The day I won NaNoWriMo and hated every word I wrote

Finished 50,000 words in November 2022 but the story was garbage because I forced a murder mystery plot I had no interest in. Why do we push through prompts that don't spark anything instead of just scrapping them and starting fresh?

3 comments

3 Comments

fiona_kim9716d ago

Did you outline the whole thing before you started or were you flying by the seat of your pants? I did a historical fiction NaNo once where I forced 500 words a day about a blacksmith I didn't care about, just to hit the count, and I haven't touched that file since. Learned that time is better spent on stuff that actually excites me, even if it means starting over three times in a row.

keith27414d ago

See I kinda disagree with that. Sometimes you gotta push through the boring parts to get to the good stuff later. If I only worked on projects that were exciting every single minute I'd never finish anything. I mean I get that forcing 500 words a day about a blacksmith sounds awful but maybe that discipline is what helps you write better when you actually hit a scene you care about. Starting over three times sounds exhausting to me honestly. Maybe its just a different style but I think sticking with something even when its a grind can teach you more than chasing excitement.

kai_burns7315d ago

Starting fresh is hard but way better than grinding through something that makes you miserable.