“Beware the Jabberwock… the jaws that bite, the claws that catch… And hast thou slain the Jabberwock? Come to my arms, my beamish boy! Oh frabjous day! Callooh! Callay! He chortled in his joy.”
~ Lewis Carol
Last year at this time, I was a few weeks into a novel, astounded to be there. It was also the first time I started to read online, beyond the barrier of basic news and entertainment. That was when I first heard of NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month.
What a wonderful concept; a marathon for our mind. I cannot run twenty-six miles in a day, but I can write fifty-thousand words in a month.
Upon my finish, I don’t expect the printer to spit anything other than a super sloppy copy. I imagine my ratio will be about one good page for every nine sheets of (shhhh… don’t tell anyone I almost swore on Writer Dad). At that percentage, the month might leave behind a thirty page outline; one for each day of adventure.
I was gung-ho well before the email which sent me salutations, arriving just sixty seconds after sign up, with seven hundred words of zealous advice.
The cliff notes:
- We don’t have to know where we’re going, so long as we get up and go. Not every adventure needs a map, but without a hunger to see beyond the bend, our desires are fire waiting for ash.
- Editing is for December. November’s an experiment in pure output; a time to embrace our literary imperfections. It’s for slipping off our shoes and wiggling our toes. Perhaps so we can shove our socks inside the mouth of our inner nag.
- We must inform anyone who will listen about our undertaking. If they laugh, then we must repeat ourselves in a stronger voice.
- Don’t even think about thinking of quitting. Those who listened to our bold declarations will be expecting a finish.
- Week Two can be hard. Week Three is much better. Week Four will make you want to yodel.
So I’m going to start writing a novel on Saturday, and will continue each day, writing without a map, until I reach my destination on the final day of the month. I’ll silence my inner critic, declare my diligence, and see the story through until the very end. Then, I will yodel.
I’ve set up a page for us nano’s to gather. A tee-pee inside the village for us to pow-wow about our pages, endlessly whine, and fish for compliments. More than anything else, the month should be merry. A successful November doesn’t mean we write the great American novel. It means we enjoy our moments, and end with a draft to diddle in December.
Writer Dad
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About Sean Platt
Sheesh, you make writing sound so inviting when you write about it in such loving terms. You almost make me want to join the madness.
Best of luck!
Blogger Dads last blog post..Our baby story – part three: Everything changes
Sheesh, you make writing sound so inviting when you write about it in such loving terms. You almost make me want to join the madness.
Best of luck!
Blogger Dads last blog post..Our baby story – part three: Everything changes
Good luck man! 50,000 words … I think the marathon sounds easier! Although you are “selling” this pretty good here…
Lances last blog post..Sunday Thought For The Day
Good luck man! 50,000 words … I think the marathon sounds easier! Although you are “selling” this pretty good here…
Lances last blog post..Sunday Thought For The Day
This is going to be fun.
Oh, who am I kidding? This is going to be 30-days of pure blissful, torture! So let’s get a move on!
@Blogger Dad: You mean you’re not joining us? Laaame.
This is going to be fun.
Oh, who am I kidding? This is going to be 30-days of pure blissful, torture! So let’s get a move on!
@Blogger Dad: You mean you’re not joining us? Laaame.
Hi Sean – Good luck. I’m not entering the competition. But I have tried writing the first draft of a novel just as quickly before. Because I was rushing and really just writing down the bones, the plot sucked when I got to the end and needed massive changes.
That didn’t matter much in the end though. Part way through the second draft, a film came out that was much the same. The book was about a jewellery thief who swallowed the gems and replaced them with fakes.
Cath Lawsons last blog post..Why Some Of The Best Business Ideas Suck
Hi Sean – Good luck. I’m not entering the competition. But I have tried writing the first draft of a novel just as quickly before. Because I was rushing and really just writing down the bones, the plot sucked when I got to the end and needed massive changes.
