NaNoWriMo Update Number 1

When you set goals, you have to keep coming back to them on a daily basis. It's the only way to keep on track and ensure you're actually working towards them. Goal setting is easy - the work of achieving them is the hard part.

I'm using this year's NaNoWriMo to work towards my own personal goals, rather than the traditional 50,000 words a month. If you'd like to read in more detail about my goals, click here, but essentially they are:

• Make a concerted start on Novel Number Two
• Submit Novel Number One to three agents

So far this week, I've done the most work on Novel Number One. While I can multi-task, I am happier and more comfortable tackling one thing at a time. My cover letter is done, my synopsis is done and the first 10,000 words are DONE. All I need to do now is figure out which agents I want to submit to and get them sent off. 

Instead of editing the text as it was, I typed it all out again, making the adjustments as I went. I've never actually done it this way - I've always read through the text and adjusted it as I went. But this way actually kept me more engaged, more focused and the result was much better than my previous edits.

I'd heartily recommend trying this way of editing if you're finding yourself swamped in the editing process. It feels much more like writing, so it's a lot less painful!

I haven't made a start on Novel Number Two yet, on the page anyway. But I've done a lot of thinking and jotting things down, I feel like the threads are slowly starting to come together and I'll be ready to write up a proper outline soon. I don't like working to overly detailed outlines because I like the let the story grow organically, but it does help me to have at least a vague idea of where I'm heading and the stops I have to make on the way there.

How are your NaNo projects going?