I sure am.
It's a combination of my netbook not doing what it's meant to do (Autosave = Lie), having very small amounts of time at home, and, yes, maybe a tiny bit of apathy this year.
I suppose it's also easy to get distracted by the spectacular word counts some people are pumping out, but even so the majority of people are aiming for the 50k mark, so I'm guessing I'm not the only one in this position.
But I'm determined to get back on track. I'm trying not to think of it as a 700-odd word defecit, cos then I'd only panic about having to write 2350 words or something to get back on track. I'm just going to think of it as a target of 1800 words a day; this is just 150 more than normal, but in six days the margin will have closed to less than a hundred under par, which hopefully will be easily vanquished.
Anyone else in a similar boat at the moment care to share their tactics for hitting 50k? It's only Day Four, and it's too early to say die just yet! =)
----------
45,541 / 50,000
Nov 4, 2009 - 03 00
Well I'm not under quota (at the moment), but I do have a couple of fooling-my-brain-into-writing-more tricks I've developed over the last three days that might help.
Trick One: don't think about the whole days quota at once think of how much you need to write to finish a scene - I've found that I now think of a scene as being around 350 words (sounds like a random number I know, but the first two scenes I wrote without a definite number in mind both came out at almost exactly that) - trying to finish that many words is far less daunting, and then you can think about the next one.
Trick Two: closely related to trick one, set multiple milestones, tell yourself 'I'll be happy if I get to X number of words, but even happier if I get to Y' someone I knew at school used to do this with exam results, they'd get themselves mentally set up to be happy with a pass, but even happier with... whatever grade they wanted... it does seem to take a lot of the stress off.
41,714 / 50,000
Nov 4, 2009 - 03 16
I don't know if this helps as a suggestion, but I don't set myself quotas, or put pressure on myself. I just find the time. 30 minutes here, 45 minutes there. I shut the door behind me, set a timer on, and get writing. Working like that I seem to be more productive. I get roughly 1,000 words in about 45minutes.
16,611 / 50,000
Nov 4, 2009 - 03 27
I'm behind :(. I was ahead until yesterday when I hardly wrote anything, I have so much other stuff on my mind right now, and I can't seem to find the inspiration. i'm thinking about a little outing this afternoon to take my laptop somewhere else and attempt to catch up
----------2009 - Losing Time (Science Fiction)
5,149 / 50,000
Nov 4, 2009 - 05 52
I'm massively behind but I'm not going to quit.
For some reason I'm scared of typing the words - I think it's because I don't feel I've plotted the story out well enough and reading the Novel Info pages here, everyone else's is better!
However, that is completely NOT what this is about so I'm going to start writing for a whole hour non stop. Once I've finished this post and got myself a coffee, of course. :)
Don't worry, other Brummies, I won't let my numbers pull our overall total down. I'll catch up very soon!!!
41,714 / 50,000
Nov 4, 2009 - 06 40
Queen of Swords - run with it, plot or not, just turn up and see what your characters do. Inspiration will come, you need to keep bum to seat long enough to hear the muse.
Chris
27,304 / 50,000
Nov 4, 2009 - 07 10
I'm behind, but I think I'm going to catch up tomorrow.
27,562 / 50,000
Nov 4, 2009 - 09 10
I'm only 300 or so words short of today's quota right now but I need to get myself ahead a bit 'cos I'm not going to get much done tomorrow (working during the day and then Vale Fireworks in the evening), and Friday might be difficult too. I foresee a weekend spent doing nothing but tapping away at the keyboard!
9,531 / 50,000
Nov 4, 2009 - 09 37
I'm adopting a binary state approach, the goal being 50,000 words/month per month for one month. This has the advantage of going straight from on-track to failed without any intermediate angst states.
In seriousness, I'm adopting a weekly strategy, because demanding a certain number of words per day failed instantly.
Jon
31,582 / 50,000
Nov 4, 2009 - 10 34
I'm behind according to what *they* say I should write, but ahead according to my own plan. At the start of the month I look at what days I should be able to write more or less, and work out a daily wordcount corresponding to that. Days with write-ins are more, days where I have stuff planned all day is less.
----------Alison/snuffy
46,899 / 50,000
Nov 4, 2009 - 11 04
I think I'm a bit ahead but I need to be a lot ahead because i have to take this weekend out to celebrate mother-in-law's birthday which necessitates a four and a half hour drive there and back. Plus a colleague is on leave next week so the sneaky ten minutes or so at work where I choose the scenes I will work on next will go. And I have an office move tomorrow which will give me loads of non-work time but without a computer. Still, I am oddly optimistic. Of course I haven't arrived at the point where the plot turns into a knot because I have changed everything I planned.
