I’ve decided to prove that I can write fifty thousand words in thirty days on my own — without anyone or any organization giving me a deadline. Here are the parameters I set for myself:
- I will write every day in May.
- To prepare before May 1st, I made a list of scenes.
- I plan to write about 400 words for each scene.
- I prepared a list of characters with minimal character descriptions.
- I used the Save The Cat structure when making a scene list.
- Even if I don’t finish a scene, I move on to the next one. My goal is to capture the essence of each scene in around 400 words.
- I self-discipline myself to write as much as I can each day and finish with a rough draft of a complete story.
- My intention is to have fun and not take it seriously.
Here is how my first week went:
Day 1:
It’s a Thursday and in the middle of the work week. A couple times over the years, NaNoWriMo started on a Saturday or Sunday, and I had all day to race off when the gun blasted off at midnight. Not today. I wanted to wake up at midnight, but I woke up at 2 am instead. I knew I wouldn’t go back to sleep, so I dashed off about 1,200 words and went back to bed. I woke up at 5 am, got ready, and drove to the coffee shop. I reached 1,772 words before going to work. I thought I’d have all evening after work to get more done, but I’m too tired.
Day 2:
I only wrote 596 words today. I wrote them before work. I planned to write more after work, but I went home and fell asleep almost immediately because I had gotten little sleep on Day 1. Oh well. I plan to make it up this weekend.
Day 3:
I didn’t write a word until 3:15 pm. Even though I’m loving my story, I’m procrastinating. I went grocery shopping this morning, talked to my Dad on the phone for an hour, and napped. It wasn’t until after three in the afternoon I was ready to write. The Kentucky Derby happens in my city today. All the crazies, the drunks, and the partiers will be driving around town this afternoon and evening. I’m staying home. It’s motivating me to spend hours writing my story and getting caught up.
Over the past couple of days, I’ve realized that I don’t even get to the core of my scene before I get to 400 words. Which is good because I’m able to increase my word count. I won’t run out of anything to write about. The bad news is that I miss out on essential plot moments before moving to the next scene. If I reach 50,000 words before the end of the month, I’ll be going back and finishing as many of those scenes as possible. In the meantime, I will continue to limit each scene to 400 words to make it through the entire story before 50K.
I sleep for a few hours and wake up an hour before the end of the day. By midnight, I’ve reached 5103 words. I’m caught up. But not as far as I wanted to be by the end of Saturday.
Day 4:
Well, I was behind in my word count when the day started, but I spent Sunday afternoon writing, and I actually got caught up. I wanted to be a few days ahead in my word count, but that did not happen. This is good enough, though. The final word count for day 4 is 6753.
Day 5:
I wrote part of a scene at the coffee shop before work. I didn’t get to write more after work because I was tired and lazy, so I didn’t get much done today. My final word count for day 5 is 6820.
Day 6:
I outlined five scenes, but there was no full-out narrative today. Which is okay because I really needed to plan out these scenes. Also, I keep the outlines as part of my word count. What I’ll do is write more expanded versions of these scenes today. I want to go back and finish several scenes I haven’t finished since I started. But I’m torn. I also want to have the full story fleshed out from beginning to end by day 30. I may compromise and go back and write detailed outlines to finish those scenes so I can keep moving the story along. But I am behind in my word count. I hope to catch up over the next few days and this weekend. And it’s Mother’s Day this Sunday, so I need to figure out what Mom wants! The final word count for day 6 is 7541.
Day 7:
I returned to the manuscript’s beginning and filled in unfinished scenes with outline statements. That way, I’m building my word count, not spending too much time in the earlier parts of the story, and finally, this will help me remember when I come back to fully flesh out these scenes with full-on exposition. I still didn’t get as much done as I wanted to. Work was hectic today, and I was in front of a computer screen for eight hours. Honestly, I’m glad I got some done before work because I wasn’t motivated afterward. I still love my story, but I need to find a way to get some rest after work without neglecting my 50K Novel. The final word count for day 7 is 8413.
Friday’s Findings
- You’ve Got to Try Mark Twain’s Secret Writing Trick
- 5 ways to cut your story down to size: How to shorten your manuscript
- A Dialog Writing Exercise
- How Readers React to Reactions
- What is Exposition? Definition, Tips, and Examples
50K in 30 Days Weeks:
Friday’s Findings: My 50K Novel Week 2
Friday’s Findings: My 50K Novel Week 3
Friday’s Findings: My 50K Novel Week 4
Andrew M. Friday 
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