My First NaNoWriMo

My first NaNoWriMo! I know, it sounds like something from a science fiction plot. I almost feel like Mork with his infamous "Na-nu, Na-nu" trademark line (at least for those of us raised in the 70's!)

NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month. The goal: to write 50,000 words during the month of November. The 50,000 words accomplishes a small novel, or at least a great portion of one. It sounds like a lot of words for one month, but broken down into smaller goals of 1,666 words per day, it's not as formidable.

I committed to this goal several months ago. It's my first time to participate in NaNoWriMo. It was important to fuel my burgeoning writing goals. I decided to clear the decks for November.

Usually in November I work on Christmas gifts. This year I began some Christmas gifts in August and September. I also kept other commitments and meetings to bare minimum levels. Whew, I'm ahead of the game, Hooray!

Then ... as in what happens with the best laid plans ... my eldest son moved his December wedding date up to November 7th. Although I couldn't get many days off work (you know--the retail during the holidays thing), I still need three days to go to Arizona: a day to fly there, a day for the wedding/reception, and a day to fly home. Three fast and furious days to visit with both sons, meet my new daughter-in-law and my two new grand kids.

The trip is so quick I won't spend a moment of the visit writing (except maybe on the plane). So, now I only have 27 days to write my 50,000 words. I can accomplish the goal if I write 1,852 words per day! Let's see ... and it too me a week to write my 1,700 word jury duty story. I'm in trouble!

The secret they say is to just sit down and write. NO EDITING! Just write, even if it's junk; just get the words on paper. When we're all done we set the novel aside for a month, enjoy the holidays and spend time with our families. We begin editing in January. So, no editing ... just intense writing.

Sounds like a plan. Except ... it's not as easy as it sounds. Turning off that internal editor is a difficult task. As a writer we create our art with words. We lay them down as brushstrokes on a canvas, laying the lines where we want them to flow. Broad brushstrokes here .... fine defining lines there .... working with the words, molding them to create our masterpiece. And yes, we still edit: move, destroy, refine. But, at least myself, I like to play with and form the words, creating the best first draft I possibly can.

I need to work on this "just write" concept. I can tell it's going to take some practice. That 'editor off' button doesn't stay off for long. I need to work on keeping the editor at bay!

At the end of Day 2, I'm at 3,031 words. I'm already a little behind. Stay tuned ... we'll see by November 30th whether I've been able to write with abandon and reach my 50,000 words!