Writing goals

[cjsmith]

A friend of mine insightfully noted that NaNoWriMo is like a crash diet. It's crazy hard for a month, I see impressive results, there's no way it can be sustained, and it backfires in the sense that over the long haul things are worse than before. Both she and I don't ever want to see our NaNo crap again. Through the rest of the winter we sure don't want to write another word. (I suppose it might be different if I didn't have, y'know, a day job. But I do, and NaNo becomes a nearly-untenable sprint from which I need way too much recovery.)

NaNoWriMo also allows me to delude myself that I am working on improving my writing. As a result I let myself get away with not doing the things I really NEED, the things that are HARD, such as editing or getting criticism. After all, I did NaNo, right? That's a heck of a lot of work, right? I can let slide all that stuff I'd secretly rather avoid anyhow, right?

Don't get me wrong: I'm very glad I did it a few times. I did need it. The first time, I had never plotted out anything the length of a short novel, much less created even the shittiest first draft. The sense of community, the deadline, and the "you can do it" atmosphere were all incredibly valuable. Now I know I can create a really crappy draft of a short novel.

So NaNo is fun and gives a sense of accomplishment, and I really did need to do it a couple-few times, but now I need other stuff more.

Dangit. Insightful criticism is far less fun.

Comments

[kuangning]

Heh. I'm telling myself that it's a way to get writing. Forget improving; over the last year I've written exactly two stories. Not "stories that were any good", just "stories". I figure a goal of 50,000 words will force the gates open. After that, well, we'll see.

Writing Goal

[mama-hogswatch.livejournal.com]

It's entirely possible my writing really sucks. But when I'm actively working on a novel, my first draft word quota is usually 1,000 words a day.

Those extra 600 words can be hard, I grant you, but I've done it on the times I've fallen behind.

[lkeele.livejournal.com]

Yeah, far less fun, but much more productive. :)

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Yes indeed. It forces the gates open for me as well. Some really good scenes and concepts have come out of my NaNovembers, too!

It may very well be that without NaNoWriMo I won't write at all. If so, that sure tells me something.

Re: Writing Goal

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

It's possible that the difference between 1,000 w/d and 1667 w/d is the difference between a marathoner's pace and a sprinter's. A marathoner can burst out a little sprint from time to time, but can't keep it up forever. I don't know; I'm just brainstorming.

(For me, NaNo isn't even 1667. I have events each November that effectively wipe out nearly a week. 1000 w/d seems like it would be way more sustainable than the 2083 I tend to wind up needing.)

[mama-hogswatch.livejournal.com]

Stephen King's word quota is 2K words a day. I doubt mine would be even if writing WERE my day job.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Sadly! So now I have to figure out a goal for November that's better for me than doing NaNo again would be. I have one day. :)

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that day job thing! I remember that during my first NaNoWriMo I was not working. That was by far my best effort. That's the one I can imagine I'd go back to and edit into at-least-mediocrity some day.

[spicy-turkey.livejournal.com]

I've been wanting to sign up for most of the year. I've been thinking about plot ideas on and off but didn't get very far. Hey, there was time, right? Well, here I am on the last day before it starts and am I any closer to a plot? Not really, no. I know, I know, "no plot, no problem" and all that. But I don't know how I'd get myself writing without an outline of some sort. I still want to do it, so I have a feeling I'll just go for it. Why not, really? :-) You have inspired me to give it a shot.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

I sorta feel like if I can do this dang thing, just about anybody can. It requires a certain amount of stubbornness and not letting yourself fall behind, but it is rewarding, too. It really is amazing sometimes what will come out when you need 1800 words and you have to get up in the morning and it's 11:45pm and you haven't an idea in your head. Some of my best stuff has come from situations like that.

[kimatha.livejournal.com]

I think we understand each other. :)

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Ayep. :)

Now it's time to put my money where my mouth is by coming up with something more productive. Maybe I need words-per-day goals, maybe I need milestones to shoot for, maybe I need a deadline for joining a crit group. I need to figure it out and do it. Otherwise I may as well do NaNo again.

[hitchhiker.livejournal.com]

national naked picture posting month!!!!!

[hitchhiker.livejournal.com]

you should start a blog, actually. the net has revived the dying art of essay writing.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

HAHAHAHA! I like the way you think.

aircraft

[extra300.livejournal.com]

This is really in response to the note you left me on Sunnydale's live Journal but I thought the answer really belongs with you rather than with her.

I always enjoyed aircraft, and for two years I got to be the insurance manager at Piper Aircraft. One of the perks of the job was getting to rent airplanes at eight dollars an hour wet. Before I left I only managed to get in 40 hours, and soloed, but because of where I worked I learned things that very few student pilots do! After I left Piper that was it for flying except that my son actually made it to commercial pilot. I mention that because the most fun I ever had was going up with him in aerobatic rated aircraft and shall we say taking it up for spin. Except maybe for that time in the glider when the thermals was so strong the only way we could get it down was a spin. (Spins are fun in a glider.) Now that I'm old and decrepit and have diabetes there is no way I can pass a physical. But I do enjoy model airplanes and my favorite is the Extra 300. It's not that I'm particularly good at it, just that I enjoy it. Anyway, that's the long and short of it.

Re: aircraft

[extra300.livejournal.com]

I forgot. If you have better than dialup check this out.

http://www.raymondstacy.com/pics/hv.wmv

Re: aircraft

[poetpilotgeek.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the video!

$8/hr wet? !!!

Just an FYI - A class 3 medical is achievable these days with diabetes or there's the new sport pilot (light 2 place planes, think cub not commanche) license which doesn't require a medical (but you still need to be safe to fly).

Re: aircraft

[extra300.livejournal.com]

$8/hr wet? !!!

Company rate

Re: aircraft

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Thanks for bringing the conversation over here. I know Sunny can get pretty sad about not being able to fly any more, so moving the conversation here is thoughtful.

Wow, $8/hr wet! That's fabulous. I'm glad you got a good bit of training and got to solo. What a great opportunity.

I adore aerobatics (as you may have guessed from my user icon). I haven't done any in way too long. Sad! But it's fun to talk to other people who enjoy things like spins as well.