Goals for NaNoWriMo?

I’m getting a bit antsy here. I feel as though I am surrounded by obsessive planners. And to top it off, this week I’m supposed to be writing about making my NaNo goals. So I can help you formulate your NaNo goals. How’s that for overloading this take-it-as-it-comes, write-it-as-it’s-thought gal? Makes me want to run through this blog screaming at the top of the comments, “You are ruining it for me! Don’t be so serious! It’s time to play!”

         I’m really not as flighty or unprepared as I seem at times. I do realize goals and plans and even schedules are necessary if I want to accomplish any of my dreams. I regularly evaluate my activities and restructure my days to make it more likely I will achieve my goals. Yes. I do make goals. I really do.

         But I write because the people and the stories cavorting in my brain demand to come out to play. They bang and shove and push against my memories; they whisper to me while I’m sleeping and invade my dreams; they distract me from boring, or even important, conversations to tell me about their latest idiotic caper. I have to write down their stories. If I don’t, they invade my life, making it impossible to carry on conversations that don’t come back to their antics. (And, unlike Kitty, most of my friends are non-writers. You know who I mean. Those people who turn away or say, “That’s nice,” then change the subject every time you mention anything about writing. I love my daughter. Really. I do. But she does NOT talk writing.) So if I don’t write down these stories, they will bang on the cells of my brain, rattle their bars and, I fear, spring from my brain into my life in a schizophrenic episode.

         When I do write them, though, they don’t always tell their complete story. Usually it’s a scene here, a bit of introspection there, a snippet of dialogue that leads to a major confrontation or other bits and pieces. The work comes when I start fashioning all those pieces into a story. For me, that’s somewhere past the halfway point, when I start seeing a common thread running through all those snippets, when I get a sudden insight into a character’s motivation or ultimate goal. No matter how hard I try, I never seem to be able to get to that point without writing lots of scenes.

         So how does an organic, seat-of-the-pants writer make goals?

         Well, for NaNo, it’s not as hard as it seems. It’s really just a matter of realizing how much I have to write during these 30 days and scheduling time to do it. (Oh, and muzzling any lingering intrusion from my internal editor, but we’ll talk about him next week.) I know I can write 1000 words in an hour when truly focused. (Actually, in the last 6 hours of NaNo 2007, I wrote almost 2000 words each hour, but that was last minute burn kicking in. I can’t sustain that, or even call it up on-demand.) So I need to make sure I get at least 2 hours each day to devote to writing. If I write every day, that’s actually 10 hours more than I “need”, but I know I need that buffer. (You do, too. A necessary goal-making rule is to always schedule buffer-time.)

         Before November, though, I need to chose the idea that is burning the biggest hole in my brain. (You can go to my NaNo site and see which years that burning story has eluded me.) Then I daydream about the characters and plot, I watch them cavort in my brain and I take copious notes. I list any characters, activities or emotional drama I want them (or see them) to go through. I don’t write much, though, because that can drain away the enthusiasm I need during NaNo. I do think about major turning points, using helps like Chris Vogler’s “The Hero’s Journey” , Blake Snyder’s “Save the Cat“, or Randy Ingermanson’s “Snowflake Method” . (I only do the first few steps of the Snowflake in order to get a high-level, big picture view of my story. I have NEVER gotten past Step 5, usually not past 3 or 4.) Mainly, I try to get to know the characters and get some idea of the story they want to tell. (Sheesh. I really do sound like a flaky right-brained creative, don’t I? Good! We need some balance on this blog. )

         Once NaNo gets here, I concentrate on writing. I write every word that comes into my mind. I don’t worry about “author intrusion” or if I’m “showing” or “telling”; I don’t worry about how many points of view I have in a scene; and I certainly don’t worry about keeping everything in linear order or if what I’m writing will have to be edited. Of course it will! That’s for next month, though. Or next year. Now is time to write. It is time to write 1667 words each day. (Or, if I observe a day of rest each week, 2000 words each day.) So that is what I’ll be doing this month. (Come December or January, I’ll talk to you about how I shape what I write this month into a story that others can read and enjoy.)

         Soooooo  . . . . . . . .   

Come play with me!“