Hi all,
this is my first attempt at NaNoWriMo and, although I'm pretty excited about it, I'm still not sure how I'm going to do it.
My full-time job means that, during week days, I can only think about NaNoWriMo after I get home at 6pm. But I also have occasional freelance work that needs to be done after hours as well as a number of volunteering activities I'm involved with. Also, my full-time job is a writing job so, naturally, sometimes, when I've had a particularly stressful day at work, writing is the one thing I want to take a break from when I get home.
My question, especially for those who have done this before, is really just... how do you do it? How do you fit NaNoWriMo into a busy schedule without wanting to pull all your hair off with stress? Do you write in little intervals, squeezing NaNoWriMo wherever you can? Or do you allocate big chunks of time to it, even if that means that the laundry goes unfolded for an extra day, the kitchen doesn't look as spotless as it could be or the book you really feel like reading has to stay on the shelf for a while longer?
Lastly, considering that we might not have a lot of time to write every day, can you please share what you do to make the most out of your writing time? I tried Write or Die last night and found it quite useful because I kept getting sidetracked by other things that needed to be done. I think I'll use it often. Any other tips?
Thanks and good luck to all! :)
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17,554 / 50,000
Nov 2, 2009 - 19 47
I have two kids that I have to work around (4yrs and 1yr), so I write in small chunks of time, to focus myself I've been using write or die http://writeordie.drwicked.com/ I know I can write 500 words in ten minutes, so I set it for ten, and go for it.... 4 blocks a day gets my word count out!
----------Good luck :-) I'd suggest finding chunks of time, it seems to be easier than finding a whole hour - work out how much you can write in 10 minutes and then calculate how long you need from there.
75,285 / 50,000
Nov 2, 2009 - 19 50
This is my first nanowrimo as well and I'm in a similar position with work and a ton of other commitments. So far I've been doing it in little pieces during the week but getting up an hour early and squeezing in some time in the evenings. I think weekends are going to be a lifesaver for this and I'm already planning how I can kick my hubby out of the house to get some peace and quiet to work ;-)
I'm sure you'll find time to do it in your own way, even if it means you do it in fifteen minute blocks one day and 3 hours the next.
I guess if you enjoy it (which is the main idea i think(?)), you'll find time no matter what!
Good luck and all the best!
----------Main Character plot twists:
- fallen through thin ice
- attacked by a wolf
- best friend poisoned
- fallen in love, been betrayed by her
- rescued people from a fire and then had the burning building collapse on him
This guy has some bad luck!
42,000 / 50,000
Nov 2, 2009 - 20 35
Sorry, I have no real advice for you. I have lots of free time and in November, I just fill it with writing.
I have been getting up earlier on the weekends, but that's not too big a deal.
I tend to say no to movies and TV-shows though and while I still watch TV, I cut it off earlier to go writing.
It really is a must to sit down most days and just write for 2 hours or so - you can potentially get it done faster if you are a quick typer.
The mental part of the writing is the hardest and the things that works best for me is to prepare by thinking about a scene (I think in scenes, not paragraphs or chapters or words etc..) and then setting a timer for 10 minutes and writing furiously. I put the word count in a spreadsheet and take 10 minutes off to read or play on the internet (on a different laptop btw - my nano laptop isn't connected) and then do another 10 minutes of writing furiously.
I can usually do 400-500 words in 10 minutes (I have gotten as high as 612 once, but only once), and with 10 minutes on and 10 minutes off, you get 3 writing sessions per hour with 3 non-writing sessions per hour. If you can do 400 words per minute, that's 1200 words per hour.
Then, your output is more predictable and you can answer the question "How much time do I need?", or perhaps the sane question, "Am I really crazy enough to do this?", to which many of us answer, "YES! YES!"
I've tried a bunch of different things, but the word-war with myself is the most productive in pure words. I don't delete until December when I take another look at the novel, and it's forward, forward, forward, getting as much of the story out onto the page as possible. Some other things I've done to complete Nano have included just sitting down and writing until I get my quota, group sessions with friends (including connecting on the internet), and the word war (with friends or without) are the best for me.
