Road Trip Wednesday is a “Blog Carnival,” where YA Highway‘s contributors post a weekly writing- or reading-related question that begs to be answered. In the comments, you can hop from destination to destination and get everybody’s unique take on the topic.
This week’s topic:
Are you doing NaNoWriMo, or have you ever? Does having a deadline inspire you?
I was going to write a post about NaNo but when I saw RTW was going to ask about it, I decided to do 2 in 1 and post them together ;)
I won NaNo last year with a story I like very much (called Gypsy Heart) but it still needs some (= a lot) revision and fixing ;)
I *think* I’ll participate of NaNoWriMo this year. It’ll depend on how my edits are going and if I want to stop the story I just started. OR I’ll be a rebel and finish the manuscript, writing the last 50k words during NaNo. I do like the energy that fills the air around NaNo and the buzz of everyone talking about it. And, this year I’m here in the US again, which means there’s a local group that meets for NaNo at least 4 times a week! Which is exciting! I’m gonna go on the kick-off party on Oct 27th and I hope to get along with the group to keep going on the meetings. Eeeep!
As for deadlines, I love them. I wish there was someone by my side with a whip all day long telling me that the damn book won’t write itself, and punishing me when the daily word count isn’t met. I’m serious. I always try to impose deadlines to myself. I have a white board beside my desk where I schedule when to start, when to finish, when to edit, when to plot, etc. But it’s not the same. I do wish for the whip and the big, nasty ogre telling me: BIC HOK!
Me in my NaNoWriMo 2012 t-shirt
Oh, my NaNoWriMo profile: Juliana_Haygert. Add me!
Are you doing NaNo this year? Do you like deadlines?
Also, leave your NaNo profile in the comments so we can chase each other down ;)
Cheers,
My SecondBorn once told me how she liked having someone keeping her on track with her language studies, and how one of the problems she has self-studying is that it’s so easy to get off-task. She says she really needed Professor Snape to come up behind her and smack the back of her head when she wasn’t working. We then talked about her goals for her studies, how she would like to use the language work, and how the work she does now is key and foundational to achieving her heart’s desire. So I told her, “Let your goal be your Snape.” She liked that. Every time she gets distracted, she remembers why she’s doing the language study in the first place, and take that as her smack on the back of the head.
I’m hoping the NaNo deadline will be my Snape for finishing my WIP. :)
Love the t-shirt! Making my own deadlines hardly works too. I need something a little more official like NaNo.
Good luck this year if you do take part!
I ordered a shirt too! It’s so fun this year. :) I think I have to agree about self-imposed goals and deadlines. I work WAY better when someone else is imposing the deadlines. That’s why NaNo is so great. Even though I’m not following the rules with my NaNo story (I don’t plan on trying to ‘win’), I think it’s a great opportunity to just get it done. So that’s the plan. :) Good luck with your story!
I’m participating! It is really a great motivator for me and I’m looking forward to it. Added you as a buddy!
Read more about it at my blog post: http://natashamheck.blogspot.com/2012/10/rtw-nanowrimo-is.html
“I wish there was someone by my side with a whip all day long telling me that the damn book won’t write itself” <– Me too! I have my husband to help keep me in line. He'll ask how the writing is going, and after dinner on most evenings we'll comb through what I've done. But a whip-cracker during the day wouldn't hurt, either.
I really want that shirt…!
So cool you won last year! The NaNo parties all sound really cool too, I look forward to seeing what you come up with in November, no matter what it is!
I just added you. :D I am doing NaNo. I’m not good at deadlines. But I’m working on it. I hope you do participate. Good luck. :D
I just added you. I’m doing it for the first time this year. I’m moving to your state next month (yup, right smack in the beginning of NaNo…not-so-perfect timing!) so I wonder if my local group would be the same as your local group…DM me!
I want that shirt! I should order one. :)
I’m not doing it this year as I’ll be editing. But I do like the pressure of it. I participated in 2010 and wrote CassaFire and this past summer wrote a large chunk of CassaStorm during June’s BuMo.
I’m so jealous that you guys get to do NaNo this year. You look great in your shirt, Juliana. Can’t wait to read whatever you’ll write.
Yay NaNo! Good luck with everything! I’m planning on doing it this year and I’m hoping that I’ll finally be able to go to some local NaNo writing parties. I’ve never been able to sit and write with other people like that and it sounds like it would be so much fun.
This is my first NaNo, and I’m stoked! I’ll look for ya once I sign up officially!
I used to do NaNo but life prevents me from hitting that magical 1667 per day now. For me to reach that, I need at least 3-3.5 hours of writing time every day. I just don’t have it anymore. I still make sure I donate each year to them though. I love their t-shirt design this year. In fact, the have several new goodies that look awesome.
I am planning on doIng this for the firt time this year.. Eeep! I had some reservations which I will posting about soon, but I think it is a really neat event.
I need to make my account, and I will add you :) I am very excited about this.
I love your NaNo shirt :) I also love the idea of a NaNo group. I haven’t looked into whether or not there are many doing that in my area–but like I said on my blog I probably won’t participate this year. I’ll be cheering you on though!
I’m fortunate to live with someone who asks, “Shouldn’t you be writing?” or “How many words did you get today?” so he’s like a live-in deadline. I hope you enjoy your local NaNo group!
I am not and I am going crazy! I feel the itch to start writing again, but I can’t handle the insanity of NaNoWriMo in the same month I’m writing three term papers, one of which will be my MA portfolio piece. However, I am thinking of producing something for Figment once a week, get a start on a new serial, which would be (a) be less work and (b) help scratch the writing itch. It’s a wintery story I began writing years ago, and I’ve the first 50 pages or so written, that could be reworked and posted. So that’s what I’m thinking of doing while everyone else NaNos.
I am, of course, your cheerleader!
Love that pic! Best wishes on NaNoWriMo! I’m too soaked in editing to go at it this year.
I was back and forth about doing it this year but I had so much fun reminiscing about ’09 and ’10 that I’ve decided to do it! I’ve added you as a buddy. My username is JRMinnt. :) Good luck!
Yes. I, too, wish I had someone with a whip standing over me to get me to keep going. My current MS would’ve been done a long, long time ago if that were the case. I’m hoping now that I’m working again and therefore have something to do all day besides sit in my pajamas and eat cereal, I’ll be able to keep a regular writing routine. I guess we’ll see…
I hope you’ll NaNo. I’m doing my first one this year. I’m equal parts terrified and excited. I’m so glad you mentioned the local group thing, I really need to find one. It’s like exercising, I always do better when I know people expect me to show up. ;-)
Wishing you the best no matter what you decide. But if you NaNo, buddy me (TiaBach).