Another Year, Another NaNo...

(If I start every post with yes, it's been a while it'll get old soon. So I guess I'll just post whenever I feel like it without apology)

So yeah. My third NaNoWriMo already! Heck, the years go by quickly. I intend to win again this year, and to be honest, I'm well on track. This makes me proud, I would say deservedly so, but maybe my ego needs slapping down a few notches. Since everything seems to be going so well this year, I guess I should talk about my struggle last year, and the progression I've been going through with regard to writing. Here goes.

When I first started NaNo, I had only been writing as a hobby for about 2 years (2 and a half? I can't be bothered to work it out). As a result, my longest piece of writing was 20,000 words long, and needless to say, very generic. All I was doing was copying the themes and styles of my favourite writers and projecting them in a manner that I thought worked. And it did, to some extent.

Fast forward a few months. I had finally written something that came to 50,000 words. It was also not very good, though the writing itself held water. It was the storyline that needed fine tuning, for it quickly went to a place that was unsatisfying and hard to resolve. I told myself I would try again. Flush with the success of my first NaNo, I wrote several new things over the next year (the chronology is a little messed up in my head; there are some things in my folder I'd forgotten I'd written). All the while, my story lines grew more coherent, and I grew more confident.

NaNoWriMo 2013 was a tiny bit of a mess, which may come as a surprise to you, reader. Even with all of my newfound experience, I found that the story I'd chosen to write didn't come out quite right for my tastes. I lost my enthusiasm, and though I still won NaNoWriMo, by the end of the month I was writing because I had to, not because I wanted to. There was a short story among the last of my writings that year, a Doctor Who one, because I'd run out of inspiration. I don't really consider it cheating, because it came from my storyline and involved one of my major characters.

This year is a whole other kettle of fish. My muse is bright and bold. The difference, this year, is how I went about it. Every year I write with no plan; this year I wrote with one. While I did stray from my plan quite considerably, I found that by having an ending that I could work towards, I eliminated silly plot things that  might mess with my novel. I usually think of my novel's ending halfway through. This time, I had it at the beginning. It didn't solve everything, but I think as I gain more experience and confidence as a writer, I grow closer and closer to something I think might be worthy of publishing. And that, my friend, is a heady thought.

(P.S. Now, if only I could add this to my word count...)


(P.P.S. Doctor Who story to follow)

Keeping Track

Now, if there's something I am, it's an excel nutcase. I use it to keep track of everything, from uni timetable to writing. Incidentally, it is the last one I am interested in today. There are several spreadsheets available online to do with tracking your writing achievements/goals. Since I am so particular, I didn't like any of them. So, being the person I am, I decided to make my own. And here they are!

The NaNoWriMo Spreadsheet
This one is to track your progress both during NaNoWriMo and to help you set a goal for subsequent months. Simply plug in your wordcount for the day and your goal for the given month, and the spreadsheet will do the rest for you. For continuing projects, there is the existing wordcount box, which lets you plug in the words you already have so as not to mess up the average words per day box or the 'Daily Goal' column.

The Writing Log
This one is for those who don't need a goal, or who can't be bothered to write every day. Plug in the date in dd/mm/yyyy format and your total wordcount, and watch the percentages climb. You can customise the daily wordcount goal, but it won't affect any other part of the spreadsheet. Your total wordcount goal is just a point of reference and a way to calculate the percentages, giving you something to shoot for.

A couple more things before I go and actually do some writing. Please do not mess with the formulae unless you know what you are doing. Otherwise excel could have a spaz attack and spit out error messages. If you find any errors (the spreadsheets haven't been tested by anyone other than myself) please let me know and I will fix them. Enjoy!

NaNoWriMo Wristers: Knitting Pattern

Hey there, I thought it was time for another post. This time something I knitted for my sister for christmas. I still need to make myself a pair, but for the moment may I present: NaNoWristers! These are the perfect way to show of your proud NaNo win (or participation) on your wrist.

Pretty cool huh? And not that difficult if you know how to double knit.

Materials
One ball fingering weight yarn in purple
One ball fingering weight yarn in white
(or you can mix it up, whatever colour you like)

One set double pointed needles or a circular needle.
Extra dpns for binding off.

A small amount of scrap yarn.

Gauge is not imporant, just make sure it's small.

Directions
Using this method, cast on 39 pairs of stitches in the round, then knit one more row. If you don't like that cast on, simply cast on and knit three rows in the round. Make sure your colours are the right way around, remember that the reverse side will show mirror writing.

Begin knitting the pattern using the charts below. Since I am a dpn user I like to draw a line on my chart where each needle starts and ends. This helps me to keep track of my work. Once you've finished knitting the chart, knit three more rows.

Take a strand of the main 'background' colour you are using, and cut it leaving an end at least three times the length of your wrister. Using extra dpns, divide your stitches ont two needles, separating your colours. Then, graft your stitches together.  Knitty has a wonderful page on it here. You're done, rejoice. Now you just need to make a second one.

Charts
You can mix and match these charts as much as you like, which is why I have included charts for the numbers 0-9. These can be squished up further if necessary. Note the space at the end of each chart. This is there so that the words don't run into one another. Whatever you do, don't forget the space!

That's all for now! Happy knitting.

Lessons Learned This Month

As NaNoWriMo draws to a close, I'm reflecting on the things I have learned this November - my first NaNoWriMo - and why I have actually reached an impressive word count when I have previously not managed more than 20k.

First off, there's one of the mantra of NaNo - write first, ask questions later. This is a concept I didn't fully understand before I put pen to paper. Surely it's good to check things out as you write? As it turns out, first you need to write the damn words. Write as much as you can, make it as good as you can on a first draft, but don't get hung up on it. It's a first draft, and draft is the operative word here. It is not going to be perfect.

That's one of the reasons I'm well on my way to winning. Another is the concept of a daily goal. I'm one of those writers who takes a very long time to write anything. I think my benchmark is around 1,000 words per hour. So, I can't leave it until the last minute and write on November 29, because I'll either go mad or sleep deprived or both. Not a good scenario. NaNoWriMo helps by setting a daily goal of 1,667 words per day. It means you can't miss a day, but if you know something's gonna throw a spanner in the works, as it did on the 24th. Go on, check out my stats. Pretty good, huh? Mind, if there was something I couldn't foresee, I would have had to catch up, and that would have sucked. But that diagonal grey line sure helps put things into perspective.

The next most important thing I have learned is plot developments. It may sound self explanatory, but I really had no idea how to write them before NaNo. Since I have pantsed my novel this year, I have simply written whatever plot developments pop into my head, not what I have planned to happen. I have found that a plot is a complicated, crazy beast in which lots of little things lead to a glorious conclusion. As long as you keep in mind where you want your novel to go, those little plot developments will reach a point you are satisfied with. If they don't, just add another plot development.

This next one I already knew - the first part, at least. Writing is HARD, it really is. That's the bit I already knew, but there's a second part to this sentence I had yet to discover. Writing is hard, but all it takes is imagination and perseverance. I have discovered this month that I have those things in droves. One night I stayed up almost till midnight to get that little extra to reach par. I swear I have never written that fast in my life. I have been thinking all month how easy it would be to give up, and let the plot bunnies eat my novel. But that's not how it works. I must win, even if my novel turns into a raging uncontrollable beast.

One more thing: staying up late is a bad side effect of daily goals. I should by rights finish earlier, but the more pressure, the better I work. I'm a little undisciplined that way.

Less than 10k to go! I'll see you at the finish.