The best laid plans of mice and men…

I was ahead the first day, with over 6,000 words to my credit. Then I began slacking. Then I got wrapped up in a non-fiction project (which has a heck of a potential, so I’m digging in with everything I’ve got).

So I’m about 6,000 words behind right now, with little interest in my characters. The really depressing aspect is that the characters are all people I actually know – and the story is a grossly fictionalized account of a year in my life. So basically, I’m admitting to being bored with myself. Heh.

However, we’re still not quite at the halfway point of the month, so I’m not giving up. I can still catch up and make the 50,000 target by November 30.

It’s that time of the year again, folks – time to deprive yourselves of sleep and sanity, to be replaced with copious amounts of coffee. It’s time for the National Novel Writing Month- NaNoWriMo.

I have taken part in NaNo every year since 2004, but only ever met the challenge that first year. The idea is to write a 50,000 word novel in just 30 days. Founded by Chris Baty in 1999 in San Francisco, the challenge has grown from regional to national to international. People around the world engage in mini-contests along the way, to see who’s pumping out more words per day. Some of the friendly challenges are between regions – for example, Toronto usually teams up against another city to see which side will crank out more prose.

Coffee, as mentioned, is a staple. However, my personal NaNo choice is hot chocolate with cayenne pepper and cinnamon. Mmmm.

Some participants have detailed plans and character sketches all set up before the starter gun goes off at 12:01 on November 1. I never do – which might explain why I almost never finish the contest. At least this year I’m going into it with a vague idea – better than most years!

To get an idea of how to survive and thrive in the NaNo challenge, pick up a copy of Chris Baty’s book, No Plot? No Problem!: A Low-Stress, High-Velocity Guide to Writing a Novel in 30 Days. National Novel Writing Month is not impossible – it just takes some planning, caffeine and dedication. And a touch of insanity helps, too.

The change of the season from Summer to Fall always gets the creative juices flowing for me. Something about the chill and freshness of the air. So different from Summer’s stagnant humidity. Autumn air is alive. It is rich with possibility.

Part of it is the back-to-school thing. It makes me crave clean notebooks and the smell of heavy hardcover books to read. (Seriously, you’d think I would have stayed in school longer, wouldn’t you?)

Fall is also a time of warm liquids on cold days – whether it’s soup or hot cocoa. I like mine with a dash of cayenne and cinnamon, to bring out the richness of the chocolate. It’s actually my favorite writing drink. But the calories – oy, the calories!

NaNoWriMo is also a Fall tradition for me. I take part just about every year, even though I’ve only ever finished it once. I suppose I’ll sign up again this year, too. The hard part is getting through the first two weeks. If I can do that, I’m set. But falling behind in the first two weeks is a set-up for failure.

The first year I did NaNo, I finished it. I turned out a 64,000-word pile of crap. It was exhilarating! The third year I began a story that never got completed. I hated it. Stuck it in a virtual drawer and ignored it for a year. Then something made me give it a second glance. It was excellent! I’m actually still working on it, and am having trouble with the ending, but the characters are full of life and the story flows. I promised my friend Jen that I would finish it by year’s end, and I will. Who knows what will happen after that? Maybe I’ll self-publish it. Seems like a better idea than flogging it around to myriad agents, wasting time and money.

One of my favorite parts of the season is walking. I take long, long walks all over the city, seeing the neighborhoods in the light of clear blue skies and changing leaves. I fill the iPod with playlists and podcasts, and wander for hours at a time, only coming home when my feet are aching. Of course, half the time I forget to take my camera with me, but c’est la vie.

If you’ll excuse me, i suddenly have a craving for that cocoa with cayenne…

Whew! I got started earlier this afternoon, and caught up. I am currently around 3500 words. You will notice on my sidebar that I have a word war widget (try saying that five times fast!). I am Kendra, and I’m sparring with my friend E.L. who is currently in Iraq.

Anyhow, you can keep an eye on my progress that way, in case I’m out of the posting loop for a day or two.

Good luck to all the NaNo-ers out there!

You’d think I would have spent this last 24 hours tippity-typing my little heart out onto the page for NaNoWriMo. Alas, it didn’t work out that way. I have fallen behind with client projects, and they must come first. Plus, we are doing construction here on the farm which I must assist with at times. Not that I mind – it’s usually a welcome break.

