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Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Wistful Wednesday

NaNo Failure and Other Goals



So how did you do with NaNo? Sad to say, I did not do so well. I stated out with good intentions, but soon became distracted by other obligations. Suffice it to say, my NaNo manuscript fell by the wayside. For the second year in a row. Each year, I start the process with the intent to finish a manuscript by the end of November and become a NaNo winner. Well, this year, I did finish a manuscript - just not the one I started for NaNo! This brings me to the subject of goals.

The manuscript I finished instead of the NaNo one is for a story that was requested by an online publisher during an online conference not too long ago. (You might be wondering right now if I tend to take on too many things at once and the answer to that would be - yes.) So I'm not feeling too depressed by my failure - once again - to complete the NaNo challenge. For me, once I complete one manuscript, it's really hard to just jump into another one. I need a little break in between them to process what I've done - and what I need to do. Is this the same for any of you? If not, what do you do to help you transition from one manuscript to the other without a break in between? I'm really curious to know, as I have an abundance of ideas I'm working on that I'd really like to complete. Plus, I feel empty when I'm not writing.

I can't wait to read your thoughts on the subject and to get your suggestions for more fruitful goal setting.


8 Moonbeams (comments):

Molly Daniels said...

Congrats for finishing:) I finished the one I was working on as well. Kudos to us:)

Yup...I need a break between stories. Even if it's only one day or several months. I just can't dive in and start/work on another one so quickly. (This from someone who also writes two or three simultaneously, snort!)

Carrie said...

Well, I haven't managed to finish one yet, because something else always pops up before I've had a chance to finish.

My brain isn't the memory keeper it used to be, not by a long shot, so when I get a story idea, I need to write it down before I forget it entirely.

Case in point. My Centurion 54 series sits there dormant at the moment with the basic ideas and titles for 6 books, two of them started, the end to one written, and the beginning to another started, but then I had that intrigue/romantic suspense novel come to mind. I mapped out about 13 chapters, and then another idea hit me, and I had to run with that before I forgot the plot to it. Then, I got involved with the Paranormal Fight Club and now that I've got that one started, there are some things I want to add to that.

By now, as you can see, I'm a great starter, but finishing seems to be the issue. That is of course, unless I have a class deadline hanging over me. Then I can crank out a ton of writing in one night.

Yes, I need a break in between, but I also need to figure out how to motivate myself. The holidays are my least motivated times of the year....

Gracen Miller said...

Margay, I think I must need a break because I have "Nano Burn-out" and can't seem to focus one word on my story. *whimpers* I know where I want to go with it and it's rolling to a fast finish, but I just don't have the heart and desire to complete the work. Which makes me terribly depressed because I'm at my best (mentally and socially) when I'm writing. lol

Great job on finishing ANY work! Whether it was the Nano project or not, it's still completed.

Margay Leah Justice said...

Yes, Molly, Congratulations! Finishing is the hard part, isn't it? I'm happy I'm not alone on the break in between thing, but I have to wonder, how do people like James Patterson crank out so many books if they take breaks in between? Maybe they don't sleep, maybe they're vampires...now there's an idea...!

Margay

Margay Leah Justice said...

Hey, Carrie, maybe after the holidays we can have a motivational series to keep each other going and let our readers know what it's like to get through the process of writing?

Margay

Margay Leah Justice said...

Thanks, Gracen!

I think you probably need to take a step back from your project and try to figure out the point at which you lost interest in it and work on that - that will be the area where your reader will lose interest, too. Maybe you need a fresh perspective - or fresh eyes.

Margay

Sheila Deeth said...

I didn't try Nano - it's November, much too busy. But I did finish a manuscript. I usually transition into editing a different one before starting the next. But winter's usually nearly all editing. Life's just too busy then.

Margay Leah Justice said...

Sheila, i find it really interesting that you do your editing in winter due to a heavy schedule. I never thought about doing that! Congrats on finishing the manuscript!
Margay