A Wonderful Madness

So, another NaNoWriMo ends. The annual madness is over once again. Another 12 months before it returns. Everything feels different when the madness of NaNo ends.

I didn't get a win this year. I didn't reach 6000 words, in fact. However, I'm fine with it. The last three years have been pretty rough for me and last year, the surgery meant I couldn't even participate as ML or in writing. This year, I had pain problems and illness to keep me down. The truth is that I accept all of this as the universe telling me it is time to stop.

So, this is my last NaNo as municipal liaison. I attended the TGIO on Sunday afternoon to say goodby to the group. I'm glad I did because it was nice to be able to hug them and tell them how very much they meant to me. Not everyone was there and I'd already sent out a regional message informing everyone but getting to see some of them one last time was so nice. Gary McDaniel was there, and as I listened to him talking I realized that when he started he was only 15. Now he was a few years into college! It was awesome. I was so pleased he's stuck with it.

There were others that I could remember when I first met them. DeWayne, Diane, LaGina were long time NaNoWriMos. They became more than my NaNo participants. They became friends!

I started in 2006 when there were six people and no Municipal Liaison. My first year wasn't really much fun because I had no clue and I was pretty invisible. By 2009 we'd grown to 30 people and I had met some great people. In 2010, I became ML and it was so much fun planning and attending the meetings and writing with other participants.

Now, it's time to leave it to others. I was going to do it last year but couldn't bear to give up. It kept me going through the holidays and I could focus on other people rather than my own miseries. This year, I'm so relieved there is a competent person taking the reins and 8 years of hard work won't be lost.

I'm relieved it is over. But I will miss it. I will miss my writers. Gary ask me if I was no longer going to participate as a writer. My response: No. I'm done with that, too. I have 8 novels unfinished on my computer and NaNo is not conducive to finishing novels. You get a really good start but before you can finish it, you're starting to prep for the next one. As an ML, it is even harder. So, at this point, I have no plans to do NaNo again. I'll keep writing. I might go into the site and encourage everyone and see how they're progressing. I'll see the madness but for me, I think I'm over the madness.

Every writer should do NaNo once. See what you're made of. If you're published already, you may already have that answer but if you're still trying to hit that milestone, then do NaNo once. Get the bare bones of the story done and then, work on it. Do it for the madness of it. Do it to learn what kind of writer you are and what motivates you. Can you write under pressure? Does that looming deadline push you forward? Can you sacrifice things you want to do in order to write? NaNo will teach you that.

So, I say "Adieu NaNoWriMo." It was a wonderful madness.

NaNoWriMo: Sunday Morning Word Surge

Thanks Pixabay.com

We're starting the second week of NaNo today and this is commonly known as the Second Week Slump. You may hit a wall by Friday and feel like you can't do it. You can! Just use every tool in the arsenal your ML's and NaNo provide:

• Attend as many Write-ins as you can
• Try the Sprints
• Use word and photo prompts
• Check out the Twitter feed for NaNo
• Check out ChatNaNo and get in the chat room with friends for Wars. 

Now, about this photo - what is she doing? Filling a bottle? Washing something? Disposing of something? Getting something out of the water? So much is going on here! Is she alone? She looks tired? 

Try a scene with your character in this situation. Doesn't have to be a female. Or an adult. Or human!

Just go for it and good luck getting the word count up.

NaNoWriMo: Another Chance to Up the Count

Thanks Pixabay.com

Another day and another prompt to give you something to think about. This may not be for everyone. It is a bit post-apocalyptic but surely someone is writing post-apop.

I found it intriguing with the person on the near bottom right standing with their bike and staring at the burning city. I may tackle this in a short story later. For now, give it a try if you can use it.

Another NaNo Ends

Another year ends at midnight and as always, there are mixed feelings. You would think since I'm retired and have more time that it would have been the easiest year yet. In fact, it was the hardest. 

I did fine on the word count for a while and although I got behind I was getting caught up. But this happened several times over the course of three weeks. I had problems with my RA and there were several days I could not use the computer due to pain in my hands caused by long periods of ... typing trying to catch up. By the holiday, I was 5000 behind again and I knew I was finished. I reached.36,586 words. Not bad but not a win. 

This was also my 4th year as Municipal Liaison for my region. I was thrilled when one of the participants volunteered to be Co-ML. She made a lot of the work easier in both the planning stages and during the month by hosting write-ins and filling in a couple of times when I had to be away. ML's are responsible for herding a bunch of novel writers for a whole month, hosting write-ins, sending out encouragement, moderating their forums, providing guidance, answering questions, and commiserating with those who fall behind. They also have to write their own 50,000 word novel. 

NaNoWriMo has probably been the best thing that ever happened to me. I've made wonderful friends. I've learned so much from the participants and from the process. There are those who don't feel that way. 

You'll find critics everywhere. The reasons they cite are that it fosters bad writing habits, the creation of inferior novels, and it is simply a waste of time. I disagree completely because NaNoWriMo doesn't ever indicate to anyone, anywhere that they will have a good, publishable novel at the end of November. In fact, they point out that you'll have lots of work to do to get it to that level, if you can. They encourage regular writing habits, giving you a word count that is manageable. No one who does NaNo should go in blind. This requires work and consistency. If you can't do NaNo, novel writing probably isn't for you. As to the inferior novels... there's plenty of them published and selling. I'm aiming a bit higher.

Now that NaNo is over I'm anxious to get to work on some novels I was working on before November. I had two with plot problems that had suddenly begin to mesh when I had to pick up my ML hat. I'm also looking forward to the River City Scribes meetings that start back up in January. We've recently obtained a new venue for the meetings that is so much nicer than where we've been meeting over the last year and a half. We'll have plenty of room and be able to bring food and drinks.

So, am I sorry to see another NaNo ending? A bit but not so much. There are some exciting writing things happening here and I'd rather move on to those. Will I be back next year as ML or to write another novel? I don't know. Each year, ML's have to reapply to be an ML. They don't fire you but if you fail to send in your application, someone else will be appointed if they have submitted an application. They could pick someone other than me. Although, I suspect that rarely happens. When I first stated doing NaNo there was no ML in this region.  

I will be writing whether there's NaNo or not. Over the course of this last year I've stopped thinking beyond today. I like to think I will be able to pick up that ML hat next November and do it again. Regardless of what happens, I've had a great run with NaNo. The experience is one I'd recommend to anyone who enjoys writing. Even if you do it once and never again, you'll have a great time.