Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Oh How the Mighty Have Fallen

That's kind of a silly post title because I'm certainly not someone you'd describe as being "mighty". And I'm certainly not one to describe myself as "mighty". But I can't help but feel like I'm falling.......into the great abyss of words! 50,000 words to be exact!

Oh yes, it's almost time for nanowrimo . For those of you not familiar with the word. Nanowrimo is short for National Novel Writing Month (even though I'm pretty sure it's an INTERnational event - ?????). A month during which many "wannabee" writers make a pledge to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. What I love about it is that there is NO expectation to actually write a "good" novel. You just go ahead and write with reckess abandon - a "wannabee" writers dream. For 30 whole days you get to pretend you've fulfilled that lifetime dream to *be* a writer. :-)

I did participate (and succeed) in Nanowrimo in 2005 and 2006. Sadly, both novels have disappeared into the great wide abyss of dead computer land. Actually, I'm not so sure it is sad. It's probably for the best. LOL.

As November drew nearer, I was kind of "aware" that nanowrimo was coming closer. BUT, I figured this year I would give it a miss. After all, I have the blog now. There's another "wannabee" writer's dream. AND, to my surprise, a few people actually READ my blog. That's kind of like being a writer isn't it? I don't have to write another novel now, right? I can be satisfied with blog writing attempts.

So, I "pretended" that I didn't know about nanowrimo. I even changed my email address so they couldn't send me those "are you going to do nanowrimo 2007?" I thought I was SAFE! Until I read THIS ! Okay, so someone who's blog I enjoy reading is doing Nano. So what right? I can do this. I can say no. I have my reasons (the blog.....etc). Just cos he's doing it doesn't mean I have to right? Of course not.

Then I read THIS and I'm thinking "oh no, maybe I should just stop reading blogs until November is over". LOL. I'm no sheep. Just cos they're going to do it, doesn't mean I have to right? Besides, by this time last year I already had an idea for what I was going to write. How can I attempt something like this without an idea????

Well, while we were away, a bit of an idea started forming in my mind. BUT, just because I have an IDEA doesn't mean I HAVE to do this, does it? LOL. Of course not. I don't HAVE to do anything. Problem is that part of me WANTS to do this.....

I'm still toying with the idea, trying to convince myself that perhaps I could just give it a go. After all, it wouldn't matter if I signed up and didn't make it would it? It's not like I'm a PERFECTIONIST or anything!!!!! It's not like I'd be totally devastated if I FAILED.......


.....okay, I would be totally devastated if I failed. :-( Failure just cannot exist in my world. Failure is not an option. I subscribe to the theory that it's better off to never try than to try and then FAIL!!!! *Gasp* After all, it is a 4-letter word starting with "F".

But today when people on the Simple Living Network forums were talking about the fact that they had signed up and how excited they were......



...... I COULDN'T TAKE IT ANY LONGER!!!! I folded and signed up for the 2007 Nanowrimo.




I know..... I have NO willpower!!! LOL. But really, what's the worst that could happen?

1. I'll turn into a crazed lunatic! Oh yeah, that already happened so I guess no-one will notice.

2. The kids will have to go to school wearing dirty uniforms because no washing will get done. But hey, literacy..... school..... that's okay isn't it?

3. My blog will get severely neglected and all my readers will abandon me. Sob, sob! Yeah, that really would be awful.

4. I'll f..... f..... f-fail.................. and not meet the 50,000 words in 30 days.

5. I'll breeze through it all with all the housework kept up to date, the blog posted to daily AND the word limit reached with days to spare. LOL. Oh yeah, and it'll be so fantastic the publishers will be banging down my door to publish me. ROFLOL. Yeah, a girl can dream can't she?

So, what's done is done. I have made the COMMITMENT. Let's hope it doesn't lead to a commitment of another kind. :-)

I guess this won't be the last you'll hear from me about Nanowrimo. Alright, hands up - who's with me? Who thinks I'm a lunatic? No, don't answer that one. LOL.

13 comments:

Kin said...

I *failed* last year after succeeding in '05 Surprisingly it wasn't devistating. I had so much going on.

I *was* going to avoid it this year. I mean if I were to write it it would be all about a mother of 2.5 kids studying madly for her legal ethics and statutory interpretation exam on the 22nd of November while having the house on the market. I can see a story in that.

lightening said...

Hmmm....you were probably one of the ones responsible for getting me *into* nano in the first place. LOL. I seem to remember quite a few people talking about it on FIA in 2005 - the first I'd heard of it. :-)

I think if you did write about your life right now (with a bit of license of course) no one would believe it was anything BUT fiction. They wouldn't be able to believe anyone could pull off what you're doing right now. LOL.

