NaNoWriMo

I know – it sounds like gobbledygook. In the writing world NaNoWriMo is a trendy way to refer to National Novel Writing Month, which is now – November. The stated goal is to write 50,000 words during the month of November, but the ultimate goal is to write a novel in November.

It’s November 4th and in the first few days of the challenge I have done everything Jared Garrett encouraged us not to do at the Snake River Writers Conference. I have opened up Facebook for hours; I’ve allowed myself to be on a phone game all weekend; I’ve fussed setting up my writing area; and, of course, I’ve “researched” on the Internet. Sunday I gave up the pretense and just watched football.

I figure I need to write 1,700 words a day over the 30 days of November to meet the 50,000-word goal – easy-peasy, right? Well, yeah, when I’m writing. When the words are flowing, 2,000 words in a couple of hours is not an issue. The problem is, I’m not writing. I think in the first four days, I may have got down 1,000 words and that includes this blog!

I think I’ll take the advice of Mr. Garrett and just “Buckle up and write.” I woke up early this morning and worked on some beat sheets. The words for this new story are just not flowing, so I’m going back to the mechanics I learned at the writing conference. From the Ali Cross, Story Ninja, came the beat sheets and I’m combining those with the character, voice and mood tips given by other presenters.

My other life beckons, but before I close, I want to share some really good news: Snake River Writers Conference is set to happen again Sept. 25-26, 2020, in Idaho Falls, Idaho. I AM SO EXCITED! I hope to see you there.

Enjoy the read,

TC Robinson