cover designed by Austin Beckstrom
As many writers know, it’s National Novel Writing Month again, or NaNoWriMo. For those who don’t, it’s an amazing month to write a novel in, or at least 50,000 words. It averages out to be 1,667 words a day, but as I don’t generally write on weekends, I aim to write 2,000 words a day.
This year, I am trying something new. Rather than coming up with a new story as is standard for NaNoWriMo, I am writing a second draft of a novel I wrote three years ago. It’s been a great opportunity to get the second draft done (since the first draft had so many issues I needed a brand new draft), but it has also changed NaNoWriMo for me.
NaNoWriMo is about the word count. It’s about getting the words and ideas on the page, unfiltered, unedited. You’re supposed to write the idea down and worry about editing later. Many writers abhor this method as it promotes really bad writing for a first draft, and many writers love this method because it allows them to focus on getting the story down in all it’s messy glory. I am of the second belief because for me it’s easy to get caught up in editing or revising previous scenes, which makes actually finishing a first draft a very long process. Ever since I started participating in NaNoWriMo in 2009, my novel writing has greatly improved. But this year, focusing on a second draft has made me slow down, outline more, and focus on word quality. Continue reading
Mommies Write Too 