Once again, the promise of getting a novel written in one month appears in JuNoWriMo. I have signed up to do this so many times, and something always happens. Granted, I have done better in the summer than in autumn for 30 day writing challenges, so maybe by some stroke of luck, I’ll be able to get something done in June.
At least the JuNoWriMo has lots of pre-writing advice and tips on their blog to get me prepared for the actual writing process.
My main problem now is not the actual writing, it’s the time to do it. I work full time and have a long commute. I’m exhausted when I get home. I’m never alone during the day. Getting writing done is really, really tough.
Granted, we all have goals to be set, or a list in your head like I do (I really should write that list down every day - too much in my brain as is). When I do have some time to sit and write, I feel like I keep rehashing a scene, or adding only a small piece of the big puzzle. A small piece is better than none, and I did get my first sci-fi YA book in a first draft by just hit and miss writing that was fused together during early editing.
Anyway, I’m going to jump in with JuNoWriMo again this year, but I’m going to aim for 15k of the novel to be done by then. When you only have a bit of the story down, and have rewritten that ten times, there’s little hope for ever getting a decent chunk done, let alone the whole novel. What I’ve been wanting to work on for over a year now is a YA urban fantasy – something I’ve not done yet.
Then there’s that Middle Grade book I want to do – three, actually. Plus, I have the rest of my YA sci-fi books to do, there’s plenty of those. And my other New Adult books …
Time. Organization. Concentration. Coffee. That’s what I need to get everything done.
But in the meantime, I hope everyone who feels compelled to work on JuNoWriMo does. It’s helped me before because you have a set goal for each day and a set of deadlines that you can adhere to if that motivates you more. (Deadlines definitely motivate me.)
Hooray for writing and wrebellion ;-)
ReplyDeleteWelcome to the JuNoWriMo, Suzanne. It can be tough to get those words in, and as wonderful as a Writing Month challenge can be, finding time to get the words out of your head and onto paper can seem impossible. I'm glad you chose to make the challenge your own and set a goal you felt you could reach.
And... if you're into writing challenges, you may want to look into the ROW80 (A Round of Words in 80 Days). We don't set words limits. We aim for a regular habit of writing, on terms that fit our daily lives. https://aroundofwordsin80days.wordpress.com/
And, barring that... have you thought of a dictation app, to use during your commute?
It helps me to have a daily word count goal. It helps motivate me as well. I wish you the best in June.
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