This is my first NaNo and I know we're just a week in, but already this has been one of the most amazing experiences of my writing life. I've surprised myself several times each day. Here's what I've learned so far:
1. I am a very fast writer.
2. Fiction is way more fun to write than poetry.
3. I do not need the perfect environment to write; I can do it when I'm cold and if it's dark and with lots of background noise.
4. I wasted many years thinking I couldn't do this.
5. Coffee is better for writing than wine.
6. I always thought I didn't drink enough to be a good writer. Now I see I was drinking too much.
7. A bird in the hand IS worth more than two in the bush. (Nano translation, if you need it: A mediocre novel that actually exists is worth more than the theoretical masterpieces traipsing around my brain until I forget about them.)
8. You can always come back later.
9. When in doubt, make something happen.
10. I am a morning person.
I can't believe it's taken me 36 years to figure this out. What have you learned?
----------
20,031 / 50,000
Nov 7, 2009 - 11 33
I learned that I'm a morning person, too. I also learned that I'm really good at starting things and not so great at finishing them. xD
And, I'm trying to teach myself to be less critical of myself and just have fun. I think it's working!
----------815 / 50,000
Nov 7, 2009 - 11 44
I've learnt that I am a faster typer as well. And, with me too, I'm good at starting things and not good at ending. And I'm also a perfectionist. Haha.
36,679 / 50,000
Nov 7, 2009 - 11 50
I learned that the story that you need to tell, you will, even if you try to write it before you even know what it is.
writing makes me lose my appetite (I'm never hungry any more wtf?)
writing short stories has nothing to do with the amazing experience that is actually writing.
My mom has been wrong all these years she's been wanting me to take a touch typing class. She should have been begging me to attempt to write fifty thousand words in a month.
Music is the most inspiring thing in the world.
People say really really beautiful stuff without even meaning to all the time.
I'm insane
I'm also schizophrenic
inspiration's everywhere.
----------My someday starts NOW!
36,000 / 50,000
Nov 7, 2009 - 12 25
I learned that if you let somebody read part of what you've written, it's really really gratifying to hear them say, the next day, "can I read some more?"
----------Pictures from http://seiginonanioite.deviantart.com/art/City-of-Now-100367124 and http://androgs.deviantart.com/art/The-castle-74358294
27,716 / 50,000
Nov 7, 2009 - 14 14
I learned that getting candy you can suck on or gum is really helpful and you don't have to stop writing every 10 seconds when you are done chewing!
50,480 / 50,000
Nov 7, 2009 - 14 39
Oh, I couldn't agree more with you, jrothke!
I've never experienced anything like this, it feels like I've finally found out *how* to actually write and I'm so grateful for this unexpected present!
I never allowed myself to write anything mediocre, which resulted in getting more & more blocked. I only wanted to go for gold, but didn't dare to go into the mud to find those tiny pieces of gold.
I'm still not sure where my novel is going and got no clue how to put all these bits & pieces together, but I'm writing, I'm working my ass off and it makes me feel inspired.
It's not as hard as I thought, breaking through my writer's block.
I'm truly amazed.
And a bit shocked to find myself getting up at five in the morning, just to write some pages. Me, a morning person? OMG!
Oh and it took me only 32 years to figure it out ;)
35,006 / 50,000
Nov 7, 2009 - 15 15
I learned that the story that you need to tell, you will, even if you try to write it before you even know what it is.
----------Music is the most inspiring thing in the world.
I can wake up early and write something good!
Days in: 19
Number of characters killed: 8 secondary characters and a whole bunch of un-named ones.(I'm feeling blood thirsty)
50,186 / 50,000
Nov 7, 2009 - 16 49
Loved your post, not reading the others right now. Will have to catch up on the forums after Nano. I've learned that dilemma has two M's. I've learned a LOT in the past 3 years. Success is what we make it and so is our writing experience. A lot is also two words. :)
----------I'm cSofter @ twitter
40,500 / 50,000
Nov 7, 2009 - 18 34
Wow! I'm really impressed by all you've learned (and happy for you!)
1. The right type of music can be a godsend when writing. (I always found it distracting, but I've discovered if I have to write a scene that bugs me, if I listen to some good music in the background it keeps me from getting angry.
2. I'm not actually a bad writer, my last few projects have been bad because I was focusing too hard on either word count or quality and not focusing enough on enjoying them.
3. A book doesn't have to be ingenious to be good. Even if my current book doesn't seem to live up to old, or new, outside-of-nano projects doesn't mean it doesn't have its own merits. Even my favorite authors don't have more than 2 or 3 ingenious books, and they're much older than me!
