z

Young Writers Society


Your NaNo Techniques



User avatar
425 Reviews



Gender: Gendervague he/she/they
Points: 50
Reviews: 425
Sat Nov 01, 2014 4:19 pm
View Likes
Vervain says...



Are you "slow and steady wins the race"? Do you prefer to take time looking at your words and rethinking them, instead of writing everything that comes to mind?

Or do you prefer the "quick and easy" lifestyle? Do the words just tumble out of your fingertips, ready for the page?

What techniques do you use to keep yourself writing every day, or at least most days? What techniques do you (or would you) use to win?

---

Personally, I'm much more of a "slow and steady" sort, and I can't rush myself too much unless I'm really in the zone and I know what's invariably going on. I'm an agonizer and a constant editor -- to my detriment, I know -- but I've still managed to win once or twice in the years I've done NaNo.

What about y'all?
stay off the faerie paths
  





User avatar
104 Reviews



Gender: Female
Points: 4429
Reviews: 104
Tue Nov 03, 2015 4:40 pm
comrie says...



I'd say I'm a lot like what you say you are. I'm definitely a "slow and steady" sort of writer. I like to write when feeling inspired and aware of the plot and just into it. I get this sort of satisfactory feeling after writing like this. It's pretty addicting. I get it when rereading my possibly (measly) 300 words after an hour (or two, or three...) of aching over the keyboard, and it's something I'm super proud of, despite the mistakes littered throughout. And, also, despite the baby word count. But I can't help but keep writing like this, just so I can feel happy before, during, and after writing.

I don't get this satisfactory feeling when I try being the writer that writes like lightning. I'm throwing words out, trying to reach daily word counts and all, but I don't feel anything when I do, if that makes sense. I don't feel as connected to my writing, to my characters, my worlds. I feel like I'm not paying as much attention to things, that I'm missing stuff when I'm churning out all these words. I won't deny that I'd be finished with a ton more stories by now if I were to be this type of writer. But writing like this just feels like work to me, and I don't like to think of my writing as work. And then I'd stop and revert back to my "slow" ways.

I'm trying NaNo this year (a first) with my short story and another idea tumbling around in my head and seeing if I can reach my goal of 50k words with the two story's word counts combined. But I feel like I'll only be able to do this if I try to be the fast writer. I love my slow writing process, but it probably isn't the ideal way to write when you're writing a lengthy short story or novel that you're desperate to finish just so you can work on other ideas, as I'm starting to realize now with my own work. So, for the sake of finishing, I'm gonna try being the fast writer this November. I'm going to try and see where it takes me. Hopefully I don't get discouraged too soon. But as soon as NaNo's over, it'll be back to "slow" writing for me. :)
  








Is anyone else desperately waiting to see themselves in the quote gen?
— TheCursedCat