Unfortunately though it means I haven’t put a single word down for NaNo. Sigh. Don’t despair! I know I shall catch up soon!

Our last day of freedom before the feverish writing begins.

I was up to my ears in projects this week (yay! bills can get paid!), but I will spend this weekend working on my e-book and my NaNo outline.

I admit that I’m not great at outline writing. When it comes to fiction, I have a tendency to just sit down and hope for the best! However, this year I’ve decided it might be in my best interests to get a few ideas on paper before November 1.

As for my e-book, I think it’s close to half done. I will be offering a few extras beforehand, too, like a list on how to search for an apartment.

What are y’all working on this weekend?

Chick lit. I decided I would write nice, pink, fluffy chick lit for this years NaNoWriMo. I like the genre – I always take it on vacation to Hawaii, because the flight is interminable and I like the light fare to help me through.

There is one problem though – I haven’t the slightest clue how to write chick lit. One of the gals on the NaNo forums recommended a book called Will Write for Shoes: How to Write a Chick Lit Novel, which I am absolutely going to pick up this week.

From the Table of Contents:

Part II: Where Do I Sign Up? – How to Write a Chick Lit Novel
Chapter 5: What’s it All About? – Premise
Chapter 6: From Ducklings to Divas – Characters
Chapter 7: There’s a Story in Here Somewhere – Story
Chapter 8: Driving With a Map – Outlining
Chapter 9: Joyriding – Free-form Writing
Chapter 10: Underwire for Your Novel – Story Structure
Chapter 11: Whose Story Is This, Anyway? – Point of View
Chapter 12: Being You and Loving It – Voice
Chapter 13: Warning: Period of Time When Your Life Will Necessarily Suck – Revisions

It even goes into the whole query letter process, which I doubt I will need for a NaNo book, but you never know! And besides, for these shoes I would consider doing all the necessary revisions!

NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) is a little over a week away. Have you signed up yet? If so, have you started waking in a cold sweat, worrying how you’re going to make 50,000 in 30 days? I hear ya.

PoeWar has a bit of a how-to (mostly it’s a how-to not panic!).

Don’t Expect Perfection

Accept that what you write on the first try only needs to be good enough for a first draft. Try to avoid going backwards and rewriting what you have already created. Instead, if you know something needs to be changed, go back to that point and make a note in the text, then move on.

Stay in Motion

If you get stuck, find a way to get unstuck quickly. If you know that a scene needs to happen, but you aren’t ready to write it yet, make a note in the story describing the basic events, then jump to the part that you are ready to write and get going. If you need to choose between two different directions for the plot, choose one of them and don’t look back. Your focus should always be on forward momentum.

Read the whole thing – it will make you feel better. Say, did you invest in that coffee machine yet?

I got hooked on National Novel Writing Month – or NaNoWriMo – back in 2004. I had just moved to Toronto from Glasgow, didn’t have a job, was very bored, and had something (I felt was) important to say. So on November 1, I sat down and began writing my first novel. For 30 days I labored to crank out a minimum of 50,000 words. I went to writing events at coffee shops with other aspiring NaNo-ers from around Toronto. I was interviewed by the CBC as part of the project. I got up on stage and read excerpts aloud to other writers. And on November 26th, with four days to spare, I hit my 50k mark! I completed the challenge!

Ok, the novel was terrible. It couldn’t even be saved in subsequent edits and rewrites. But that wasn’t the point! the point was that I sat down to challenge myself as a writer, and I met the challenge head on.

I tried again in 2006, but didn’t make it to the finish line. However, the story was so good that it will soon be available as an e-book! And I will be NaNo-ing again this year, too.

Do you NaNo? Would you like to NaNo along with me? Here’s what you have to do:

• Go sign up. Pledge to write 50,000 words in 30 days.
• Don’t panic that you’ve just pledged to write 50,000 words in 30 days.
• Invest in a good coffee machine. Trust me on this.
• Plot your characters and/or storyline between now and November 1, but DO NOT begin writing the story.
• On November 1, disconnect your telephone and get to work. Check back in here at Girl on the Write and we’ll compare notes.