If you follow my Twitter feed @LBlankenship_sf maybe that sounds silly. I post Tonight's Word Count (TWC) every night, with #amwriting, and if I'm not writing, I report on what writing-related things I did -- net gain/loss in revision with #amrevising, 500 words of notes or whatever.
I post my TWC because I know some people out there feel like they need a kick in the pants, sometimes. Personally, I don't worry about my output and I don't set goals for myself. But yes, I'm fairly reliable and it makes for a nice data stream that might help somebody reach their own goals.
Why don't I do NaNo? My spread is 750 to, oh... I break 2k now and then, but that's when I'm on a real tear. NaNo needs a consistent 1600+ per day and to be honest, my average is more like 1200. No, I haven't done the math but I know how many days it's taken me to write each part of Disciple, and falls short of NaNo's 50k/30days.
Could I do it? Just devote a little more time? Bear in mind that I have no life, already. Seriously. My day is maximized toward writing, and has been for some time now.
But I hope my Twitter feed encourages people about the cumulative effect of regular writing. In 2011 I wrote about a quarter million words. I'll be doing better than that by the time I finish Disciple, Part VI. What will happen in 2013? Who knows?
Writing on a regular schedule is a powerful thing, over time. Habits are powerful things. I like to think my Twitter feed proves that, and I hope it's encouraging rather than intimidating.
7 comments:
I participated in 2010 and then participated in this year's BuNo in June. I type 350 words an hour, so you can imagine how much time I have to devote to it! I just missed the mark for BuNo, but I wasn't worried. Like you, I was just using something to get my butt in gear to write. Any amount!
If you ever participated, you just might surprise yourself!
I think it's great that you post your daily word count on Twitter. I'm doing NaNo again this year. I've set my writing aside quite a bit this past year, and I'm hoping that this will get me back in the habit of writing regularly.
I don't do NaNo either. I can't work like that. But I am in awe of those that do.
I am impressed by everyone who does NaNo. Even if you can't keep up that pace, just getting that Butt In Chair and writing for 30 days is huge.
Don't give up, NaNos!
NaNo has been a powerful tool for me to give myself a yearly kick in the pants on my writing habits. It's a little crazier this year with edits going on too, but I'm still into NaNo.
Posted your book feature today!
Awesome, Alex! Thank you!
Post a Comment