That didn’t matter much in the end though. Part way through the second draft, a film came out that was much the same. The book was about a jewellery thief who swallowed the gems and replaced them with fakes.
Cath Lawsons last blog post..Why Some Of The Best Business Ideas Suck
If I leave this comment then this challenge, this thought, also becomes a commitment. Aww, shucks. I’m gonna do it!
I stumbled (not that stumble) across NaNoWriMo earlier this month and it sounded appealing. I have never written anything of this magnitude, wanted too, just never had the gumption. This NaNoWriMo thing sparked an interest that’s been burning holes in my brain since I first glanced at it.
Now, you’ve gone and worked your word magic on me and have turned the spark into a fire, the thought into a reality.
Right now, I appreciate that! Come December, if not sooner, I’ll let you know if the appreciation is still there ;) .
Good Show!
-Scott
Scotts last blog post..A Milestone, or a 2/3 Milestone
If I leave this comment then this challenge, this thought, also becomes a commitment. Aww, shucks. I’m gonna do it!
I stumbled (not that stumble) across NaNoWriMo earlier this month and it sounded appealing. I have never written anything of this magnitude, wanted too, just never had the gumption. This NaNoWriMo thing sparked an interest that’s been burning holes in my brain since I first glanced at it.
Now, you’ve gone and worked your word magic on me and have turned the spark into a fire, the thought into a reality.
Right now, I appreciate that! Come December, if not sooner, I’ll let you know if the appreciation is still there ;) .
Good Show!
-Scott
Scotts last blog post..A Milestone, or a 2/3 Milestone
I don’t know if I have the mental capacity to crank out anymore words than I’m already oozing. My brain may bust, but I guess that’s the point, to break through barriers to a place of higher writing capacity and capability. Something to chew on… :-) Eric.
Eric Hamms last blog post..To Another 33 Years!
I don’t know if I have the mental capacity to crank out anymore words than I’m already oozing. My brain may bust, but I guess that’s the point, to break through barriers to a place of higher writing capacity and capability. Something to chew on… :-) Eric.
Eric Hamms last blog post..To Another 33 Years!
Good luck!
I would love to take part but November is a very busy month for teachers. I don’t have time to write a novel now when I need to write report cards.
I must say this though, writing without an outline is refreshing. I write without a plan all the time. But I still plan it. I like to have a basic idea in my head and I just write. I let the story take me where it wants to go.
That being said, I’m sure you’ll do fine. Have fun!
Chase Marchs last blog post..Blogs are Disposable
Good luck!
I would love to take part but November is a very busy month for teachers. I don’t have time to write a novel now when I need to write report cards.
I must say this though, writing without an outline is refreshing. I write without a plan all the time. But I still plan it. I like to have a basic idea in my head and I just write. I let the story take me where it wants to go.
That being said, I’m sure you’ll do fine. Have fun!
Chase Marchs last blog post..Blogs are Disposable
Sean,
As surely as you can write 50k words in a month by doing 1667 words a day, so can you run or even walk 26 miles in a single day by averaging 1.625 miles per hour – assuming you want to sleep 8 hours, if not, you don’t have to go as fast.
I have a personal interest in completing one of the really long distance races (100 miles+) and the key is “slow and steady” so as not to tire yourself or become injured.
So it is with anything.
Brett Legrees last blog post..john who?
Sean,
As surely as you can write 50k words in a month by doing 1667 words a day, so can you run or even walk 26 miles in a single day by averaging 1.625 miles per hour – assuming you want to sleep 8 hours, if not, you don’t have to go as fast.
I have a personal interest in completing one of the really long distance races (100 miles+) and the key is “slow and steady” so as not to tire yourself or become injured.
So it is with anything.
Brett Legrees last blog post..john who?
I agree, you made it sound so appealing I thought for a brief nano-second “Hey! That sounds like fun. I wonder if I could do it.”
But then reality smacked me upside the head and said “you can’t even keep up with the laundry!”
