An Announcement
I have decided to do something brave, daring, and ridiculously stupid. That's right -- I'm writing a novel next month. I'm following the guidelines of NaNoWriMo but doing it in June instead of November, for a couple of reasons. One, I have the bug now, and I want to do it NOW; two, I actually like November and would hate to miss it, however the weather in summer in Texas leaves something to be desired. Namely sanity. But I don't need sanity for this project, oh no.
Your Job, as my friends, is to bother me about my word count every chance you get next month. Most people who start this challenge never make it through, and a lot of those drop-outs occur the second week in, so I need you guys to check on me. What would be even More Helpful and Wonderful is if any of you have a writing project (or want to embark on a novel adventure of your own) and are willing to meet me once or twice a week for quiet writing parties, punctuated by breaks during which we brag to each other about our word count and refill the coffee pot/order more drinks from the bar.
This was all started by a book I picked up called "No Plot? No Problem!" written by the founder of NaNoWriMo. He is so freaking helpful it's unbelievable. After five years of crossing the 50,000 word threshold before the end of the designated NaNoWriMo month, he knows everything there is to know about how the people who succeed manage it, and how he can best encourage them. If any of you are considering jumping into this awesome project with me, I will be happy to let you look at my copy of this book - it is a very quick read.
There is one thing from the book that I absolutely have to share, and that is the contract. I love this, because he realizes that people need concrete rules and boundaries and lines drawn in the sand in order to make themselves do things. We need deadlines, and we need to see our own signature on something in order to realize that we HAVE in fact decided to do something.
"THE MONTH-LONG NOVELIST AGREEMENT AND STATEMENT OF UNDERSTANDING
I hereby pledge my intent to write a 50,000-word novel in one month's time. By invoking the absurd, month-long deadline on such an enormous undertaking, I understand that notions of "craft," "brilliance," and "competency" are to be chucked right out the window, where they will remain, ignored, until they are retrieved for the editing process. I understand that I am a talented person, capable of heroic acts of creativity, and I will give myself enough time over the course of the next month to allow my innate gifts to come to the surface, unmolested by self-doubt, self-criticism, and other acts of self-bullying.
During the month ahead, I realize I will produce clunky dialogue, cliched characters, and deeply flawed plots. I agree that all of these things will be left in my rough draft, to be corrected and/or excised at a later point. I understand my right to withhold my manuscript from all readers until I deem it completed. I also acknowledge my right as author to substantially inflate both the quality of the rough draft and the rigors of the writing process should such inflation prove useful in garnering me respect and attention, or freedom from participation in onerous household chores.
I acknowledge that the month-long, 50,000-word deadline I set for myself is absolute and unchangeable, and that any failure to meet the deadline, or any effort on my part to move the deadline once the adventure has begun, will invite well-deserved mockery from friends and family. I also acknowledge that, upon successful completion of the stated noveling objective, I am entitled to a period of gleeful celebration and revelry, the duration and intensity of which may preclude me from participating fully in workplace activities for days, if not weeks, afterward."
I signed it, and put my proposed start date and end date into the designated blanks below.
So, comment to let me know in what way you're willing to help, whether it's writing along with me, bothering me about my word count, or just partying with me after I'm done.
Thanks, guys!
*lurve*
-turtle
Your Job, as my friends, is to bother me about my word count every chance you get next month. Most people who start this challenge never make it through, and a lot of those drop-outs occur the second week in, so I need you guys to check on me. What would be even More Helpful and Wonderful is if any of you have a writing project (or want to embark on a novel adventure of your own) and are willing to meet me once or twice a week for quiet writing parties, punctuated by breaks during which we brag to each other about our word count and refill the coffee pot/order more drinks from the bar.
This was all started by a book I picked up called "No Plot? No Problem!" written by the founder of NaNoWriMo. He is so freaking helpful it's unbelievable. After five years of crossing the 50,000 word threshold before the end of the designated NaNoWriMo month, he knows everything there is to know about how the people who succeed manage it, and how he can best encourage them. If any of you are considering jumping into this awesome project with me, I will be happy to let you look at my copy of this book - it is a very quick read.
There is one thing from the book that I absolutely have to share, and that is the contract. I love this, because he realizes that people need concrete rules and boundaries and lines drawn in the sand in order to make themselves do things. We need deadlines, and we need to see our own signature on something in order to realize that we HAVE in fact decided to do something.
"THE MONTH-LONG NOVELIST AGREEMENT AND STATEMENT OF UNDERSTANDING
I hereby pledge my intent to write a 50,000-word novel in one month's time. By invoking the absurd, month-long deadline on such an enormous undertaking, I understand that notions of "craft," "brilliance," and "competency" are to be chucked right out the window, where they will remain, ignored, until they are retrieved for the editing process. I understand that I am a talented person, capable of heroic acts of creativity, and I will give myself enough time over the course of the next month to allow my innate gifts to come to the surface, unmolested by self-doubt, self-criticism, and other acts of self-bullying.
During the month ahead, I realize I will produce clunky dialogue, cliched characters, and deeply flawed plots. I agree that all of these things will be left in my rough draft, to be corrected and/or excised at a later point. I understand my right to withhold my manuscript from all readers until I deem it completed. I also acknowledge my right as author to substantially inflate both the quality of the rough draft and the rigors of the writing process should such inflation prove useful in garnering me respect and attention, or freedom from participation in onerous household chores.
I acknowledge that the month-long, 50,000-word deadline I set for myself is absolute and unchangeable, and that any failure to meet the deadline, or any effort on my part to move the deadline once the adventure has begun, will invite well-deserved mockery from friends and family. I also acknowledge that, upon successful completion of the stated noveling objective, I am entitled to a period of gleeful celebration and revelry, the duration and intensity of which may preclude me from participating fully in workplace activities for days, if not weeks, afterward."
I signed it, and put my proposed start date and end date into the designated blanks below.
So, comment to let me know in what way you're willing to help, whether it's writing along with me, bothering me about my word count, or just partying with me after I'm done.
Thanks, guys!
*lurve*
-turtle