during a month when I have relatives visiting, family actiivties, and a host of other things to do. If I only waited to write during months when there wasn’t much going on, then I wouldn’t write much at all.

By: Matthew Watkins

Matthew Watkins — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 08:35:27 +0000

Yeah, I decided not to get into NaNoWriMo this year because I am finishing up school, and I knew there was no way I would be able to get in 50k words. I did manage to get 28k done, but then my hard drive blew itself up and I lost so about 5k words. That was a very depressing set back. And after getting that many words done, I felt like I was really getting into the flow of the book, and that my writing was improving with each day that I wrote. In any case, it has taken me a few days to get over my depression over losing that work and get back to writing.

By: Stephen

Stephen — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 07:14:31 +0000

Hey, yes this is the Stephen on the podcast. I just finished my incredibly fast paced second book of the trilogy. 50,174 words!

Good luck to everyone else who is coming up in the wordcount. Let’s all finish strong!