NaNoWriMo 2013: A Rough Start

(Wondering what NaNoWriMo is? You should know by this time, but just in case – go to the official site to find out more, or click here to read a short post from me explaining.)

NaNoWriMo has been kicking my butt this year. Up until a few days ago, I had not written a single word. There went six whole days in November without a thought, without a premise laid to paper.

I originally got backed up because I was hosting a Halloween party on November 2. I had to prepare and work on November 1, then prepared some more and partied all of November 2. November 3 I was left debilitated in bed, and after that, I simply had no motivation.

My current word count. Let’s hope it goes up.

Before the month began, I had a plot developed in my head that seemed pretty cool at first. Some kind of emotional stuff about a dude who keeps dying but gets put into different bodies to die, all somehow tied around the kid that got eaten at the Pittsburgh Zoo. I promise, it was cooler than I make it sound. But as soon as I tried writing (or even thought of starting to write), I could just tell it wasn’t going to happen. For me to start writing, I need a spark. A glimmer of something to hold on to. This often appears for me in the very first line. If I can’t write a line that I enjoy writing, it sort of invalidates the whole work for me, You may be thinking, “Well, certainly the first line can be rewritten after you finish the thing!” But the truth is, when I write, it’s sort of like I’m experiencing it as I go. If it’s that bad when I start, I’m not sure I could make it that much better later. I need to know it’s worth jumping into.

I did briefly start writing a couple paragraphs on November 7, but that was short winded. I once again let my baby novel sit in disrepair until today, November 11. It was simply too hard to get started. I felt worthless, hopeless.

But today, I think I made a breakthrough. I took a chance, and started to write. And luckily, out came a plot, and even some characters. I was able to add a nice amount of words to the story, but I am still perilously behind on my target word count. Here’s to hoping I continue the streak tomorrow and write something I feel confident sharing on this blog!

If anyone else is participating in this project and would like to be my writing buddy on the Nano site, my username is secluded, feel free to add me!