Kin said...

Nooo, it wasn't me! Well, it probably was.

I'll probably have a crack at it, but not tell anyone until I win. If I don't win you'll never hear another word about it.

Anonymous said...

LOL and WHY cant we answer the lunatic question. ROFLMAO there is no way i will sign up for this, even with my fantasticly long comments and novelite emails. I am having enough trouble with an assignment and 2 exams looming over my head as well as the trip to coffs and then tomorrows trip to sydney. Arrgghh and I am currently in the foulest mood possible because its midnight and i still have one child who has apparently LOST all the clean socks he owns and as I have the last load of dirty clothes in the machine I KNOW THAT THERE IS ONLY ONE PAIR OF SOCKS IN THE WASH ATM! Oh and add to that the DBF who is NOT so Dear atm because he now works, so i should do everything while he sleeps on the lounge and gives orders such as FIND his tooth floss. Which is probably still in coffs harbour because i havent seen it since then and i have unpacked everything we took, even emptied the car totally because its going into airport storage while we are away. Hehe does the nanowrimo thing count if i just add all my rantings into one storyline?? I could probably pull off the 50,000 words if i add all my rantings, comments and emails together and make it contiguous. Ahh well i am not mighty either, but fallen and falling, well my blood pressure at the moment needs to do both of those adjectives. Oh and to answer the "turn into crazed lunatic" noone would notice if I did either, sure I have been one for many years now. I have noticed i type much faster when crazed or in a foul mood too lol. Ok well now that I have proven my suitability to join the crazed lunatic club I am going to go pack the toiletries bag and the tooth floss, well if it doesnt jump out of wherever it is hiding, it will just have to be left behind!

allybea said...

LOL! Thanks to you I found Scott's blog and thanks to him I found NaNoWriMo site! I signed up on Sunday but I haven't blogged about it yet. As if I didn't have enough things to fill my time ;)

Unknown said...

well, I won't be signing up and in November my parents are visiting :)

Frogdancer said...

Yay!

We can all go mental together. :)

At least you're ahead of me... I still have no idea what I'm going to write about.

Anonymous said...

Love your blog. Mine is at Http://www.australianblogger.com/sunflowermum if you want to have a look. I am an SS too!

Simple Blog Writer said...

Well, I'm in on this crazy adventure too.

I'm already losing my simple-living convictions because I want to keep up in a bad, bad way with the NaNoWriMo in-crowd and paste one of those nifty logos on my blog.

The next thing you know I'll be buying paper plates because I have no time to washes. How quickly will this writing project send my simple life spiraling?

Oh, it's going to be fun!

lightening said...

*happy, happy, happy dance* Erin! wrote me a novel in my comments section. Hooray!!!!! About time darlin'. LOL.

allybea - do ya think Scott has a LOT to answer for????? LOLOL.

Ali - I hope you have a lovely visit with your parents.

Frogdancer - what do you mean "go" mental. I'm there already!!!! Ooh, my plot is developing in my head. You'll laugh when you find out what I'm going to write about. I decided to go with the "it's best to write about something you know" theory. Of course, it'll be fiction but I can base some of it on my own experiences (or those I've heard).

Jo - Hi! I think I might have already visited your blog. :-) I'll visit again soon. SS rock!!!

Simple Blog Writer - *giggle*. Just think about how this will expand your mind.... that fits with simple living doesn't it? Besides, we're allowed to have a little fun. You need a dishwasher like I have - my DH!!! Except, I forgot that I'll be a single mum in November....aaarrrrhhhhhh. Paper plates......nah, wonder if I can *make* the kids do the dishes? Or I could feed them spaghetti straight from the tin. Little preparation time and NO dishes. LOL. Just kidding. ;-)

lightening said...

I knew I'd forget to say something. LOL.

Frogdancer - anyone who can *wing* a double English lesson like you can, can surely come up with a plot without too much trouble. :-)

Scott said...

I can see that everything is going to plan (cue maniacal laughter)! I'm glad to hear you're on board Lightening! Don't worry about a genre - you don't really need one of those. I'm going back to think about my characters' backgrounds. Good luck!

lightening said...

LOL Scott - be careful or we might all send you our novels to READ!!!! Imagine having to mark a class full of 50,000 word essays. Imagine the look on your kids faces if you told them they had to *write* a 50,000 word "short" story. LOL. I don't think I could count that high when I went to school. Thank goodness for computers with word counters.

As for the genre - that's a relief as I'm not sure I *really* know what a genre is. LOL. Okay, I kind of know, I *think*. ????