November is NanoWriMo month. Now like me, you are probably thinking what the heck is a NanoWriMo? Well, for the month of November foolish self abusive authors from all around the world band together, well in spirit at least, to punch out a short novel each in 30 days.
Not impossible but not exactly convenient timing either and there lies my conundrum.
Sigh.
Truth be told, I’m making solid headway with my rework / editing of Impatience in particular and less so with Balance. It’s all a matter of free time and as a male I can only think and do one thing at a time. Only real condition is the writing must start on November 1, no earlier. This means I cannot rework one of my short stories into a book. It cannot be a pre-existing piece of work. I also can’t hammer through book 2 of the Evolution Series (the one after Balance) as I have already started that and to be honest it will undoubtedly be way too large for this exercise, best guess for now is 150 – 200K words.
So pros and cons for me to do NanoWriMo 2010 are:
Pro:
All writing, even insanely rushed short (50 – 60k words) still add to writing experience.
Being creative is challenged and yet so rewarding! I’d love to produce another manuscript to share with my proof readers before Christmas.
I already have a basic concept in mind, very rough though.
Have the experience of doing a NanoWriMo month.
Cons:
I like to occasionally sleep!
Progress will stop on the editing 
This is more annoying than anything else as I don’t as yet have a timeline in place to begin submitting the manuscript. It’s not really a big deal I suppose, I’m mostly worried about a loss of momentum.
Over the next two weeks I would need to formalize the basic plot synopsis / outline. This isn’t really a reason more of a holy crap I need to get moving on this or else.
I won’t be able to edit this new manuscript for quite some time as the other two are locked in, next in queue.
So there you have it, in all seriousness I find the allure of NanoWriMo almost irresistible as I simply love to write. I feel that if I go for it then the editing might suffer. I’ve never been in this situation before so I don’t really know.
If you have some advice, cough it up with a comment as I have to decide in the next week one way or the other.
Thanks 
Go for it Jase!
Even if you suspend your other writing activities for the month, what’s a month in the grand scheme of things? And it will be great for you to unleash some creativity in between the hard slog of revision.
How many words do you need to write for this?
It has to be 50,000 at least.
J,
Definitely go for it….you can sleep when you are dead and edit and swim always…but November is November and If you have a rough idea in that head of yours…DO IT!!!!..Mx
ohhh…. just read it has to be 50,000 words.. you better check with Jen first!
Hey Jase,
I’m less than a week from my thesis being due so I KNOW what it’s like to want to go off the beaten path. Since it’s an annual event I would seriously ask yourself what the likelihood of you continuing the edits (successfully) if you stopped to do this other project. If you can do it and return full of vim & vigour to the edits then I say give it a go…it will challenge you. Even more of a challenge is to write concisely in that word limit. If you can’t get back to the edits with the professionalism that is required, then I would suggest posting the November story to next year – put it in your calendar as a MUST attend to!
In the end only you know your ability to deal with the situation and as always your family and friends will support your endeavours.
Go for it – the editing can be done later! There is always another idea lerking around it that head of yours, so throw one done on some paper. And as they say in the good book “No rest for the wicked or the wicked’s wife” !!!! So go for it!!! As I can’t wait to read some more of your ideas.
Yes, you are correct, as a male it is only possible to do one thing (well) at a time, trust me I’ve tried and failed to do multiple tasks many times. That doesn’t mean that you can’t stop one thing and start another. As Meredith and Jon Bon Jovi say “live (in your case write) when I’m alive and sleep when I’m dead”. Sometimes putting something down and coming back to it later gives a fresh and valuable perspective, this could work for all manuscripts. Ultimately, you have a talent that will find it’s way out whichever way you choose to go.
Go for it. By taking the month you will refresh you mind and creativity. It also means you will come back to the editing with a fresher perspective and renewed vigor.
Otherwise the only think I have to ask is…. Would you regret not doing it this year? Cause ther is next year to be part of NanoWriMo. You can always do Movember instead
Don’t do it! Finish what you’ve started. Otherwise you’ll end up with lots of unfinished pieces and nothing ready to try to get published. Write down your zany ideas and work on them later. And don’t forget that with Christmas and summer around the corner, taking November off from editing, then the rush before Christmas….one month will stretch into two or three and you will have lost you train of though and enthusiasm for finishing your existing tomes.
Hey Ja,
I say go fer it! You’re still exploring and learning / trying styles, etc. Do a new project and you’ll benefit and enjoy it, too – no matter if what you produce is “good” or “bad”. I reckon it’s the PROCESS that’s important. Moss is right – what’s a month in the whole big picture? And…I wanna read sumthing new, too!!! :>
As a main contributor to everything that goes on around here – being your other-half and all that – I say go for it! I am jealous of your ability and would love to be able to knock out 5,000 words, let alone 50,000. You have my support, and once my studying is over, you will have my editing abilities again. So in the grand scheme of things, it is only one month. You can do it!