NaNoWriMo

I might be crazy.

...

Okay, I am crazy, but that's not the point.  The point is that somewhere along the way I decided to participate in NaNoWriMo this year.

For those of you who don't know what NaNoWriMo is, allow me to explain.  The goal is to write a 50,000 word novel during the month of November.  For those of you who don't like math, that's 1,667 words per day.  For those of you who would like more than that simple explanation, their website is here.

And I signed myself up.

Maybe I am crazy.  However, I am also an aspiring author, and the funny thing is, to be an author requires writing.  And to be honest, not a lot of writing has been happening in my life recently.  That is why I am doing NaNo this year, to provide myself with the kick in the pants needed to sit down and write!

Right now, just short of seven hours from the official start time, I feel horribly unprepared.  Participants are allowed to do as much or as little prep work as they desire, as long as they do not start actually writing the book.  Therefore, throughout October, I have been doing various prewriting things.  In front of me is a binder filled with over a dozen sheets of character information, bits of a timeline, half-completed house diagrams, information about weather in Minnesota, and a lot of empty space where more details should be.

I had planned to be more prepared than this.  Certain things I tried didn't end up working the way I wanted them to; other things ended up taking more time than I had anticipated.  Some did both.

However, ready or not, I begin writing tomorrow.

As such, I have a few requests for my friends:

~Ask me how my novel is coming.  A month is a long time and 50,000 words is a lot of writing.  I am certain that I will feel like quitting at some points.  Knowing that a lot of people are interested and cheering me on will help.

~When I start complaining that my writing is horrible, remind me that I am a perfectionist and I need to stop it.  I know from past experience that I get frustrated when the words on the page do not match the image in my head.  I know I am going to want to write the first chapter, then edit it...and edit it again...and again...  At some point during the next month, I am going to be upset that my novel is horrible.  I am giving you permission to kindly tell me to shut up and keep writing.

~Don't laugh too hard at any Facebook status that seem really random.  If I suddenly ask what a good first name is to pair with the surname of Thompson or what you would do if an older sibling kicked you out of your shared bedroom, know that there is a reason I'm asking.  Probably.

~Recognize that I might not be willing to let you read it right away.  I am fully expecting my rough draft to be one step shy of horrible.  To be honest, I don't know if the 50,000 word count will cover the entire plot; the story might not be done yet when November is.  Even when it is, it will likely take a couple edits before I start handing out copies for people to critique.  Please be patient.

~Any gifts of Mountain Dew are welcome.  And probably will cause you to be my most loved friend for the month.  Or at least until the bottle is empty...

50,000 words, here I come.