Oh man, I had no idea what I was signing up for.
I stressed last night. I fretted, I whinged, I went through my old notebooks as I tried to figure out which of many story lines I was going to use for Nanowrimo.
I had several that were a little further along in the story, but the goal is to let loose with something new and fresh, to let the mind wander naked and free and see what happens during the process.
So I decided to go with a more "out there" concept, more flyé, as we say here in Quebec.
I've written more than I thought I would. Let's see how it goes when I get to "the soggy middle" sometime in mid-November.
Showing posts with label nanowrimo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label nanowrimo. Show all posts
Monday, November 1, 2010
Sunday, October 31, 2010
NaNoWriMo Wha-aat?
Some of you may notice the new widget on the sidebar.
This is for NaNoWriMo. For the uninitiated, this stands for National Novel Writing Month. Every November, writers from around the globe come together between November 1st and November 30th in an attempt to write 50,000 words each, pretty much the length of a novel. (Unless you are Diana Gabaldon, and then it's more of a prologue.)
"Thirty days and nights of literary abandon!" is our rallying cry. The idea is to let the writing flow without getting overly obsessive over quality. You may end up with complete crap, or you may find that partway through, you've hit the writers' equivalent of the sweet spot. It doesn't matter. What matters is getting the words on the page.
In order to add your name to the list of "winners" you must complete 50,000 words by the end of the month.
I know.
I know.
It may be the craziest thing I've done for a long time. (Except for maybe...nah. That was crazier.) And of course, it would coincide with my decision to give up coffee. (Eleven days and counting.) You are encouraged to start afresh with a new idea, not to rework an old manuscript. I've got to focus and decide which idea I'm going to run with, starting tomorrow.
Actually, midnight. As in, tonight.
The point is to let your creative mind run naked and free into that golden field of barley and allow yourself to feel the warmth of the sun upon your metaphorical face, and to ignore that niggly feeling that says hey, the farmer next door just stumbled out of the woods looking for his lost dog and is now staring open-mouthed upon your big pale rump.
Wish me luck! If I'm posting on my blog less frequently, it's because,
a) I'm writing obsessively.
b) I'm sucking my thumb in a corner asking myself "Why, oh why did I agree to do this?"
To quote Yoda, "Do, or do not. There is no try."
edited to add: I just began in my usual fashion, not by writing an outline but by avoidance i.e., cleaning off my desk. I just removed a large T.G. Green bowl filled with loose change, old receipts and the usual flotsam and jetsam, and what is resting on top of the pile? A box of Imodium and an Air Canada barf bag. A sign?
This is for NaNoWriMo. For the uninitiated, this stands for National Novel Writing Month. Every November, writers from around the globe come together between November 1st and November 30th in an attempt to write 50,000 words each, pretty much the length of a novel. (Unless you are Diana Gabaldon, and then it's more of a prologue.)
"Thirty days and nights of literary abandon!" is our rallying cry. The idea is to let the writing flow without getting overly obsessive over quality. You may end up with complete crap, or you may find that partway through, you've hit the writers' equivalent of the sweet spot. It doesn't matter. What matters is getting the words on the page.
In order to add your name to the list of "winners" you must complete 50,000 words by the end of the month.
I know.
I know.
It may be the craziest thing I've done for a long time. (Except for maybe...nah. That was crazier.) And of course, it would coincide with my decision to give up coffee. (Eleven days and counting.) You are encouraged to start afresh with a new idea, not to rework an old manuscript. I've got to focus and decide which idea I'm going to run with, starting tomorrow.
Actually, midnight. As in, tonight.
The point is to let your creative mind run naked and free into that golden field of barley and allow yourself to feel the warmth of the sun upon your metaphorical face, and to ignore that niggly feeling that says hey, the farmer next door just stumbled out of the woods looking for his lost dog and is now staring open-mouthed upon your big pale rump.
Wish me luck! If I'm posting on my blog less frequently, it's because,
a) I'm writing obsessively.
b) I'm sucking my thumb in a corner asking myself "Why, oh why did I agree to do this?"
To quote Yoda, "Do, or do not. There is no try."
edited to add: I just began in my usual fashion, not by writing an outline but by avoidance i.e., cleaning off my desk. I just removed a large T.G. Green bowl filled with loose change, old receipts and the usual flotsam and jetsam, and what is resting on top of the pile? A box of Imodium and an Air Canada barf bag. A sign?
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