My Second National Novel Writing Month Event

Last year I discovered something called NaNoWriMo or National Novel Writing Month (www.nanowrimo.org). It starts in the month November at midnight on the 1st. and runs until midnight on the 30th. Participants try and write a novel, or at least 50,000 words in that time. Those that do are called winners. This "contest" has been going on for a number of years now, but last year was the first that I had heard of it, and a week past the start of it to boot.

I was intrigued by the thought of writing a novel in just thirty days. I don't know why I thought I could pull this seemingly monumental task off. I'm not really a writer. I am a Graphic Designer by trade and training. So, why did entertain thoughts that I could accomplish this huge project in the allotted time? Insanity I suppose. I had thought about writing a book but never actually tried. When I came across NaNoWriMo, it seemed like the motivation that I needed.

I signed up on the web site, which was a very simple process. I went through the information of a number of participants. This got me excited about starting my own novel. I pulled out my old Apple iBook and powered it up then opened my word processor and then stared at the screen. What should I write? The possibilities were endless. Unfortunately my time was not.

I am sure that a lot of participants write an outline before hand or secretly get a head start by working on their novel ahead of time. By starting a week late, I was at a distinct disadvantage. After staring t the screen for several minutes, i got an idea. Well, it was partly an old idea, I am a big fan of the detective series, "Simon & Simon", about two brothers that are private detectives. It had action, comedy, and drama. I always thought it would be cool to be like them. So, right then, i decided to write a detective story about two P.I. brothers.

I started off ok but being a stay-at-home parent of five that home schools, there were frequent stops and starts causing me to lose my train of thought. And when the kids were in bed, I was usually too tired to write. I did try my best though. I only made it to around 4,500 words before giving up.

This year, I decided to get a head start. I used the same method of starting cold with no outline but I started early. About a month early. By the time November 1st came along, I had about 3,000 words. I started pretty pretty vigorously for the first week. By the time the second week came along, I was already behind despite my head start. I was still giving it my best effort. Midway through, I hit a wall and other things were demanding my time, I decided to give up at week 3. By that time, I was so far behind and out of sync, I could never finish on time. I guess i didn't learn my lesson from last year.

At this point, I do not foresee another attempt unless someone is able to extend the day by a few hours. It was a rewarding experience, but I think I can do better at my own pace without the pressure of a deadline.