NaNoWriMo 2008

The idea :

30 days
to write a 50,000 word novel.

Can it be done?
YES IT CAN.



2008 marked my second win, a total of 50,500+ words in 26 days!


Lessons learned :

1) As a writer, don't expect the story to stick to your initial plot.
You have it all figured out, you know the plot, you create the characters and quite suddenly, they begin growing their own personalities. The kind of changes that no matter how many times you hit the backspace button trying to erase what they've just said or done, they continue going against your will time and time again taking matters in their own hands, as if you're nothing more than a curious onlooker with tendencies to interfere. The kind of characters who leave you staring at the pixels on your screen thinking "What the hell is going on here?" and making you question who's the writer in this warped world! Let your characters take you where they will, you never know where your story is headed, but remember, if things get a little too dangerous, you've always got that backspace button, fight for your right to use it.

2) Let people in. Anyone who knows me well enough would be sure to call me a hypocrite by now, for I fiercely argue with those who attempt to get their hands on my story (or laptop even...). No, I'm not talking about letting people read your work (unless of course thats what you want to do), I'm talking about letting people in on the plot. Even though NaNoWriMo novels are usually heavily edited after the intense month of November is over, sometimes it's good to get feedback while you're still writing. I found parts of my plot lacking, or ideas and characters sounding a little too cliche, after letting a carefully selected handful of people in on the some of the plot, I'd gotten the feedback I needed. Some shared the same views as me, others provided me with other little ideas to add to the plot instead. In fact, I came up with one of the most amazing ideas to tie my plot, which up until then, was full of loose ends, all together in a nice and fancy bow, while brainstorming with a friend late one night.

3) Find your writing space. Some people write better in the silence of their own rooms where they can stay locked away from the world for hours on end; just them and their novel, others, prefer the hustle and bustle associated with public places, maybe being able to see the different people or surroundings around them helps them with their writing, I don't quite know. Whichever you work better in, stick to it. My first two weeks or so weren't off to a particularly good start, I found myself struggling to stay anywhere near the ideal daily word count. Too distracted by work, the internet and social obligations, not to mention the fact that I began forcing each and every word out, slowly growing to hate my novel. I'd write on my lunch breaks, I'd write before I went to bed, first thing in the morning, or even while attempting to eat dinner ; only adding a few hundred words to my word count. It was only when I began getting into a routine of when and where I wrote, that things seemed to be flowing better. I didn't find home to be my ideal writing spot, and instead opted for somewhere a lot quieter where I would be alone with my laptop and the story in my head, and each day, after work was over and the night grew old, I'd settle down to write away.

4) Know what you're writing beforehand. I had everything planned, I knew what was going to happen, I knew who was going to be at the hospital, I knew what cake was being baked for the bake sale, I knew who was going to die and how they would die...It came as a shock when November the 1st arrived and I looked at the blank page and said to myself aloud "Oh crap, what the hell do I write?". I knew the middle, I knew the details, I knew the end, I even knew what colours the characters were wearing on what day, but I didn't even have a beginning. I hadn't even bothered to think how I would introduce my story to the world, which is probably why I'm scared to reread what I wrote in the beginning! While your plot will change as you write more as I mentioned in my first point, its still a good idea to make sure you know where your story is headed. Relying on where it takes you is dangerous, as you're on a tight schedule, and wasting time to think up new plots simply isn't an option; a lesson I learned the hard way, when I began writing rubbish just to give myself a few more days to think about a change in plot.

5) It can be done. I remember the first time I heard about NaNoWriMo I laughed, how could anyone write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days and live to tell the tale? To this day I still don't understand what possessed me to hit the "sign up" button on the website minutes later, despite the fact that it was the 10th of November already, I had missed 10 precious days already...and I had never attempted something so spontaneous and big in my entire life! 19 days later I was done, with 50,000+ words of a story that had been swimming around in my head for years on end...now typed out in a word document. I seemed to have burnt my fuse by 2007, for life got in the way and I ended up with a lousy 25,000 words by the end of the month, I had given up writing half way through. 2008's novel has been the biggest challenge so far. While this is my third time round to attempt something so crazy, It has been a bumpy journey. I successfully learned how to juggle a much more hectic life (than that of 2006) and find time for writing ; which is something I'd flopped miserably at in 2007. Here's for hoping that 2009 plays out even better!

It can be done, and to those of you who think you'd never be able to do it, I'm living proof that you can. So next November, I expect to have a few more people on board the ship!