NaNoWriMo 2016 Recap

Sunday, December 4, 2016

November was a crazy month, you guys. Everyone in the blogosphere has heard about NaNoWriMo in some capacity, whether they participated themselves, had friends taking part, or simply just read hundreds of posts in which people ranted about it. This year, I decided to take part. 

November is always a busy month for me, between school, the holidays, and my theatre group's annual Christmas show. So, going into NaNo, I wanted to be realistic. I didn't see how writing 50K could possibly be feasible- I've never written that much in my entire life. Not in as short of a time span as a month, anyways. It just didn't make sense. So I decided to shoot for 25K instead- a smaller amount, yes, but still a substantial word count, something that would further my novel.

This November, I wrote 51,110 words. 

Honestly, I am ridiculously proud of that number. I still can't quite believe that it happened. That on November 30th at exactly 9:28 p.m. (yes, I know the exact time), I hit 50K. Added to my initial word count, my novel is now a little over 68,000 words, with probably about 10,000 more to go before completion. I'm so close. I can't believe how close that I am to finishing. It's surreal.


And I know that compared to some people who are absolute writing MACHINES and write thousands upon thousands more after hitting the 50K mark, my word count isn't huge. But I'm really, really happy with it, especially for my first year. And I'm also insanely proud of all of my beautiful friends who absolutely KILLED NaNo!!!!! Katie Grace, CaitAimee, Nicole, Gabriela, Abbie- I'm looking at you!!! 

(Funny little side note but after I hit 25K earlier in the month and realized that I might actually be able to hit 50K, there was a tiny voice in the back of my head chanting "Make Katie Grace proud! Hit 50K!" over and over for the rest of the month. XD)

My best writing day was November 5, when I wrote 4,702 words. There were six days throughout the month where I didn't write anything, which I really hated, but I didn't usually have a choice in that matter. If I could write, I did, but a few days, I just couldn't. Although technically if I think about it, that means that I actually wrote over 50K in 24 days, which is even crazier. I DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT HAPPENED I'VE NEVER WRITTEN THIS MUCH IN MY ENTIRE LIFE. My little blonde brain is still so blown.

I honestly think that the thing that surprised me most about NaNo was how much I genuinely loved it. Like, I was excited going into NaNo. I wanted to get further in to my novel, and I figured that doing NaNo would be a good way to accomplish that. But I was kind of terrified at the same time. I'd read so many posts in which people talked about how awful NaNo was, how you would be stressed 24/7 and wouldn't ever have a chance to sleep and you'd end up hating your novel. 

But really? Overall, NaNo didn't horribly stress me out, I didn't sleep any less than usual, and I'm honestly obsessed with my novel. It's kind of funny to look back and think that in September, I was genuinely debating over whether or not I should just scrap the novel completely. It needs TONS of editing, as I know that it has plot holes galore, but I really love my story. My characters are literally my babies and I cannot wait to finally perfect their story. 

I think that over the course of doing NaNo, I really realized just how much I want this to be my lifestyle. I really do want to be a full-time author. Is that going to actually happen? Probably not, but oh my goodness I'm going to try my hardest to get there. Huddling up under a blanket with my cup of coffee (a NaNo staple) and writing for hours on end is honestly one of my favorite things to do. 

All in all, I am so, so thankful that I decided to do NaNo this year. So THANK YOU SO MUCH to everyone who encouraged me to go for it!!! You guys are the best. ♥

I thought that I'd include a couple of notes about my NaNo experience, so that next year, future Grace Anne can remember a few things. ;)


- - - - -

1. Word Wars Are Your Best Friend

It took me a while to actually try out word warring, but once I did, I never looked back. Oh my gosh you guys, word wars are AMAZING. I don't know if it's just the fact that I'm so competitive or what, but whenever I did a word war, I could get some crazy word counts. I'm usually a fairly slow writer, but the second that I started warring, I went nuts. I learned that I can write about 1K in twenty minutes, which was fabulous. Shout out to Gabriela for introducing me to the wonderful world of warring- YOU ARE THE BEST, GIRL!!!

2. Word Crawls Are Your Other Best Friend 

Major thank-you to Katie Grace for introducing me to my NaNo BFF, the Hamilton Word Crawl. OH MY GOSH I LOVE THAT THING SO MUCH. I mean, how much more motivation do you need???

