Exposed Sunday: NaNoWriMo - When You Gotta Write!

I have been participating in National Novel Writing Month since 2003.

I have failed to write 50,000 words for the month since 2004. (yes, I won my first NaNo, only to lose every single year thereafter)

Yet, this still hasn't deterred me from writing/competing every year, though in the last few, I tend to bow out after my first week. I have other writing to do, usually, and I use the manic writing sessions to work on that, shelving my NaNo story idea for another day. Just as long as I write down my notes, I don't feel bad for it.

In fact, it was all because of NaNo I got a lot of my story ideas - ones that I'm using to actually springboard into a proper writing career. My ultimate goal is to get published, after all. It's that insane mindset of "don't think, just write" that seems to light that fire within me. Apparently, I need deadlines and quotas to function.

Once I thought I was a pantser. A dreamy, doe-eyed pantser that waited for inspiration to strike when the Muse was feeling generous. Of course, that was also before I realised just how much work writing a novel involves. This is really not an occupation for the faint of heart. It takes stamina and you really have to shove your Inner Critic in a sound-proof box and leave them there until you've done your first or second draft, at least.

Outlines are my friends. Actually, they are (quite literally) my road maps. I don't have to keep to them - because wandering about here and there is good and you may find a nice place to eat - but having the map means I don't have to be lost forever. It means I can wander without ending up with 100 rambling pages of crap without any sort of hope to fixing that.

However, NaNo is okay with that. It's just NaNo, after all. Not only that, but amazing people like Roz Morris have tools that can help revive the mess that is your "novel" (NaNo or otherwise) into something that resembles a proper story structure! Maybe even publishable! I love her book, for sure.

If you're looking at options, Plotting for a Pantsers by Jamie Gold sounds like oodles of awesome!

Not everyone is cut out to do NaNo, although they may be hardcore writers, like Kait Nolan - she's not doing NaNo in the traditional sense, but she keeps her finger on the pulse and uses it.

This will probably be my first year not doing NaNo "in the traditional sense" either. I have several books in the planning/plotting stage and in six months I'm hoping to be shopping around for my first book. I will definitely use the deadlines/manic typing energy to keep myself in-line and on course. I have a lot to write and a social life to keep cultivated, too.

The main thing for me is that, through NaNo, I learned that I have to write. Whether I participate, win, lose or never even get published is really not the point. I've awakened a (writing) monster. NaNo just helped give me the first solid kick in the pants to do it.

Remember to rest, too. Good advice.


Your turn! You have 11 days before it starts. Go! Or don't. Are you a pantser or a plotter? What are you doing for the month of November? I'll be writing. Of course.

I'm Still Runnin'

...By the skin of my teeth. I am just making NaNo at an average of 2000 words a day. It's my little cushion so that one day I can go over and then give myself an excuse to be lazy, but I'm hoping I will be better than this and not be lazy - but go on to finish this...piece of crap that I can't believe I'm writing.

Anyway, my story has now expanded a bit - yay! - with more random ideas to fill out as to why things are happening as they are. There have been some twists and turns that have appeared, which is doing wonders for my word count. Of course, I'll look at this in December (or, more likely, next NaNo) and wonder what possessed me to write this.

Oh, that's right. NaNo. I'm still running. It's only Day 3 - but I'm still running.

I found Jody Hedlund's blog entry "A Writer's Number One Enemy" and it helped. Like I've said before, I'm a practising optimist. I still have my default "negative" moments. More than necessary, in fact. I am pushing through - and I'm happy with myself, as happy as I can be with myself. I am cheering myself on more than bashing myself - honest!

In other news - hubby made this great savoury juice where I threw in hot sauce. It gave it a nice bite and if we could have had alcohol, I would have been in Bloody Mary heaven.

Also, I have been eating lotsa carrots. I think my grandparents would be proud.

Word count: 6101

I Bled The Turnip...& I Got Beet Juice!

I haven't started Day 2 of NaNo, yet - and my first 2018 words last night (and the very end of last night, almost this morning) was like pulling teeth. I did it. I'm happy that I made it to 2k and I'm hoping to write another 2k today. I have no idea how I'm going to keep up with this schedule all month - especially when I go back to work next week.

Also, my story that was originally planned as a "horror/supernatural" has become a Chick Lit story. At least it feels less scary and less supernatural - but it's early. I mean, I opened with a funeral...well, post-funeral - everyone is gathered at the house (of the deceased) and it's a party in there. Right now my main character is (was?) trying to defuse an argument happening in the kitchen.

