Her Book Self

For the fourth year in a row, I have written a (draft of a) 50,000 word novel in less than 30 days.  I sit here now with a sigh of relief and a strange bit of pondering that I really don't know where two thirds of this story actually came from.  But I finished.  And it feels good to have this accomplishment under my belt.

For those that took on this endeavor with me, thank you for coming along on this wild ride.  I congratulate my fellow 50K club, and I also applaud all participants, regardless of word count.  Even writing a few thousand words in the month, is a few thousand words that you otherwise would not have put to paper! 

I'm not currently seeking to seriously edit or pursue publication for my work, but I enjoy and I celebrate the simple task of creating. Let us never underestimate or undervalue the joy of creating simply for creation's sake.

Here's to all my fellow writers and here's to thinking ahead - even now! - to NaNoWriMo 2011! 

I've passed 40,000 words which I suppose makes this the home stretch.  The only problem is, I have no idea how to end this thing.  Just when I thought I'd reached some sort of denouement, one character had a surprise revelation about another and now they don't even know if they can trust each other, let alone solve the massive problem looming over the world.  I guess for me it's easier to write conflicts than resolutions.  It seems it's always easier to find problems than to solve them.  Eighty percent done with this thing, the end is in sight.  Thanks so much for all the encouraging comments along the way!

It's day 14 and I have just over 26,000 words written of my novel.  I'm doing a good job staying ahead of the daily minimums but I'm hitting the difficult middle of my story and definitely starting to slump a bit.  Interrestingly enough, I'm not the only one who finds middles challenging.  In a pep talk email this past week, author John Green (Looking for Alaska, An Abundance of Katherines) had this to say about writing the middle of a novel:

Why do I quit halfway in? I get tired. It's not fun anymore. The story kind of sucks, and it's hard to sit down every day and spend several hours eating from a giant bowl of suck. And most of all, like the kid who spends hours preparing plastic armies for war, I enjoy setting things up more than I enjoy the battle itself. To finish something is to be disappointed. By definition, abandoned novels are more promising than completed ones.
You have likely reached the moment in this insane endeavor when you need a rock-solid answer to the question of why, precisely, you are trying to write a novel in a month. You have likely realized that your novel is not very good, at least not yet, and that finishing it will be a hell of a lot less fun than starting it was.

And it's true.  Starting, for me, is the fun part.  I like introducing characters much more than I like giving them purpose, destiny, and fulfilment.  But at the same time, I've passed the halfway mark.  I've started something that deserves to be finished.  If I've written 25,000 words in half a month, I can certainly write 50,000 in thirty days.  Here's to the second half!

"The skill of writing is to create a context in which other people can think."

~Edwin Schlossberg

Well, I'm pretty certain my NaNoWriMo projects don't create much context for thought besides the thought of "what possessed her to compose such drivel?" but I do like this quote a lot.  What writers would you say have created a context for you to think in?

Remember, remember the fifth of November....

I thought I would chime in with a quick update on my progress so far for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month).  I'd say overall I'm doing well this year.  I've stayed ahead of the daily minimums, which for me is crucial when I hit the middle portion of my story that more often than not spells a heap load of writer's block.

As for what I'm writing about, there's a title and brief story description on my NaNoWriMo author page.  The story sounds a lot better in that snippet than it does in my first 11,000 words, but I'm hoping that I can put some hard effort into pulling the shining story in my mind out of the slogging drivel I seem to typing out each day.

But as always, I just need to keep reminding myself that this is a draft.  Drafts don't have to be perfect.  They don't even have to be pretty.  The bottom line is that in just over three weeks, a story that's been simmering in my head for years will finally have made its way to paper (or actually computer screen, but you get the drift.)

Cheers and best wishes to all of those making this journey with me as well.  You have no idea how much your growing blue bars inspire and encourage me.  I would never attempt such insanity on my own and for this, I thank you all most kindly!

Fall is in the air and along with colorful leaves, apple cider, and all things pumpkin, it's time to consider NaNoWriMo.  For those unfamiliar with the strange abbreviation word, NaNoWriMo is National Novel Writing Month and takes place in November.  The goal is to write approximately 1,667 words every day resulting in a 50,000 word novel by the end of the month.  And I'm participating.  Again.  Am I crazy?  Yeah, probably.  But then I have to stop and ask myself,

How could I say no to this year when they finally decided to include monkeys on the participant badges??? 

This will be my fourth year participating in the competition, and surprisingly, I have three "wins" under my belt from '07, '08, and '09.  (Disclaimer: In NaNoWriMo, "win" is defined as reaching the 50K mark and does not indicate the accomplishment of having composed anything remotely readable.)  Of course, even though I'll be embarking on this crazy journey of fast paced novelling, I don't want anyone to fear that I'll be abandoning my blog.  Granted, Her Book Self is the main reason I almost decided against another year of NaNo, but I found a way to keep this blog flowing while still devoting my writing energy to a crazy novel project.

Most of my posts are scheduled in advance anyway, so I'm pleased to give you a sneak preview of what to expect from this blog next month.  To start with I have two advance reviews to share.  These are books I read and reviewed this summer, but seeing as how both are books that will be released in November, I've held the reviews to post closer to the time when the books will hit the shelves of stores.  I also have two great upcoming author interviews!  If you've seen my author interview index, you'll have a multiple choice of which talented writers will be gracing me with their presence.  And I'm taking part in a very exciting YA book release event called Fall Into Fantasy hosted by one of my favorite book blogs, The Bookish Type.  I'll be reviewing Sophie Jordan's Firelight ...with a special swag giveaway!  Stay tuned for all of that as well as my NaNoWriMo updates (my user name is elbakerone for anyone who wants to follow my daily progress). 

Wishing Everyone a Happy Soon To Be November!