NANOWRIMO!

Are you ready???? For:

It starts tomorrow! I am so excited. I have to admit that this year, due to the fact that last year I felt a little rushed and a little lost and he was here for only two more weeks before leaving again! I wrote a whole bunch of crap that I eventually had to cut out of that novel. It was very unfocused. And perhaps one can argue that this always happens with first drafts, that I shouldn't sweat it, etc.

It's not so much a question of sweating it. It's more the fact that I discovered, in writing cold last year (my first NaNoWriMo), that I am an OP.

According to James Scott Bell, there are two types of writers: NOPs (no outline people) and OPs (outline people). I thought I was a NOP. I was convinced that I was the free-wheeling type, just letting my imagination take me where it will. There something bad about that, though. Because left to its own devices, my imagination loves nothing better than describing settings and people in exuciating details. Pages and pages. That, and edifying the reader as to the back story of every single character from the minor to the main, from the time they were both until they show up on the page. No good.

So I have an outline. Overall structure, chapter line summaries, chapter full summaries. I also wanted to get into outlining setting details and character detail in full (but in point form) so that while writing that first draft, and I can go and pull certain details (but not all) and cut down on the heavy handed description. Is that cheating?

Well it matters not since I didn't get around to it in time anyways. Oh well! The novel's first draft has the difficult job of being absolute crap.

But I feel good about the upcoming month. The novel is the first in a series, and yes, that fantasy series that I have been needing to write, been writing my entire life (well, ok...22 years). Here's some fun! Visualization is fun!

There is a regional group in this town that is meeting up several times for NaNoWriMo. But I am scared. Not only of social interaction with new people in general, but about showing this, my most important work, to total strangers.

So today is Halloween and I have the candy waiting by th door already. It's not even 3 p.m., the kiddies won't even be home from school yet. Still I am nervous/excited. I wish he was here. It is lonely doing this.......alone. Um, yeah.

Anyways let me know if you are doing NaNoWriMo and maybe you could find me on that website and be my "writing buddy"! Cause I have none so far. Boo Hoo. :P