Tag: NaNoWriMo

35,000 Words To Go

Today I passed the 15,o00 word mark and must confess that first time I can see problems looming on the horizon.   Perhaps I was slightly naive in believing that I could free write my way to 50,000 words using a concept I refused to develop before starting.  I wanted the evolution to be natural and unfortunately I am starting to suspect that I won’t make the 30,000 word mark using this idea as it stands.

For the first time I have sat down and actually tried to plot my story line in part to help me maintain a clear direction and also to help me roughly estimate how many words I can pull from this concept.  I do not want to pointlessly pad out the plot as  that would deem the last 9 days as a waste.  My plan of action for now is to write the remainder of the story and then worry after.

In the last post I declared that I wouldn’t read the novel until the 1st of December.  Unfortunately that is now clearly impossible and incredibly unrealistic.  In hindsight I can think of a number of places where I could add new scenes which would add something to the story quite naturally.  The irritating fact is that I have very specifically tried to write a pacey, punchy manuscript and I am certain that when it comes to writing additional scenes I am  sure to disrupt the flow.  Nevertheless I shall cross that bridge when I come to it.

In the meantime my better half has started to read through what I have already written.  Her first impression is that this is the clearest and most focused story I have written.  The best news is that the major twist on which the whole plot depends, caught her completely unaware.  Her opinion means a great deal to me, although I know she is too lovely to ever tell me get a grip, give up and get a life.  Which means one of two things, either we are both completely crazy or I am a very lucky man indeed.

10,000 Words

In 6 days of writing I have comfortably broken the 10,000 word barrier.  I can now say to myself that I am 20% finished.  It is a pretty awesome, awe-inspiring feeling as it makes be believe that writing a 50,000 word novel in a month is well within the reams of possibility.  The fact that NaNoWriMo gives you daily word targets gives you a greater sense of exactly where you are in regards to completing your novel which in turn helps you keep your feet on your ground, and keep you focused.

At the moment I feel this project is far removed, and so different from anything I have ever written in my life.  Whether it will end up as a failed experiment or something I can be proud of I don’t know.  It’s exciting to be working on something which is pushing me as a writer.  It is a million miles from my comfort zone.  I have banned myself from reading it, and I shall do my level best to resist the temptation until November is finished, this way I can be assured that there will be at least one person excited to read it.

In the last update I was talking about how unusual words can come up when you write and grab your attention.  The recent word which has fascinated me is ‘lambasted’.  When you read it with a southern english accent it sounds like it means ‘to break something with a young sheep’.

It’s On

Today the starting pistol was fired for NaNoWriMo.  I wouldn’t say my start was a flyer, alas it wasn’t too bad either.  1700 words in on what will be a 50,000 word journey is quite an intimidating thought.  I feel like I am standing in front of Everest.  I am scared but also exhilarated.  I am the master of my fate for the next month.  Come the end of November, if I fail I shall only have myself to blame.   I shall try to keep posting on my blog, obviously I shan’t have so much time, at the least I shall keep adding progress reports.

It’s a strange irony that the 1st of November is not only the day I have started my novel, but it is also the day of the dead here in Poland.  As death is a key theme in this project, and death is absolutely everywhere, it’s hard to actually think of much else.  I intend on writing a more detailed post about this peculiar Polish holiday later in the week.  What I will say for now is that it the inspiration is working for me.

One of the many wonders of writing for me is when you find yourself typing a word that you seldom use.  So much so that when you say the word aloud it makes you smile.  Todays word was ‘skittish’.  Is it me or does it sound a little like a nationality?  Maybe it’s used to describe people from St Kitts?  Anyway, enough of my nonsense, I have to get ready to join the real world.

Two And A Half Days Until Lift Off

As I previously mentioned, I have signed up to http://www.nanowrimo.org and have every intention of writing a 50,000 word novel in November.  I am pumped and can’t wait for Tuesday to come around so I can get started.  You can still sign up for a month of madness, so if you haven’t already put your name down for passage on this fantastic voyage do it now.  You know you want to.

I have decided upon my subject for November.  I feel it is quirky enough to get 50,000 words from.  Not only that I get to fulfill a long-held personal ambition.  Since I decided to participate I have had an idea in my head which has already started to take on a life of its own.  I know that between now and the time I finished this project I will not be able to sleep.  Today I filled in my synopsis on the NaNoWriMo website so I feel able to publicly share the very loose basis for the project.  Of course it may change a thousand times through November but for today it is correct.  So here you are, the brief outline to my new novel.  Are you sitting comfortably?

There are three things which can irrevocably change a man’s life. Death, God and saying the wrong thing at precisely the wrong moment. Unfortunately for Professor Henry Tomlinson he has recently experienced all three. As Henry desperately tries to cling onto the remnants of his sanity he gets pursued by ninjas, hunted by journalists and stalked by priests. Can Henry get through this ordeal without losing his mind, and if he does what kind of Henry Tomlinson will remain?

A Novel Approach

Yesterday by sheer coincidence I discovered www.nanowrimo.org.  NaNoWriMo is an organisation which promotes creative writing and sheer insanity.  One way they do this is by organising National Novel Writing Month in November.  They challenge willing lunatics to try to write a 50,000 word novel in only 30 days.  In 2010 there were 200,000 participants.  Over 30,000 of them wrote a novel in a month.  Sounds like coordinated madness, right?

Two things impressed me about NaNoWriMo.  The first is their all too public honesty.  Trying to write a novel in 30 days is slightly mad.  It is inevitable that you are unlikely to produce a Booker prize-winning novel.  However the one thing which pushes people away from trying their hand at a novel is the idea that writing a novel takes a great deal of time and effort.  Weirdly, it’s not time and effort which is the problem, it’s getting started and finding a rhythm.  I wrote my initial 80,000 word draft in just over 3 months.  The idea of just producing for 30 days and then trying to edit it into a coherent form is a fantastic idea.  The reason being that it forces people to write.  Regardless of form, a large number of people will finish November as a Novelist, and that is something to cherish.

The second is that it is all organised by a tiny but mighty non-profit organisation called the Office of Letters and Light.  These lovely people spend a great deal of time trying to get kids actively interested in creative writing.  They do it by raising money for a program which reaches 2,700 different classrooms.  They also do nice things for libraries.  And well I like libraries.  And perhaps if more kids were interested in using their imaginations, maybe there wouldn’t be so many little shits on earth.

After some thought I have signed up.  The idea of writing a novel in 30 days sounds so absolutely absurd, that the experience will either drive me mad or teach me something new about myself.  Either way I am willing to find out.  Honestly, I can’t wait for November 1st.