4. I've learned I'm good at picking unique names.
5. It isn't worth it to start a time consuming project if you can't/don't/won't put your whole heart into it.
That's all for now. I learned a lot more in my first NaNo, including the value of 1k words.
----------2006: The Wizard's Medallion (75k) (W)
2007: Missing (50k) (W)
2008: The Atlantic (55k) (w)
2009: The Kingdom of Leilaine (11k)
2009: Unborn (21k)
50,172 / 50,000
Nov 7, 2009 - 18 41
I remembered how much I love writing. Realized I should do this more often. Learned how fast I could write when inspiration struck me, and how good it is to have something motivating me forward. How badly I don't want to give up. Learned I actually kind of like my stories. Even if when I'm planning them I think they're a bit silly.
----------The wonderful, literary abandon of NaNoWriMo is just what I needed. I'm so excited! And I can't believe how much I wrote so quickly. I learned I need to do this more often!
NaNo 2009: The Fix Is In
40,061 / 50,000
Nov 7, 2009 - 18 51
Wow, you all sound like me.
1. I'm a fast writer. I didn't know I could type out 1500 words in 30 minutes.
2. I am a morning person. I, too, have been waking at 5am just to get some writing in before work. Then, I feel good all day.
3. I can overcome writers block and procrastination. Having to sit down everyday and write something, anything, has actually brought me the inspiration and ideas I would have waited for before.
4. I love writing more than I ever thought. I've written stories since I was about 14, and I have never enjoyed it as much as now.
Don't give up, and have fun everyone!!
----------Deaths: 2
Romances: 1
Conspiracies: 3 1/2
Human language is like a cracked kettle on which we beat out tunes for bears to dance to,
when all the time we are long
41,351 / 50,000
Nov 7, 2009 - 18 53
I've learned that although I've simply dismissed myself as a short-story writer who would never be able to write a novel, I'm doing pretty well!
----------2008- Honey-Bee- FAIL (I stopped at 10,000 words)
2009- Hands- Going strong and I hope I make it!
34,000 / 50,000
Nov 7, 2009 - 19 29
This has been anamzing expirance so far. I'm 16 and this is my first Nano.
1. My typing word per minute had increased dramaticly since when I started.
2. I learned that I write best at night. (When it's dark, quite, and everyone is asleep.)
3. I've learned that writing is almost as fun as reading. And much more satisfying and rewarding.
----------"Sometimes I am so clever, I don't understand a word of what I'm saying."
58,513 / 50,000
Nov 7, 2009 - 19 37
I'm loving hearing everyone's responses. Here are a few more from tonight's session:
If I write something bad, the world actually goes on. Even if it's really, really bad. And is improperly punctuated with massive sentence-boundary issues.
The most beautiful number of all: 20,000!
25,099 / 50,000
Nov 7, 2009 - 20 45
If you think your story is going to end, make something up to keep it going.
Chocolate helps me write better.
I can type over 2,000 words in an hour.
Quotes really help with the plot of the story.
The music you listen to helps set the mood of the scene and spark new ideas for your story.
Candles! The scents for some reason help me write better!
Nighttime! I definitely write better at night.
38,873 / 50,000
Nov 7, 2009 - 20 48
I've learned that my novel ideas don't have to lie in wait for years and never actually get done.
I've learned that my story's plot develops a lot better when I don't outline it, but instead just let things flow.
I've learned that my boyfriend is an amazing author.
I've learned that I have a story to tell that I never knew about.
I've learned that it feels good to just write, even if I know that what I'm writing isn't perfect.
I've learned that I'm capable of more focus than I thought I was.
----------My first year participating in NaNoWriMo.
Day 2 of 30.
76% of the month is completed. 77% of my novel is completed.
I have ingested about 6 GRAMS(!) & 57.8 mg of caffeine.
I have ingested about 15 alcoholic beverages.
Next goal: 42,530 before bed
53,050 / 50,000
Nov 7, 2009 - 21 02
I've learned that:
-as a busy 17 year old I CAN WRITE 50,000 WORDS IN A WEEK'S TIME! And could have done more!
-I've learned that I don't work as well with small time limits (10 minute word wars=no go) but I can sprint by the hour or day, if need be.
-I don't need to break the fourth wall or have anything too drastically ridiculous happen in my novel to crank out said 50 K in a week
-Avoiding plot holes is more important that avoiding bad sentence structure or word choice. Plot holes take forever to fill after NaNo
-Coffee's good. I don't know how I won last year without it.
