(Heh. I'm quite proud of that title.)I have signed myself up for NaNoWriMo. What, you ask is something so ridiulously named? National Novel Writing Month is a project designed to get people like me, people who have been writing for ten years and have 7 pages, to write. Just write. The goal is to write a 50,000 novel in 30 days.
In order to write the approximately 175 pages in only 30 days, you have to do what is so very, very hard for writers like me to do, shut up and write. There is no time for self-doubt, for constant revision, for spending three hours finessing a single sentence of dialog. There is only time to write full-tilt-boogie and get it on paper.
Which, I think will be good for me.
I've decided to NOT do the Great American Novel for this project. Too much pressure. I've been working on it so long and accomplished so little and I know I would just get stymied and stuck, so I've decided to start a new project instead.
To write that much in 30 days, one must average 1,666 words (or approximately 6 pages) per day, every day, for an entire month. Do you think it's of the devil? Should I add a word?
It'll be gruelling. It'll inspire near-suicidally late nights. It'll take a lot out of me.
The hope is that one thing it'll take out of me is a really crappy first draft of a novel. Because, let's face it: a really crappy first draft of a novel is much better than the Great American Novel in my head and 6 pages of stunning dialog on paper.
So, wish me luck. Wish me smooth sailing and silent internal critics. Wish me words.
6 comments:
I know you can do it! And it will be great!! Just ask Grandma, who for years and years pulled every scrap of your writing out the trash because she thought they were " just wonderful!"
Okay, you've inspired me! I'm signing up!
Mom - *blush* thanks. I hated it when Grandma did that.
Jenn - Yay, a buddy. We can commiserate.
Yay! A writing buddy!
Jessi, I think it's time. I think I dreamed about it earlier this week. Either that or I read something about just getting down and writing in Readers Digest and thought "Jessi should do that". Yeah, I think it was Reader's Digest. But if it inspires you, forget I remembered it was from Reader's Digest.
I would totally buy all your books--both of you. (Signed, of course.)
Now that is a serious undertaking. Good luck!
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