2009-11-08

NaNoWriMo: why am I doing this again?

Well, I'm a little over 10% of the 50,000-word goal for NaNoWriMo and I am feeling all the things that I am apparently supposed to be feeling at this point: grumpy, horrified and somewhat defeated. Something that has come up since I embarked on this ridiculous journey of self-exploration or whatever:

Q: Can I read it?
A: Absolutely not. I don't even want to go back and read what I've "written" at this point.

I appreciate everyone's enthusiasm and faith in my abilities. But this is not going to be the Beach Read of 2010. It is probably not even going to be the Waiting Room Glance-Through of 2012.

I intend to see this through and finish it. I took this on because I wanted to try my hand at fiction writing, which has never been much of a calling for me. I don't write it, and I actually don't even read all that much fiction. Perhaps this is why I am struggling.

Here's what it boils down to: I need to give myself permission to -- frankly -- SUCK. I need to write groan-inducing dialogue, put my barely-fleshed-out characters into trite and utterly predictable circumstances, and do whatever I have to do to propel forward and reach that 50,000 word mark by November 30.

In other words, I need to write as if NOBODY IS GOING TO READ THIS....EVER. This probably seems counter-intuitive to most of you, but I think this is the key to getting 'er done.

lisamcc at 8:12 a.m.



3 comments so far
Thomas
2009-11-08 17:57:01
You do it because its fun! (in a sadistic, rip your hair out and scratch your eyes kind of way) At least you wrote more than me... Keep it up!
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Lynette
2009-11-09 01:55:30
Since I'm not a writer, I'm trying to think of it this way: I'm a singer. I know I can sing pop/rock stuff well. Country rock, I knock it out of the park. But when I try opera...um...not so much. I can do it enough to fool a few people. But to me, it blows and I should just stop. All of my supportive friends would blow all the compliments up my skirt should I ever actually make an attempt at something operatic. But that won't make me good at it. That's my version of what you're saying. Having said that - as an uneducated non-writer who adores you, I would love to read it. But if you don't want to hand it over to the masses, I'll understand. But I'm still a fan.
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Jon
2009-11-11 16:59:35
Q: Can I read it?
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