Posts filed under NaNoWriMo

It's NaNoWriMo and I'm Not Ready

(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Twitter. And her latest book, Root Rot, is now available for pre-order!)

Normally, a few days before November, I'd be organized. I'd have a plan, a setup, a solid goal and a strategy. This year? I have chaos. But who doesn't love a little chaos?

Instead of one pen, one project, like I did last year, this year I have nine projects, random pens, and way too many notebooks involved. That's four short stories (most of them half-written), two novellas (both started), and three novels to work on (one revision, one with just the last chapters to write, and one that's only a third drafted). I won't finish all this in November--that would be triple NaNoWriMo—but I need to finish a few of them, and move the others forward.

For pens, I'm starting with the two I have currently inked, a Carolina Pen Company in Exquisite Corpse, and a Conklin Word Gauge. When those are empty, which should happen quickly, I'll start a more planned pen rotation.

As for notebooks, I have:

-A Plotter Bible Size, where I have story ideas and outlines.

-A random grey plain notebook with other story notes. No idea what brand.

-My old Seven Seas Writer that has old story drafts, one of which I'm expanding into a novella.

-A Pebble Stationery Co. A5 Cosmo Air Light notebook that has current short story work in it.

-A pocket-sized Paperblanks that has a novella draft in it.

-A coffee-stained Odyssey Notebook with a novella draft in it.

-A Field Notes Dime Novel notebook that has novel outlines in it.

-A Barnes and Noble Italian Leather Journal with a novel draft started in it.

-A Graphilo A5 softbound notebook with novel revision notes in it.

-A printed and spiral bound complete novel draft that needs edits.

-And one novel is entirely on the computer (ugh).

I may need to borrow a llama to carry all my notebooks around for me.

The closest thing I have to a plan is that I'm going to work on the almost-done things first, to get them crossed off the list, and work my way towards the projects that need the most work. I still need to finish all of this by the end of the year, so I'll be NaNo-ing well into the sunset of 2023. Which is fine. That's the dream, right?

To help stay on track, a few other local authors and I have organized six write-ins throughout November, and I'll be running away to the lake to write over Thanksgiving weekend, as I always do.

Are you writing this November? Do you have a plan, or are you embracing chaos? Let me know what you're writing, and what tools you're using.

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Posted on October 26, 2023 by Sarah Read and filed under NaNoWriMo.

NaNoWriMo Wrap-up 2022

(Sarah Read is an author, editor, yarn artist, and pen/paper/ink addict. You can find more about her at her website and on Twitter. And check out her latest book, Out of Water, now available where books are sold!)

We did it! NaNoWriMo 2022 is in the bag! Whether you hit your goal or not, you should be proud of the progress you made and for taking a little extra time to focus on your creativity this month. That's a victory, regardless of what the word counter says.

A lot of the success of NaNoWriMo comes from the sense of community that the event inspires. My NaNo buddies, much like my pen show buddies, are friends that I see once a year, and we gather like no time at all has passed. Writing in a room full of other writers who are also writing is kind of a magical experience. There's so much creation and invention in the air. And happily, at one of my gatherings, there were four of us writing by hand, with pen or pencil and paper. How cool is that? And I alternate these gatherings with retreating into full isolation with nothing but my writing. Both are perfect for getting work done.

As for me, I managed to hit the NaNo goal while simultaneously missing my own goal, so I have mixed feelings as I sit here watching the hours of November trickle away. I did write 50,000 words, so hooray! But I managed to accomplish that without finishing the projects I most wanted to finish. In an ideal November, I'd have been able to focus all my NaNo energy on one project—finishing my next novel draft—but deadlines have a way of dictating my priorities. Instead, I wrote the first half of three novellas, a chunk of the new novel, and one short story. The first half of three novellas, you ask? Why not just write one and finish it? An excellent question. I do need to write a novella by the end of the year, so I started one. But I also have three short stories due by the end of the year, so I wrote one of those (huzzah!), and started another one. And that story stretched and grew and expanded, and I managed to convince myself, after the first 7,000 words, that I could just keep going and edit it back to the required word count when it was done. So, I kept writing. And writing. And after about 12,000 words, I realized that this was not a short story and never would be. I still needed a short story! So, I set that novella aside and tried to start a new story. And the same thing happened. Which is how I've evened up with three half-finished novellas and one complete story. Things don't always go as planned. But I did make some progress on the novel between those other projects. All told, I worked on six different things, and only crossed the finish line on one. I'm not super pleased with that, but at least a lot of things moved forward. Though now I'll have to find homes for two unplanned novellas.

