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Thursday, November 15, 2012

Halfway There: NaNoUhOh



Okay, who’s written 25,000 words already for NaNoWriMo?

Show of hands? Anyone? 

Me neither. 

But do not despair!

Today I offer you proof that no matter how far behind you are, there is hope!

I was talking with a writer friend about how I'd begun to doubt my chances of reaching 50,000 words by November 30th and she told me about Marissa Meyer. Marissa wrote the first three books in the Lunar Chronicles (the first novel in the series, Cinder, was released in January of 2012) during NaNoWriMo. Not three separate NaNoWriMos, ONE NaNoWriMo. Thirty days, 150,000 words.

That’s 5,000 words a day, people. I’ve still got time to write a book and a half!

Oh, heck, I might as well try for 10,000 words a day!

Author Rachel Aaron explains how she does just that in this guest post on SFWA’s website.

Totally doable, right?

Kiersten White wrote Paranormalcy in three weeks and Mind Games (out in February 2013) in nine days.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote his first Sherlock Holmes story, A Study in Scarlet, in less than three weeks.

Agatha Christie wrote her first detective novel The Mysterious Affair at Styles in two weeks.

According to Robert Louis Stevenson’s stepson, the author wrote Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in three days.

John Boyne wrote The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas in two and a half days.

Even if you haven’t written a single word, you can still “win” NaNoWriMo! At this point, all you have to do is write 3,333.33 words per day!

And you only have to keep up that pace for two weeks! As opposed to month after month like Dame Barbara Cartland who holds the Guinness World Record for the most novels written in a year. Want to guess how many she wrote?

TWENTY-THREE!
Dame Barbara. She wrote 723 novels during her lifetime. 
And looked fabulous while doing it.
Okay, so maybe you’re not one of those people who can whip out a rough draft in two weeks or even a month. But how will you know unless you try? That’s what NaNoWriMo is about for me this year. Going for it. Putting my writing first for an entire month and just seeing what happens.

So, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got 2,417 more words to go today...

15 comments:

  1. It's the thinking that's important. You could have been thinking for years about it. Also, have you read any Barbara Cartland?

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    1. So...can I count the words I've been thinking?

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  2. So I'm NOT giving up, even though I haven't written a word for five days???? Onward Monkeys!! OoeeEE!!

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  3. Loved this! So glad all my NaNo'ing friends are going for it. Summer's my time to get lots of words down. Whenever we do it, though, I think it's important to have a period of time when we just WRITE!

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  4. I've been revising and revising and revising. Does that count? Great post, Kristen!

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  5. I was about to give up, but now I'm gonna keep on. Gonna hold my NaNo light high. Thanks for the inspiration, Kristen!

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  6. I have 27,000 words but have come to the end of my outline!! I will keep trying to fill in, but don't know if I'll make. I feel like quitting but I'm going to keep going. Thanks for the post.

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  7. I wrote 120 words this weekend...on Facebook. But I will now win the New Years Eve write off! um...great blog btw.

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