But I’ll be keeping tabs on you writers! I can’t wait to see/hear about the process.
I agree, you made it sound so appealing I thought for a brief nano-second “Hey! That sounds like fun. I wonder if I could do it.”
But then reality smacked me upside the head and said “you can’t even keep up with the laundry!”
But I’ll be keeping tabs on you writers! I can’t wait to see/hear about the process.
You have to be the busiest person I know! LOL, I can see your Beloved now… “Sean, sweetie? You still alive? You haven’t blinked in an hour.”
Hayden Tompkinss last blog post..How Will Life Challenge You?
You have to be the busiest person I know! LOL, I can see your Beloved now… “Sean, sweetie? You still alive? You haven’t blinked in an hour.”
Hayden Tompkinss last blog post..How Will Life Challenge You?
Yes, good luck. I think I might trying co-writing something with my wife–that way the 50K mark doesn’t seem so daunting.
Yes, good luck. I think I might trying co-writing something with my wife–that way the 50K mark doesn’t seem so daunting.
Blogger Dad: You should! We can have a contest to see who can get less sleep and drop more balls. Chaos from coast to coast!!
Lance: It’s not too bad. I plan on doing a lot of cut and paste from some Stephen King PDF’s I have on my hard drive.
Matthew: Pure blissful torture is right. The ten percent of me that thinks this is actually a good use of my time for thirty days is super excited. Luckily, he’s more Tyler than Jack. Sheesh, can you believe that Blogger Dad? He is soooo lazy.
Cath: With the novel I wrote last year, I just wrote. The story appeared somewhere in the middle. Same with yours, it needed massive changes. When I eventually return to the material, I think I’ll pull some magic from inside, the kind that wouldn’t have been there if I wasn’t racing through. I’m excited to try my hand at another round. I’ve been writing for a bit over a year now, and believe I’ve learned a lot. I don’t think I’ll have a problem with the pace (so long as WD readers are patient with a few guest posts and Deja Vuesdays here and there). I write really fast, it’s the editing that kills me. I won’t have to worry about that at all. Sorry about your ending. I would have felt like kicking rocks.
Scott: Super glad to have you. Like I said to Cath, I think the key is just to move forward. Don’t second guess yourself, and just keep writing. Worry about inconsistencies and flow later. Getting the rough draft out in thirty days is priority one.
Eric: Exactly. It’s a scientific fact that when your brain explodes, good things happen.
Chase: I have a name, and a setting, and a sketch. Outside that, it’s all frontier. I’m with you, I think it’s a liberating way to write. I fail at outlines. Even when I write them, once I start going, things change too quickly and my outline becomes worthless. I see instinct as more important, but those are just my eyes.
Brett: You are absolutely right.
Kool Aid: Join the madness!!! Make up someone you wish you were and give them voice each day. It doesn’t even have to be good!! But laundry is important, too. Sigh. Why can’t we have more minutes?
Oktober 5: That’s a great idea. Eight hundred words a day between two people is really manageable. Then you have a project to pick apart together in December. I’d love to do that with Daisy next year (I hope she likes the idea of dragon monkey hybrids who wear jet packs, carry flame throwers, and travel through time).
Blogger Dad: You should! We can have a contest to see who can get less sleep and drop more balls. Chaos from coast to coast!!
Lance: It’s not too bad. I plan on doing a lot of cut and paste from some Stephen King PDF’s I have on my hard drive.
Matthew: Pure blissful torture is right. The ten percent of me that thinks this is actually a good use of my time for thirty days is super excited. Luckily, he’s more Tyler than Jack. Sheesh, can you believe that Blogger Dad? He is soooo lazy.
