Here we go! The second instalment in the 5 blog posts to write this month challenge from Amy at Lemon and Raspberry.
(Image @ Lemon and Raspberry)
What you have planned for ________
What you have planned for this weekend, this month, this year. What you have planned for your house or the holidays or your blogging schedule. Or even, what you have planned for your as yet unborn children or your descendants.
November. Let’s talk about my plans for November. Why? Because I want to write a NaNoWriMo post and this is a fabulous reason to get to it.
(Image @ NaNoWriMo Store)
I think it’s pretty standard fair, especially in the blogging community, but for those of you who haven’t heard about, or participated in it, NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month. Dating back to 1999, this project challenges its participants to pen 50K words (the length of such works as: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Brave New World, and The Great Gatsby) between November 1st and 30th. Though it started in the USofA and is called the “national” novel writing month, NaNoWriMo is very much an international delight. Per Wikipedia, which can sum things up with much more panache than I: “the idea is that many people are scared to start writing because it won’t be any good, and if there’s a time to celebrate length, rather than quality, more people will write an entire first draft, which they can then proceed to edit if they wish.”
(Image found @ tumblr)
So, what do I have planned for November?
NaNoWriMo.
I am going to rock my first actual attempt at writing a “novel” in thirty days. I say “my first actual attempt,” because I publicly committed to this notion last year. Alas, few words were ever written. (Much akin to my failed 3DNC efforts.) This year will be different! This year I have the enthusiasm, motivation, idea and, maybe most importantly, time. I am going to use this maternity leave to help me achieve my biggest goal in life: to actually write.
The idea.
Just over three years ago, I was struck with an idea. I was on a trip to Ontario with my parents to visit my extended family and was inspired to try to tell the story of a troubled sixteen-year-old girl who is sent away for a summer. Of course, there’s a lot more to it and summing it up so quickly makes it seem pretty trite and a lot cliché, but there it is. It is a very important piece to me, having haunted me for more than three years, and absolutely deserves a solid college try. (I have tried to write this story three times in the past and I have hated my starts each time. It will not best me this time.)
The actual goal.
While writing a “novel” in thirty days is an awesome goal and something I am certainly going to strive for, it’s not my End Game. What I actually want out of this is to set myself up with a writing routine. I want to sit down for at least fifteen minutes every day to write. Anything. I am absolutely excited about the idea of having a skeleton of a novel written, to finally flesh out and finish, but it is more important to establish myself as a writer. More important to actually sit and write. Often. Every day, if possible.
(Image found @ indulgy)
My plan for November is to rock NaNoWriMo. I am super excited to start seriously working on this story and I am really nervous that my tendency to be a dirty, rotten procrastinator will rear its exceptionally ugly head. (To combat this, I intend to tweet tirelessly about NaNoWriMo and to use stickers to mark my progress in John. Because stickers motivate children and Kims alike, and I love to annoy strangers via social media.)
What are your plans for November? Are you going to take the NaNoWriMo challenge? Do you prep before the event (with outlines and research), or do you fly by the seat of your pants and hope for the best?
Because he is my favourite, I am going to leave you with the bones of Neil Gaiman’s NaNoWriMo ’07 pep talk: So keep on keeping on. Write another word and then another.
…if I make it, I’m totally buying this:
(Image @ NaNoWriMo Store)
Apocalyptica (feat. Corey Taylor) – I’m Not Jesus
UNT.
Go Fox Yourself 
I’m going to be trying NaNo for the first time this year! It should be an interesting and exciting experience! I’ve got the plot for my story planned out, so I am ready to start!
Best of luck this year! I hope you win!
Hi! 🙂 Thanks so much for stopping by! 🙂
It will definitely be an interesting experience. 🙂 I’m excited for you to get involved in it too, especially with your Vegas trip – that is awesome! 🙂 Best of luck to you as well – keep me updated!
I’m really hoping the Vegas trip doesn’t put me behind! We are going so my husband to attend his industry’s major conference. I know I’ll have a couple hours each day to myself with nothing else to do but write!
Do you have a writing group or anyone youll be writing with?
Oh! Well that’s awesome. A couple of hours is more than enough and Vegas, depending on your story, will probably be a LITTLE BIT inspiring – for characters. Hah. You will not be lacking in people ideas, I think. 😉
I have a friend (who I actually took a creative writing course with way back in the day) planning to try his hand at NaNo and we may get together a few times for coffee and writing AND I have a gal I meet with, fairly frequently, for writing dates (she’s not NaNoing, but it’s a great excuse for me to get out of the house to get my write on). And there’s Vanessa (your co-commenter on this post). I plan to spam her with NaNo tweets and emails. 😉
How about you? Do you have a writing group? (If so, do you like it? I have tried two writing groups and I just can’t get into them. I want to. Maybe I just haven’t found the right fit yet.)
