NaNoWriMo – Yikes

So, we are nearing the end of October and it can only mean one thing..

Hallowe’en.

Well, yes Hallowe’en…

Christmas is nearer.

Ok, fine. Yes Christmas is nearer…

The clocks change in the UK and everyone complains about how dark it is now.

Yes. All of those things. Are you done? Right, thank you. I was trying to say it means it’s November soon and time for NaNoWriMo to start. A time when writers across the globe commit to writing 50,000 words in one month. Eeep.

I have known about NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) for a few years now but have never taken the plunge before. This year, I have created an account. I have submitted a tentative title (Bad Day at Tempus Station). It looks like I might actually be doing it.

This is giving me the chance to break away from the epic series that I have been writing for years (see Am I Good Enough?) and write something completely unrelated. And hopefully, by the end of the month I will have a good chunk of the story done. Enough to see if it is working at least. So why haven’t I done it before? Did I mention 50,000 words in a month?

One day, I hope to be able to write full time but as you might have gleaned from previous posts I am a primary school teacher and that means basically no free time. It also explains why you only find me on twitter around the witching hour! The idea of commiting an hour every day just isn’t possible sometimes; I work 8-6 and bring home marking and planning most nights. Then when I’m finally ready to write, my brain resembles an over-fried egg. So in order to be able to make this work I’m going to have to really go for it at the weekends and I’m going to have to not worry about editing at all until the end of the month. It also means not over-thinking things, no over-analysing plot or planning out every detail (which if I’m honest, I don’t do much of anyway 🙂

The one thing I have going for me, that I have not had in the past,is a good network of writing friends through twitter. The support and encouragement everyone gives is amazing and there is zero judgement. If I don’t make it, well I tried and I have the start of a novel! No-one will think any less of me. (Except maybe me). So NaNoWriMo, the gloves are off. I’m nowhere near ready but that won’t stop me.

Oh, and if it wasn’t hard enough, I decided to write a time travel story… (slaps forehead).