We’re about halfway there!
So we’ve made it through week two of NaNo, and things are really ramping up.
If you’ve missed the recap of week one or how I prepared for this year’s NaNo, check out my previous posts.
Those that have been following along know that I’ve been doing it a bit differently.
On to the recap!
Day 6
- Rest day
Day 7
- Refreshed and ready to go after a few rest days.
- Had a solid writing session with my protagonist finally becoming more vocal.
- She is happily letting me inside her head and telling me more about her adventure with a powerful ally.
- Her ally is a tough nut to crack. He’s tougher to get to know and seems a lot more reserved.
- Something from his past might still haunt him. Maybe some kind of hardship in his youth?
- He surprised me by showing off his goofier side, which was unexpected given his tough exterior.
- Spent 75 minutes writing
Day 8
- One of the story fragments came through extremely clear and spent most of my writing time on this one section of the story.
- My protagonist had a LOT to say, considering she’s shy.
- Her ally got the crap kicked out of him, but not sure how he got into such a mess to begin with.
- There’s an incredibly strong friendship between my two main characters, even though they’re nothing alike.
- Spent 45 minutes writing
Day 9
- My protagonist is really opening up to me now.
- Her ally is showing even more of his silly side (I didn’t think he’d be so goofy. I guess even the most hardened individuals can be extremely soft on the inside, lol).
- Bits of the main story are trickling in.
- Journaling after the day’s writing session has been quite useful in helping me to understand my characters.
- My main characters are getting into loads of terrible trouble at this point.
- I’m falling in love with my characters and am curious to meet more.
- My protagonist met the sister she didn’t know she had for the first time.
- Spent 60 minutes writing
Day 10
- I feel like I’ve established a solid writing rhythm now and can get into flow without too much trouble.
- My protagonist is speaking loud and clear and is such a curious and nosy little girl.
- Her ally is opening up too, especially after finding out that his brother is still alive.
- I’ve completely stopped using the outline and rely solely on the characters to tell me pieces of the story.
- I’m also experimenting with changing the music to fit the scene’s mood.
- Spent 120 minutes writing
Day 11
- Rest day
Day 12
- Rest day
Recap
Writing time this week:
300 minutes
Total writing time (so far):
540 minutes
What’s working:
Can’t stress enough the value of “transition time” (time between daily life and writing sessions spent simply resting and/or meditating).
Writing in story fragments really helps me put words on the page faster rather than writing chronologically. It’s by far been the most effective way for me to put words on the page.
What’s NOT working:
Sadly, I tossed out the outline completely. It simply wasn’t helping me this week, especially since I’ve been using an intuitive method of writing.
Overall:
A great week overall, although I don’t think I’ve gotten to the meat of the story yet. Regardless, I’m having a blast and couldn’t be happier with how NaNo is going for me so far.
Hopefully, I’ll be able to maintain a good flow for the rest of NaNo, but I think it will depend on the characters themselves. Happy they are opening up and trusting me more to tell their story 🙂
Where I’ll be focusing next week:
Going to ask my characters the tough questions to see where things go and hopefully get to the heart of the story.
Hopefully NaNo is going well for you so far. I know the “marathon of the middle” can be quite the pain for many.
See you next week and happy writing!
Jeff Aybar is a writer, writing & creativity coach, Sci-Fi/Fantasy nerd, INFJ, veteran, and all-around creative. You can get a free copy of his guide for writers and artists on starting the creative journey by signing up to his newsletter HERE.