3. Coffee Helps. Coffee Helps A Lot.

I have never been a coffee person. I've never been a morning person, either. Especially not a morning writer. Ew, mornings, no. I've always been more of a nighttime writer. But over the course of NaNo, I learned that I really did my best writing in the morning or right after lunch. This isn't to say that I never wrote in the late afternoon or at night, because I did quite a bit, but I did a lot of writing first thing, before I even did school. Not always the wisest decision but we'll ignore that for now. And since obviously, mornings still aren't my favorite time of day, coffee came in handy quite a bit. I have to have lots of cream and sugar, but hey, it works!

4. I AM A PLOTTER!

Oh my gosh, y'all. If I learned anything over the course of NaNo, it's this. I am a plotter, through and through. I love plotting. Call me OCD, Type A, whatever you want, but it's true. I felt so much more relaxed and could work so much more quickly when I had a solid plan. (Plus, the fact that some of the scenes that I was writing were scenes that I'd been imagining for over a year definitely helped.) When I had to fill time, or I didn't know where I was going with the plot, I felt so overwhelmed and stressed out. Granted, I did come up with some great plot twists and new characters that I don't think I would have come up with had I plotted every single detail, so I do think that it's good to do some pantsing as well, overall I work much better when I have an outline. 

5. Writing People Are The Best Of Ever.

Oh my goodness, guys. If I wasn't already convinced enough that the writing community is LITERALLY the absolute best, this month sealed it. Spending an entire month writing is infinitely more fun when you're surrounded with tons of awesome writing friends who are doing the EXACT same thing that you are, and are always ready to commiserate with you, word war, or calm you down when you're panicking about finishing on time. Plus, THEY ARE LITERALLY THE MOST ENCOURAGING PEOPLE EVER. Like, honestly. Twitter people, you are the nicest and you make me so very, very happy. My oh my, I love you all. ♥

- - - - -

Also, a few of my thoughts over the course of the month, because at this point I only have so many words left in me, and I think that my past self can do a better job of explaining this than I can.




- - - - -

Well, there you have it! My massive NaNo recap. Honestly, I could not be any happier with how the month turned out. I had so much fun, and I already can't wait for next year! ♥♥♥

- - - - -

SO TELL ME ABOUT YOUR NANO EXPERIENCE!!!!! Did you take part in NaNo this year? How did it go?? OR, were you one of the blessed people who got to relax and laugh as you watched your friends panicking? Did you enjoy that? TELL ME ALL ABOUT YOUR NOVEMBER!!!!



45 comments:

  1. I actually feel kinda lazy, seeing as i only wrote like 2K total this month lol

    but AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH I'M SO IMMENSELY PROUD OF YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!! YOU ROCK, CONGRATS!!!!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. BUT HEY THAT IS 2K THAT YOU DIDN'T HAVE BEFORE!!!!!! So that's still super awesome and you should be proud of it. :)

      THANK YOU SO MUCH OH MY GOODNESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *flails and hands you brownies*

      Delete
  2. I am so happy and thrilled for you!

    ReplyDelete
  3. YOU DID IT!!!!!!!!!!!!???!?! WOWOWWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOW GO YOU GRACE ANNE LIKE LEGIT YOUR THE COOL BEANS - THE WORD QUEEN - LIKE GO YOU <3<3<3<3<3

    i only did 30k

    plus I WANNA READ YOUR BOOK PLZ

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. OH MY GOODNESS THE WORD QUEEN????????? I DO BELIEVE THAT IS THE BEST THING THAT I'VE EVER BEEN CALLED IN MY ENTIRE LIFE!!!!!!!!!

      aslfhghaihgeah 30K IS FABULOUS CONGRATS!!! *throws confetti* So proud of you!!!

