NaNoWriMo and other news
Happy Halloween!
Tomorrow is November and the beginning of National Novel Writing Month (aka NaNoWriMo). I’m joining 150,000 other writers around the world in an attempt to write 50,000 words in one month. Technically I don’t qualify, having a work already in progress. The idea is to start from scratch and write with complete abandon. The official NaNoWriMo website promises me a “miserable month” if I insist on bringing a half-finished manuscript into the challenge:
You’ll care about the characters and story too much to write with the gleeful, anything-goes approach that makes NaNoWriMo such a creative rush. Give yourself the gift of a clean slate, and you’ll tap into realms of imagination and intuition that are out-of-reach when working on pre-existing manuscripts.
Well. I was expecting some misery. The only way I can see myself getting 50,000 words written is to wake up at 4AM. Enough said.
I want to have my first draft complete by November 30, because after that, life is going to get a bit crazy. On December 1 I’m getting on an airplane and moving across the country. We’re leaving Prince Edward Island and going home, to Vancouver. There are many reasons for this, but the biggest one is that we miss our family and friends.
I’m sure I will write badly and make a huge mess. But I think it will be a good exercise. Sometimes I spend so long writing a first draft that I lose my excitement for it. I’ve taken as long as eight months to write a 4,000 word short story. I’m curious to see if I can finish a novel-length draft within three months. Wish me luck!
I love abandoned houses. I have an idea for a project that I’ve wanted to launch for years. Recently we drove to Miramichi, New Brunswick. On the way we saw dozens of gorgeous, dilapidated wrecks that used to be homes. It got me thinking, and my idea went from good to awesome. Ever since then I’ve been aching to start working on it, despite the fact that I’m in the middle of writing a novel.
With a sleeping child in the car, I couldn’t get as close to some of the places as I wanted. I’m hoping to revisit the one above if I can sneak away for an hour this weekend. Still, it felt great to start collecting images. It’s something I wouldn’t have found time to do if it hadn’t been for Cassandra’s stubbornness.
We are moved, as much as we can be at the moment. We’re living in a temporary space, a condo on the water in downtown Charlottetown. In another month or two we’ll be moving again. The transition hasn’t been easy with a toddler. Naps are sporadic and Cass sometimes wakes as early as 5:30 so my writing time is vastly diminished.
On the bright side, this was the view from my bedroom window yesterday morning.
I took Cass apple-picking today and came home with arms full of Spartans, Greensleeves and Cortlands. I resolved that on top of writing a novel and packing for our move two weeks from now, I need to bake many apple crisps and pumpkin apple muffins.