#NaNoWriMo Success

For the past twenty-nine days (minus three for various celebrations), I have worked diligently on my eighth novel. Today, I reached the magic number of 50,000 words written, which indicates that I have "won" NaNoWriMo.

However, I do not have a completed first draft of my novel yet. As a matter of fact, I haven't even picked the poison of choice for my murderess! I've still got a chapter or two before I have to make that decision. Though I had originally hoped to pen the entire 60K+ novel during this month, I find myself dragging across the finish line with only a day to spare and probably another two weeks' worth of writing to do, if I return to my normal 1,000 words per day. Which, of course, I will definitely be doing.

So, what stopped me from reaching my goal? I didn't let much get in my way. I wrote at a steady 2K a day rate from the 1st through the 16th. After much debate, I gave myself my birthday off -- and boy, did I need it! On the 18th, I was back in my chair writing. Dan and I had Thanksgiving plans that took me away from my computer for two days. I didn't worry too much -- even with three days lost, I still should have had 54,000 words by the end of the month.

What I didn't count on was getting sick. Since Friday, I have been literally dragging my coughing, miserable carcass to this desk and forcing myself to write at least 1,000 words. Do I think that anything I have written in the last four days is any good? It's hard to tell. I know there are parts that won't make it past my first read-through. But then, that's true of every novel I write. If you don't want to get choked by writer's block, you have to keep writing -- even when you suspect the words might just be crap.

What the last month has taught me:
1. A detailed outline, even one that turns out to be not quite right, is a great tool for keeping me on target.
2. I can write more than 2,000 words a day consistently -- as long as I'm willing to be exhausted.
3. I'm happy with my normal 1K a day goal, even if that means it takes me three months to write a first draft.

If you participated in NaNoWriMo, be sure to leave a comment and share what you learned about your writing style this month.

Do You Have a Book in You?

Next month, along with thousands of other writers, I will be attempting to write a complete novel for National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). In order for me to accomplish this goal, I will need to double my daily writing output from 1,000 to 2,000 words. While this is a challenge, it’s not impossible; I do hope my friends and family will forgive my absence over the coming weeks, though. I hope to pop my head up for a few days around Thanksgiving.

This morning I was thinking about all the people I’ve known over the years who told me they had a novel in them. If you are one of those people, now is the time to prove to yourself and everyone around you that you do: sign up for the NaNoWriMo challenge. Put your effort where your mouth is. Don’t think about the 50K word goal – just write every day for a month and see where you are at the end. NaNoWriMo offers a multitude of peer groups to join; if you need even more support, I highly recommend joining the Book Junkies on Facebook.

From my personal experience, I can honestly say that writing one book has the potential to open your creative floodgates. It took me six months to write The Thief of Todays and Tomorrows. Before I was done with it, though, I had ideas for several more novels. My NaNoWriMo novel will be my eighth book and I’m sitting on at least six more plots.

Stop telling me you have a novel in you – write it down and share it with the world.

#Trust30: Should I Write about Mrs. Tom Thumb?

Image via Wikipedia

I have an idea for a novel that I have been sitting on since I finished The Thief of Todays and Tomorrows in 2009. It would be a historical novel blending the life story of Mercy Lavinia Warren Bump, better known as Mrs. Tom Thumb, with the fairy tale Thumbelina. As it happens, this nineteenth-century celebrity’s life follows the flow of Thumbelina quite well, and I’ve had numerous people tell me that it sounds like an interesting book.

My biggest roadblock on this project is the historical research aspect. I’m stymied as to how much should be fiction and how much should be biographical. Should I simply change the name of the main character and make the whole thing fiction, or should I try to stick – at least somewhat – to the facts? All of my other books are cut from the whole cloth of my imagination. I’ve never tried to weave more than the basic facts of a time period into my work – certainly not anyone who could be recognized as a real person.

Still, the idea lingers, no matter how many times I’ve tried to put it aside. I wonder: should I treat it like any other book? I tend to take a “damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead” approach to writing. How obligated am I to historical facts? I have read Mrs. Tom Thumb’s autobiography, such as it is. She seems to have wearied of the subject and ended up pulling together a compilation of other people’s writings and articles regarding her life rather than add anything of herself to the story. Yet I know this woman – she fought the perceptions of the times that said her small size meant that she was less intelligent than “normal” people. She chose to capitalize on her size rather than think of it as a liability. She met royalty and presidents and impressed them with her remarkable charm.

Maybe it’s time for me to stop making excuses for not writing this book. Maybe this should be my NaNoWriMo project come November. This is a Tinkerbell moment: if you believe in this book, leave me a note of encouragement.