The "Why I Have 10k Fewer Words Than You Do" Thread

Lady Cat said:

I refuse to update my word count again until I hit the 10,000 mark. At the rate I'm going it might take a while. Last time I checked my document I was a little over 3600.

My excuses:
Lack of Time - I've been working 50 hour weeks at work for the overtime.
Lack of Sleep - getting up at 5 a.m., going to bed at 11, tired in between
Lack of Dexterity - because I work on a chat campaign at work I do a lot of typing. That and the damp weather we've been having have made my fingers swell with arthritis. It hurts to type.

And the worst part is I talked one of my friends at work into signing up and she's over the 10,00 mark already. And she joined late!

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Lady Cat:

Take it easy! I just started doing my NaNo this week, because I managed to get laid off my full-time job. Before that, I was working 55- and 60- hour weeks, and I know how exhausting it is, even if you enjoy your jobs.

Do what you can, and enjoy the process and the product, even if it isn't 50,000 words. Don't burn yourself out trying to squeeze in an extra hour a day writing, if it means you have to skimp on sleep.

And please do update your word count. Be proud of every single word you write! Even three thousand words is a triumph, if you wouldn't have written them otherwise. Don't worry about what any other writer is doing--not everyone is tackling the problems that you have.

Hey, guess what? Today I'm procrastinating on doing the laundry and writing the NaNo instead!

Finally.

ltd.
still at least 10k behind though...

limitedtimeauthor said:

Hey, guess what? Today I'm procrastinating on doing the laundry and writing the NaNo instead!

Finally.

ltd.
still at least 10k behind though...

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The laundry in my house is threatening to take over... I might let it, could make for an interesting plot twist...

10000

The laundry in my house is threatening to take over... I might let it, could make for an interesting plot twist...

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Oh, yeah... laundry <runs upstairs to do it>

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But, see...

This is why you're smokin' me with your word count. I'm still at just over 7500. But lots of clean laundry at my house.

ltd.

Yeshanu said:

Thanks for asking, quid. Yep, I'm writing now. Let's challenge ourselves to be come-from-behind winners, like the guy in chapter 2 of No Plot, No Problem, who finishes most of his 50,000 words in the last three days of NaNo every year...

Or let's not. We've still got plenty of time. But I was thinking, why doesn't your MC take a side trip to Dubai, dried fish and all? Then you could write about the trip and add to your word count at the same time?

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I haven't read NP?NP! - don't have a copy - but I'll take your word for it on the guy who writes it all in the last three days. I could do it. I'd probably wind up with major brain damage, but I could do it.

Um, in my novel, it's set a hundred thousand years in the future on space faring vessels and Earth as we know it doesn't exist anymore.

Wait. No, this could work.

Some of my characters visit old Earth, which is, by then, nothing more than a relic. One of them could have a, well, not a dream sequence, but a flashback genetic memory sequence. Hmmm. This could work.

Okay, at the end, I'd have to delete it cuz it doesn't actually add to the plot line, but for the short term, I could justify adding it in the spirit of NaNoWriMo incoherence and not-quite-cheating.

Hmmm. Thanks for the idea. I'll get on it right now.

I have my pictures up, but seriously, what's the point of pictures if there's no story to go along with it?

maddythemad said:

Haha! I make my mom do the laundry!

And heeeere's the update:

Words - 8, 913
Excuses - 0

And I'm trying to fit "yardarm" in. Whatever THAT means.

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Keep on trucking Maddy! You are getting there...

My mom lives on the other side of the world... and she refuses to fold the hubby's underwear anyways...
10000 <-- number of loads I will have to do once NaNo is over...

What laundry? Don't you just throw it away when it gets old and worn?

Anyway 5009

excuse: Major job crisis. Created severe block due to too much information being absorbed and sorted. I'm just getting my head back above water and wrote 1000 words today after I swore I would just write senseless jibber-jabber until I could get going again. It worked!

I hate those signature things that have word counts on them. Guilt! Guilt! Guilt!

I am better now.

So...now that everyone's laundry is clean, what will we use for our new excuse?

Ah, but then again, the laundry is never really done!

