Sitting in the Women's Studies office and I just remembered: It's that time of the year again. Well, it's one of those times of the year again. Nanowrimo is back for April and it's the camp edition.
I love doing NaNo, even if I don't finish. There's something freeing about being told to write 50,000 crap words and not having anyone judge you. You're free to write the most ridiculous story lines without getting caught up in editing and over critiquing yourself. You don't even have to finish the book. Just write 50k worth of something.
I've never actually finished NaNo in the three years since I started doing it. Some people might say, "Anah, why don't you give up?" Probably because I'm not easily deterred. Every year I've gotten closer toward the magical 50K.
This is what my NaNo timeline looks like:
2011: Epic fail. Barely got 1K. Switched ideas the second week and ended up quitting.
2012: 5K in and everything's going smooth. Then my archenemy procrastination stopped by for a little chat and ended up moving in and refusing to pay rent.
2013: Trying Camp NaNo for the first time during summer break. I thought it might be easier with the lack of homework and stuff, but it just made me procrastinate harder. I got 10K, though, which is farther than I ever got. NaNoWriMo also happened, but we don't talk about that, seeing as how nothing was actually written down.
Yep. That's actually pretty sad, but here I am giving it a shot for the fifth time and this time, I'm going all out. No seriously. I'm pretty prepared. I haven't plotted anything, nor have I thought about characters in any way shape or form. And this is how I survive.
If there's one thing I learned in NaNo is that you just gotta do you. Plot if you wants, pants if you don't. Write your story on sticky notes or loose-leaf paper if that helps you reach your goal. Don't get bothered by those super writers who bang out 100K in a day when the rest of us are typing away at a snail pace. All that matters is how you want to write, so find a method that works and use it. If it doesn't work, throw it away and use something else.
I'm a natural pansters, so all those times when I failed was because of meticulous plotting that made me feel crippled. The 10K came from planning vaguely, so that's what works for me.
I don't know if this NaNo will actually be successful, but it as long as I try, that's all that matters, right?
Is anyone else doing NaNo? If so, what's your game plan for this month?
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