Cath: With the novel I wrote last year, I just wrote. The story appeared somewhere in the middle. Same with yours, it needed massive changes. When I eventually return to the material, I think I’ll pull some magic from inside, the kind that wouldn’t have been there if I wasn’t racing through. I’m excited to try my hand at another round. I’ve been writing for a bit over a year now, and believe I’ve learned a lot. I don’t think I’ll have a problem with the pace (so long as WD readers are patient with a few guest posts and Deja Vuesdays here and there). I write really fast, it’s the editing that kills me. I won’t have to worry about that at all. Sorry about your ending. I would have felt like kicking rocks.
Scott: Super glad to have you. Like I said to Cath, I think the key is just to move forward. Don’t second guess yourself, and just keep writing. Worry about inconsistencies and flow later. Getting the rough draft out in thirty days is priority one.
Eric: Exactly. It’s a scientific fact that when your brain explodes, good things happen.
Chase: I have a name, and a setting, and a sketch. Outside that, it’s all frontier. I’m with you, I think it’s a liberating way to write. I fail at outlines. Even when I write them, once I start going, things change too quickly and my outline becomes worthless. I see instinct as more important, but those are just my eyes.
Brett: You are absolutely right.
Kool Aid: Join the madness!!! Make up someone you wish you were and give them voice each day. It doesn’t even have to be good!! But laundry is important, too. Sigh. Why can’t we have more minutes?
Oktober 5: That’s a great idea. Eight hundred words a day between two people is really manageable. Then you have a project to pick apart together in December. I’d love to do that with Daisy next year (I hope she likes the idea of dragon monkey hybrids who wear jet packs, carry flame throwers, and travel through time).
I did NanoWriMo last year. I got as far as 39000 words. It wasnt’ really a novel, just random stories, in no apparent order. But it was quite productive, many of those stories ended up on my Blog.
But this year, I’m going to pass on NaNoWriMo. I don’t have a novel in me…but I have that kids’ book.
So instead of spending time generating words, I’m going to use it to generate my illustrations and work on my story.
(Same principle, I guess….just that not to many kids’ books are 50,000 words!) ;-)
I did NanoWriMo last year. I got as far as 39000 words. It wasnt’ really a novel, just random stories, in no apparent order. But it was quite productive, many of those stories ended up on my Blog.
But this year, I’m going to pass on NaNoWriMo. I don’t have a novel in me…but I have that kids’ book.
So instead of spending time generating words, I’m going to use it to generate my illustrations and work on my story.
(Same principle, I guess….just that not to many kids’ books are 50,000 words!) ;-)
Friar,
If a picture is worth 1000 words, then make 50 illustrations in November and you’ve met the target :)
Brett Legrees last blog post..john who?
Friar,
If a picture is worth 1000 words, then make 50 illustrations in November and you’ve met the target :)
Brett Legrees last blog post..john who?
@Brett
Does that mean 1000 pictures equals 1 Meg? :-)
Friars last blog post..Getting to Know More People in Your NeighborHood.
@Brett
Does that mean 1000 pictures equals 1 Meg? :-)
Friars last blog post..Getting to Know More People in Your NeighborHood.
Friar,
I think technically 1024 pictures would be a meg (sorry, couldn’t resist!)
Brett Legrees last blog post..john who?
Friar,
I think technically 1024 pictures would be a meg (sorry, couldn’t resist!)
Brett Legrees last blog post..john who?
Brett/Friar: If we’re talking bits and bytes, I have no hope. My entire novels not even half a meg.
Brett/Friar: If we’re talking bits and bytes, I have no hope. My entire novels not even half a meg.
Writer Dad,
Just import it into a bloated program (*cough* Word *cough*) and it will expand astronomically!
Brett Legrees last blog post..john who?
Writer Dad,
Just import it into a bloated program (*cough* Word *cough*) and it will expand astronomically!
Brett Legrees last blog post..john who?
@Brett
Well, if we really want to get techincal, I can compare the size of my cartoon JPEGS files, and see how many words I need to write on a Microsoft Word document to get a file of equivalent KB size.
But of course, I can skew my results, depending on the resolution that I scan my picture in.
