It’s not quite the end of the first week of NaNoWriMo 2020 yet, but it is the day I update my blog. So we’ll cover my progress so far anyway. I announced my project in my post “Getting Ready for NaNoWriMo 2020,” so check it out through the link if you’re curious about what I’m working on.
My Word Count
I had a strong start the first two days, which started to peter out on Wednesday. I didn’t write yesterday at all due to an old wrist injury acting up, and I haven’t written yet today. So I’m sitting at about 9,000 words out of the 10,002 that the official NaNoWriMo website recommends for day 6.
I’m okay with that.
It’s only the end of the first week of NaNoWriMo 2020. There’s time to catch up, and I’m not too far behind anyway.
That being said, I’m actually okay with not getting 50,000 words down this year. 2020 has been a hard year.
Go Easy on Yourself
If you’re like me and find that your motivation is already dwindling, don’t be too hard on yourself. There is so much stressful stuff happening right now, with the pandemic and the US election, and… literally everything else. It’s been one blow after another this year.
Take breaks. If you don’t feel like writing, don’t force it. If you write 200 words and want to stop, then stop.
The most important thing is to take care of yourself and your own mental (and physical) health. Remember that fatigue can be emotional as well as physical.
Sometimes you need to set a smaller goal for yourself, and that’s okay. For me, I know that on my bad days I can write about 400 words. So on the days where that’s all I manage, I still think I deserve a pat on the back. It’s more words than I started with.
Don’t forget to praise yourself for your hard work. Especially if it’s hard.
Music I’ve Been Writing to During the First Week of NaNoWriMo 2020
Writers love music. At least, that’s been my experience with all the writers I’ve met over the years. And I’ve met a lot of amateur writers like myself at NaNoWriMo meetups since I moved to Calgary.
I’ve talked a bit about some composers I like to listen to while I write, but I recently found another one on Youtube that I’d like to tell you about.
Grimm Music World (link to their Youtube channel) is a group of three composers: Eann Grimm, Derek Fiechter, and Brandon Fiechter. It’s no secret that I love Halloween, and their music has a lot of spooky Halloween vibes that I love. The music calls to mind faeries, ghosts, and masquerade balls. I love it! It’s especially great if you’re tired of listening to piano music.
I also love interesting instruments, and Grimm Music World uses instruments like hurdy gurdy, flutes, bagpipes, and harps in their music. It’s beautiful, haunting music that adds great atmosphere to the book I’m writing, which is about a haunted castle.
Want a Halloween-y instrumental playlist for your writing? They made one on Spotify (link to Spotify playlist). I hope you get as much enjoyment out of them as I do.
How I Feel About my WIP
It’s always around the end of the first week where, if I haven’t gotten to the inciting incident yet, I start screaming at myself to get on with it already! I start to fret about how if I’m bored, readers will be. But it’s the first draft stage, I reason. It’s too early to worry about readers. I don’t even have my story down yet.
The first bit of a book is supposed to be setup anyway. It’s fine.
My anxiety hasn’t gotten the memo yet.
Historically, around week two I’ll start feeling better about it. Week three, as NaNo veterans know, is where a lot of writers hit a slump. That’s because by week three, you’re in the middle of the book trying to work your way to the conclusion, and a lot of writers find this bit tricky. I’m no exception. Luckily, we’re not there yet!
And then week four is a test of endurance and willpower. Because the end is so close, you just have to make it there. But by that point you’re so tired that it seems easy to just give up.
We’ll see if my past patterns hold true during this most stressful of stressful years.
But back to how I feel now, at the end of the first week of NaNoWriMo 2020
The future is the future.
Overall, I’m happy with the characters! They feel more fleshed out than they did in my notes, which is something that I was worried about when I got started. But they’re pulling through for me, and I am grateful.
The setting, however, is still vague. But it’s somewhere in rural Canada! Probably British Columbia or Ontario.
Should I have done research on if there are any actual castles in Canada before I sat down to write? Probably.
Did I? ….No.
In my defense, I was struggling to finish another personal project in time to start NaNoWriMo. And I succeeded!
My book, however, suffered. But that’s what editing is for, right? It can be fixed.
I’m also debating whether I want a romance in this novel or if I’d rather my two main characters be good friends. Well, I guess there’s a romance anyway, among side characters. That’s already been planned out. But the main two? Hmm. Hard to say. I’m a sucker for strong friendships. The spirit of NaNoWriMo is that you fling yourself enthusiastically forward even if you don’t know what you’re doing. Done is better than perfect. So while I technically made an outline, I still feel like I’m “flying by the seat of my pants.”
Anyway, that’s where I am right now. I’ll figure it out. Wish me luck!
How’s your project doing, if you have one?