{"id":21119,"date":"2020-11-30T22:07:12","date_gmt":"2020-12-01T03:07:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/?p=21119"},"modified":"2020-11-30T22:07:51","modified_gmt":"2020-12-01T03:07:51","slug":"nanowrimo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/en\/nanowrimo\/","title":{"rendered":"How I failed my first NanoWrimo and grew anyway"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For the last thirty days, I have been drafting a mystery novel as part of the national novel writing month, <a href=\"https:\/\/nanowrimo.org\/\">NanoWrimo2020<\/a>. This has been an awesome discovery journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I learned three things about myself:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>I can write more than 1,000 words an hour consistently, especially first thing in the morning;<\/li><li>Getting up and writing in the morning works well for me; I did no write-ins in the evening despite signing up for a few;<\/li><li>November is a tough month to do a challenge. When I get side-tracked, it&#8217;s hard to accomplish more.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I didn\u2019t win.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The final count for my mystery novel was only 25,381 words. My final tally reached 33,364 with all nonfiction writing included. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"260\" height=\"296\" data-attachment-id=\"21121\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/en\/nanowrimo\/nano-25k2x\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/NaNo-25K%402x.png?fit=260%2C296&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"260,296\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-title=\"NaNo-25K@2x\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/NaNo-25K%402x.png?fit=260%2C296&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/NaNo-25K%402x.png?resize=260%2C296&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-21121\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/NaNo-25K%402x.png?w=260&amp;ssl=1 260w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/NaNo-25K%402x.png?resize=132%2C150&amp;ssl=1 132w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 260px) 100vw, 260px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I missed writing on many days. There were may more deadlines than planned for this month. Writing in the evening wasn&#8217;t something I wanted to do; a multitude of excuses stopped me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Despite my failure in reaching my goal this time, the experience included many unexpected delights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Learning Discord<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Montreal chapter communicates on Discord, a communication application popular with gamers. It\u2019s like a cross between a list-serve and Slack. I spent most of my time lurking on others\u2019 conversations, but the fantasy writers kept the channel hopping.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Meeting Montreal Writers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The first day, several people from the Montreal chapter got together for a Zoom brunch. The conversation was a bit stilted, since none of us knew each other, but inspiring just the same. People who commit to a writing goal have lots of productivity tips and the projects we presented are vastly different from one another. This is a super creative community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Discovering a Great Local Podcast<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I wouldn\u2019t have thought to search for a fiction podcast prior to this challenge. One of the writers I met on the initial Zoom breakfast decided to write the third season of Achewillow as his goal. After checking it out, I\u2019m now hooked on the story. It features a chef from Montreal who inherits a bakery in a magical small town. If you like suspense and fantasy, this makes for good listening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Final Thoughts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The timing for this experience couldn\u2019t be better. I\u2019m busy working on five year plans for my writer career and the publishing company I just founded before the pandemic. NanoWrimo has given me a good sense about how to pace my projects in the coming years. It\u2019s also given me some good ideas for staying motivated when telling a story doesn&#8217;t work the way I thought it should.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There&#8217;s lots of learning in those lessons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">More than any other benefit, however, was the art of knowing myself. At the beginning of this challenge, I didn\u2019t know if 50,000 words would be doable in one month. Now I know that it is. have enough information to realize that I\u2019ll need to give up some things next November to win.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Thank you to everyone who volunteers for NanoWrimo and to the other writer participants who together create a community that keeps us all motivated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">See you next year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>For the last thirty days, I have been drafting a mystery novel as part of the national novel writing month, NanoWrimo2020. This has been an awesome discovery journey. I learned three things about myself: I can write more than 1,000 words an hour consistently, especially first thing in the morning; Getting up and writing in [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":21120,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_wp_convertkit_post_meta":{"form":"-1","landing_page":"0","tag":"0","restrict_content":"0"},"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21119","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-writing","post-wrapper","thrv_wrapper"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2buQs-5uD","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2171,"url":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/en\/louisepennyinspectorgamache\/","url_meta":{"origin":21119,"position":0},"title":"Everyone loves Louise Penny\u2019s Inspector Gamache","author":"Tracey Arial","date":"June 14, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"It\u2019s been only eight years since Chief Inspector Armand Gamache was introduced to mystery fans, but he already feels like one of the family. Louise Penny\u2019s fictional super sleuth first appears on the first page of Louise Penny\u2019s Still Life. Seven books later, it\u2019s still the most concise version of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Great Mysteries&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Great Mysteries","link":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/en\/category\/writing\/great-mysteries\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"LouisePennysmall","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/LouisePennysmall.