NaNoWriMo

This year I am taking part in NaNoWriMo, the national novel writing month which is held in November every year. This is a free event which encourages people to spend one crazy month writing the first draft of a novel, which should be at least 50,000 words long.

In November 2007 Skry and I both decided to take part in this, but in retrospect our plans were doomed from the start because that was the same month that we emigrated from Ireland. Naturally we did not have the time or energy to spend a couple of hours every day writing, so neither of us finished our novels, and mine would have been pointless drivel anyway. I had no real plot nor much potential to develop one with the shallow and boring characters that I had, so there was no way that what I started with could have lasted the course.

This year we are trying again, properly this time, and I already think that it’s going to go well. Not only do I have a proper plot (with some holes but a lot of potential), but I have also been doing some research and will be able to write with some degree of historical accuracy rather than just making everything up. In fact, the more research I do the more I think I should just abandon half my original plot and focus entirely on New Zealand in the late 1800s, because that’s where all the interesting stuff seems to be.

Of course my novel’s success is rather dependent on my ability to write it well, but NaNoWriMo doesn’t ask for polished perfection after thirty days; in fact, it positively discourages such thoughts. No editing or revising is allowed – this month is all about the word count and getting the story on paper (or screen, in most people’s cases).

Keeping up the momentum for a full month may be a problem too, I suppose. I’ve never suffered from writer’s block, but nor have I attempted anything on this scale or over this duration. The minimum that I should be writing every day is 1,667 words, which is pretty easy as far as volume goes but may be more of a challenge as far as content goes. Still, I’m really looking forward to the challenge, and have roped in as many friends and family members as possible to join us - so if you're reading this, and it sounds tempting to you, now's your chance to sign up!