NaNoWriMo....I'm at it again.
Three years in a row, I have signed up to do NaNoWriMo. Most of you probably have never heard of NaNoWriMo, let alone know what it stands for. National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) has been going on since 1999, and I've been a participant in 2002, 2003, and now 2005. I can't remember exactly why I didn't sign up for it last year, but I think it has something to do with the fact that I had a really important writing course this time last year, and I just was not emotionally stable enough to bother doing anything. Not really an excuse considering how many emotionally unstable authors have been published through the years, but still....
Basically, NaNoWriMo exists to help motivate people who have always wanted to write a novel. Participants have 30 days (Nov 1-30) to write 50,000 words, equaling roughly 175 pages. The whole object is to just write. Just write. Get 50,000 words down, and once you get there...keep going. Right now, you don't need to worry about style or grammar or punctuation...or anything like that. Just get the words down. By December 1, you should be taking your red pen to your manuscript and molding it into something real.
Theoretically, I should have two manuscripts floating around here. But, certain factors, laziness mostly, contributed to my downfall not once, but twice. I was able to put out was 5,000 my first year. The year after that, I barely broke the 7,000 mark. Yeah, my writing career is non-existant, and will continue to be so as long as I drag my feet and let other things get in the way of my writing. While history usually repeats itself, I've grabbed onto that last bit of hope once again and signed up to participate in NaNoWriMo. I'll give 50,000 words another shot. Maybe this time I can do it....then again, maybe not.
I've scrapped all my NaNoWriMo writing from previous years. I didn't like where they were going, and its always bad luck to keep around anything that reminds you of complete failure or that you're a quitter. So, that means I'm starting from scratch. Again. Anyone placing bets to see how far I can get this year? Leave a comment and let me know...
I'd love it if anyone else felt like signing up, writing 50,000 words with me. Sometimes I wonder if it would be easier to do this with someone. That way, we could motivate each other, and yell at each other whenever we've slacked off more than we should. Maybe that way I'd be able to accomplish my goal. Anyone up for it? Let me know...