(How strange?) Very strange. Okay, I think that’s enough quoting of The Rocky Horror Show for now. But hey, who doesn’t like impromptu musical interludes? Or random dance breaks? This is the kind of spontaneity that makes the world go around. All joking aside, only three days in, and I can already tell that those words are so true to the NaNoWriMo experience.
The time scale doesn’t matter, because I already know it’s a strange journey. There’s the literary aspect, of course. There’s the investigation of new characters, new worlds. There’s the delight – and horror – at their discoveries. Your own characters can suddenly turn around, stab you in the back and betray you. Equally, they can make your heart melt, make you want to sing their praises and shout from the rooftops. Sometimes, they make you want to punch the air in delight, others make you want to shoot them. On top of that, you get to create a whole new landscape, a whole new world, where you can decide the rules (so long as you don’t contradict yourself, of course.) How can that not be a strange – and wonderful – journey?
Then, there’s the more personal aspect of it: the people. I joined because Fiona said it would be a good idea for me. She said it might actually get me to finally completing my novel. I thought her logic was sound and that I had nothing to lose. (Yes, it’s my first year and I’m a rebel, hence the totals at the bottom of each post. But, I’ve already written plenty of ‘novel length’ fiction in short time scales, so it really isn’t all that new to me either.) So far, so good. So far, she’s proving me right. She joined in to be my cheerleader, so that I wouldn’t have to do it on my own. And yet, she’s completely exceeding her own expectations and writing the most she has for years. I am so proud of her. But, there isn’t just existing friendships being formed. I’m getting to meet new and interesting people, both online and possibly in the flesh (in all honesty, it depends if I can make it to a Write-In session). We’re bonded by the selfsame passion: a joy of writing. It’s almost magical.
On top of that, there’s the self-discoveries. The inner callings, the inner conflict (hah!), the inner questions. The ‘can I do this?’, the ‘how do I do this?’, the ‘can I really make it as an author?’, the ‘is this really what I want to do for the rest of my life?’ and so on. Then there’s the inner solutions to the same problems and questions, like my discovery of how to start writing in the morning before my head becomes a pounding mess which feels like it’s trapped in a vice whilst my eyeballs are on the verge of exploding. (I think another one of my personal questions might be ‘how many different and grotesque ways can I describe the process of a migraine?) It’s a lesson and it’s a journey. And that’s what makes it special.
As for today’s progress? My thunderstorm-in-my-head (there’s another one) started earlier than usual, at 1pm, robbing me of more conscious time than usual. However, I decided I had to dig my heels in because I really wanted to reach at least 3,000 words again today. From 2,500 onwards, it has been especially tough because it does really feel that there’s hot needles poking in my eyes (I’m on a roll, clearly). But, I have made it. It’s another little mountain I’ve been able to climb. Not only is there the big 50k total that I’m determined to make, but I also give myself little, more bitesize, targets to meet. I hate missing targets, so it makes a lot of sense.
Will I write any more today? I don’t know, maybe? But, probably not. If I do, of course, I will edit my totals accordingly.
Regardless, tomorrow might end up being a more difficult day than usual. I’m off to have my brain scanned again to see what makes it quite so special. Or maybe not. Last time I had an MRI done, there wasn’t any difference at all.
Current Novel Total Word Count: 50,075
Today’s Word Count: 3,101
NaNoWriMo Total Word Count: 9,183
Tracie Writes 