Why NaNo?

If you've been reading along, I actually joined the NaNoWriMo site this year, and I'm committed publicly to writing 50K next month.  But, you see, I've already been doing this in my own way for the past few Novembers anyway.  Why? 

My family probably thinks I'm crazy.  Husband looks at me with gentle humor.  Daughter asked me straight out why I was doing this.  (And then added, "So I suppose this means no computer time for me next month.")  So I had to ask myself why I NaNo...

The answer is partly because I think it's important to celebrate this occasion.  Even if you don't do NaNo, if you're a writer, this is your month.  I mean, it's hard enough doing this in solitude - with little to no cause for celebration.  Having a whole month dedicated to writing novels?  Well, it makes up for the long months of writing without a contract, I guess. 

Another part is that writing is my job.  NaNo is my way to preparing for the time when I actually have a book contract and I'm under deadline.  If I can write 50K in November and have it be some kind of cogent story at the end, I know I can produce a book in whatever timeframe a contract would require.  I'm hoping that by taking this month and using it as a faux-deadline, it'll alleviate some of the pressure beforehand.  (Time will tell whether I'm right.)

And the rest?  Well, I guess it's my way of proving - if only to myself - that I can do this.  I can sit down every day and write an average of 1667 words.  I can forgo television when I need to - even if it means missing Grey's Anatomy or NCIS or :gasp: football.  I can prove to myself and maybe to the rest of the world that writing is that important to me - that this isn't a game or a hobby or a pastime.  (Which writing can be mistaken for if you're unpublished and sometimes even when you are published.)

So, if you're on the fence and looking for a good reason to participate, I invite you to use a reason or two of mine.  Jump on board and push yourself to write 50K next month. Or if you don't have time or the urge to actually participate, set a goal of your own and push to hit it.  (Like say, 30K, or promise yourself to write for at least an hour a day, or commit to 500 words a day.  Whatever works for you.) 

One way or another, celebrate National Novel Writing Month, because as a writer, you've earned it.  =o)

Weekly Update

Not much on the accomplishment list for this week.  I did start my NaNo novel, but I think I have to delete most of it and start over.  Other then that, I sent some queries.  I got some feedback.  I rewrote my query.  Blah blah blah.

Then I went on a pizza binge and now I'm paying the price.  (By the way, make sure you have your Google SafeSearch set to at least moderate when looking for images or you'll get a nasty surprise even searching something innocuous, like cartoons for 'under the weather'.  You don't want to know.  You really don't.  I need cleanser for my eyes.)

Okay, now I'm off to run errands and then collapse on the couch.  I'll be around to moderate comments, but other than that, I'm toast.

Picture Pause - Starvation Reservoir

This is a picture of Starvation Reservoir in Eastern Utah - off Hwy 40 southeast of Park City on the way to Dinosaur National Monument.  The DNM was a nice day trip out of SLC and we got to see this reservoir, too - even if it has a creepy name.

NaNo Pitfall Posts

Last year I did a series of posts on the various pitfalls one could encounter while trying to participate in NaNoWriMo.  Rather than repeat the information or re-post each, I thought I'd just give you all one place with lots of links.  Browse at your leisure.

NaNo Pitfalls -

Pitfall #1 - the urge to go back and read what you've already written.

Pitfall #2 - thinking your NaNo book sucks

Pitfall #3 - worrying about adverbs and dialogue tags in your NaNo book

Pitfall #4 - Why bother finishing when I'm already behind?

Pitfall #5 - Ack! I'm lost!

Pitfall #6 - writing yourself into a corner

Pitfall #7 - Procrastination

Pitfall #8 - the physical wear and tear of writing

Pitfall #9 - pulling it all together when you haven't plotted any of it

Post-Nano - what to do when December rolls around

Can you think of any pitfalls to your own writing that you'd like to share?  Any tips you have to help out your fellow writers?

BTW, I'm signed up at the National Novel Writing Month site as besanderson - feel free to buddy me.  We'll nudge each other along as we go.  =o)

Things to Do Before NaNo Hits

This year I'm planning ahead.  Hell, this year I'm actually participating in the official NaNo website, so I'd better plan ahead.  Last night as I lay in bed, I began running down a list of things I'd better get done now because there's no way in hell I'm going to get them done during NaNoWriMo.

1. Clean.  Not just a casual tidying, but a full-on clean.  If I don't get this done, December 1st will be an ugly day in the Sanderson household.  Seriously, what color is my carpet?? 
2. Cook.  Since I write best at night, dinner could suffer if I don't  put away some healthy meals before this thing starts. That's not to say our freezer won't also be filled with TV dinners, but I'd like a few things I can defrost, reheat and serve that won't kill us with sodium or fill us with fat.  Maybe I'll make a massive lasagna.  Those freeze well, don't they?
3. Warn the family.  With everything going on in Husband's and Daughter's lives, a short reminder is in order.  "Darlings of mine, I will be busy because it is November and I'm writing an entire book this month.  I'll probably also be grouchy, forgetful, distant, grumpy, dopey, sleepy, sneezy...  Wait those are the dwarves..."
4. Hit the city for some shopping.  Stock up on all the non-perishable things I might need during November...  like shoes.  Wait, I mean toilet paper. 
5. Plan a writing schedule, so even if I get tripped up by some unexpected event, I can still get my 1667 words in every day.  (And take Tuesday night off to watch Biggest Loser.)
6. Stock up on valium, gin and NoDoze.  Or maybe just make sure I have plenty of coffee in the house - you know, since I'm allergic to Valium, never drink while I'm writing, and enjoy not having my heart race.
7. Write future blog posts.  Maybe I'll do a 'best of' for the days when I'm too brain-fried to want to write any extra non-NaNo words.  
8. Arrange all my pending appointments.  Haircut?  Perhaps.  Dentist?  Maybe.  Oil change?  Check.  Vet appts?  Definitely - Max needs to be winterized.  Or maybe that was the car. 

