When I restarted this blog on Oct. 1, “Rising from the Ashes,” I wrote “NaNoWriMo begins in less than 31 full days and it is past time to limber up stiff fingers and a brain sotted by politics. Dr. WordPress prescribes “a blog a day” therapy.” Good advice that I did not fully follow because life is many other things.
That morning, though, I had decided to see if I could win the NaNoWriMo prize – complete a 50,000 word novel in the 30 consecutive days of Nov.
My problem is that, while I can write fast, I am not comfortable writing fast. I am basically a plodding writer who constantly goes back to change, correct or rethink what I’ve written in the near past, whether that is minutes, hours or whatever. It is obvious that that modis operandi will not win the prize.
Neither, I believe, will starting on Nov. 1 with “It was a dark and stormy night,” and then, letting an unplanned stream-of-conciousness story stream out for 30 days. At least for me. I do not think I have the writing stamina to be able to sustain a blind race.
So, it came down to some planning. I needed a plot that would get the story started and at least temporarily carry it toward some ending – that could and probably will change once or more times. I needed a few starting characters. And I needed a mood that I could be comfortable with.
Now, as I write this, NaNoWriMo will begin in about 2 days and 10 hours. I have a story; at this time titled, “A Young Man’s Quest.” I have plan for a beginning, a time-line, a small list of places and few people who may show up, and what I think/hope will be the last line. I think that should get me underway at 5 am next Tuesday morning. Then, we will see how it goes.
Many thousands have done it before.
