NaNo Day 2—I Haven’t Fallen Behind Yet!

by Melissa Corliss DeLorenzo

You’re not impressed yet? Well, hang in there with me—there are twenty-eight more days to go! I will be dedicating many of the posts this month to NaNoWriMo—my own as well as a few guest writers. This kind of writing endeavor has a way of highjacking the entire month of November…

Last year, with initial trepidation bordering on panic, I agreed to participate in National Novel Writing Month, fondly known as NaNoWriMo, or simply NaNo. It was the idea of one of my graduate school friends. She managed to get (coerce?) about a half dozen of us on board.

What made me think I could write 50,000 words in the space of one month with three little kids, a part-time job and a home to care for, I have no idea. Blame it on four and a half years of sleep deprivation, but I thought, “Yeah, that sounds cool!”

But in spite of all the reasons why (and there were many) I may not have accomplished it, I did. And it wasn’t even all that difficult. I didn’t think too much, I simply forged ahead. And the amazing thing was, once immersed in the writing so deeply, it flowed easily. Was it the ritual, the deadline, the panic? Probably a combination, but it worked.

And now that I am no longer a novice, I have some words of wisdom to offer:

Before you start, tell everyone you’re doing it. Announce it on facebook and promise frequent updates. Set yourself up for having a lot of explaining to do if you bail out.

Find a little community. Ask a friend to do it with you. Look for write-ins in your area. The NaNoWriMo website offers opportunities to connect with other NaNoWriMo writers in your area.

Break it into manageable pieces and don’t go to bed unless you meet your daily goal. Even on Thanksgiving. Eat more pie to stay awake. (You want to eat more pie anyhow.)

Check your word count no more than every half hour or so. Definitely do not check it every thirty seconds. (You will.) Definitely not more frequently than every thirty seconds. (You will.) If you think I am trying to be funny—I’m not. (I am, but don’t miss the point. You will find yourself doing it.)

Keep writing, even if it’s junk. (It’s probably not junk. Or at least not as bad as you think.) Go off on tangents, write weird scenes that seem to have no place in the story, introduce new characters just to have something to write about. Flashbacks are a good tactic. Write anything. In December and January, you can revise. The good writing comes out in the editing anyhow. Have fun with this in November and then worry about perfecting it later.

More than anything else, embrace the joy of fearless writing!

(Only 46,666 words to go!)

Are you doing NaNo? How’s it going?

Book Giveaway Tomorrow!

Don’t forget to enter our book giveaway tomorrow! Read The Writer’s Life Q&A with Catherine Gildiner tomorrow, November 3rd, share your thoughts and qualify to win a copy of her book, After the Falls: Coming of Age in the Sixties! See the announcement for details.

Melissa Corliss DeLorenzo is a writer, reader, yogini (when she can squeeze it in), mom, part-time Office Manager, a homemaker and the Coordinator and Writer for The Writer’s Life blog. She loves to cook and take long walks with her kids and is a woman who wants to meaningfully exchange and intersect with other women writers. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature from the University of Massachusetts and a Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado. Currently she works at a web development company (because part-time Office Manager buys more groceries than Struggling Writer). She is at work on a novel and a short story collection. Melissa lives in North Central Massachusetts with her family.

Want to write for The Writer’s Life blog? Drop us an email at thewriterslife@hercircleezine.com.

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