NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month – though participation is international) is looming, it happens every November. NaNoWriMo is a challenge to write a 50,000 word novel in a month. Which isn’t as easy as it might sound.
It is however worthwhile, it’s a talent stretching challenge, and I thoroughly loved/hated participating last year. I really struggled at first, I had the fantastic idea I needed, I had all the equipment I could want or need, but writing to a target did not sit well with me.
My writing was not so much a halting linear growth of word count – more an exponential curve. With two thirds of the word count coming in the last week. As I’ve mentioned in previoys posts, I manged it. It was an amazing feeling to finish.
It’s nearly time to put myself through the torture again. I am more wary this year, last year I wrote quite a bit, this year though, my fiction word count probably hasn’t breached seven thousand. I set myself a word count target of two hundred thousand for the year. My only hope of a respectable showing would be to do fifty thousand words a month for the last three months. If I could write, I’d be happy with this, it would be over three quarters – but on the basis I haven’t written much, is that plausible?
I shouldn’t care, i should just do it, it’s only for my own pride, it’s not a promise to anyone else.
I do have something I want to do, it’s a piece of fic for a friends birthday, so going to get started on that. My aim, thirty thousand words in two weeks – now that’s a challenge. Let’s see what happens. Fingers crossed.
If you’re interested in NaNoWriMo, it’s here: nanowrimo.org. If you lkike writing, pressure, and the sweet smell of success, check it out.
Aspiring 