I often say that for a working writer, every month is NaNoWriMo. For December, I need to write those two short stories that failed to happen during November, and finish one of the three novellas. Ideally, I'd also like to finish the novel draft, because I swore a solemn oath that in January, the epic re-write of my other-other novel shall commence, with the goal of having that submission-ready by June. I also have a new short story collection to start submitting in January (though I need to decide on the story order for it). No rest for the wicked.

If you recall, I added another layer of challenge to my writing this month. I decided to write all 50,000+ words with a single pen. At this, I was very successful, and so was the pen. The last time I did this, the pen looked a bit... rough... when I was finished. The Aurora 88 Utica Nera, however, looks almost brand new. The only visible signs of wear are some slight rubbing on the black finish of the nib, and I appear to have polished the matte finish off of the grip section. It still looks lovely—it's just shiny where it used to be a rougher texture. It still writes like a dream and it holds a TON of ink. I only had to refill it about once a week, even though it's a decently wet writer. My full review of the pen will be coming next week, but for now, the most important review is that it survived. And so did I.

Now let's do it again.

(Kenro Industries provided the Aurora 88 at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!

Posted on December 1, 2022 by Sarah Read and filed under NaNoWriMo, Aurora, Writing.

The Plot is Afoot

Two weeks ago, I asked you all for recommendations about what one--singular--pen I should use to write with for the entirety of NaNoWriMo. You all had some amazing suggestions!

By far the most popular suggestion was the Pilot 823, and I agree with you. It really is the perfect pen with which to write a novel! But one of my aims was to try something less well known. My Pilot 823 was actually my first "nice" pen that my husband bought for our fifth wedding anniversary. We're about to have our sixteenth, so I've been writing books with the Pilot 823 for over a decade. It's absolutely an excellent pen for the job! But it's far from unknown.

Another common suggestion was the Opus 88, which I've also reviewed before, and think is an excellent choice. But the most commonly recommended pen that I haven't ever tried was the Aurora 88. I've never even held an Aurora 88, but not for lack of admiration. Y'all just made some very fancy suggestions. But with big thanks to Brad, Kenro Industries, and Pen Chalet, there is now an Aurora 88 Unica Nera in my house, inked up, and prepped for its ultimate test.

I confess, my first reaction when the pen arrived was concern. This is a NICE pen, y'all. I got that gut reaction we all know too well. Is this pen too nice to use? But of course not, right? Pens were meant to be used. This one is about to run the pen equivalent of a marathon. How will it do? I don't know! I have no experience with the brand.

Based on a first impression, what I do know is that I'm going to really enjoy finding out. This pen fits all my criteria. It holds a lot of ink in its piston-filled mechanism, so I won't have to clean and refill it often. It's very lightweight, so I won't get hand fatigue. It has a smooth writing nib. It's not too big. The only question mark is the durability, and that will have an answer by the end of November. I do have it in a Musubi case for transport, so it's getting babied a little bit. But it is going on the road with me--first to the World Fantasy Convention in New Orleans, where I'll be doing readings/signings, speaking on panels, and eating my way through the city. Oh, and writing. That, too. NaNoWriMo waits for no one. And then my annual retreat to an inn on the shore of Lake Michigan, where all I do is write for three days straight over Thanksgiving weekend, listening to the waves and ordering nachos for room service.

I want to thank you all for your input, and for recommending such a nice pen! You've helped set me up for success and I'm really looking forward to getting started.

Now, tell me what you're working on! Are you doing NaNoWriMo? What tools are you using?

PS: The Aurora 88 was designed by Marcello Nizzoli, who has designs in the MOMA and who is most renowned for his design work on...typewriters. Will the ghost of Marcello lean over my shoulder as I write and whisper, "You know I designed a much more efficient way to do this?" I know, Marcello. I know. But that's not the point.

(Kenro Industries provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!