Still, it's my first time. I have written more this week than at any other time in any other week excepting possibly exam weeks. I am trying not to read anything I have written so far - keep that inner editor out of my head.
12,513 / 50,000
Nov 4, 2009 - 11 13
SO behind, I'm really annoyed. I'm stuck on 2000 words but I'm actually refusing to bail out - first attempt at NaNo and a NaNofail in the first week? No thanks! If I could just get past chapter two it'd be fine! I have been really busy these last few days with job interviews and things but still, I really need to knuckle down. I think once I've got past this pain-in-the-arse chapter two the words will be flying, because I'll be introducing new characters and establishing the ones I've already introduced in new settings. I've got most of tomorrow to work on it, a bit of Friday and then I'll have to leave it for the weekend whilst I visit some friends, it'd be kind of antisocial to nip off with my laptop instead of going down the pub! I'll probably take pen and notebook though so I can keep up with something at least! I'm just annoyed that this always happens, I have a totally detailed plot, then I try and write it and I can't decide how to establish the characters I need to establish and show a bit of each one's relationship with each other, which means that it often fizzles out. I just have to think positive!
----------137,837 / 50,000
Nov 4, 2009 - 11 19
When I hit problem child chapters, I note down a quick 'what needs to happen' and then move on to the next chapter; coming back to it when I feel more inspired.
12,513 / 50,000
Nov 4, 2009 - 11 59
Thanks, that's really good advice, I will do that. I usually do jump between chapters but I don't always note down what needs to happen, which is probably where I come unstuck! Hehe, 'problem child' chapters - that they are!
----------12,513 / 50,000
Nov 4, 2009 - 15 31
EDIT: I have no idea why that posted twice. Odd. My computer has had a vendetta against me since it found out it needs to be used for another 50,000 words on top of the 20,000 of my dissertation...poor computer...
----------40,273 / 50,000
Nov 4, 2009 - 12 49
I was under quota by 4057-ish last night(about 1-ish this morn). But by early this morning(about 4-ish) I was a head by about 100 words! I've got no trick really. I just wrote for half an hour, had a quick break(bout five-ten min) then another half hour stint. I also found it helped me when I was stuck to skip out the bit I was stuck on, carry on writing then come back to that bit when I had a better idea of what I wanted to write.
Which reminds me... I gotta get back to me writing!
----------Watashi ha dare? Anata ha dare? Kizutsuke ai doko he yuku no? Who am I? Who are you? Where does wounded love go?
9,524 / 50,000
Nov 4, 2009 - 15 36
I hadn't written since the midnight write-in, so I was a bit behind today, but John and I had a mini-write-in at the pub today and I cranked out almost 3,000 words. Plus I got to have a delicious chicken tikka masala.
Bit worried that I haven't written a single word at home yet...
----------Theaker's Quarterly 30 * Dark Horizons 55
38,110 / 50,000
Nov 4, 2009 - 16 16
Thanks for all these great words of encouragement, guys! It's reassuring to know I'm not the only one below target, even though I know perfectly well I'm not alone... =)
Just managed to crack out about 1500 words today. Not quite the 1800 I was after, and it technically now means I'm even further behind, about 800 words on top of the daily dose.
It's times like this I'm happy I'm a stubborn perfectionist type, because losing this challenge I've set myself is not an option; falling furtther behind has now given me that little bit more fire to fight back. So I'll keep climbing, even if it takes a while.
How about anyone else? Better or worse?
12,218 / 50,000
Nov 4, 2009 - 18 55
I'm way behind too. I was bang on target after two days but my work involves doing two weeks worth of hours in one, then having the next week off so I knew at the beginning that I'd get nothing done for two weeks of November and have to double the target for the other two weeks.
But I'm happy with the story so far and am feeling no pressure:-)
----------All gods are bastards
9,524 / 50,000
Nov 5, 2009 - 00 18
If you're running behind, some people will say to up your word count for the remaining days, but I think it's better to just keep aiming for a 1667 day, especially if you haven't had one yet. That's the building block of NaNoWriMo. Aiming for 2000+ a day early on can be a bit too much pressure.
----------Theaker's Quarterly 30 * Dark Horizons 55
13,974 / 50,000
Nov 5, 2009 - 01 44
I agree with Rolnikov. Getting that 50k would be nice, but what I see I gain out of this more is the routine of 1667 words a day. I started weak, then shot up my word count, then fell behind again. I'm now only 189 above my personal goal of 2k words a day and starting to think whether I should just shoot for the 1667 and any extra is better.
If I fell behind again I don't think I'd try and catch up with what I should have, just continue trying to get 1667 a day.
16,472 / 50,000
Nov 5, 2009 - 01 45
My story is plodding on at an alarmingly slow rate.
