Not quite to the end of the day, but I hit the 50k mark at 8pm this evening, so it seems the right time to put up my heels and ...
Wait. The book isn't done yet. In fact, I'm only in Episode Six (of Ten). Well, then ...
I like the pressure that Nano applies, but in thinking about it, I've seen some better value in the longer-term, macro goal - 50k in a month - than in a daily, micro goal - 1.67k (or pick your poison) per day. Firstly, a daily goal is unforgiving: if you fail, you're done. You can get up and try again the next day, but if you're neurotic like I am (Hi!), that will bother you. Secondly, a daily goal is kind of like a hamster in a wheel: it resets every day. You can write five thousand words and it doesn't really "matter" in terms of meeting your goal. You still have the full word count the next day.
Now, not that is a bad thing: it produces writing. But for me, having my goals and the way I meet them be satisfying, rather than frustrating, is an important factor.
So starting this Thursday, I'm going to start a 7k / week prescription for myself, with a further long-term goal of finishing "Who Wants To Be A Hero?" by Valentine's Day (2011, smart alecks), and for the love of all that's holy hopefully finding a snappier title. Since I still have to finish my editing marks for SaC, for the next couple weeks, as soon as I finish 1k per day, I'm going to move on to editing.
In conclusion: wish me luck!
About Me
- Lindsey Duncan
- I'm a professional harp performer, chef / pastry chef, and speculative fiction writer from Cincinnati, Ohio. My contemporary fantasy novel Flow is available from Double Dragon Publishing, and my science fiction novel Scylla and Charybdis is now out from Grimbold Books. I've also sold a number of short stories and a few pieces of speculative poetry. I write predominantly fantasy, usually epic and/or humorous, with some soft science fiction. I play the traditional lever harp with a specialty in Celtic music - but I also perform modern and Renaissance tunes. And yes, you read that right - I have a diploma in Baking and Pastry and an Associates in Culinary Arts and am currently working in the catering field at Kate's Catering and Personal Chef Services (Dayton, KY). I am a CPC (Certified Pastry Culinarian) and CSW (Certified Specialist of Wine).
3 comments:
Good luck!! I definitely agree with you that it is easier to think of writing so many words a month than so many words a day. There were some days last month that I didn't write and other days that I wrote anywhere from 3,000 to even 7,000 (a personal best for me) words, yet I still glanced at the 1667 words on the days I didn't make that word count and felt a tiny bit guilty about it.
For December, I'm thinking more of what I want to write than word counts. That sometimes makes it nice too. :)
I've found I don't do well with specific-point-in-story goals because I often over or underestimate how long it will take to reach a certain point in a story ... the former is frustrating, and the vaguely unsatisfying. But das just to me! :-)
It's an experiment, anyhoo.
The *latter* vaguely unsatisfying. Sheesh, Lindsey, edit much?
Post a Comment