NaNoWriMo Journal

NaNoWriMo 01: Getting Started

NaNoWriMo.  Have you heard of it?  It stands for National Novel Writing Month, and every November is so designated.  NaNoWriMo is a collective rallying cry for those who want to be or are writers.  It is a call to get off your duff and get your fingers working, under a deadline.

I first heard of it in 2008, when I was just beginning to write.  I heard that a bunch of people were each going to try to write an entire novel in a month, and I thought it was a joke.  

The next year, I realized it was a real phenomenon, and there were a lot of aspiring writers actually doing it.  I still thought of it as a joke, as no one could possibly produce a novel in that amount of time.

This year, however, I’m joining in the lemming parade, and I am, realio, trulio, actually going to do it.

In the years since 2008, I’ve slogged through producing a number of first drafts of novels, as I’ve been developing the craft.  I only get to write for two hours per day, between four and six every morning, but I’ve still churned out a lot of words.  

My first novel that I really believe is commercially viable was finished last month on Wattpad (Protector: I will Love You Forever,) and  feel that I’ve gotten my writing craft up to a good enough level that I believe I can do this, and produce something worth reading.  The last novel took me about two months, writing an hour a day, so I might just be able to manage producing one in a single month, writing two hours per day.

This is my journal of the effort, so you can follow along with me, celebrate with me if I manage to do it, or have a good laugh at me if I don’t.  

The novel I am going to write will be called The First Jumper, and it is the story of how the character in my short story "The Jumper" first came to Earth.  If you have not read that story, you should, if you plan to read any more of this, as I will be giving spoilers away on that first story, throughout.  

I’ll also be posting the story to Wattpad as I write it, but posting about what I’m thinking and doing, here in the journal.  I can’t say that I won’t spoil anything in the novel underway, but I’ll try not to do that to you.  I think it’s more important to expose the thought processes and conclusions reached, though, so you may find yourself guessing where things are going faster than you would if you just read the book.

Perhaps you’ve wondered whether you could produce a novel in a month.  If so, then perhaps my journey will inspire you to try it.  I’m going to keep to the novel writing in the mornings, and then update this journal in the evenings.  

I’m also going to do some things to prepare for writing the novel, before I start the writing.  All the novels I have written so far (and there have been quite a few,) have been written from the seat of the pants.  That generally results in fast writing and good action, but a lot of events and characters that come out of nowhere, and it is difficult to bring the story around to a conclusion that doesn’t break the back of the story.

Several tools and books and experts have helped me along the way, and I’ll talk about those as we go along.  

Please remember, I’m not by any means an expert at anything.  I’m just an aspiring writer, who has only been writing for six years, and who thinks (in his own opinion) that his writing is getting to the point of being viable.  I’ve written a bunch of novels, but the very first one to go to publication will do so early in 2015.  

Much of my writing development has happened this year through interaction with Wattpad readers, so this journey is partly to thank those who supported me this year, and partly to provide a path that might help others who struggle with novel writing the way I’ve been struggling.

If you think this might be a waste of your time, I’ll understand, but if you think it could be an interesting journey, follow me, and see what I post.  I’ll make sure I post story before journal entries that talk about it.

In the next entry, I’ll talk about the tools that have helped me learn, and what strategy I’m following to be ready to write at full speed starting November first.  (Not one word of the book will be written before then.)

For those who think I’m a lunatic for even daring to think it is possible to write a novel in a month in two hours per day, perhaps you’re right.  Then I invite you to gather around and watch a crazy man at work.  After, you can tell me “I told you so.”

For more information on National Novel Writing Month, go to http://nanowrimo.org/

Brian Groover

Frederick, Maryland

22 October 2014