Have fun!
Travis
----------Nano 2006: "Precautions" - w
SoCNoC 2007: "New Zealand 3037" - w
Nano 2007: "The Holy Book of Janus" - w
SoCNoC 2008: "The Holy Book of Janus" (finish) - w
Nano 2008: "Solutions to Everyday Problems" - w
SoCNoC 2009: "Arrivals and Departures" -w
51,864 / 50,000
Nov 2, 2009 - 21 10
My schedule isn't that busy, but as a full-time student and a youth leader at my church I still have pretty full days (especially since November is 21 assignments and exams month). To combat that, I wake up an hour earlier (so usually 5am) and write solidly for an hour. I unplug the internet, and because it's so early in the morning there's no one around to distract me. I make myself write non-stop for an hour, and that way I get through my quota and still have time to do everything in the day.
----------Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
John 14:27.
46,515 / 50,000
Nov 2, 2009 - 21 14
I have exams to work around this month >_< But I'm managing quite well, I think. I'm doing 2k a day, which will allow me to take a night off before each exam to just study, rather than alternating between that and NaNo. Otherwise, though, I set my alarm for five-thirty and write for an hour before I get up. It takes a chunk out of what I have to do when i get home from school.
----------"I do my preparation retroactively."
-Me
Enthusiasm: 85%
Energy: 80%
Stamina: 75%
WAHOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
50,109 / 50,000
Nov 2, 2009 - 21 15
I work full time but have found out one way of getting a decent amount of work done on the novel: work on it over lunch break. I managed to crank out not a lot shy of a thousand words in less than an hour today... trying to figure how to get my main character out of prison is a lot more interesting than dealing with customer addresses!
----------2006 - Title: "Awakenings"; Genre: Horror; Words: 50,000+.
2007 - Didn't take part.
2008 - Title: "From The City Of Demons". Genre: Fantasy. Words: 50,000+.
2009 - Title "Thief". Genre: Steampunk. Words: Not nearly enough.
118,049 / 50,000
Nov 2, 2009 - 22 17
As others have suggested, I've written during lunch breaks in the past.
Especially when there are long days, writing in the morning before work (either getting up and writing before leaving, or leaving for work earlier and writing before my real work hours start).
If you have a small notebook with you, writing in longhand whenever you have a few seconds is good. Later on when it's time to retype, you'll probably find yourself adding a lot of words just in typing.
Write or die is great (and I'm glad to rediscover both the link and the name). I've also found that disconnecting the internet is great, keeps me from my usual attempts at multitasking.
----------..... Aaaaaaarrgggh!
7,908 / 50,000
Nov 2, 2009 - 22 30
I have a bit of a hectic schedule to work around but I make a point of setting aside an hour to just write each night at a specific time. Even though I have stuff that needs my absolute attention I just fob it of for that hour. The family has already been informed of my write time and they are cool with it.
I plug in the ipod, turn off my phone, disable my internet network and get stuck in. It works, because I make it work. During the day, I'll be lucky to get in a few minutes free time so designating a time has been freaking marvelous. Whatever needs to be done will still be there in an hours time so I don't feel so bad for fobbing everything off.
When my hour is up, I take a breather and then get back into my To-Do list, but writing from 6pm to 7pm belongs to me.
----------'The purpose of writing is to make your mother and father drop dead with shame' - J P Donleavy
14,366 / 50,000
Nov 2, 2009 - 22 45
I don't really have advice but this is my first year of Nano too, and so far its going well.
I work part time (well I'm only working 2 days in Nov as we're going on holidays next week) and I have two small kids. I try to fit the writing in whenever I can, when kids are busy playing or asleep or my husb is around to help. Also I am certainly forgoing some housework to do my writing, which I am more than willing to do. I am still reading a novel too, as its a bit of break for me before I go to sleep at night. Haven't tried write or die, but it does sound interesting. I am about to travel on holidays next week, so I don't know how I will fit it in then - driving around South island in a campervan for two weeks with 2 kids - maybe at night when their asleep??
