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Earlier this year, I decided to take the plunge and participate in the November 2009 awesomeness that is National Novel Writing Month, or “NaNoWriMo.” Don’t know what that is you say? Well, participants take the plunge and try to write a novel in 30 days. It may not be a good novel, but it is a novel just same. You have to write 1667 words a day in order to reach 50,000 words by November 30th.

Insane? Yes. Overwhelming? Hell Yes! But I have to say that this has been one of the most exciting experiences for me that I have ever taken part in. I can’t say enough about the people in the NaNoWriMo community (also known as ‘WriMos’) are some of the most amazing people I have come across on the ‘Nets. They are supportive, encouraging, and they are all in the same boat!

I can imagine that by the time the end of the month comes, I’ll have a novel full of shite that no one will ever want read, but I can say that I got the idea out of my head and on paper. Well, on the screen anyway. There have been times this week that I wanted to give up and quit, but something inside me just won’t let me do so. I almost shed tears when I couldn’t write any more than 400 words. I felt even worse when I became two days behind.

Through the pain of a recently injured elbow (that required surgery), headaches that felt like little men with chisels were trying to escape from the center of my brain, and now having hit a creative wall, I still want to achieve the end goal of 50,000. The drive to move forward has come from somewhere, and to be honest, I like it. Not to mention I love the support I’ve gotten from the forum over at the NaNoWriMo site. It is very comforting to know that I am not in this alone. THANKS YOU GUYS!

Having said all that, I think I need to shut down my laptop and let my characters rest for a bit. I still have a bit of catching up to do, but I don’t want to push the line too far. To my fellow WriMos out there…

WRITE ON!

Oy. To. The. Vey.

Lex (22,026 words and counting)

(This post was nearly five hundred words. Guess I should have saved them for my novel, huh?)