"Thirty days and nights of literary abandon!" (Nanowrimo slogan)
This year, I'm participating again in Nanowrimo (http://nanowrimo.org/), a marathon of words for the month of November. Now that I have some experience under my belt, it is getting easier. I know what to expect; that's half the battle. I have an outline to work from. That organizes me. And I'm writing about a topic that I've written about before. They say write what you know.
Nanowrimo is all about quantity. Write now, edit later. I do have to admit that I'm cheating this year: in the past I've written the standard 50,000 words. This year, I'm only writing 30,000. That is because I am writing a middle grade chapter book, not an adult length novel. Besides which, it seems so much more manageable to meet a 1000-word-a-day rather than a 1700-word-a-day quota. Right now I am sitting at just over 22,000 words, over a third of the way to my goal. I find that if I keep a day ahead of where I'm supposed to be, then if I miss a day, I'll still be on schedule.
Even though this is my fourth time participating in Nanowrimo, it is still exhilarating. I love the research process. I love sitting down at the computer and filling the blank page. I love setting the context. I love finding "le mot juste", even if it takes me several minutes. I love weaving historical details into each scene.
A project that started in San Franciso Bay area in 1999 with 21 participants has now blossomed into 400,000 members as of 2013. I first took part in 2009. Would you like to join? It's well worth the time and it's a great workout for your brain!
Note: For more information, read my post "Nanowrimo: A Marathon of Words" at:
http://alinefromlinda.blogspot.ca/2013/11/nanowrimo-marathon-of-words.html.
