It's that marvelous time of year again! Well, almost. A little more than a month to go before National Novel Writing Month—otherwise known as NaNoWriMo—begins.
50,000 words in 30 days. That's the gist. You're allowed to plan all you want, outline, write out chapter summaries and character backgrounds, but no working on the manuscript until midnight, November 1st.
Last year was my first time. I wasn't blogging yet, but I did chronicle Script Frenzy in April, the script version of NaNoWriMo. 100 pages in 30 days instead of 50,000 words.
Although I breezed through Script Frenzy, I found NaNoWriMo challenging. To be fair, I decided to go for it on October 31st, so there was no time to prepare. I had a loose idea of a protagonist, but zero plot. For someone who is a hardcore plotter when it comes to novel writing, winging it was difficult.
Still, despite not reaching 50,000 words, having several near meltdowns and one spectacular tear-streaked meltdown during which D gave me permission to quit, I don't regret doing it. It's amazing what fingers can do with a keyboard when given free reign. I'm still in love with the story born out of that experience. Even if it isn't a fully realized story.
This year I have time to plan a little. Not too much because I don't want to lose the constant thrill of discovery. For me, that level of discovery usually comes in the brainstorming phase and not while writing. I think I like NaNoWriMo so much precisely because it is far removed from my usual process.
I would like to plan enough to ward off looming meltdowns, but I think NaNo will be intense regardless of preparation and that's probably a good thing.
Maybe even a necessary thing.
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