November 1, 2018
It has begun.
The madness that is writing a novel in a month.
The month of November no less, a month in which most Americans plan on at least two days of vacay with family and friends to indulge in feasts, football and holiday shopping. That mere thirty days quickly shrinks to twenty-eight, possibly twenty-five once a writer factors in Thanksgiving, Black Friday and recovering from the two!
In order to succeed and "win" NaNoWriMo, we can't dwell on how little time we have, but must instead forge forward. It starts at the beginning, even if the beginning you write is the end.
That's how my NaNo began this year. Having no outline or plan—just a general idea of some intriguing characters floating around in my subconscious—I began writing at the end.
When the best way out is through (to paraphrase Robert Frost), then maybe the best way to begin is to know where the "out" is.
At least that's what I'm hoping.
Onward to day 2.
November 2, 2018
It was a shaky start, and I still feel like what I've written is mostly shite that will be axed completely. Perhaps it's because I'm writing by the seat-of-my-pants this year, with no outline or plotting ahead of time. Or maybe it's because though I've written some short stories and other bits and pieces this year, I have not written a novel in over a year so I'm rusty.
At the same time, I have to say I'm enjoying the process more than I have for a while. It's coming from the subconscious and imagination. I'm feeling my way into the story.
The word count at the end of day 2 stands at 3417. I'm a wee bit ahead of the target. That's a good thing because I've got a comic-con all weekend so I may not be able to write for a few days.
I hope I can eke out some time, though, because more important than the number of words is the fact that after even two days in a row, I'm starting to "feel" the story. I don't want to break the spell!
How is your NaNo coming along?