(Sorry, Writer Dad. Me and Brett are engineering geeks, we tend to get carried away with such details….!) ;-)
Friars last blog post..Getting to Know More People in Your NeighborHood.
@Brett
Well, if we really want to get techincal, I can compare the size of my cartoon JPEGS files, and see how many words I need to write on a Microsoft Word document to get a file of equivalent KB size.
But of course, I can skew my results, depending on the resolution that I scan my picture in.
(Sorry, Writer Dad. Me and Brett are engineering geeks, we tend to get carried away with such details….!) ;-)
Friars last blog post..Getting to Know More People in Your NeighborHood.
Good luck!
I think I said it before: I have absolutely no desire to write a novel. Blogging is perfect for my short attention span and limited vocabulary. :)
Vered – MomGrinds last blog post..Chocolate-Covered Strawberries
Good luck!
I think I said it before: I have absolutely no desire to write a novel. Blogging is perfect for my short attention span and limited vocabulary. :)
Vered – MomGrinds last blog post..Chocolate-Covered Strawberries
Man, if only I have the time. But wait I’m writing a novel right now. Do I need to start a new one? I really need to stay focus with my current project!
Chriss last blog post..Opportunity Amidst Economic Distress
Man, if only I have the time. But wait I’m writing a novel right now. Do I need to start a new one? I really need to stay focus with my current project!
Chriss last blog post..Opportunity Amidst Economic Distress
I think I’m game to try this…I’ve heard about it before, but never looked into it, because raising a kid, a husband, a roommate, and three cats leaves me almost no time to write …but what the hey, why not have a go?
Meanwhile, whether I clamber aboard the roller-coaster or no, I’m looking forward to witnessing your process!
Shade and Sweetwater,
K
Kyddryns last blog post..Heh, Heh, Heh
I think I’m game to try this…I’ve heard about it before, but never looked into it, because raising a kid, a husband, a roommate, and three cats leaves me almost no time to write …but what the hey, why not have a go?
Meanwhile, whether I clamber aboard the roller-coaster or no, I’m looking forward to witnessing your process!
Shade and Sweetwater,
K
Kyddryns last blog post..Heh, Heh, Heh
Oh frabjous day! Callooh! Callay! That is my favorite line from poetry. The hub and I say it to each other when we’re having a great day.
I am not writing a book in a month BUT I want you all to report back on your progress. I want to see if this can be done. Please share your experiences.
My the force be with you!
Awesome! Thanks for the reminder!
NaNoWriMo is one of those ideas that sound great and worth trying, but that I somehow never get myself to participate in. I’ll have to think about this hard tonight… Maybe this year, I’ll try it.
Good luck to everyone taking on the challenge!
Jarkko Laines last blog post..Text is Art, Content is King
Oh frabjous day! Callooh! Callay! That is my favorite line from poetry. The hub and I say it to each other when we’re having a great day.
I am not writing a book in a month BUT I want you all to report back on your progress. I want to see if this can be done. Please share your experiences.
My the force be with you!
Awesome! Thanks for the reminder!
NaNoWriMo is one of those ideas that sound great and worth trying, but that I somehow never get myself to participate in. I’ll have to think about this hard tonight… Maybe this year, I’ll try it.
Good luck to everyone taking on the challenge!
Jarkko Laines last blog post..Text is Art, Content is King
@ Laurie – That’s my favourite line from the Simpsons. Heheheee.
I think it;s from the episode where Skinner is falling in love with Patti or Selma – I can;t remember which.
Daa Da Da Da Daaa Da Da Da Dadadada
Dave Fowlers last blog post..I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead
@ Laurie – That’s my favourite line from the Simpsons. Heheheee.
I think it;s from the episode where Skinner is falling in love with Patti or Selma – I can;t remember which.
Daa Da Da Da Daaa Da Da Da Dadadada
Dave Fowlers last blog post..I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead