Can’t hit your NaNo word count? You’re not alone!
November 15, 2012 § 5 Comments
When I’ve participated in NaNoWriMo in the past, I’ve always faced what I call the “spectre of the professional writer.”
In other words, I’ve always had a vague unease as I struggled to meet my daily word count. It manifested itself as a sinister voice that whispered, “If you can’t pound out 1,667 words a day for a month, how do you expect to be a professional writer? The pros bang out much more than that each day!”
Thanks to the medium that is Twitter, however, that is one worry that no longer haunts me. Earlier today, I spotted a tweet from Charles Stross that said:
I am a horrible failure, only wrote 1300 words today.
@cstross oh die in a fire charlie
And then this exchange happened:
Yes, those are some of the luminaries of contemporary science fiction and fantasy — professional writers, all — saying that they, too, have trouble churning out the words.
The lesson here is not that you can slack off your NaNo word count. The lesson, young padawan, is that professional writers have the same troubles we do, but they never stop writing.
Now, don’t you have a date with your keyboard? I know I do.
Dave, you do know about Anthony Trollope’s work habits, don’t you?
I’m afraid I do not, George. I take it his habits are worth researching, though, so I’ll look it up! Thanks!
[…] Can’t hit your NaNo word count? You’re not alone! (kickingthepants.com) […]
[…] Can’t hit your NaNo word count? You’re not alone! (kickingthepants.com) […]
[…] just proves, once again, that the pros have the same problems the rest of us do. They’re mortal, and if they can do […]