Good luck!!
2,278 / 50,000
Nov 2, 2009 - 23 33
hey thanks for that write or die link. awesome
35,000 / 50,000
Nov 3, 2009 - 01 18
Typically I work 40-50 hour weeks in my suit, and WILL NOT drop my marathon training or tai chi during nano. So for me, it's a combination of the Write or Die website and waking up at 6am. An hour in Write or Die, for me, is 1200-1800 words.
Usually with an hour before breakfast and dropping out non-essentials (gaming, tv, etc), I can get by with the morning hour and maybe half an hour's catchup in the evening. Nothing else fun gets done until The Words are out - no internet, no tv, no gaming, no non-essentials.
-------------------------------------
2009: Any sufficently advanced Technology
2001-2008: A butler who fights crime; a doorstop; a bbq; a travelogue; a book of things drawn out of a hat; a WWI vampire; Will Shakespeare - Unemployed Actor: he fights Crime; and a
50,462 / 50,000
Nov 3, 2009 - 01 57
I'm another lunchbreak writer. I took my netbook to the library today (it's only a few minutes' walk from my workplace) and cranked out a thousand words, along with picking up three books that I needed for novel research purposes. I think if I wrote in work I'd be far too tempted to sneak time at it during the day, but by taking myself out of the workplace environment there's a clear indication of when I have to stop what I'm doing.
Other than that, NaNoWriMo is taking up a couple of hours after work when I'd normally be watching telly and faffing around on the internet, so it's not really a big deal to skip that. So far I haven't been writing past 8.30pm, which seems to be a nice stopping time and one that I'll try to stick to.
----------84,303 / 50,000
Nov 4, 2009 - 17 50
I am lucky that I'm not super busy. But what helps me is to spend an hour before bed with pen and paper and plan out the scene I'm wanting to do the next day, and I won't write until the plan is real clear in my head. I'm a real quick typist so once the sequence of a scene is clear in my head I can push out 2-3K in a couple of hours. But it's crap if I don't have that good sense of what I'm writing. So, oddly most of my time "writing" is actually planning. But as I said.. I'm not super busy.. and this is my first NaNo. Though, my progress has been surprisingly quick.
----------38,842 / 50,000
Nov 4, 2009 - 22 57
I'm another one who hasn't got any quite real advice but I'm a night manager at a small hotel in Masterton (hour and a half away from Wellington if that helps) (currently on duty now) and after lock up it's dead quiet for the rest of the night so basically I use my time to write then. We also don't have wireless in the building so I have to be hooked up to be on the net and that seems to work okay.
I also have during the day but I've just started this system and I seem to be growing tired during the day and tend not to look at the computer.
----------50,081 / 50,000
Nov 5, 2009 - 12 38
I'm a 'floater' where I work which basically means that I don't have set hours each week - I'm beyond sick of it but that's another story for another time. Because my mother has her alarm clock set to a very high volume during the week, it wakes me up as well as her and I've been taking advantage of that by writing some of my Nano on my laptop. It's not connected to the internet so that's one less distraction for me.
I've been writing down ideas and such whenever I've been at work then adding them to my Nano when I get home. This week, last week and next week are the same when it comes to the days I'm working (Monday, Saturday, Sunday) so in a way, it's good for Nano but bad when it comes to what I have to live off the following week.
----------17,520 / 50,000
Nov 5, 2009 - 18 25
I have decided that I no longer believe in life. I teach full time which means being at work from 8 til 5 every day, plus planning after school and weekends. There is a lot of assessment at the moment so I have a mountainous pile of marking sitting on my desk. I'm also doing NCEA tutoring and spend about 2 hours at the gym most afternoons. Oh yeah, and meetings and 27 end of year reports to write and do all the profiles for the kids who are going off to college next year.
----------I think I do a teeny bit of writing in there somewhere too.
Never let the truth get in the way of a good story