That's another thing. Whilst doing NaNo, I've decided to do a month-long fast (health reasons, trying to purge myself of crappy feelings from the food allergies/sensitivities I have) so, naturally, what shows up in my novel? Everyone's eating! I don't describe the food in detail (although I'm sure that would help my word count) but my starting scene is in the kitchen, counters piled high with food and people stuffing their faces and here I am, drinking a vegan vegetable concoction. No solid food. Crap.

The juicing hasn't been bad, honestly - but the cravings are interesting. I really wanted steak yesterday (that was my first day). Just had my morning juice and, overall, I'm full. We only had two meals yesterday - I was too full to even try for dinner. It's once we've done two weeks of the same thing - I wonder just how much I'll be wishing for a double cheeseburger.

So, not a bad start on either front - the juicing or Nano - but I totally didn't expect my story to take the radical turn it did and I certainly didn't expect myself to like the juice. It's early, though. Change happens. We'll see what this all changes into next week...once I'm surrounded by food.

Word count: 2018

This is SO Not About NaNoWriMo

It's coming, y'know - if you aren't one of the 200K+ folks of the writing-mind who go crazy during the month of November to participate in NaNoWriMo, you may have friends (or relatives or coworkers or miscellaneous acquaintances who mysteriously have Too Busy Schedules and maybe don't surface for air until family holidays, distracted and clutch scraps of paper, stuffed in pockets, pencils tucked behind their ears as they mumble something about murder...

Maybe that's just me. Not quite sure. NaNo always gives me something new to write about. This year, I'm trying my hand at paranormal "quiet" horror. I don't know what the death toll will be necessarily, but I am hoping to achieve a creep-factor of at least 7 (10 being the highest).

But this isn't about NaNoWriMo.

If you want to read about NaNo, there are plenty of blogs whirling about that - scores of them. A great blog with oodles of guest writers is WriMos FTW! (today @write_me_happy is guest blogger and after reading her post, you just want to stand up and cheer her on. At least, I do. Anyone willing to do this insane month-long-self-pat-on-the-back-for-doing-50K-words-in-30-days deserves a cheer - especially when you have a goal past "just writing 50K words of crap". It's a lofty (but possible) goal.

The key is preparation. @KristenLambTX has a blog for that. She has some fantastic posts to help you get yourself organised and turn that 30 day frenzy into a respectable draft - in order to edit and polish without wanting to rip out all your hair and/or leap from the tallest building. You may get that urge somewhere around November 10th (just a warning).

I still have an outline to finish. There is an ending that I was happy about 2 days ago which was immediately killed (deader than a doornail) and now I'm feeling little moments of panic because how am I supposed to end this story I've concocted? Eeep.

I'm also in the middle of getting our fledgling theatre off the ground - we're going to announce our first season in early December, but we still have a lot of prep work to do and my mind keeps spinning. I'm glad I'm not in charge of the super-duper important stuff. I think I might have a nervous breakdown. I might have a nervous breakdown anyway.

November is a busy month (always is) and there are a lot of personal things (good things!) that I'm trying to accomplish then, too. Good gravy, only twelve days left before it starts.

Somebody hold me.

Inspired (Delirium) By Sickness

I've been hopped up on meds since Monday night - still doing my straight job, still pulling a full day with mandatory overtime. I have those moments of woozy and woe and, like yesterday afternoon, I am in absolute danger of falling asleep at my desk and knocking myself unconscious as my head slams into my keyboard. Things can get rather exciting here in no time at all.

What I really want is bed - or at least a few days where the most complicated thought is "Do I get up to eat now or wait until I feel more hungry?" I don't think that's going to happen any time soon, so I will continue to take the meds, rest as much as I can.

Along with my writerly pursuits, I am one of the founding members of a brand new theatre company (more on this in future posts - it's juicy stuff) - and we're looking to file Non-Profit status, so I'm up to my eyeballs in government literature as to how to do that without losing my mind. I don't know if it's worked yet, but I remain hopeful. Thank goodness we know a so many people who've already gone through this - and are willing to help!

Lastly, I'm furiously banging away at my outline for NaNo - because I'm determined to start this year's novel with an outline. I've done this enough times without one - and they have all ended in an unhappy mess. I always thought I was a good pantser, until I was hell-bent on finishing something. That meant I needed a clear idea of where my story was going to end and if I didn't have a rough map as to where that was going to be - my story would never end.

