Friday, November 4, 2011

NaNoWriMo

November is National Novel Writing Month (nanowrimo) and I have taken on the challenge.  Starting Nov. 1, I have until midnight Nov. 30 to write a novel of 50,000 words.  I am writing every night before margarita/cocktail hour and so far I am averaging about 1,500 words a day.  This puts me only a little behind schedule. (I think I need about 1,600 or so words a day).  I figure I can make it up at the end of the month if I am still behind.  This is all about quantity, not quality.  Once the first draft is down I can go back and clean up the mess.  And at this moment it is a mess!

I have always wanted to write a novel.  Fiction is what I am most interested in writing, but this novel is decidedly not fiction.  It is much easier to write non fiction at this pace for me because fiction seemed too vast, endless possibilities.  I just couldn't narrow things down and come up with a good story so fast.  What I decided I need to do is just write.  I am very rusty.  It didn't use to be this hard!   I haven't written anything since my son was born 19 years ago, except to fill in his baby book with documented evidence of his first word, steps, teeth, etc.  I wrote down details of all his birthday parties, presents and friends.  I even have his first haircut clipping and most all of his baby teeth.  That's as close to writing as I have done in all these years.

I am sorry I haven't been blogging as much to past few days.  The novel writing has taken center stage now.  I am on track to have 50,000 words of garbage by the end I this month.  My first best selling novel!  Ha!

3 comments:

  1. I know you can do it...
    GOOD LUCK....

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  2. are you going to let family and friends read the manuscript? ;)
    blogging is a good way to brush up on your writing skills, as you are probably finding.
    xo

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  3. Right now I wouldn't let anybody read it. It's a mess! Maybe after two or three drafts......

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