NaNoWriMo: Results

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Well, as to be expected I did not stick to writing everyday nor did I finish my "book" on the 6th of December. I actually feel quite sad about it because I was really excited at the prospect of finally finishing a book. It just got to a point where I ran out of steam and my characters took a break from me therefore making it impossible for me to scribbled down what they were getting up to in my head. However, during those breaks I did manage to produce two short stories that I am quite proud of.

They were quite unlike anything I had written before. It felt like my writing had... grown up a bit. I dunno. You tell me what you thought of them (here & here). I have many more ideas for short stories quite like the ones I have recently posted but I want to finish the original story I started. I am just a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to writing novels. I have this grand idea of what my 1^st book should be and I don't want to be totally crappy. Only sliiiiightly crappy hehe.


So here is what I plan to do:

1. Transcribe all my work onto my laptop- I did manage to write 46 A4 pages worth of a book...  
2. Edit my work- whittle those 46 pages down to pages containing only quality work and zero crap!
3. Finish the story- if my imagination runs too wild, as it always does, I will close my eyes and eventually write 'The End' by the end of the month.

I aim to print it out and have it bound. Once I do, I shall take a picture of it, document it here and smile until my face starts hurting because it will mean that I finally did it. I am not as brave as other people I know who really put themselves and their work out there. I cling onto my words and share them with but a few. Even though not that many people read this blog I still feel like I have taken a big step and "published" my work for others to see and that is good enough for me. Maybe one day I will publish a book properly and have it on a shelf in a book store oozing a hippy vibe. I just hope that the hands that book falls into will never let it go because it was able to touch their life and stretch their imagination just like my favourite books do to me every time I read them.

Yours truly,

Mo x

NaNoWriMo

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NaNoWriMo aka National Novel Writing Month.

Oh yeah baby! That is what I am doing this month. Granted I did not prepare for it last month nor did I actually sign up on their website nor am I following any of their rules. So technically, I am not actually taking part in NaNoWriMo . I just decided on a whim (well, the 6^th of November to be exact) that I was going to write at least a page a day on a short story I started whilst at work the other day. But I am taking it one step further. I am going “old school” and will be writing my novel by hand.

I have the tendency to waffle and I feel that if I write the novel using my pen, I will have a better control of conveying my thoughts in a more concise manner. Plus, I do not get to rely on auto-correct so I am learning to spell again haha.

For the first time, I have made a brief outline of the story and will try to stick to it. I normally just see where my imagination takes me and stop when I either feel tired or the end surprises even me. Eeek! It is going to be soo hard to stick to the outline but I will try.

I must take this opportunity to thank Linda from OpenEllbey for introducing me to NaNoWriMo and Meg from MegFee for sharing the song that birthed this story I am writing which will hopefully become my first ever finished and “published” novel.

I am excited for the 6^th of December to roll on by so that I can see how the story evolved. I will be getting someone (my sister and a couple friends) to edit my work before I print it off. But I have to say, it is the keeping of the handwritten version of the story that I am most excited about. Who knows, by next year when I do this again I would have snagged myself a typewriter and use that to write my next novel. That would be too cool!

If any of you have been a part of NaNoWriMo before or are taking part in it this year good luck with your new project! I hope the finished work brings you joy. And to those of you that might be thinking of doing it let me know. We could practise this writing project together and be better prepared for next year’s NaNoWriMo and have a chance of winning :) 

Yours truly,

Mo x