The WDC NanoLounge

Silconch, This is my 6th nano and it will be my fifth win. The first rule of Nano... Do not read anything you have written until December 1st. I repeat... Do not read anything you have written until December first!

Do you know how many of those stories I still currently have in my possession? Two. The first one I finished because it was the first thing of any length I ever finished, I kinda liked the story, and my father died that following January. I have tried to edit it but never finished and I doubt I ever will. But, I can't let it go because it was my first win and it reminds me of my father. The second one is the one I am writing right now. Ive worked on this story in theory for the last 20 years. It sucks but its not going in the trash because I love the characters, I love the story. I just hate the writing. So, the only thing it needs is better writing.

All the rest have been trashed within an hour of starting the editing process if not sooner. Do some people get their Nano stories published? Yes, most of them are self published options that really never do very well. Then there are the very very small manoirty that get lucky. The point in Nano is two fold. One establish a put your butt in that chair and just write mentality. It is about creating a habit of writing. 30 days makes a habit. Never worked for me cause, I always thought that was a little silly. I can get hooked on somethihng in a matter of seconds or never get hooked at all. But, its still that idea, of sit down and write.

The second thing it does is tell you, though you might have written crap, you have now written a novella. Congrats if you can write 50k in a month imagine what you can do when you really try. Like me, Im kinda bored. I know I can do 50k in a month. Heck with any luck, I will have 50k done today. It will be a huge push that will require the cooperation of my children. but, its a hope. Im shooting for 150k by my birthday on the 25th. Its my consolation for having a birthday so close to Thanksgiving. At least its not on Thanksgiving this year. Again, I have finally found characters I love. The story is good too. But, my writing sucks. I mean completely and totally sucks. I didn't have to go back and read it to know that. In fact I started over after the first 13k words cause It was so bad, I couldn't keep the story going.

You can go look if you like. It's in my port as nano 2011 but it is completely unedited. So I know its crap. I didn't have to go back and read it to know it was crap. Everything that comes out of Nano is crap. It is in essance a mental up chuck of everything you ever thought you wanted to say and haven't been able to. It purges the story from you in one great big burst giving you a chance to make notes like, "How the heck did I get all the way into chapter three with a vampire as a character and not have him feed on anyone even once?"

After nano if I am not so totally discusted with this story. I will go back and write it again. In fact thats the plan. Finish the story this time around. Make plenty of notes during my recovery period then write it a second time for Camp nano in July and August when I can slow down and do the whole story over a two month period instead of a one month sprint.

Don't get caught up in the nay sayers But, all your doing is writing crap arguement. Your suppose to write crap. If you don't write crap how can you possibly know what it is your wanting to say to begin with.