It's National Novel Writing Month or "NaNoWriMo" - that time after Halloween when would-be writers everywhere close themselves off from distractions and type as fast as they can to reach 50,000 words by the end of November.
It's only November 3rd - not too late to get started!
This is my fifth year participating and yet it feels the same as the first time - the blank page is scary, the words either flow or they just stop coming, and I have to make myself stop editing work from the day before. Coffee is a must, as well as chocolate. I've told my family the only meal I guarantee this month is Thanksgiving Dinner. I'm going to write my heart out during the week when most of the family is at work or school because weekends are just too hectic, and there's always Christmas shopping - arghhh!
I wrote poetry in college, but never much long fiction. So the first year I did this I had NO characters in mind and no clue about how to start, but with the encouragement of friends I got a notebook and just started writing down plots that came into my head. And to my surprise, characters started appearing. I knew what they were thinking and what they did every day. I knew them better than I know my neighbors of 20 years. They were part of me, but some of them were as different as night and day.
I actually drew a map of the setting so I could keep it all straight. I started looking on the internet for pictures that reminded me of my characters and where they lived, and saved them in a folder for inspiration. I played around with anagrams, and I researched old county records for historical facts. Yes these are tricks, but it's also a world of fun! And all writers have to just sit and think, often for hours, about plot points and tricky plot twists. No one ever said it was easy!
Yes, I was up to the challenge in years past. I wrote and wrote until I reached 50,000 words - hooray! But actually none of my novels have ever been completely finished - they have ragged edges. Reality intruded during the editing process, and one of my novels had a plot hole. I also realized that there was so much baggage and backstory attached to my characters that it was taking up space, so this year I'm starting over with a prequel that will be short and sweet and this time complete. (Hmm, if this fiction gig doesn't work out, maybe I should go back to poetry!)
