Challenge Yourself- The Journey of an Unofficial Nano-er

Well, it’s unofficial.


My NanoWriMo is anyway.

If you don’t get the weird slang, it stands for National Novel Writing Month. There’s a website and tons of various support groups for it. Even ACFW has a special group set aside to encourage the chaotic masses of frenzied writers.

The typical expectation is 50K words in one month.

And for the everyday, four hours a day (or more) writer, that may seem just peachy.

But fitting it into an already filled day requires creativity and a whole lot of perseverance.

So on November 1 I took the plunge –except I set my wordcount at 40K (pretty sure that I’d never reach it).

Now I can’t afford to hire babysitters each night after work so that I can write. I can’t afford a housekeeper or cook to take care of those needs – so what on earth could I do to add more writing time to my day.

Here are some things I’ve discovered this month that have helped me reach my current 24K wordcount:

1. Turn off the T.V.

I didn’t realize how much time I wasted watching television – and I’m not a big-time T.V. watcher anyway. Just by going into another room after the kids are in bed, I’ve added so many more words to my manuscript. I’ve saved time for three of my favorite shows – but otherwise, I write.

2. Close the office door and bring a lunch

During my lunch break I would leave my office door open, allowing plenty of distractions if I had time to actually take a lunch. So on the days when I can take lunch in my office, I close the door, scarf down my packed lunch, and get to writing. I can have as much as 45 minutes and type between 500 & 1000 words, if I’m on a roll.

3. Get up 30 minutes earlier or stay up 30 minutes later

I still get plenty of sleep (for me), but staying up that extra 30 minutes gives me a little more time. It’s amazing what you can write in 30 minutes. Just the other day I wrote 217 words in a fifteen minute break of time while the potatoes were boiling for dinner. :-)

4. Strategically write in the midst of chaos

While my kids are watching a movie I pull my laptop into the living room with them. My daughters will usually come snuggle up on either side of me, and I’ll write. While they’re enjoying some animated or kid-friendly video (that I’ve seen 100 times), I can get a few more words in. It’s really amazing.

The whole experience has been a good kick in the writer-buns for me. It’s shown me what I can accomplish with the time that I do have.

So- are you a NaNo-er?

What are some of your tips for getting in that extra time?

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Pepper Basham is a pastor’s wife, mom of five, and university instructor. She write stories (of various genres) and peppers them with grace and a dash of humor. Her current motto: “Three things are necessary, four are required: God’s grace, a sense of humor, children’s hugs, and good chocolate. Everything else is secondary.”


Photos courtesy of:
http://www.xandrajames.com/2011/10/nanowrimo-is-here-again/
http://wqebelle.blogspot.com/2011/01/nanowrimo-write-novel-in-1-month.html