NaNoWriMo 2018 week 1: We have started!

We have started! At least, I have. 🙂

The beginning of the first week of NaNo 2018 went nicely. I had the notes ready for my manuscript so I could start right away. Not everything is immediately useful in the story, but that’s not really necessary. After all, we have just started and I already know that my manuscript will count more than 50,000 words anyway.

I see NaNo more as a nice kick-start than an attempt to complete a first-draft. That I worked hard also shows in the chart. (Oh, how I like that chart!)

Especially because I never have a lot of time to write in the weekend and I was sick for a couple of days so I wasn’t able to write as much as I wanted.

Because of illness I often have to take a step back and I don’t like that one bit. Most of the time I am able to fight through it but sometimes even the smallest effort is too much.

But I think that I have lived through the worst now, so I hope the rest of the month will be better. Although I try to write as much as possible, I have no reason to cheer yet. I also have a lot of appointments this month which will affect my writing hours. That’s why I tried to work “ahead” a bit, despite my sickness. Hopefully, this will be sufficient, otherwise I will have to work extra hard in the second half of the month!

I prefer to write at home, in the living room where my pc is located. Well, I can actually write anywhere, but a good seat is still very important when you sit behind the computer for a long time. Do you have a favorite writing spot?

Moreover, it is nice and quiet during the day and I can listen to my own music. My favorite writing music is Imagine Dragons right now.

Despite everything, it’s a reasonable good start of NaNo for me. How are things going with you?

Lots of love, Patty

NaNoWriMo 2018!

November is the time for NaNoWriMo en I am participating!

What is NaNoWriMo?

It stands for National Novel Writing Month. NaNo is an annual, Internet-based creative writing project that takes place during the month of November. Participants attempt to write a 50,000 word manuscript between November 1 and November 30.
NaNoWriMo focuses on the length of a work rather than the quality, encouraging writers to finish the first draft of their manuscript.

Who are participating in NaNoWriMo?

Writers (published and unpublished) from all over the world are participating in NaNoWriMo. It doesn’t matter if you are a proffessional writer or just love to write as a hobby.
The only rules are:

• Writing starts at 12:00: a.m. on November 1 and ends 11:59:59 p.m. on November 30, local time.
• No one is allowed to start early and finish 30 days from that start point.
• Novels must reach a minimum of 50,000 words before the end of November. These words can either be a complete novel of 50,000 words or the first 50,000 words of a novel to be completed later.
• Planning and notes are permitted, but no real writing before the November 1 start date.
• Participants’ novels can be on any theme, genre of fiction, and language.

How do you “win” NaNoWriMo?

To win NaNoWriMo, participants must write an average of approximately 1,667 words per day in November to reach the goal of 50,000 words written toward a novel.
If you have a manuscript of at least 50.000 words at the end of November, you may call yourself a winner! You will get a digital certificate and badges to place on Social Media or blog.
Of course you can also participate if you don’t reach the 50.000 words. But do set a goal, 30.000 for example. It’s all about the challenge!

How to participate?

Writers wishing to participate first register on https://nanowrimo.org, where they can post profiles and information about their novels. You have to fill in your word-count every day of NaNo. The site converts that into a chart and shows you how many words you need to write per day to reach your goal. Furthermore, there are forums where you can get in touch with other writers, you can add “writer budies” to motivate each other and you get regular tips and pep talks from various writers from all over the globe.
Municipal leaders and regional forums help connect local writers, holding writing events and providing encouragement.

Why do I participate?

This is the fourth year that I participate in NaNoWriMo. Twice I won and one time I unfortunately did not. I participate because I like a challenge and I have noticed that NaNo is pretty motivating, a real kickstart for your manuscript. It can be difficult sometimes to focus on writing, but because you are motivated by other writers and the site itself, can NaNo be the nudge you need. Because you want to win, you are less inclined to lose your focus. And I confess; I love to see my chart rise to 50,000 words!

I will keep you informed of my progress. And to everyone who participates this year: Good luck!

Interviews

In the past 5 years I have done my fair amount of interviews as a writer. And I like to do them! It’s nice to tell people about your work and to show them a little bit who you are behind the books. 

Most of the interviews are through e-mail or chat, it’s easy for both parties and I like to think a bit about the answers I want to give.

Last year, I also have had an interview on the radio which was a lot of fun!

A bit scary at first, I don’t really like the sound of my own voice hahaha!

But not as scary as being interviewed on stage while you are being filmed as well.  Some people may be born for the spotlights, for me it’s quite frightening to go on stage in front of an audience.
Thanks to Bart, presenter of the show, I think that I managed pretty well and even had fun doing it. Sure was a memorable experience!

Most of the interviews I do are in Dutch, because I am a Dutch writer after all. I did, however, an interview in English for The Heroine’s Journey. 🙂

You can read that one right HERE.

Besides giving interviews, I also like to interview my fellow Dutch writers for my YouTube channel. I don’t see them as rivals because people don’t just read one book. I like to see them as colleagues and have a lot of fun learning about them and their stories. 

Giving interviews is an interesting part of being a writer, especially because I never really gave it any thought before my first novel was published. I wrote a book and it would be great if people would read it. But giving interviews and all that? It never even crossed my mind to be honest. You could say that I learned much in the past five years! 😉 There’s a lot more to the job than meets the eye.