It's definitely been a while since I posted. I have been SERIOUSLY preoccupied... with life. BUT this delay in posting has given me an idea to talk about, instead of the several others I have waiting on a pad.
Camp NaNo is sort of NaNaoWriMo's little cousin that takes place over the month of April. Instead of a solid 50k word count goal, you are given the opportunity to make your OWN goal for the month. Some people make it more conservative than others. Personally I went for another 50k goal. Others went for a more modest word count. I believe there was an individual that wanted to simply get 4k for the month.
Of these, not everyone succeeded in their goals. At least not officially. I'm not going to belittle anyone for making their goals any size, and I'm not scolding people for not meeting the goals they set. What I WILL talk about, is budgeting. Specifically budgeting your time for these sorts of events / contests.
There is a big misconception on the rate to which a person can type. Typing speed world record for alphanumeric keyboard is 216. Yes, that IS impressive. But the average person is going to type far slower than that. One study done in 1998(old I know but still relevant-ish) said the average typing speed was 33 per minute, or 19 for composition. When transcribing you will always type faster than if you were having to come up with it as you go. Add in the complexity that can come with trying to keep plots straight, how characters would react to certain stimuli, all while trying not to over use certain words... and your ACTUAL average speed will drop tremendously.
When it comes to setting goals, you need to factor this in with your calculations. If you block out a large portion of time for other things, and set a high goal, you're not likely to reach said goal if enough time isn't allotted for the actual writing. Make your goals a struggle, but manageable. Setting yourself up for failure is simply "setting yourself up for failure." There is no tragic marter in this sort of thing. You simply didn't do it.
In some cases you may let others down, such as regular readers, when you don't post when you say you will. For something like NaNo, you've missed a golden opportunity. Why is this such a waste? This could have been a major morale boost for you. Most likely you'll feel a pang of regret, or self-loathing or any of those other "kicking self in pants" descriptors. Never underestimate the power of morale. Instead of being elated, or at the very least satisfied in a job well done, you may start questioning yourself. In other cases you may start actively AVOIDING similar tasks / opportunities because you've failed at it already. I've seen it happen many times, and I find it personally disheartening when talented people cut themselves off at the knee.
So... BUDGET YOUR TIME WISELY. Make goals that are actually attainable. Pushing yourself and making it challenging is fine, but make it reasonable. Don't do things simply trying to impress other people. After all: no one will be able to read your masterpiece, if you never finish.
--Kirk
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