Hurling Towards November

As I hurl myself towards National Novel Writing Month in November there’s a lot of preparation. I began to tell people — real people, not just you cyber folks (no offense, but I don’t have to look very many of you in the eye if I give up) — about my plans to write a novel in a month. It’s all apart of my brilliant plan to brag as much as possible before hand so I can use the super-heated rocket fuel of pride and guilt to keep me going when things get tough.

So far reaction has been good. One friend has even heard of NaNoWriMo and knows somebody who successfully crafted a novel in 30 days. How cool is that? So far one person, admittedly a cyber folk (but she is in the same town and I’ve seen her face to face before), has taken up the challenge as well. Hey, misery loves company.

Today I finished reading No Plot? No Problem, the semi-official guide to surviving NaNoWriMo. It’s full of helpful tips, including the idea to bring along a powerstrip and extension cord to coffee shops, in case their electrical outlets are difficult to access. You might want to bring along duct tape in case all those cords become a tripping hazard. I just love the image of taping down your cords in some random coffee shop. It makes me want to become a coffee drinker.

With this book and a few other sources, I’m going to begin amassing some motivational material to help me through the month of November.


No Plot? No Problem! has all kinds of schedule, location, and practical ideas to keep you writing. I’m going to have to figure out a schedule, which will probably involve an attempt at getting up early, say 5 a.m., and giving it two hours every day. We’ll see how that works. It will involve earlier bed times, but it seems easier to keep my life on a normal schedule if I’m getting up to write, not just getting up from a late night writing to face a day of work.

I’m also going to have to find some motivation in edible forms. This is probably going to require copious amounts of Pepsi and M&Ms. So much for my gradual abstaining from Pepsi in the home the past month or so. Healthy food might also work, including carrots and dip and sliced apples. Though if I do stick to my 5 a.m. plan, I’m not sure how that much snacking will jive with breakfast. I’m a firm believer in Breakfast Time (as my wife, dog, and former roommates will tell you), and Pepsi and M&Ms definitely do not count as breakfast. Perhaps I could go for some toaster egg scrambler things. Quick and easy, but they still count as real breakfast.

I’ll also have to see how my exercising schedule goes. I’ve been trying to exercise the past month or so, which went from a week of attempted jogging, to a few days of biking, to a week or two of stretching and weights. So I’m not getting much cardiovascular exercise now, but it’s also getting colder out. Biking is hard in the cold, and my bum knee doesn’t allow for jogging. I keep contemplating rigging up some wooden stand to turn my bike into a stationary one. Though it seems like the loss of road-friction would make even the highest gear a piece of cake. Maybe not.

It does seem like two hours of writing, followed by a good half-hour of exercise and a shower would be an amazing way to start the day. Of course all that exercise might generate so many ideas I’ll be right back to the novel.

No Plot? No Problem also recommended finding some sort of outfit to serve as writing motivation. The author talked about wearing different hats: a baseball hat when things were going well, a viking helmet for difficult passages, and a cowboy hat for difficult moments. Another writer said she wore fingerless gloves for that feeling of a miserly writer too poor to afford heat. I kind of like that idea, though it helps that I’m generally cold. Writing gloves have that dorky-cool combo.

I’m also still struggling with what to write about. The advice is to come up with something new so can thrash into without any feelings of attachment. But I do have a character I really want to write about. Sedgewick. I feel like justifying it by saying I’ll never write about him unless I’m forced to do so. He needs to go through a trial by fire if he’s ever going to see the light of day. But I also like Sedgewick. I don’t want to kill him. I don’t want to rough him up too bad. But I also want him to be. So many choices.

More motivation and stuff:

Opening Hooks – A site the collects the openings to novels, sorts them and displays them for your enjoyment. Some great beginnings here.

National Novel Editing Month – And once you’ve finished writing your novel, it’s time to edit it. Enter NaNoEdMo in March.

Pithy Writing Quotes I’ll Tack to the Wall Come November:

“I can

One thought on “Hurling Towards November”

  1. Dude, good on ya for answering the call of NaNoWriMo! I wish I had the guts to do it myself.

    I just want you to know that I’ll be with you all along the way to heap that smoldering guilt on your head every now and then, in the hopes that it’ll keep you going through the lean times.

    LOL!

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