It’s November, and those of my friends who write might already know that NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) is upon us. The idea is simple enough: You get from November 1st to November 30th to write a novel of at least 50,000 words.
Yes, the idea of it sounds daunting. But if you break it down, 50,000 words in thirty days is really only 1,667 words per day. Actually, 1,667 words per day would be 50,010 words in thirty days, but whatever. The point is that even though the big overall number goal sounds scary, it can be broken down into a nicer, smaller, more manageable daily goal. So far I’m keeping up without a lot of difficulty, and I’ve written 5,006 words in the last two days.
My novel probably sucks, but that’s okay. You don’t pound out 50,000 words in 30 days and expect it to be the best thing you ever wrote. You do it so that you can finish a novel. The first time you write it, yes it’s going to have errors and go off on tangents and really it could be awful, but at least you wrote it. Hard part’s done. Once you have a first draft, then said first draft can be rewritten, edited, and made pretty. I’ve been writing this blog for quite awhile and while I really enjoy it, I’ve always had a dream of becoming a famous published author, someone who touches people’s lives the way my favorite authors have touched mine. When I was younger I spent hours locked away in my room, music blasting, writing away. I’d bring my writing to school and let my friends read it, and everyone gave me good feedback and seemed to enjoy my writing. As I’ve gotten older I’ve had a harder time thinking up stories to tell, and I’m hoping NaNoWriMo is just the nudge in the right direction that I needed to get me writing fiction again.
If you want to read excerpts of my sure-to-be-atrocious novel, let me know and I’ll send out updates every 10,000 words or so. In the meantime I’ll try not to neglect my blog too horribly. Happy November!