Chapter 4.1: NaNoWriMo

It's that time of year again for many people around the world. NaNo time. For the uninitiated or those who don't have a crazy person in their lives that have explained it before, NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month. This is a sort of personal goal contest to write 50,000 words in 30 days. That's right, during the month of November, you attempt to write an entire novel. You can write outlines and plans, but you can't start writing before midnight on October 31st and you have until midnight on November 30th to complete the 50,000 words and have it validated.

Now, it seems like a simple challenge to those who love to write when taken out of context. Well maybe not simple, but certainly doable. However, that is without factoring in the amount of time that life takes up. All the little things you do in a day that result in difficulty finding time to write that 50,000 words. Luckily a whole slew of people are working through the same thing right along with you.

There's no real prize for winning except the personal feeling of accomplishment you get. You do receive a winner's certificate and a code that will allow you to get a free proof of your book though. A proof is pretty much the final copy of a book (bound and covered) that you give the final okay to before it goes into production.

Now, the past two years that I've done it I've won. It hasn't exactly been easy (that first year I ended up writing 25,000 words in the last five days) but I didn't have too much in my way other than procrastination.

But this year, oh this year is a completely different kettle of fish (yes I am using a rather old timey idiom. I like it.) because this is the year of the Fun Quarter of Doom. This is the quarter where I'm taking 19 credits of work. The quarter where I haven't read an adult book since September 19, where I haven't chosen a book for myself since September. The quarter with two lit credits and a foreign language to contend with. The work is fun, but there's a lot of it. And I do mean a lot. Believe me, I made a list.

Which is why I ended up being a NaNo rebel and bending the rules slightly. I had started the first book in my trilogy last June, thinking I'd surely be done with it by summer's end. When that didn't happen, I thought I'd finish it during school, but as we can see, I've been a little busy. So, since I was pretty much right at the beginning of the book, I've decided to just pick up and continue it, finishing it for NaNo.

The great thing is, I am loving the little time I get to spend with my characters and story. This book has been running around in my head for probably close to twelve years now and I'm glad it's finally coming to paper. I'm a little behind on word count (only at 4100, when it should be closer to 5000) but considering everything else I have to do, I think I'm in pretty good shape.

And it's not too late to start. The month is still young. You can still join me in my mad quest and write a story you've had running around. You don't have to have a definite plot (mine's never really planned out) just start with the idea and jump in, seeing where the road takes you. I swear, it's a fun a rewarding ride.

And so I'm going to leave you with the synopsis for this years book, the first book in the Negra Legacy Trilogy: In The Widow's Web.

Every family has its secrets
The Matins create their own form of justice, bringing down the hidden scum of society. The Negras are rich, powerful…and a family of drug lords. When Isabelle Matin was sent to reclaim a child taken by the Negras, she never counted Alex Negra as anything but a deadly obstacle. Sexy, sharp, and lethal, Alex was good at being his mother’s muscle. Until she went too far and he wanted out. But getting out isn’t easy and when the only person you have to turn to is someone who’d rather let you drown, it’ll take more than determination to stay alive. Can Alex soften Isabelle’s heart? And can she learn to trust a man she despises?