I don't know if it's a personal philosophy (or just delusions from my being sick) but I was moved at a very young age with a dialogue from The Last Unicorn:

Molly Grue: But what if there isn't a happy ending?
Schmendrick: There are no happy endings, because nothing ends.

Nothing ends. I have always seen it that way and though I love a lot of different books and stories and movies and whatever - I never quite understood how they/anyone could just "end" things. It doesn't. People move on, things change, new stories develop - maybe with different characters, but nothing ever ends.

Maybe I got the flu. Doesn't feel like the flu, but I sure do feel crazy.

My NaNo Makes Me Screeeeeeeeeeeeeam!

Although, shouldn't it make you scream? I hope in a good way. Hmm. 

For the first time (okay, second time - but that first time it was more urban fantasy and you're supposed to love the monster, anyway...), I am attempting a horror story for my NaNo. I have no idea what I'm doing. Ever. I can't even watch horror movies (example: we went to the cinema to see Ju-on and the way I watched it was through my fingers; fingernails digging into the arm of my better half - and I still managed to have nightmares for a year, oy). What the hell am I thinking? 

Desperation, I think is the word. Well, no - not entirely. Some of it was inspiration. Honest. Stop laughing, out there! 

My nano-pitch: A young woman who's getting settled into life - new house, great new promotion, stable and healthy relationship(s), etc. - inherits a mirror from her favourite, loving aunt that does a little more than show her a pretty reflection. 

I'm a tease and I hope it gives someone (besides myself) nightmares - or at the very least that creepy, crawly feeling you get when you think someone's watching you (especially when you are totally alone).

Being that I'm a total maniacal, obsessive, compulsive, perfectionist (you really want more adjectives?) outliner - having only started my outline a few nights ago is making me a little crazy. Okay, so I'm crazy regardless, but that's beside the point. Right now, I'm trying to focus and get some sort of outline put together so I don't lose my marbles on Nov 1st. Right now, I think I'm missing a few marbles, but y'know...whatever!

I'm trying out the snowflake method - so far, so good. Nowhere near done, but I haven't run screaming from the building yet. This is a win.

What's everyone else writing about for NaNo? Got a method? 

Now for a cute dog photo (sorry for waking you, Bonny):

The Nanos Are Coming! The Nanos Are Coming!

nano - a combining form with the meaning “very small, minute,” used in the formation of compound words (nanoplankton); in the names of units of measure it has the specific sense “one billionth” (10 -9 ): nanomole; nanosecond.
(courtesy of Dictionary.com)

Of course, that has nothing to do with NaNoWriMo - the month-long maniacal attempt to push out a word-count of 50K in a mere 30 days. It's insanity, I tell you.

Unless you are (1) independently wealthy, (2) have no responsibilities (and I mean NONE - short of getting yourself to the toilet; adult diapers eventually need changing) and (3) have no holidays to celebrate (Eid & Thanksgiving come to mind - but I'm sure there are more hiding somewhere...) - oh, and (4) a hermit, NaNo can be tricky to schedule in between working, social/familial commitments, chores - y'know daily life.

Those of you smart-alecks who pound out several thousand words a day - shut up. This is for the rest of us.

Here is some motivation:
Wear your Pants of Shame. These are literal pants and if you want to get in on the action (but have no time to knit/crochet/sew), go to your local thrift shop and find the ugliest pants you can afford; don't be afraid! You know they are out there, lingering in a bin because no one wants them. Really. Follow the rest of the directions in the link and you're set for Nano 2011!

You can knit/crochet/sew yourself a proper pair later - and really punish yourself.

Though I do feel that the definition "very small, minute" makes a lot of sense here - being that (on average) a novel can be anywhere around 80K - 100K, which means your 50K comes up a mite short. The actual writing process is also blasted out in a very brief span of time (again, those of you who can write novels in under 30 days, shut up). It just a coincidence, naturally, but NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month. There ya go.

Another place (outside of the Nano forums) for fellow crazy people, I mean writers:
Nanowrimo-For The Win

So, anyone else out there doing this? Every year I try, every year I lose - but I keep writing. That either means I'm a writer or I'm an idiot. Maybe both.

If you want to do some fun prompts to get you prepped before the big month, go wander over to CurlyViking's blog and try out the writing challenges she's posted. I'm going to try the latest (1500+ words, use an element from the periodic table, 3rd person, extra points for a non-scientific story) and see what I come up with.

Of course, I still have that other story I started on Saturday that really should get pounded out quick...can someone please throw me a writing-life-preserver? Please?