Monday, October 31, 2011

October

NaNoWriMo starts tomorrow and I'm super bummed that I won't be able to participate this year.

For the uninitiated: NaNoWriMo is National Novel Writing Month and is a challenge to write a 50.000 word novel in 30 days.

I first did NaNoWriMo in 2009. I finished the manuscript by 11.30 pm by killing my main character. By the end of the 30 days and 50.000 words I was sick of my character and I decided she might as well just die. So she did and I haven't looked at that mess of a story since.

But I wrote it. I finished it. And it taught me a great deal about writing. Most importantly that I was capable of writing a story (a bad one – but a story none the less).

In 2010 I managed to write the 50.000 words without killing my main character.

Progress.

Every time I've done NaNoWriMo I've completed the challenge and felt like a better person because of it.

I won't be able to get that feeling this November. I won’t get that sense of accomplishment.

Instead I’ll be trudging along juggling work-projects, school-projects and this thing called a personal life that I also have (I know – a luxury).

Anyway. Since I won’t be able to do NaNoWriMo, you guys totally should. And then come tell me how absolutely horrible it is to go through (because trust me – writing 50.000 words in a month is no walk in the part). And I’ll be jealous and compassionate at the same time.