That's the problem I think, I am not relly engaged in it and so I find motivation hard :(
I need a good shouting at guys...
----------.............................................................
Nano 2005 - Won - Crashed
Nano 2006 - Won - Drama in Skitham
Nano 2007 - Lost - No title :(
Nano 2008 - Won - The Train Journey
15,043 / 50,000
Nov 5, 2009 - 02 03
Just under a day behind after missing day 1 due to post Halloween party apathy. But I've been doing over the 1666 a day so I'm closing up fast. And with the write-in on Saturday I'll be way ahead by the end of the first week. After having gone win-fail-fail- I'm really hoping for a win this year. Depressingly (in terms of how I did last year anyway) I'm already double the word count I managed last year.
45,541 / 50,000
Nov 5, 2009 - 02 53
Okay Germain, you wanted a shouting at, so... well I figured I'd try and inspire you instead I'm useless at shouting. Please note these are the random fixes ideas of a nano beginner so if they sound idiotic ignore them.
Idea 1) Not liking the story? Pick a character you like, write a scene of them doing something really cool and interesting, then go back and start writing to try and get from where you were to the scene where they do that cool thing, could end up adding really fun plot twists if the interesting thing you write has no relationship to where you thought the story was going.
Idea 2) Have a character you don't like? who isn't fun to write, kill them off, send them on holiday or otherwise drop them through a rabbit hole and bring in a new character, or promote a minor character that's more interesting to fill their role in the plot. You can always bring the original character back from holiday or whatever later (back from the dead may be trickier depending on genre) if you want or need to.
Idea 3) Add a brand new character who's doing something completely unrelated to the original story and switch to their point of view for a few chapters, later you can figure out a way to make this actually relevant.
If none of the above appeal then I guess you'll just have to award yourself cookies or something to get through a few hundred words at a time.
16,472 / 50,000
Nov 5, 2009 - 03 10
Thanks Aiwe, that gave me a chuckle.
I have just introduced an obnoxious egotistical character and that has given me a boost, but the idea of killing him off is quite appealing.
I think I will wait until he really gets on my nerves and have him gruesomely murdered (that is in genre by the way).
Thanks for the kick ;)
Aaargh, that post was 73 words long, what a waste of wordage…
----------.............................................................
Nano 2005 - Won - Crashed
Nano 2006 - Won - Drama in Skitham
Nano 2007 - Lost - No title :(
Nano 2008 - Won - The Train Journey
21,371 / 50,000
Nov 5, 2009 - 17 20
Well over half the people who have posted here are on track or better as I read it at silly o'clock on November 6th, so congratulations for catching up!
I'd a reasonable start on Sunday, got a bit more Monday & Tuesday and have been migraned since which, given I have other all-day commitments both days this weekend, hasn't helped. However nil desperandum as the Romans used to say. I know that catching up and 5 or even 10k days are possible from last year!
675 / 50,000
Nov 5, 2009 - 20 20
i have just had brain fail on starting the challenge and i cant get anything structured out
----------there is a spoon 0.o
13,974 / 50,000
Nov 6, 2009 - 01 16
I was unemployed at the start of this NaNoWriMo and thought I'd use this month to mostly focus on actually getting the novel done, 50k words down on paper. Yesterday I had an impromptu Job Interview, which lasted all of 'Hi, when can you start?' and now I have a 50 hour week the first week to look forward to. I'm gonna die lol.
I'm glad I have the work, I just seriously hope I don't fall behind too much with NaNo.
16,487 / 50,000
Nov 6, 2009 - 05 13
arrgh :s
I am super behind; I have been horribly ill all week and have not been able to look at a screen until today as the glare was hurting my poor diseased head :(
I can only hope that a coffee fueled session at the laptop party tomorrow will help me pull 10k out of my behind...
9,037 / 50,000
Nov 6, 2009 - 07 30
Gwendolyn
I've been sick as well, which combined with other stupid real world events and real life has put me well behind. However I managed a good 2,500 words and that's going to be my daily target for the next few days. Wish me luck.
Marc
1,854 / 50,000
Nov 6, 2009 - 09 20
Well, it's my first NaNo this year! I was away in Cheltenham the first part of Sunday, having been there since thursday evening, and was quite tired, so I though "right , I'll start tomorrow!"
Five days later, we're six days in, and I have a HUGE 813 words done. Yep, that's supposed to say 'eight hundred and thirteen'. I think I was just slightly scared of the whole project looming before me. Also, je suis un GINOURMOUS procrastinator.
I'm looking forward to the write-in tomorrow (another first), and hope it will spur me on. Looking forward to meeting some of you in the flesh! Not all of it, though... ;-)