Nanowrimo Week 1

Whew, this week has been a busy one for me. Not only did I have social obligations to attend to, I also had Nanowrimo! In fact, today marks the end of Nanowrimo week 1. If you’re new here, I get it. What the heck is a Nanowrimo? Good question! Created in 1999 by Chris Baty , National Novel Writing Month (or Nanowrimo) has taken the internet by storm. How does one win? Write 50,000 words from November 1st to the 30th. It’s that simple. But of course it’s always easier said than done.

Last year I finished up my 8th novel for Nanowrimo. It left me so emotional that I wrote a letter to my favorite authors.

Now it’s important to realize that it takes months, years, and at least a dozen drafts to perfect a novel. My stories are 1st draft babies that may never see the light of day. Which is fine. Writing makes me feel amazing, empowered, and in control of my life. I’m going to continue to write for as long as I can!

So let’s talk about what happened for Nanowrimo week 1.

Musical inspiration
I’d like to draw attention to the fact that I allow music to inspire me. I’ll listen to albums and have them dictate a story to me. I’m sure there are thousands of other writers that do the same thing. As I get older, this process of acquiring inspiration has held fast and true. If I ever need inspiration, I’ll put on music to give me direction in what I write. I can find amazing ideas in other books. But music has always been the strongest influence in my writing.

Dredging up the past
Now that you all know where I take inspiration from, I’ve taken tons of it from a particular music group. I listened to them obsessively in the past and continue to do so. This year I decided to finally write about two characters that have been on my mind for years. And it’s been a wonderful experience.

A waterfall of words
Writing has been the easiest it’s ever been since I’ve had years to toy with my characters. A loose summary of what I’m doing is, a coming of age story inspired by King Arthur and Excalibur. I’m taking the iconic points of the legend and translating it into something I’d like to write about. The story is less than 20 pages long so far so I’m not knee deep in storytelling. It’s also important to note that Nanowrimo doesn’t focus on quality. It’s quantity that matters. I don’t have character descriptions for many of the people! There may come a time when I go back someday and put that in. I can’t say for sure.

Sharing is caring
This year I’ve also stepped out of my box and spoken to Sander about my story. He’s given me great input on what I’ve shared with him and I’m so glad he’s encouraging me! I’ve always been afraid to share my work. It’s never perfect. It will never mean as much to someone else. I’m more than terrified to share my babies with the world. So having Sander be my rock has been such a weight off my shoulders!

Drawing from special interests
It’s no secret that I’ve been enjoying a look into the pseudoscientific realm. I think I love the symbolism more than anything else. I enjoy crystal collecting and using incense around my home (although my family has always used incense in the home). So I’ve been sprinkling these interests into the book as well. I’ve had a main character get her fortune read and I plan to do a lot more. What’s exciting is that doing research is fun! I get to learn more about what I find fascinating and it gives me fresh content I’ve never looked into. The great thing about magical worlds is that they are…. Magical!

You can see my profile page on the Nanowrimo website!