Is it really that time of year again?
The weather here in England has only just turned miserable in the last few days, I think I can be forgiven for not believing we're in the middle of October already! National Novel Writing Month (Nanowrimo) is just around the corner! Eeek! How exciting!
NaNoWriMo is about just sitting down and writing, its about getting the words on the page. Forget all about the fluff and the pomp thats what December is for! November..is 30 days and 30 nights of literary abandonment ... November is just for the pure joy of writing.
So here were are... Mid October and the start of autumn. The leaves are turning, its started to rain and the wind's picked up. Its a perfect excuse for snuggling in the warmth with pen and paper and start planning for NaNoWriMo. If you're contemplating taking on the challenge this year I'd definately recommend some sort of planning. I completed NaNoWriMo in 09. I planned Devine Intervention down to the smallest of detail and hit 50k in 23 days. In 2010 I decided to write All Night Long just a few days before. There wasn't much planning and I hit 50k 5mins before midnight 30th November. It was like cramming for a really important exam.
I definately recommend getting an early start. I was getting up 2 hours earlier every day to do my NaNo writing. 1,667 words a day isn't very much. If you can get as many words written as possible to get yourself a head start then you allow for days when you won't be able to write. In 2009, I became a team leader in my 2nd week of NaNo. I was already at 25k before that happened because I knew the extra responsibility was going to affect my time. This year I'm at university and all of my end of module assignments are due in at the end of November. Those obviously get priority. So I'm going to utilise Blackberry Word2Go on my bus ride to and from uni.
Completing NaNo is a wonderful feeling. Its a challenge that you set yourself and knowing that no matter what life throws in your way you've been able complete it, that's worth a smile.
Erin
Posts you may have missed:
A Review of NaNoWriMo 2010
NaNoWriMo - Summary
Other NaNoWriMo Posts
Read an extract from Devine Intervention and All Night Long at www.erincawood.co.uk
It's great to read you're participating this year as well! It's only gonna be my second time but I hope I'll manage. Last year, I was unemployed and that made things easier as far as time was concerned. This year, with my move to the UK and the new full time job, things are gonna be a lot harder, but I'm confident I'll give it my best.
ReplyDeleteAh, and a tiny little thingy: you might have wanted to say "abandon" instead of "abandonment"? =)
Well, I hope we'll be getting your NaNo updates on twitter or FB.
Take good care and good luck!