Tuesday, November 1, 2011

NaNo, Day 1

This morning's 100 words:

Well, the first night of NaNoWriMo is over, and although I only managed to write for an hour, I'm happy with the 401 words I have so far. My story is going in the direction I had anticipated, but the voice is different than I had thought it would be. The protagonist may be just a little more irreverent than I had planned, but that irreverence seems to work, and I'm glad the words are spilling from my fingertips and finding their way to the page the way that they are. I'm hoping I can reach about 2,000 words today.

After writing for a good portion of the day--between other tasks like making lunches and changing diapers and breaking up kid-fights, of course--I managed another 1,601 words, ending the first day of NaNo at 2,002. (Unless, of course, I decide to write a few more words after I post this entry!) The writing went much more slowly than I had anticipated, and the voice that I wrote about in my 100-words paragraph above didn't really extend through the words I wrote today. The story, too, seems to be taking a different turn from what I had anticipated, which is all right, I guess, but it leaves me feeling a little out of control. However, it is a rough draft, which is something I need to remind myself every so often as I try to fight the perfectionist demon, who demands that I edit as I go. Still, all in all, I'm happy with the word count I've accomplished today--if not with the actual words themselves.

So--story number one in my collection is on its way to being completed (in a first-draft version, of course). Now I wait to see what tomorrow will bring.

For those of you taking on the challenge, how was your first day of NaNoWriMo? Did you meet your word count goal? And is your story taking the shape you'd thought it would, or is it veering off in another (exciting) direction?

5 comments:

  1. Congrats! It sounds like you're off to a good start :)

    My word count goal was 5k, but I didn't tell anyone that, because it felt big and overwhelming. I managed to top that, with 5,359 words. My story is taking the shape I planned. I outlined pretty extensively.

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  2. Great start, Dana! It's funny, in my time zone I've just finished day #2, so I'm always a bit "off" timing-wise, with most other WriMos.

    PS have you noticed on your NaNo stats tab, how it tells you what day you'll reach 50k if you continue at the same rate? That's one of my motivators :)

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  3. Thanks, Linda! I just commented on your count for today--I'm working backward as I read my blog comments. You inspire me! You're doing great!

    Thanks, Charlotte. I actually started over today--crazy, I know, but I'm enjoying my new story so much more. :) I know what you mean about the stats tab--love it!

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  4. Hi Dana. Nice blog! Yeah I am doing much better than I thought I would. Just finished day 17 and my total is 34442, so I am pretty chuffed.
    Have hit a spot that is holding me back a little, so this morning (I have taken a day off work to write today), I am going to sit and plan my direction.
    Hope you are going well.
    Best wishes from Noelle.

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  5. Thanks, Noelle. Great job on your word count! I hope your planning day went well and helped you get out of that snaggy spot. Keep me updated on your progress. :)

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