-I'm a sucker for distractions and am not responsible to myself
-I'm addicted to taking dares, adopting lines, quirks, plot twists and other such filler from the forums
-I write action scenes better than funny scenes. Or at least the words flow easier.
-I have speech patterns in my writing that annoy the crap out of me.
-I think I'm lazier on weekends because I know I have 'more time'.
-I actually find myself missing last year's NaNo (which, bear in mind, I hated at the time)
-I actually like this year's novel and have faith in it, no matter how much character confusion is in it.
-'Actually' is indeed one of those speech patterns that has been plaguing me lately.
-If I publically commit to a challenge, I will follow through with it.
----------2008: Cheating The System - 60,600 Words
2009: For Educational Use Only - 0/50,000 Words
30,355 / 50,000
Nov 7, 2009 - 21 08
I've learned that
-I write best at night, and I've known for a while that I do homework best in the morning.
-The less often I post my word count, the more I get done
-Telling others I'm doing NaNo is excellent motivation
-No matter the mood of what I'm writing, writing really helps keep me in a positive mood
-I really need to buy more groceries
25,086 / 50,000
Nov 7, 2009 - 21 26
Writing 4,000 words within a couple hours feels sooooo gooooood.
----------You can never stop this feeling I've got inside of me... You can never fill these shoes 'cause I refuse to lose. I'm just ordinary me.
38,401 / 50,000
Nov 7, 2009 - 21 37
Things I've learned in the past couple of years:
-----------I can actually get quite a lot written in an hour, considering that I can't type very quickly.
-I just tested my typing speed, and have discovered that writing has dramatically increased my speed from 24 wpm 4 years ago to 52 wpm today. Wow!
-A ten-page double-spaced research paper is nothing to worry about. It's a piece of cake.
-I am big on procrastinating on writing, but doing a writing warm-up or listening to music definitely helps.
-I love to write fantasy.
-Completing a novel, even a terrible one that will never see the light of day, brings an immense sense of accomplishment.
2007: Untitled: lost
2008: The Seer's Fate: won!
2009: The Lord of Slaves: ?
33,820 / 50,000
Nov 7, 2009 - 21 40
I wholeheartedly agree with this. I also learned that I work very well when I have a clear goal in mind.
(on an off note, I like your sig. TFK rocks, lol)
----------40,121 / 50,000
Nov 7, 2009 - 22 09
Some of what I've learned has been re-learning things I've known without necessarily internalising - NaNo seems to be a great time for that with the whole pressure-cooker novel thing going on.
- Consistency, even if that means squeezing out only a few words on some days, is more valuable to me in particular than flogging an insane goal.
- It is at least a secondary goal for me as a writer to learn to put external drama aside when it is not usefully being dealt with and continue writing.
- How things worked during the last major writing project with regards to writing speed and time to complete has no bearing on how things are going to work for this one.
- It's absurd to be afraid of reading lest it prove disillusioning, and a problem of the writer, not the book.
- It is as important to keep reading consistently as to keep writing for a writer with career aspirations.
- If you're open to it instead of worrying about it, the inspiration will come from all over the place.
- Sometimes you have to just stop thinking about the writer you thought you'd be or the story you thought you were writing, and appreciate whatever you are/it is.
Also, [deity of choice] probably gives us people passion for stuff like writing so we'll stop focusing on all the admittedly terrible stuff that happens and just make glory with what we've got. People who come up with ideas like NaNo and the people who make the ideas so much fun in their enactment are the best people ever.
----------2005: She Dreams In Droplets (Won!)
2006: The Chaos Kid (Won!)
2007: A Little Tuning (Won!)
2008: Boys (Won!)
2009: On The Quest For Noms
21,300 / 50,000
Nov 8, 2009 - 00 00
I love reading what everyone has learned here. I've learned a lot of new surprising things!
I've learned that for not really being a writer, I'm not doing too bad!
I've learned writing an actual story beats writing a short story any day.
I've learned that once you get involved in a story, it floats around in your mind day and night.
I've learned that if there is a story you really want to tell, it will tell itself.
And I'm still learning that it's okay to write terribly and suck at it and not try to make it perfect. I can always go back and fix it later, too. It's all for the enjoyment of it. It's a process, but I think I'm getting there.
121,127 / 50,000
Nov 8, 2009 - 05 57
I like this thread. I like it a lot. Things that I've learned this year (my fourth doing NaNo):
1. I can write very fast. If I had no other obligations, I could have hit 50k by day 4. (I hit 25k on day 2, but then there were classes.) I thought 120k might be impossible, but if I keep up this pace it'll sail by and I won't know what to do with myself. Because I've figured this out, next year I'm going to try for two novels.
