Right, so originally, I’d planned to do my week 2 check-in on Saturday…last Saturday…but life gets so busy (especially for a writer doing NaNo)! You may have noticed that the Week 2 check-in is coming at you during week 3. This is because of the aforementioned business of the month. As a result, you lovelies get a blog post on Sunday! Happy early Christmas!
You know the fun thing about writing without an outline? You can do whatever you want.
The worst thing about writing without an outline? You can do whatever you want.
No rules, no limitations, no direction at all. One of the interesting things I’ve learned is that it’s best to completely dive into the scene itself if I don’t know the direction the story is going. If I focus entirely on small parts of story and characterization, then I have a much better chance of finding direction in my half-inspired wanderings.
For the past two weeks, I’ve been hobbling along with only my scattered imagination and an overly excited Pinterest board. (See below for a taste of some good ole aesthetic!)
Turns out, I’m going to have to cut a lot of words from my finished first draft come December/January. But it’ll all be worth it when I’m having the time of my life exploring this new world with my new characters.
All in all, I did pretty well for Weeks 2 and 3. I earned my Update Word Count 7 Days in a Row badge. I added a couple buddies so we can cheer each other on. And I slowly but surely started meeting my word count goals.
As it stands now, I’m a little over 25k. That’s half-way to my overall goal for the month! And, well, even though there are only six days left of NaNoWriMo2019, I’m buckling down to churn out that remaining 25k to meet the goal!
I’m down, but I’m not out. And that sort of confidence is all I need at this point.
If you happen to be struggling with NaNoWrMo this November, it doesn’t matter! As long as you keep writing, you’ll keep meeting those small goals and be well on your way to the big ones.
It’s been hard being a pantser this time around. But I’m starting to enjoy the freedom it provides.
Here’s to 50k and the home stretch!
Week 2 and 3 Goal: 26k of the fantasy novel.
Success/falling behind?: Still falling behind the word count goal for November, but I’ve reached 27k! Woo-hoo!
Week 4 Goal: 50k. Let’s do this!
Photo by Peter Lewicki on Unsplash
Rachel Sandell 