You may be familiar with NaNoWriMo — National Novel Writing Month, in which normal humans across the globe commit to writing a 50,000 word novel during the month of November. This year — it’s happening.
My sister-in-law did it last year and really enjoyed it, and I was very tempted to take part then, but I had too many musical projects on at the time so it just wasn’t practical.
I’ll be honest — I’m a bit terrified by the prospect. It works out at about 1,600 words per day, and I’m not even sure at my typing speed how long that will take out of my daily routine. I already get up around 6.30am for a run, so there’s a limit to how many more hours I can squeeze out of my day. I guess sacrifices will need to be made.
One thing I’m not as worried about is the content. I have an idea for a plot, which I think is quite current and interesting, and a style (noirish sci-fi, purely because that’s what I enjoy reading). If I didn’t have this I’d probably bow out, because the terror of ‘not knowing what to write’ would be too great.
One thing I’m not going to do is plan meticulously. I feel if I plot out every story arc and character development, the actual writing of it will become a chore, like homework. I’d rather just start typing and see what comes out.
I think it’s going to nearly kill me, and god knows what’s going to happen to my already RSI-ravaged wrists, but it will be a huge achievement if I manage it.
Wish me luck!
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