NaNoWriMo

It's already November. The second day, to be exact. I know I've said this before, but I feel like I haven't truly written anything for months. It really has been that long if you call "real writing" as content for my novel. Which isn't really fair, I suppose. This past summer was just editing (though in a way that means it was more difficult). But I'm not ready to write the sequel yet, and not ready to do a third draft either. I want to write something fresh, and not just a short story, because I feel like I'm bad at structuring shorter stories. I did the first part of a story on my other blog, but I haven't felt like writing the next part yet, though I have an idea for it.

I'm considering NaNoWriMo. For those of you who aren't in the loop, that's National Novel Writing Month. It's always November, as far as I know. The goal is to write 50,000 words in one month. Yup. You're not supposed to edit it, so it's definitely not publishable after that, but it's good fodder for later, and you can say to your friends and family, "I'm writing a novel!"

I've never done this before. If I did this, I have no idea what I'd write about. I suppose that's good though, because most people just go with the flow and have no plan whatsoever. The story tells itself. The other thing is, like I said, it's already the 2nd of November, and most people who do NaNoWriMo have already started and have a few thousand words by now. By no means do you have to get to the 50,000 word goal, but it's a goal. What's it worth if you don't keep it in mind?

The past few days I've gotten the hankering to play video games, and so far I've kept myself from it. I'm afraid that once I start, I'll slack off on schoolwork. Now, NaNoWriMo probably promises the same thing, but I know I'll get sick of writing, and schoolwork might actually be a relief. Besides, writing is a more productive way to spend my time than gaming, and I have time to slack off for that in December when I go home for Christmas. I've lately found that I have a few free hours in the evening, so maybe I do have the time for this. I know work is going to pile up in the next month, but seriously... if people with spouses and families and full-time jobs make time for this, I can't really complain being a university student, can I?

I'll think about it tonight, and consider what I might write about, and maybe I won't be too far behind if I start a couple days late. I think I'm going to do this. I know, I'm crazy. Wish me luck.

If you're interested, here's the NaNoWriMo website, and here is my profile page if you want me as a writing buddy, or want to see how far I've gotten.