      Hey, I want to read yours, so we're even. ;)

      Delete
  4. THIS IS THE BEST RECAP EVER. And omg congrats!! Congrats!! *flings confetti and cake crumbs at you* <3 And omg that's so amazing that you got to the full 50K!! And pfft, don't compare yourself to other writers. Focus on yourself and your writing journey and I so hope you'll get to be a full time writer if that's what you want. :D I am also an intensely detailedly intense plotter. 😂 It's so much more easy and relaxing to do all the pre-work BEFORE writing the novel because then I don't get writers block at all. *small victory cheer* And also writing buddies are the bessssst. Seriously, the writer creatures on twitter motivate me so much. WE HAVE SUCH A NICE COMMUNITY AROUND HERE EEP!
    Anyway. I hope you celebrated with much cake!! :D :D And just all the congrats Grace!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. OH MY GOODNESS THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! This comment absolutely made my day. <3<3 I'm so glad that someone else understands how much better it is to plot!!! I just cannot survive without a solid plan, oh my goodness. AND YES THE WRITING COMMUNITY IS THE BEST.

      Also, you are the best. THANK YOU SO MUCH CAIT!!! *sends you tons of cake*

      Delete
  5. Congrats on completing nano!! That's amazing!!

    ReplyDelete
  6. guess what? i'm incredibly proud of YOU. you killed it. <3 <3 <3

    - Aimee (To the Barricade!)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. :') thank you so much, Aimee. That truly means so much to me <3

      Delete
  7. YAY GRACE ANNE!!!! YOU DID IT!!!!! :)

    With love and all joy,
    Allie D.
    www.alliesblogdesigns.blogspot.com
    www.friendlovesatalltimes.blogspot.com
    www.sincerelyallied.blogspot.com
    www.spreadingmyjoy.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  8. CONGRATS lol ikr those scenes you plan and the killing of characters like ouuucchh :P xD

    srsly tho girl, CONGRATSS!! :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's so much fun but it hurtssssss xD

      THANK YOU!!

      Delete
  9. Congrats Grace Anne!! Even though I'm not even a writer you made this post so exciting!! :D I very much enjoyed this post.

    Bernie
    www.uniquelyyou1.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much, Bernie! I'm so glad that you could enjoy it:)

      Delete
  10. I'm so proud of you for hitting your target, I know how excited you were about doing it for the first time! I didn't complete Nano, but that's okay. I started my novel with nothing and now I have so many ideas to continue it. Nanowrimo inspired me to get back into novel-ling, and sometimes that is all you need.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much, Oakstar! That means a lot to me:)

      I'm so glad that you've gained some new inspiration for your novel! That's really the best feeling, isn't it? I'm so excited for you!!!

      Delete
  11. That sounds like a really cool experience! I never fully understood the NaNoWriMo (the acronym was too much for me) and I've never really liked following social media trends for my writing, but it's cool to see it happening through this post.

    And in regards to the character thing….BE STRONG. IT SUCKS A LOT. In my first *real* novel, I was constantly killing off characters. Some of which actually made me sob. In my second novel, all the deaths had already happened, so I was just slowly unveiling more about them (which hurt too). Now that you mention it, it's been a long time since I've killed off a character….hmmm…I have five POVs to choose from in Jada….

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'd always been SUPER hesitant about it, but I was really surprised by how great of a program that it was.

      I have to admit, I'm totally terrified to see who you kill off in Jada. Because let's be real, with you, it's probably going to happen. JUST CRUSH ME MORE IT'S FINE.

      Delete
  12. Your tweets give me life.

    CONGRATS ON 51k! <3

    xx Mackenzie

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Talking to you gives me life.

      THANK YOU SO MUCH!! <3

      Delete
  13. SO PROUD OF MY LITTLE ANGEL BABY GRACE ANNE :')

    ReplyDelete
  14. Congratulations!

    Omg, I totally get you on the killing favorite characters thing. Three of my favorites are going to have to die in my fantasy series, and I'm equally gleeful and upset in plotting their deaths.

    I didn't do NaNo, but I have been sailing along smoothly on my fairyland vs. steampunk novella. I should have it finished by Saturday :)

    Ellie | On the Other Side of Reality

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much, Ellie!!

      Ahahahaha, I definitely know that feeling. It's really fun, but at the same time it's like, YOU ARE MY BABY STAY ALIVE. xD

      Ahhhhh, that's so exciting!! Congratulations!!!

      Delete
  15. GRACE YOU EPIC HUMAN YOU DID IT. Congrats because that is seriously so awesome.

