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I meant to do this on Sunday, Day 7 of NaNoWriMo to create a nice symmetry. An update every week on how the writing went, what I discovered about my story, the characters and maybe myself along the way. And then life over road that plan, like many others.
As of today, Day 12 I’m at 23,102. It’s a big number but the higher it gets the more I’m less worried about it. After I hit 10K which seemed impossible two weeks ago, I’m driven less by the number (and also check it less than every ten minutes and despair) and more by my story. Driven so much that I’m worried I’ll be able to finish by November. Sure I’m on pace to hit 50,000 and win but for me the real win will be completing the story. Not to get all sappy and personal but I need this right now really bad. I need to validate that I can do this, write a novel that has at least some redeeming qualities.
Which is the shock in all this. How much I’ve come to rely on my writing time. In the past I have tried to set aside time each day to simply write, but I never sustained it. Sure I hem and haw and whine that I have to write, but by 30 minutes I’m flying, lost again. And I like what I’m writing. Yeah, my novel’s genre, yeah it’s filled with typos and really bad grammar and far too many adverbs and uneven balance between dialogue and events.
So it leads me to today, where I’m being very mopey and critical of my life so far and wondering what now? When this is done and I have a finished product then what? I plan to revise, of course. I really like what I’ve written and I feel I owe it to Al and Jen, and Lis and Mellie to give them the best I have. But then…can I take the next step? Publish? It seems like a pipe dream. It seems I’m unworthy to even say the word, to even think it. But can I really not try?
So onward and upward…to higher word counts.
I’m doing it. I’ve thought about it since my good friend Rachel suggested it back in July. I signed up, I have some plot ideas, I’m buying a book tonight, I’m probably crazy but… I’m writing a novel next month.
As of today I’m an official participant in NaNoWriMo aka National Novel Writing Month. The purpose, since 1999 is to write a complete novel, whether it be crap or not, of 50,000 words by November 30th and win. Win what? The Grand Prize? Vacation for Two? Toaster Oven? No you win what I like to call at life. Writing a novel has been a crazy pipe dream of mine since high school and I wanted to move on from angsty poetry. And NaNoWriMo’s mission fits with my needs, dedicating time to simply writing. As they say quantity, not quality counts. I need to do this, I need to break the mantra down that I could do this if I…blah blah blah. No excuses I’m telling myself. I’m doing this. I might start believing myself soon but I’m writing a novel next month. It will be crap and I will share with you all, and I might throw up and chicken out of the whole thing but it’s happening.
Not sure how this is going to effect my 100 books in a year challenge. I just hit 77 so I’ll be in good shape if I take a month off. I’ll just end the year strong with a string of kids and romance novels.
If you would like to join me in madness my id is akmargie. We’ll be writing buddies. In insanity.