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2151,"url":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/en\/literary_nonfiction\/","url_meta":{"origin":21119,"position":1},"title":"The Challenges of Literary Nonfiction","author":"Tracey Arial","date":"June 13, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Literary nonfiction is a work that reads like a novel, but includes only fact and presumed facts. The \u201cpresumed facts\u201d part gets tricky sometimes and writers have dealt with the challenge in different ways. In some cases, writers choose to simply change facts to suit their story and release potential\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Journalism&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Journalism","link":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/en\/category\/writing\/notable-nonfiction\/journalism\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Hill Novel","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/bookofNegroes.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":22199,"url":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/en\/nanowrimo-2023-winner\/","url_meta":{"origin":21119,"position":2},"title":"NANOWRIMO 2023 winner","author":"Tracey Arial","date":"November 27, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"For the first time, I successfully completed the National Novel Writing Month challenge of completing 50,000 words towards a new novel in a month. And before the month was even over! Previous years were not so successful, although I've always felt that it's more than useful to participate in the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Writing&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Writing","link":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/en\/category\/writing\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023-Winner-Badge.png?fit=1000%2C1000&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023-Winner-Badge.png?fit=1000%2C1000&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023-Winner-Badge.png?fit=1000%2C1000&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023-Winner-Badge.png?fit=1000%2C1000&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2297,"url":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/en\/mary-russell-female-sherlock-holmes\/","url_meta":{"origin":21119,"position":3},"title":"Introducing Mary Russell, a Female Sherlock Holmes","author":"Tracey Arial","date":"June 28, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Sherlock Holmes Meets His Match in a Formidable New Enemy\u2014and His Surprising New Partner\u201d This statement on the front cover of \u201cThe Beekeeper\u2019s Apprentice\u201d made me put the book down several times before I finally bought it. I was sure it was just hype. It wasn\u2019t. Laurie R. King\u2019s series\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Great Mysteries&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Great Mysteries","link":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/en\/category\/writing\/great-mysteries\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"LaurieKing","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/LaurieKing1.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2113,"url":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/en\/pd-james\/","url_meta":{"origin":21119,"position":4},"title":"The Mysteries of PD James","author":"Tracey Arial","date":"June 7, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"PD James, , or Phyllis Dorothy James White,\u00a0is brilliant at writing complex mysteries that read more like novels than straight who-done-it. More than that, though, she\u2019s an honest woman who has a strong sense of fair play. Yet she still has no compunction in using only part of her own\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Great Mysteries&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Great Mysteries","link":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/en\/category\/writing\/great-mysteries\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"James book","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/PDJames.gif?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":21284,"url":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/en\/resolutions-2021\/","url_meta":{"origin":21119,"position":5},"title":"Resolutions 2021: Setting up to win","author":"Tracey Arial","date":"January 7, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"How can I use resolutions to set the year up in positive way? I've almost finished my five-year marketing plan and have finished four quarterly sprints with specific word count, revenue and product creation goals next to each one. I've never set up this many accountability goals before, but am\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Creative Entrepreneur Adventures&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Creative Entrepreneur Adventures","link":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/en\/category\/creative-entrepreneur-adventures\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Resolutions2020.jpg?fit=800%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Resolutions2020.jpg?fit=800%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Resolutions2020.jpg?fit=800%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Resolutions2020.jpg?fit=800%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/NaNo-2020-Writer-Badge-1.jpg?fit=555%2C555&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21119","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21119"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21119\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21123,"href":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21119\/revisions\/21123"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21120"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21119"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21119"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21119"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}