I have no new word count to post, unless you count this post. But it's because I had to shop today! I promise, I had to. Feet sore. Very tired. G'night.

ltd.

Wait. There. I've added one word to my WIP. 7501

Yeesh, I Just made it past 13,000 (I feel special*g*). Lemme see, a good reason... oh yeah, I've been brainless most of this month so far (which at some times has helped...). I guess that's a good reason. Meds just starting to kick in/air pressure sadly going down here (whee, dizzy spells).

Blech.

(so I'm procrastinating, of course)

LOL- Have a good thanksgiving maddy

I'm sorry for not keeping updated on my excuses. I am seriously running out of them. (Feel so dumb.)

All right, my real and true excuse: Doubt! I know better: 'don't let ole IE getcha down' and all that. But that's still the best excuse I've got. I mean, sure, I'm busy and all, but I can't say that all those people who are already 50k+ aren't busy too! My real excuse is just that I've never done this before, and even though I knew it would be hard, it's still, well, hard. I have this wonderful idea, and this terrible WIP. I know! I should just write, but aaargh! (Is this that 3rd week thing? Kinda like being at 10 centimeters? Where ya cuss out your husband and say "Look what you've done to me!!!")

But - do you realize how much I have gotten accomplished since NaNo started (as a means of avoiding it)? I even starting exercising <gasp>. I've lost 5 lbs., LOL!

Bright side: Thanksgiving will actually be an opportunity for me to work on it.

limitedtimeauthor said:

But - do you realize how much I have gotten accomplished since NaNo started (as a means of avoiding it)? I even starting exercising <gasp>. I've lost 5 lbs., LOL!

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Hubby was reading over my shoulder, he decided he's going to sign up for NaNo next year so that he too can procrastinate.

10000

LimitedTimeAuthor - don't give up.. use that Thanksgiving time to bring that wonderful idea to life.. remember this is FIRST DRAFT month, in december you can throw half of it out, and spend weeks agonizing over a perfect sentence.. but there is still time in Nov to finish...

limitedtimeauthor said:

I have this wonderful idea, and this terrible WIP. I know! I should just write, but aaargh! (Is this that 3rd week thing? Kinda like being at 10 centimeters? Where ya cuss out your husband and say "Look what you've done to me!!!")

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LOL- if only this came with the same good drugs as childbirth! Oh wait--chocolate isn't quite as good, but it will have to do.

Happy Nano everyone! Make sure you write during Thanksgiving (even if you have to smuggle a notebook along ) ANd if you don't---well, okay, nothing bad is going to happen. Just have fun instead.

gobblegobble

Good for you Maddy. That's 20K you didn't have at the beginning of the month. *sneaks Maddya piece of winner cake under the table*

Well here we are, at the end.

I have been avoiding the threads, knowing the would help me avoid the writing. I will finish with only 16k.

My excuses:
Work. stupid day job
Holiday. All the Turkey made me tired, I had to nap instead of write

Okay, I won't bother making a lot of excuses. I have something like 11,000. Lots of clean laundry, house looks good, I look good (having lost some poundage from procrastinating at the gym). Also went out of town, had relatives in visiting, and a few other things.

I really did go into this with the intentions of finishing 50,000, but I hardly can complain about 11,000. I'm humbled by all those who won, and by the magnitude of the task of writing a novel!

So, there are a few blessings I got out of doing NaNo this year. Perhaps I'll finish this; or perhaps I'll stick to articles, LOL!

Thanks everybody for the encouragement and advice! (Actually, the day's not over. I might just finish with a few words than I have right now. )

ltd.

ps. Maddy: Thanks for the offer, but since NaNo's almost over, I have stopped accepting any more donations. And, do a good deed: help your poor mom with that laundry, LOL!

No excuses here, either. I'm finishing with nearly 26k and I consider that a huge accomplishment because it's the most I've ever written and I feel generally good about the content. I'm proud of myself and proud of everyone's efforts no matter the size! I also plan to continue working on my WIP, how about you?

sanremoave said:

I'm proud of myself and proud of everyone's efforts no matter the size!

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So size does NOT matter... whew!