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Wednesday, December 3, 2014

IWSG: The Valley After NaNoWriMo


Like a lot of writers, I participated in NaNoWriMo in November. For those who don't know, NaNoWriMo is short for National Novel Writing Month. It's sort of the equivalent of a marathon for writers. In the thirty days of November, you write 50,000 words. You "win" if you succeed in writing 50,000 words.

Maybe 50,000 words in one month is no big deal for some writers, but for writers like me who have day jobs, children, a house, etc., it's no small feat. I have tried it twice and now I've won twice! (Pardon me while I try and pat myself on the back and end up walking in an awkward circle for a while).


So, now, here we are a couple of days after, and I'm all "meh." I don't really feel like writing--like, at all--and that's sort of like saying I don't feel like breathing for me. This happened to me last year, too. PPD: post-party-depression. I feel good about stretching myself, but it's left me a little burnt. 

Did anyone of you do #NaNoWriMo this year (or another year)? Do you suffer from PPD now? How are you shaking it and getting excited about your projects again?

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This posting is part of the Insecure Writers Support Group blog hop. To check out other posts by writers in a variety of places in their careers, check out the participant list. This group is one of the most open and supportive groups of people I have ever been associated with. You should check them out!

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7 comments:

  1. Tamara NarayanDecember 3, 2014 at 9:59 AM

    Wow. That's a lot of words. Congrats on crossing the finish line.

    I've never tried NanoWriteMo myself because I'm pretty sure that I could crank out the words but that the end result would be such a mess it would take way, way longer to edit than writing slowly and carefully--kind of what happened on my first novel.

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    1. Samantha BryantDecember 3, 2014 at 10:22 AM

      I saw a posting about that the other day . . .that some people are Crashers and some are Plodders. Both are totally legit. Mostly, I'm a plodder--writing and editing in loops. NaNoWriMo is a break in character for me. I'm finding it a good tool for getting a new project started.

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  2. Tonja DreckerDecember 3, 2014 at 10:49 AM

    Congrats on getting through! That is something to be proud of.

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  3. Madeline Mora-SummonteDecember 3, 2014 at 1:46 PM

    Congrats on your win! I often feel a little let down when NaNo is over. But this year I'm really happy with what I did, and I'm actually looking forward to working on the story more. :)

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  4. Sarah FosterDecember 3, 2014 at 3:43 PM

    Congrats on winning NaNo! I've never been able to go through with it to the end. I think it makes perfect sense for you to be a little burnt out after writing so much. Take a quick breather and then get back to it when you feel you're ready.

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  5. Samantha BryantDecember 3, 2014 at 5:36 PM

    Thanks, T., Madeline, and Sarah. I'm afraid to let a day go by without writing--worried it'll mean that I lose my groove (I'm at around 450 days in a row writing at least *something* every day). So, for my "break" I'm writing a new short story. It's a break because it's short, right?

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  6. Chrys FeyDecember 3, 2014 at 7:18 PM

    Hi, Samantha! First, congratulations on winning NaNo! Second, I think after completing a challenge like that it's important to give your brain a rest. You accomplished a lot and now your brain and body is telling you to relax. It's okay if you don't write for a week or two, especially during this time of year. ;)

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