    ReplyDelete
  16. ASDFGHJKLK I AM SOOOO HAPPY FOR YOU GRACE ANNE!! *tackles you with waffles and hugs and confetti* ALSO I LOVED READING YOUR NANO TWEETS. :') It always brightened my day to log in to Twitter and see your thoughts on this crazy adventure. ALSO WAHHT EVEN YOU CAN WRITE 1,000 WORDS IN 20 MINUTES??? YOU ARE OFFICIALLY MAGICAL. ARE YOU EVEN HUMAN??? I didn't do any word wars this NaNoWriMo!! Even though quite a few writers were trying to get me to do it. xD AH WELL MAYBE NEXT TIME. I'm a slow-ish writer so I don't like to feel rushed?? Even thought NaNo is basically RUSH RUSH RUSH STRESS STRESS STRESS. *nervous laughter*

    *HAPPY FLAILING* SO PROUD OF YOU GIRL!!

    lotsalove,
    abbiee

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ASDFGHJKL THANK YOU SO MUCH ABBIE!!!!!!! *flailing*And isn't that funny, YOUR TWEETS ALWAYS BRIGHTENED !MY! DAY!!!! I still can't figure out how I did that tbh like wut so confused tbh. I totally feel you on the stress, I don't like that either. XD BUT I'M WEIRDLY COMPETITIVE SO IT KIND OF HELPS?? I'm weird hahahaha.

      AND I AM SO PROUD OF YOU!!!!!!! *HUGS*

      Delete
  17. Dude, you killed it! I love that you not only met your goal BUT YOU WON NANO!!! You can do anything you put your mind to! :) Also, a massive YES to plotting. When I don't have a plan, I just start to panic and lose my dang mind haha I didn't do NaNo this year because it's literally been THE MOST STRESSFUL SEMESTER KNOWN TO MAN but next year I'd love to! Congrats girl :) Way to go!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. EEP THANK YOU SO MUCH ERIN!!! You are seriously one of the most encouraging people wow. I'm so glad that I'm not the only person who HAS to have a plan. XD It's just necessary. I hope that you can do NaNo next year!!!! And that this next semester gives you a bit of a breather;)

      Delete
  18. Wow!!! You did good!!!! Love your tweets

    ReplyDelete
  19. Hey Grace! It's Jasmine! I've been looking through your blog for a bit and I realized 2 things: You have a great smile and an incredible talent for writing. I wish the best for you and your novel!:)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey Jasmine! Oh my goodness, you are so, so sweet! Thank you so much!

      Delete
  20. lolololol those tweets are so true during NaNo hahaha i'm laughing.
    I am definitely not a planner and I certainly did not finish my novel but hey I have more words down than I ever have before so i'm feeling goooooood!

    Randy Abby
    WAKE ME UP Blog

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ahahaha gotta love the twitter rants. xD
      HEY more words is always good, no matter how many!!! I'm so glad that you got more down, Randy Abby! :) Super proud of you!

      Delete
  21. I AM SO WILDLY PROUD OF YOU (and also wildly late but) NEVER MIND WOW GIRL YOU DIIIIID IT!!!!! :O Wow. Wowowowow. You are amazing. (also, your tweets are making me want Twitter!! what is life)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. OH MY GOODNESS THANK YOU SO MUCH OLIVIA :'''') brb crying. You are amazing.

      And you should totally get Twitter because it's wonderful and you are wonderful so it would be a fabulous combination.

      Delete
  22. Well done on all you were able to achieve Grace Anne. You did such a great job and should be immensely proud of yourself. I recently made a decision to start writing my own book.I was recently inspired by a lot of events and people like you around me. Its nice to connect with other aspiring authors and relate to their struggles. I am working on my first book now and I am so looking forward to what I can out together this year. I am super excited and can't wait. I have learnt that as long as you have that burning desire to share your story, then you are an author so you keep believing that girl and one day God willing you will get there. Are you going to share parts of your book? So we can read? Is that not something you have considered.
    Thanks for sharing your experience.
    God bless you.
    Joanny :)
    imachoccakeaholic.blogsppot.co.uk

    ReplyDelete

♥ Comments brighten my day- I'd love to chat ♥

CopyRight Grace Anne Johnson 2024 © | Theme Designed By Hello Manhattan