Photo Credit: Churl (Flickr.com) Used under CCL
Hey everyone!
Sean and Anthony, your friendly neighborhood Southern Illinois National Novel Writing Month Municipal Liaisons, here. By the end of today, you should be at 25,000 words if you’re on track. For some of us (such as Sean, who is only at 13,500), that’s going to be a challenge. For others (such as Anthony, who’s at 29,000), there’s some extra room to take a day or two off.
No matter how well (or poorly!) you’re doing at NaNoWriMo, the good news is that you’ve got words on paper, and that’s more than you had when you started on November 1st. While we want everyone in our region to cross the finish line, we know that some won’t make it to 50k in November. BUT DON’T LET THAT STOP YOU FROM WRITING. Set a goal for what you realistically think you can achieve over the next 15 days and work towards it. If you can keep yourself committed, you may find that you get a lot closer to that 50,000 word goal than you would have anticipated on November 15… and you might even get within striking distance of the goal and find yourself a winner after all!
We also recommend making use of 15-minute writing sprints throughout the day. For each sprint, try to write 500 words. If you can do 5-6 of these a day, you’ll easily find yourself nearing the finish line, even if you’re behind now.
And if you’re having trouble, ask some of your fellow writers to join you and keep you accountable! You don’t have to meet in person – you can write together via email, Facebook chat, Google + Hangouts or even Skype. All you really need is a friend and a timer. Set some goals, get some words written, and reward yourself if needed!
Speaking of which, we’ve got plenty of write-ins running this week. Our schedule for Week 3 is below. But before we get to that, here are some hastily-written words from Sean (written in between desperate writing sprints meant to catch him up) and some more thoughtful ones from Anthony:
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SEAN’S SOAPBOX
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I think I bit off more than I can chew this year, and for the first time since my first NaNoWriMo, I’m struggling.
This should probably come as no surprise to those who know that I’m a new father this year, or that my business travel is at an all-time high, or that I’m just struggling to do a poor job of writing a story that’s been such a mental passion project for me over the last several years. But to those who see me having a hard time getting to today’s 25,000 word goal when I’ve been challenging myself to write far more words this year, I’m sure it’s simultaneously fun and deeply disappointing to see a long-time Wrimo like myself having so much trouble.
The good news is that this has given me a renewed sympathy for how tough NaNoWriMo can be for those who aren’t in the habit of writing, and I’m finding myself listening to my own excuses not to write and thinking, “a year or two ago, I might not have been able to empathize with someone saying that they can’t write because they have to spend time with their kids or because their job is keeping them too busy.” It’s giving me a more humble outlook, and it’s really helping me to appreciate how much of a victory even 10,000 words on paper can be.
So, don’t let my bad experience this year discourage you. I’ve got a plan on how I’ll get caught up (HINT: It involves keeping my video game systems and television unplugged for awhile). At the same time, if you’re struggling, let me encourage you to sit down today and ask yourself how you’re going to get to 50k. Block out some time for writing, add some extra sprints into your schedule, or plan to attend some write-ins. All of these things will help you to get caught up, and you’ll find yourself even more appreciative of those hard-fought 50,000 words than those who sailed past the finish line early.
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MUMBLINGS, MURMURINGS AND RAMBLINGS, by Anthony
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It’s the end of week number two. If there was a plot, I’ve lost it.
My shy country girl Rose has fallen deeply in love with the Dragonborn of Tamriel and together they are fighting their congregation elders and exploring the Dwarven mines of rural Missouri.
I apologize. I haven’t slept much and my mind is mush, blurring my NaNoWriMo plot with the video game Skyrim.
If you’ve kept up with the daily writing goals you may be entering into the soft, squishy middle of your novel. For me, the middle is usually where novel writing begins to feel like work. I’ve lost that initial surge of enthusiasm from the beginning and the end is still far out of sight. I plod along trying to remember exactly why I signed up for this in the first place and my story lumbers along like [INSERT A LUMBERING SOMETHING HERE]. However, by sticking to my word count quotas and forcing myself to move on I occasionally have a little surge of enlightenment. Maybe it is an interesting plot twist. Maybe it is an unexpected change in my character. Maybe the mush somehow begins to resemble something of a story.
What’s the point?
The point is not to stop moving. The point is to push through.
Up ahead there is a first kiss. Over yonder there is a dragon to slay. Over the horizon there is a finish line, a completed novel and . . . turkey? Oh yes, turkey.
Onwards! Up WORDS!
What is this? This my friends is what 268 words in the middle of a NaNoWriMo novel looks like!
To victory!
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THIS WEEK’S EVENTS
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Please attend one of our write-ins! You’ll find that we’re a friendly bunch, and you’ll also find that those who attend write-ins are much more likely to finish their novels. Plus, we’ll be handing out some NaNoWriMo goodies at some of our write-ins, like fake tattoos and bumper stickers!
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 15
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6:30 – 8:30 PM: Write-in at Starbucks in Collinsville (HOST: Anthony “falseramona”)
7:00 – 9:00 PM: Write-in at Italian Village in Carbondale (HOST: Dave “hexgnome13″)
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 16
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6:30 – 9:30 PM: Write-in at Denny’s in Glen Carbon (HOST: Eville Writers)
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17
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6:30 – 8:30 PM: Write-in at St. Louis Bread Company in Collinsville (HOST: Sean “SeanJJordan”)
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 18
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10:00 AM – 2:00 PM: Write-in at Belleville Public Libary Basement (HOST: Anthony “SeanJJordan”)
NOTE: WiFi is really spotty in the basement, so please plan accordingly! (There’s wifi upstairs and a St. Louis Bread Company across the street if you really need the Internet.)
If you are hosting a write-in and would like to get it on the calendar, please email seanATseanjjordanDOTcom and Sean will put it up for you!
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DENOUEMENT
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It’s Staff Appreciation Day! Share your warm tidings with the NaNoWriMo staff here: http://goo.gl/GhgnI
As always, you can find out more about our events on our calendar at http://goo.gl/9N9k
And don’t forget to check out our blog at http://soilnanowrimo.wordpress.com
We’d also love to see you on our forums! You can visit them by going to http://goo.gl/KhDdG
Good luck with your remaining NaNoWriMoing, and let us know if we can be of any assistance to you!
-Sean Jordan and Anthony Mathenia
Your friendly neighborhood Municipal Liaisons (MLs)
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