It may be NaNo but not as we know it

I just realised yesterday was this blog’s first birthday! I started this on 1/11/11 with a blog on firsts that included me taking part for the first time in NaNoWriMo.

I was inspired after a great writing workshop ran by Stephanie Butland. The aim was to get me doing some (to me) scary things - writing regularly, maybe write things that other people would read (eek!), hopefully connect with others and be A Writer like I’ve always wanted to be. Over the past year as I’ve been trying to do this, there have been plenty of life’s ups, downs and in-betweens, some things I’ve written about on here – and some that remain unwritten. I admire all those really upfront bloggers who bare their life and souls warts and all but I’ve shied away from that and realised that there are no rules, it’s my blog and I can write what I like! But it does mean that at really busy or difficult times I don’t blog as often as I had hoped I would and I’d like that to change. So my aim as I go into my second year is to blog better, more often – and maybe let people get to know me a bit more… (that may be scarier for you than I dear Reader!)

The other Very Exciting writing thing that has happened since I started this blog was getting the contract with ebook publisher Collca to publish a travelogue about the trek to Machu Picchu I did earlier this year.   I have, as many others do I think, a couple of very contrary gremlins that live on my shoulders and whisper in my ears. One that tells me that I CAN do anything and gives me confidence and positivity, the other is a dark little devil who constantly says there’s no way you can do this, who chips away at my self belief and confidence. At the moment he’s winning as I’m behind with my own writing schedule and I can hear him uttering ‘I told you so...’

So, I wasn’t going to join in with NaNoWriMo this year, I need to get my ebook finished by the end of the month and I’m writing and editing as I go along - but there’s something great about just knowing a whole bunch of others across the word are writing, creating and panicking away too. So while officially I’m doing my own thing I will be posting my word count, updating this blog with progress and checking in occasionally with others I find who are taking part in this month of madness! (But not so much that it just adds to my ever growing list of distractions!)

So – one year one – and I have one ebook to finish in one month - one is still a magic number! And because I CAN do it, I’m now off to write!

 

Learning curve

So there goes November in fact here we are now well into December. There goes my first time taking part in National Novel Writing Month - how was it for you?
Well for me my total word count was 22,673 words, not quite halfway to the magical 50,000 words. But that is 22,673 words more than I may have written otherwise. I joined it for a bit of a kick start, a bit of fun and to see if I could do it. I'm not going to say I 'failed' or didn't do it, hey I was in the rebel group from the start due to writing a memoir, and I have learnt such a lot from just having a go.

I discovered surprisingly that the best time for me to get a lot of writing done undisturbed and undistracted is early morning, setting my alarm earlier and having an hour from 6-7am was a great kick start and revelation. But as I also discovered if you have a tendency for insomnia then getting up at 6am is not always feasible especially if you've only got to sleep two hours beforehand.

Of course I have to earn a living too and a couple of unexpected work related trips away also ate into the writing plans. And I found that once I was behind on my self imposed daily targets it was difficult to catch up- the plan B back up plan of whole day(s) dedicated to just writing never happened. I do however now know that I do need a plan, some structure and targets to work with to give some kind of impetus and measure of progress. Just waiting for the muse to strike and words to flow won't work for me.

On the positive side thanks to NaNo:
I have written 22,673 words of a memoir that I want to carry on with
I have been to and enjoyed my first ever writing workshop
I have started this blog
I have been writing other things too including an article published on another website
It's helped me realise what I enjoy and what I'd like to be doing
It's helped me realise that even though I enjoy and like to be writing, distractions are many and discipline is needed!

Would I do it again? Yes, definitely. But not just once a year, I think I'll have my own kind of NaNo every month from now on (here's another 422 words added to December's total!)

Happy Days

Day 4 and I'm still rather pleased I'm doing this year's NaMo. Up to 4,523 on the wordage stakes now and although not quite at the 2,000 per day I am aiming for I am not going to beat myself up. Instead focusing on the positives.... so far I have found:

• It is actually (so far) pleasurable waking up and having a whole hour in the silence and darkness of the early morning to just write without any distractions at all
• once I am in the 'zone' I do totally lose myself and am finding to my surprise that the words are flowing out and I can manage 1,000 in an undisturbed hour
• I have managed (again, so far) to switch off from editing mode, ignore the urge of the virtual red pen and just get the words out
• I find I'm thinking about and planning in my head what I'm going to write next which helps when it comes to picking up the keyboard (and as I seem to have spent quite a lot of time on buses this week helps pass the time constructively too)
• I am pleased, in a kind not a smug way, with myself for showing to me not anyone else that I can do this.

Days 1- 4 = Happy Days :-)

One is the magic number

Today is the day of many firsts. It is the first of November, it is the first day of National Novel Writing Month (see http://www.nanowrimo.org), I have written the first 1,095 (so far - more to do tonight!) of my NaMo book, it is the first time I have taken part, and here is my first blog.

I've sometimes thought about starting a personal blog but 'not sure what to write', 'wouldn't do it often enough' 'might not be very interesting' and all those other little excuses that are so easy to make and more difficult shake .

So, deciding that 1.11.11 is a good day to start lots of firsts - here it is. This blog is set up to give me somewhere to come and chart the inevitable ups and downs of the NaMo experience, let off some steam, have a virtual scream, but I'm sure it will become full of musings and mutterings about Life and Stuff.   

And there, that's my first post done.  If anyone is actually looking at this, I will make the blog look more pretty and interesting as I go along - it's going to grow organically (or rather when I get to grips with it!)

I must go - I have a word count to increase.