What am I forgetting?  Is there anything you might want to do before November arrives so you have extra time to write?

Things I Forgo to Write

In the interest of keeping blog topics flowing in a somewhat straight line - and trust me, these things do tie together - I'd like to chat about thing I forgo in order to get my writing done.

- television - I love TV.  In fact, if I gave up more TV, I'd probably have another dozen books by now.  Of course, I'd also be brain-fried. 

- sporting events on TV - This gets its own category because it has its own pull.  I can miss TV on any given day because I know if I miss something I can catch it reruns later.  Sports doesn't have reruns.  It has highlights, but unless it becomes a classic and channel 25 shows it somewhere in the future, I'll never see the whole game.  Last night, I missed Game 6 of the NLCS to write wherein the Giants put the Phillies down.  I'm running out of baseball for this year.  :sniffle:  I also missed flipping from that to the OU / Mizzou game where Mizzou tumbled OU out of first place in the BCS standings.  :sigh:  It's even worse when I'm here typing and Husband is over there talking about the game.  "You've gotta see the replay for this!  Honey, look.  This is great."  Harumphf.

- housework - not a huge pull, but the guilt of a messy house is tremendous some days.  I think the dustbunnies are about to take over.  I can't remember what color my carpet is.  I haven't seen the top of my dresser in weeks because it's piled with clean clothes.  And Kira's bed has enough hair on it to walk on its own. 

- cooking - Sure, my family gets fed, but if it weren't for microwave steam-in-bag (SIB) stuff, they'd be eating sandwiches five nights a week.  Last night, SIB salmon and SIB rice.  I figure last night was training for what'll happen during November.  Tonight, pizza made with store bought crusts.  I can't remember the last time I made pizza crust.  Probably right before my food processor died, when it was still easy.

- reading - Oh, I still read, but not nearly as much as when I'm not writing.  In fact, for a while I couldn't read when I was writing new words.  The way around that was to not read in the genre I'm writing until the book is firmly seated in my head.  For instance, right now I'm writing a new speculative and I'm reading a thriller.  :shrug:  We do what we can.

- the occasional shower - At the risk of grossing everyone out...  Yep, I stink.  I should've showered last night but I was on a roll with the new book.  By the time I wrapped up for the night, it was time for bed and since my bathroom is en suite, I couldn't shower without keeping Husband up.  This morning, I'm grossing myself out.  As soon as he gets out of bed, I'm totally hopping in there. 

-exercise - Okay, so I probably wouldn't actually exercise if I never wrote again.  Still, sitting here for hours at a time is less exercise than I'd get from walking around the house, doing things like... you know... cleaning.

Of course, reading over this, it might seem like I'm writing all the time.  I'm not.  I'm just not good at budgeting my time.  I could've shifted things around and gotten some things done earlier in the day - except then I would've missed the MSU / Northwestern game...  Ah, sports...  But I digress.  If I were more organized, I'd probably wouldn't have to miss some of the things I like.  I wrote for about two hours last night.  I did some planning and organizing in my head during the MSU game, but two hours was how much time I spent on actual writing.

As NaNo approaches, many people will think about writing a novel.  Some will succeed and others will at least try.  A larger segment of the populous won't even begin because they'll tell themselves they don't have the time.  They might be right.  I think it's more likely, though, they haven't made writing a priority.

I know I asked yesterday, but I'm still interested in the answers.  What to you forgo in order to write?  What could you cut out or cut down to make time (or more time) for writing?

** 7 days to NaNo (not counting today)

 *All images deleted to avoid any chance of copyright infringement*

Sacrifice? I Think Not

I've heard it so many times before I couldn't begin to figure out who said it first, but it always goes along the lines of 'If you want to succeed in writing, you have to be willing to make the sacrifice'.  Sometimes they mean sacrificing your time, sometimes they mean sacrificing your activities, a lot of times they mean sacrificing sleep, and sometimes it feels like a sacrifice of one's sanity.

Except for me, it isn't a sacrifice to forgo one activity or another to achieve your goals.  When I take a chunk of time and use it for writing, it's not a sacrifice.  There are a lot of other things I could be doing during that time, but none as important as writing.  When I miss prime time TV so I can write, it's not a sacrifice.  I love my shows, but I love my writing more.  When I lose sleep over a story - either because I'm up late writing or because I'm laying in bed kvetching over it - it's not a sacrifice.  I can sleep another time when things aren't so pressing.  And my sanity?  Well, that's questionable anyway.  LOL  But I can find ways to regain it once the crazy time has passed.


But then again, maybe it's all a matter of perspective.  Personally, if I felt like I had to sacrifice something in order to write, I'd begin to resent the act of writing.  After a while, it would eat at me so much I'd never be able to get the words on the page because the whole time I'd be feeling guilt over what I had to sacrifice to take this time to write.  Maybe that's just me.  Could be that other people view it differently and feel noble that they were willing to make a sacrifice for their art.  :shrug:  I don't get it, but to each his own.

What do you think?  Is giving an hour a day (or whatever time you devote) to writing a sacrifice?  What do you give up in order to write?

** Eight days to NaNoWriMo.  Stay tuned for fun and interesting NaNo related posts.