It’s Monday, 12th October 2009 when I wrote this entry and I’m freaking out.
It’s coming, oh my God, it’s coming, and I am far from ready for it. 30 days and 30 nights of literary abandon. 1 novel, at least 50,000 words have to be written by the end of November.
Oh, damn it, it’s coming, November is coming again and I can’t believe that time really does fly though I feel as if it’s just yesterday that I sat in front of my laptop, churning out words and trying to gallantly write a novel in just 30 days while the evils in my real life tries to eat me up and tear me to pieces mercilessly.
Some of you out there may be clueless on what I’m talking aboutt. Come closer…let me tell you what I’m talking about. I’m talking about NaNoWriMo 2009.
For those who have been following my blog since last year, and for those who is a true writing nut like me (not just blogging, but have passion in writing) probably know what is NaNoWriMo. I have been participating in this crazy once a year literary event since 2004, and I don’t doubt that some of you did the crazy deed just like me just for the heck of it, but for those who do not know what is NaNoWriMo, allow me to explain what is NaNoWriMo for your benefit.
NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month.
National Novel Writing Month is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing. Participants begin writing November 1. The goal is to write a 175-page (50,000-word) novel by midnight, November 30.
Valuing enthusiasm and perseverance over painstaking craft, NaNoWriMo is a novel-writing program for everyone who has thought fleetingly about writing a novel but has been scared away by the time and effort involved.
Because of the limited writing window, the ONLY thing that matters in NaNoWriMo is output. It’s all about quantity, not quality. The kamikaze approach forces you to lower your expectations, take risks, and write on the fly.
Make no mistake: You will be writing a lot of crap. And that’s a good thing. By forcing yourself to write so intensely, you are giving yourself permission to make mistakes. To forgo the endless tweaking and editing and just create. To build without tearing down.
As you spend November writing, you can draw comfort from the fact that, all around the world, other National Novel Writing Month participants are going through the same joys and sorrows of producing the Great Frantic Novel. Wrimos meet throughout the month to offer encouragement, commiseration, and—when the thing is done—the kind of raucous celebrations that tend to frighten animals and small children.
So, basically:
What: Writing one 50,000-word novel from scratch in a month’s time.
Who: You! We can’t do this unless we have some other people trying it as well. Let’s write laughably awful yet lengthy prose together.
Why: The reasons are endless! To actively participate in one of our era’s most enchanting art forms! To write without having to obsess over quality. To be able to make obscure references to passages from our novels at parties. To be able to mock real novelists who dawdle on and on, taking far longer than 30 days to produce their work.
When: You can sign up anytime to add your name to the roster and browse the forums. Writing begins November 1. To be added to the official list of winners, you must reach the 50,000-word mark by November 30 at midnight. Once your novel has been verified by our web-based team of robotic word counters, the partying begins.
Anyway, unlike last year, I have not much confidence in myself on whether I can accomplish what I’ve achieved last year, which is to write a novel with at least 50,000 words in just 30 days.
This year is full of bullshit and simply would not give me a break. I get tired easily lately, and though my heart is willing and my mind is completely inspired, my body simply rebels and demands for a rest. And I am not sure if I can discipline myself to write at least 1666 words per day the way I managed last year. I have no such confidence for this time consuming commitment this year, but I’ve pledged to spend my November to write a novel.Again. I must be a masochist. That must be it. Only that could explain my insanity on taking up the challenge again.
But then again, i don’t want to be alone. So, my precious readers…who is with me on this? Who is up to the challenge? Join me in this literary insanity. get your kids, your colleague to join you. Make it a spend-time together event for you and your family.
See…below is my participant badge for this year.
Come on, readers, be brave. Get one too. Join me in this crazy adventure. Kill a dragon or two… or better still, some bitches and bastards or evil bosses who simply refused to give you a raise in your novel. You won’t believe how much fun it can be!
Cleffairy: Still confused? Just visit the NaNoWriMo webbie for more infos on 30 days and 30 nights of crazy literary adventure that you might be interested to embark on. There’s infos and tips on hows and whats. Sign up, and join me.
😛
