Umm. . .so, I did something yesterday. Something either really crazy-stupid or mind-spliting awesome. I can’t decide which, because. . .it scares the crap out of me.
I committed to doing Shallee McArthur’s JuNoWriMo (a.ka. June Novel Writing Month. . .check it out at Shallee’s blog) challenge for the next month. Okay, what’s the big deal, you ask? After all, it’s good to have goals, right? Right. Totally on board there. Because, hey, I always set goals. . .weekly, monthly, and all that good stuff. So, my problem here? I NEVER tell anybody what my goals are, because. . .gulp. . .they might actually hold me to them.
Just thinking about it makes me want to run like a total commitment-phobe. Which is precisely why I did it. I don’t like being scared, so I’ve got my toes curled around the edge of the dock and I’m ready to dive in. . .head first. Man, I hope there aren’t any rocks beneath the surface.
So, my goal for the month (taking a big breath here. . give me a minute while I crack some chocolate to kill the panic) is:
1000 words a day. Minimum. I want my WIP finished before the end of the month when I head for NYC and the RWA’s national conference.
All right. I said it out loud. Now, I’m stuck with it, because I know my fellow writers and JuNoWriMo pals will come after me with pitch forks (okay, not really. . .but the image serves as a great motivator) if I don’t keep up my end of the bargain. Thanks guys. Looking forward to cheering you on this month!
Ooh I wanted to join, but I have to finish Doorways so that I have a chance to join NaNo this year.
1000 words can be done, just find your writing rhythm. Easy as that. ;-P
Seriously though, good luck! Think about how awesome you’ll feel when you tell everyone you succeeded. Trust me on this, it’s beyond awesome.
Yay! 1000 words a day–you can do it! Last summer I did JuNoWriMo (independently) and wrote 2000 a work day, or 10,000 a week. (It ended up being more like 12,000.) It almost killed me, but man was it a blast!
Best of luck to you. That cheer section you’re hearing, it’s coming from this direction.
“Write or Die” can also be a great kick in the pants if you’re trying to get the words down in a set period of time. It’s one of my main writing tools.
-Aaron
Totally doable. And don’t beat yourself up if you lag behind one day. Life happens. There’s always tomorrow. 🙂 Good luck!!
Great goal–you can do it! I’ll keep my pitchfork polished and waiting by my desk… 😉
Good luck! I know you can do it. We writers are here to support you!
Awesome that you are joining the group. You can do it.
You got my adrenalin pumping. Go for it!
Cool idea, Donna. I haven’t tried it. It’s kinda of like the egg timer strategy. Set the clock and write. No revisions–or editor–allowed in the session.
Congrats on making the commitment. (And careful — I’ve got my pitchfork right here. LOL)
Have you done any #1k1hr writing sprints? I do them all the time on Twitter, usually in the mornings. You write for an hour, with the goal of 1000 words. It’s amazing how quickly you can get it done when you set a deadline like that. 🙂
Donna
Oh Lord, another Nano. We need that about as much as a hole in the head.
You can do it! We’ll help keep you motivated. 🙂
Awesome,Joni. And thanks, Autumn! Sometimes, it helps to get a kick in the pants.
Hey Girlie-Girl! I am sooooo with you. I signed up for KOD’s BIAW (yes, book-in-a-week) deal. Of course, took the option of part-time over full-time, as I have a heinous day job 40+ hours a week. But I’m going to do my best to stick to it. Hopefully, it will get me going again, as I’ve been procrastinating on deciding what to work on since sending my immortal ms to GDC. Good luck to us both! ;o)
Hey EC! Good for you! Trust me, a thousand words a day really is do-able, but you will still have to MAKE time for it. I did NaNo and it really taught me to sit down at the darn keyboard and type. Otherwise, that second day I’m overwhelmed because now my day’s goal just doubled. Hang in there, take a deep breath, and go for it!