Yesterday I began my first ever NaNoWriMo challenge. For those that don’t know, it’s National Novel Writing Month in November and the challenge is to write 50,000 words and produce a first draft by the end of the month.
I already had a novel planned out, a 1950’s murder mystery story, but due to life getting in the way, hadn’t managed to write a single word of the actual manuscript. I decided to sign up for NaNo because I really wanted to have a first draft, however rough, done before December when the Christmas madness begins. (Plus, I LOVE Christmas so totally throw myself into it!)
The first day was actually a bit tough. I had a first paragraph that I thought of in the middle of the night and hastily wrote in my notebook but beyond that, as I hadn’t written in a while, it felt like I was constantly stopping and starting trying to get from plot ploint A to B. The story wasn’t flowing and a part of me was worried I’d forgotten what to do!
As I got going though, it started to get easier. I could picture it in my mind, the characters started talking to me (they even started doing there own thing!) and a few new subplots popped out, all of which will add depth to the story.
Today has gone even better and the beginning of the story is really starting to take shape. I’m not 100% sure I’ve started it in the right place, but I can deal with that in the edits. I’m keeping with the NaNo spirit and just getting it written. I’ve even been super technical (for me) and inserted some comments where I know I’ll want to go back and add more depth after a little bit of research.
So far, I’d definitely encourage others to sign up for NaNoWriMo, if not this time, then definitely next. Why not stop by their website and check it out: https://nanowrimo.org
Are you participating in NaNoWriMo? How’s it going for you? Stop by the comments and let me know!