Taking the Plunge
48: The Eve of a Great Experiment
I’ve decided to participate in National Novel Writing Month or NaNoWriMo next month, an international challenge for writers to compose a novel totaling 50,000 words. “Winning” is more a triumph of the will than a prize bucket. You get to hold a manuscript that can be many things to you, not the least of which is proving to yourself that the endeavor is possible. Lots of folks on Substack participate yearly, so with the fall already here, the crunch to prepare for NaNoWriMo is already underway.
I got some encouragement from
, the only fiction writer releasing work daily, and decided it was time to kick my own ass. I didn’t think I’d have the time, or that the project was doable, but it was the rock ‘n roll thing to do which I thought would make Jimmy proud.My first proper short story written in 2021 was 9,412 words. The next in 2022 was 14,729 words. I don’t feel quite ready for this sprint, though. The prospect of creating a plot outline, settings, character sketches, and more for my longest project to date with only 30 days to finish, fills me with excitement and dread. A robust outline is the best chance I have of getting through this challenge with a tight timeline for planning ahead until the challenge starts at midnight on November 1st.
But the most pressing question is: What story will I write? Here are the 3 contenders:
“Life for Rent”
A burnt out executive takes a vacation and sublets her life, but runs into trouble trying to reclaim it from a clever stand-in.
“Cosmic Force”
Two astronauts discover a space anomaly that changes them in ways that no one can predict… and no one can stop.
“Mousetrap”
An upscale apartment building housing the city’s richest felons is operated by a genius architect who helps the wealthy keep their secrets.
Friends, I need your help…
What’s next?
Stress sweating
Opening a file entitled NaNoWriMo2023 then deleting it
Going for a walk to rethink my choices
Starting my outline 😰
I’ve tagged a couple people who are joining so we can stick together for support.
My best advice, from the one time I “won”: when you hit a scene where everything feels truly bad and you can’t figure out how fix it in a hurry, just skip to the next part of your outline. The problem will still be there in December and you can fix it then. Good luck!
Good luck!!! I've never done NaNoWriMo but I've done a series of the #1000 words stints. Anything that keeps you writing every day is gold. Cheering you on!