----------2. I don't need to pad my wordcount. It takes basically as long as actually writing the story anyway.
3. I can delete when I realise something I wrote is wrong or just really sounds stupid. I can also go back and edit.
4. I do very well with a heavy outline, and especially with all my chapters planned out! Chapter breaks were always my worst nightmare, and I still have a lot of trouble finding the appropriate line to end on, but with my outline neatly broken up into chapters I always know when it's time to end and where I'm going next.
5. No matter what I tell myself, I don't get work (schoolwork or NaNo) done after 4 AM. But if I pull an all nighter, I tend to start feeling hugely creative at 7.
6. Lying down "just for fifteen minutes because my legs hurt" is a damn stupid idea.
7. I work really well when I'm with other writers. It keeps me going instead of getting distracted.
8. "Finish the story in >50k" is a better goal for me than just "50k", and I think this change in goal is the reason I've been so much more productive!
9. This is what I do. This is my "thing". I don't just mean NaNo, but writing in general. I am damn proud of myself for hitting 50k in 7 days, and I think I'm actually pretty proud of how the story is turning out. (We'll just leave the horror at the reread until December…) I've also been working very hard at my poetry, and actually revising it (who knew? It's gonna be a thing), and that also makes me feel really good about myself.
Burly: I am Burly the troll, feared throughout the Nine Kingdoms!
Blabberwort: I am Blabberwort the troll, dreaded throughout the Nine Kingdoms!
Bluebell: And I am Bluebell the troll, terrified throughout the Nine Kingdoms!
50,060 / 50,000
Nov 8, 2009 - 06 48
(this is hands down the best post in the forums. period)
I have learned:
-Even after six years of doing NanoWrimo, I still get so excited about this
-----------There are some talented and very fun people in my region
-I can actually write without music. (although I have to have something on for actiony scenes)
-Actually taking my two allotted 15 minute breaks at work makes my work day go so much faster.
-The hiding place for my self confidence in writing.
-------------------------------------------------
Lushguins Rock! \m/ (>.<) \m/
Nano2008: Here Under Stars
Nano2009: An Agent of Change (a biography in chaos)
27,006 / 50,000
Nov 8, 2009 - 07 10
Many things have been mentioned already and I wouldn't like to be repetitive.
Especially not in such a great thread; which has really put a smile on my face and has given my another rush of adrenaline to keep on writing!
For me, there's one very important thing I've learned:
You cannot perfect the art of writing as it is an art, and I learned that art cannot be perfected. Every piece of art is unique, but the truly best art comes forth from an artist that acts revolutionary.
So! If you write a novel while not paying attention to any rules of literature, you achieve a completely different kind of work than all the books you/others have written so far. And thus, you not only achieve a wonderful piece of special (and unique!) art, you also get the feeling that you've done something that you've never done before.
And I've gotta admit, it's the best damn feeling I've had since a long time!
I'm not feeling scared any more; I feel like everyone's a writer, even me, and we just have to write whatever we desire! Without rules, without anyone telling us how it's done! We do! We act! We write!
And so, I'm happy as hell to say that NaNoWriMo has not only changed my ways of writing, but it has also changed me!
58,513 / 50,000
Nov 8, 2009 - 17 03
Glad people are enjoying this thread.
I've also learned that in regular life, I waste a lot of time. Seriously, what am I doing all of the time?
21,571 / 50,000
Nov 8, 2009 - 17 57
Hmm...I have to admit, I'm not so happy with what I've learned:
-I'm a much slower writer than I thought / than some of my friends (2000 words in 50 minutes as an absolute peak)
-I forsake everything else dear to me when writing
-My sleep pattern is easilly messed up
-I am so not a morning person
-I am too arrogant as a writer
Ah well. At least now I know how to improve myself
25,099 / 50,000
Nov 8, 2009 - 18 02
I just learned that I can wing it and still make it sound good. I just typed over 300 words in ten minutes! I feel so empowered!
27,674 / 50,000
Nov 8, 2009 - 20 40
Wow, I'm loving all the things we're sharing! Talk about commiseration!
Though I do have to agree with jrothke; how is it I whine about not having time to do things, yet I have time for NaNo?
I've come to understand that if I can make time to write for a few hours every day, then I can make time for the other things in my life (like getting my studio cleaned/under control so I can start painting again, update my portfolio, etc). It really makes me stop and think of how I use my time in other areas in my daily life!
On a different note:
--hurray for run-on sentences!
------------I use semi-colons way too much
--no CT Syndrome yet!
--coffeecoffeecoffee!
VulpesFerox
The stubborn fox