Yes, I have a feeling Vegas should be very inspiring! That’s great you have some people to get together with!
I just moved here to Mississippi about 4 months ago and the first think I sought out was a writing group. The one here is pretty amazing! We have our NaNo Meet & Greet tomorrow night, so we can meet any people who aren’t in our regular group. And then we have 2 write-ins a week planned for every Monday and Thursday in November. We also have a Kick-off party, a Night of Writing Dangerously, and a Finish-it-up get together….I LOVE having a group of people who like the same things I do. They are great to bounce ideas off or help when there’s something that’s tripping you up. And, for the main reason: someone to hold me accountable! It really pushes me if I know someone is expecting me to have something done! I’m really looking forward to November and all it’s activities!
I love that you have a NaNo meet-n-greet! That is just spectacular. I have envy. I am going to have to see what’s what with the NaNo forums and see if there are folks who get together in my neck of the woods – thank you for the inspiration! 🙂
It IS nice to have someone to hold you accountable, you’re right. I never found I was too concerned with that when I wrote with groups. I still procrastinated. A lot. I think that a) I wasn’t ready for a writing group and b) I don’t play well with others. 😉 I love that you have such a great group, though! That is so awesome. 🙂
WOOOOOOO!!! This post makes me so happy! First of all, using your maternity leave to write is totally legit. Also having a baby makes it a little harder. Regardless, November is gonna be awesome, no matter how far in our novels we make it. 🙂
Your project sounds wonderful, especially since it’s an idea that’s been haunting you for 3 years. Have you outlined? Will you? Or are you just gonna go for it?
Can’t wait to keep up with your progress on twitter. 😀 Do you have a NaNo account? Mine is loveletters, you should be my writing buddy.
Bah. TLM is much less distracting than silly work! 😉 I have highhighhigh hopes.
I have it semi-outlined. I am working on that, and also have a pretty good idea of the plotline as it exists in my muddled noggin, too. And I do have a NaNo account, that I’ve never really used. I just “friended” you – I am “vyxen.” 🙂
…TLM is less distracting in an annoying work way. He’s totally distracting, but it’s much more fun to deal with him. Plus he eats and naps and that opens up some serious time. 😀
Especially if he’s sleeping all the time. Just drink a little more coffee. You’ll be fine. 😉
We’re officially NaNo buddies! Yayyyy! I’m excited for you and your novel. I think it’s gonna be great.
You are awesome. Thank you for the encouragement. I really, really appreciate it!
Also? Back atcha. I’m stoked for the seasonal stories. I think the idea’s awesome. Get that damn graphic novel written. 😀
(Moar coffee. Yes. Until about noon and then no more caffeine. TLM will be up all night. …which would be good for writing. Hmm. I may have to consider this…. 😉 )
Good luck! I look forward to reading your work 🙂 I have also had an idea in my head for years, but it will need to sit tight for a little longer.
I had planned to do NaNoWriMo but this year I am too bogged with with work and study so I need to skip 😦
Thank you Celeste! 🙂 So far, so okay…. 😉
Skipping is not a bad thing, at least you have an awesome idea! Those persist and MAKE you write them eventually. 🙂
Best of luck with the writing. I know a group who does this. They usually do an Amtrak trip from Seattle to Portland during November and write on the train, have lunch and write on the way back.
Thank you Samantha. 🙂
That is a pretty awesome sounding writing group. Good food, good company and a little creativity? Sounds utopian.
Oh my gosh, I’m late to this post, but I’m totally cheering you on. Honestly I get a little tingly nervous feeling thinking about it, I have tried several times to write a novel, stopped, started, reworked. I get so freaked out. I’m using blogging to kind of ease me into a more regular writing routine, but a novel is one of my major goals. Good luck! Sending lots good vibes and encouragement your way!
Thank you! Truth is, and I’ve finally been able to sit down and write about it, I failed pretty miserably at NNWM this year. I may not be the fiction novel writer. At least…not yet…? I really appreciate the good vibes and encouragement (and the comment!), though. 🙂 Thank you so much!
I’m with you by the way, I am really digging blogging as a tool for regular writing. Personal essays, surveys and flash fiction are more appealing these days. I need to learn to appreciate that this is absolutely awesome and I don’t actually NEED to write a novel to be a writer. I just need to write. (Simple.)
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