Nanowrimo Afterthoughts

I don’t mean to be tagging along on Siri’s coattails, but perhaps it can’t be helped. This was the first year in a while for both of us to attempt Nano, so of course we’re going to want to talk about it. 

Unlike Siri, my wrists haven’t been hating me any more than usual, so I threw myself into the idea full force–50K, on a brand new project (I did Nano in 2011, but did a story I’d already started–second draft, even).

And I am pleased to say that, in the end, I pulled it out.

On the 29th, which is not actually the worst ever–I’ve had a couple of years where I was looking at having to do 8K on November 30th–but certainly later than I was hoping to be done.

I think Nano is an excellent venue for trying out new things–new structures, new genres, new whatever–because if Nano works for you (and it doesn’t work for everyone, sadly) then it can force you through the rough bits of whatever you’re trying that might cause you to quit under a less pressuring time.

So, for me, I tried a new genre (space adventure) and a new character structure. Normally I focus on two or so main characters and have assorted side characters that come along for the ride. I’ve been breaking down structure lately to make it a more conscious process when writing, and this is something I’ve found is true through all my novels up to this point. So with this new novel, I’ve got eight characters of approximately the same importance.

And, of course, you can’t treat your structure the same with two main characters versus eight. So I’ve also messed with chapter structure.

And I’m glad I shook things up. It was fun, and it helped me learn more about my writing process and story construction in general (and anyone who says they don’t have anything else to learn lies). Plus, space dinosaurs.

Can’t go wrong with space dinosaurs.

I hope everyone had a lovely November and isn’t getting too worn down here in December!