Dec 1, 20233 min read

NaNoWriMo 2023: Week Four

It's over, and the grand total for NaNoWriMo 2023 is over 21K words.

The grand total is (insert drumroll):

Title Card with NaNoWriMo Week four numbers

(Insert raucous applause and whoops)

Yes, 21,140 words isn't equal to 50K. Still, it’s a respectable total of words written. Truth be told, it's the biggest amount created on digital parchment in a long time.

It didn't go the way initially planned. Then again, many competitors say the same thing. They want to reach 50K going in one direction. Then, a new idea turns them around.

The Original Idea

The original idea comprised the completion of new Write Decisions articles and progress on The Mediocre Quest of Rathspun. I already have 13,000 words for the latter, which means NaNo could've gotten me to the book's end, making it the first completed manuscript in years.

However, an orange folder with "Stories and Ideas" scrawled on its cover called my name. It contained writing notes, partial stories & outlines, and some plot fragments created during class exercises. Some of the material was nearly three decades old.

It was my Delphinapterus leucas (white whale -- read a book, people) sitting in a basket of to-do items, gathering copious layers of dust. I'd pick it up occasionally to review its contents and clean it up. Nevertheless, it remained a dormant pile of creativity with nowhere to go.

The New Idea

At some point early in NaNoWriMo, I decided to suspend progress on articles and Rathspun and dig into the folder. I'm glad I did. It was a treasure trove of writing notes and years of creative ideas. Overall, the works revealed a steady stream of decent ideas.

It rejuvenated me. For the first half of 2023, I dealt with a bout of deep imposter syndrome. No one accepted my pitches or called for job interviews. I'd been scolded a few times at my current position concerning my writing. It made me feel like a 90-Day Fiance contestant rejected before their soon-to-be partner got off the plane.

Come November 30, the "Stories and Ideas" folder contained two items: A Detective Comics script sent to me while I was a teenager and my scribbled images on notebook covers from high school. Everything else was either moved into a digital format or discarded.

The transfer closed a chapter of inactivity. Not only do I feel a sense of completion, but I also know that I'm not a creative imposter. I can make things happen when I put my mind to it.

What Now?

First, the folder will remain empty. My virtual manuscript and story folders are already stocked with incomplete material. It's time to make them whole.

I'm going to apply a snowball method to my projects. I’ll close out the nearly finished projects. When I complete one, I'll focus my energy on the second, third, and so on. I'll explain the concept in more detail in another article. Needless to say, it's similar to the Debt Snowball Method.

I've declared 2024 the year I stop all the bulls***t and devote my time to full-time writing. I'm about to hit the mid-50s mark in years, and I'd like to spend my time writing books and stories to participate in early-bird dinners and free movies on Tuesday mornings.

Before I start the snowball, here's the final NaNoWriMo numbers breakdown for 2023:

Vantaverse -- A Superhero Universe

Goal: 3,000 words | Completed: 11,081 words

There was a plethora of material for this project. In addition to the outlines and character profiles, I had a 4,500-word story. Originally a fanfic based on the Justice League of America, it's now part of the Vantaverse.

Digital Transfers

Goal: 2,000 words | Completed: 5,628 words

Half of the words came from incomplete stories and plot fragments. They're now safely ensconced in the cloud and double-saved.

Write Decisions Blogs

Goal: 10,000 words | Completed: 1,652 words

Hey, I created four blog posts for the month. All is good.

Rathspun

Goal: 50,000 words | Completed 1,066 words

The good news is I know how I want to proceed. I want it to be an ongoing series showing the growth of Rathspun into a world-class wizard. A title change is needed as I move forward.