Why I’m not doing Nanowrimo this year

Back in October I reviewed all my yet-unmet goals for the year, the relevant one here being to finish my novel, and decided not to participate in Nanowrimo. I miss it, but the last thing I need is another rough draft on my hard-drive and no progress on the revision of my WIP.

The plan was to do a nano-level push on revision, but so far it hasn’t happened. I could make lots of excuses, I’ve certainly been busy enough, but I think the real problem is avoidance. It’s getting too close to finished and finishing is scary.

Or maybe it’s because my next step is to sort through a 2-inch stack of notes and organize the ones I want to apply to the novel. I just know that’s going to be a lot of work, so I look for something easier or quicker to do instead. And there’s always something.

Upper limit problem

I read this blogpost the other day about upper limit problems. I think this might be why I haven’t touched my novel since March – I’ve reached the edge of my comfort zone – I’m too close to done. Finishing my novel is more success than I can handle, which suggests my upper limit is pretty damn low.

I decided I’d tell myself I’m really not that close to done, I just want to finish the current revision. Now I want to get back to work on it, but we’re putting new siding on the house. It’s a bit hard to focus with constant pounding on the walls. I may have to try the local coffee shop.

Fang veneers

Fang veneers are all the rage among the younger set.

I want some! But they only last a couple months, so I’ll wait until the perfect moment, like a book tour or writer’s conference.

Either one may be awhile, since my novel is still on the back burner.

New writing plan

My novel has been on the back burner for nearly four months now. Yesterday I sat down and created a new schedule for myself.

Finish the revision that was supposed to be completed last March by the end of July. (Coming up faster than I like.)

Do a scene by scene revision over August and September. Start sending out to beta readers in October. Write something new and unrelated to this series during Nanowrimo in November.
Edit in December.

I WILL FINISH IT THIS YEAR! AND I MEAN IT!

Gardening instead of writing

I can't believe I've still got followers after not posting since March - though if you're like me you ignore the blogs that never post and leave them sitting in your reader, while dropping the ones that post too often.

I haven't posted because I haven't been writing (shame on me!). Here's what I've been up to instead - playing in the dirt.

Novel dilemma solved

My novel progress has ground to a halt. I’ve run into a plot wall and instead of struggling over it have decided to clean my desk, tackle my TO DO list, write some blogposts, and a few other such chores instead.

Meanwhile, I solved my dilemma (whether to pursue traditional publishing or go the DIY route) by looking at the bigger picture. My epiphany came in the shower when I started to think about everything I want to write. This isn’t about one book, it’s about my career.

I intend to write more books, at least two series worth and some stand-alones. There’s room to publish at least one series through traditional publishers and do the others myself. Each approach will gain name-recognition that will help sales in the other.

Which way to go with my first novel is still undetermined. The tentative plan is to hit one or two conferences this summer with manuscript in hand and see if I can get an idea whether the thing is sellable in today’s market. (And whether it is ready to sell at all, of course.)

If my work is good enough but nobody wants vampire novels, then I’ll do it myself. If there is interest, I’ll pursue the traditional route, despite the potentially two years from query to shelf time lag. Maybe during that time I can write and release something else myself.

First I’d better get back to work and finish the darn thing.

Writer’s dilemma

I saw on an agent’s blog, in a post on why she’d rejected fifty queries, that a writer should figure two years from query to shelf. TWO YEARS!

That’s two years from when your novel is finished, revised, edited, and ready to sell, until you actually have buyers and readers. No wonder the traditional route takes so long to build a career. At 53, I’m not sure I have enough years left to take that route.

Not that other routes go to instant fame, but I can at least, thanks to the internet, get to nearly-instant publishing. At worst, I can blog my novel. And I might. I’m still researching all the options and cooking up a plan, but at this point I’m 99% convinced that indie-author is the way to go.

But then I read on another blog: “Right now, in March of 2010, agents are essential if you want to be a full time fiction writer.” The jist of it being if you want a chance at the big bucks – enough to live on – you’ve got to sell to the big boys. That being the dinosaurs, the ones who won’t change their business practices to adapt to changing times. The ones who want to kill ebooks.

What’s a writer to do? We’re obviously in the midst of upheaval in the publishing world. Do I cling to the old ways because that’s still where most of the money is, or try to find the crest of the wave of the future and hope I can surf my way to future success?