The Beginning of the End

It's October. I can't believe it's already freaking October first. I am beyond ready for it to be November in some ways, but in others it terrifies me! I only have the barest trace of a plot bouncing around in my noggin. It's almost dangerous to think about it too much because if I do, I would feel inclined to begin writing and then what would I write for Nano? Perhaps I should do a Hunger Games fanfiction this week, just to get myself a bit warmed up. That wouldn't be a bad idea at all, actually...

Anyway, there are a few changes at the Nanowrimo site. First of all, everything is wiped clean. The word count, donation bar, forums, everything. This is slightly frightening, but it feels good like when you finally clean your room after three months of having to smell rotting food under the bed. Not that that's ever happened to me of course... Another thing is the Great Nanowrimo Book Drive. There isn't too much information up about that right now, but it looks pretty fantastic. Literacy for people who don't have books is always a good thing! Another addition is the Reference Desk. This used to be called something else, but my brain doesn't feel like telling me what it is right now. So yeah. Yet another forum addition is the adoption society. Adopt A ______ boards are always popular during Nano, so it's good that they have a home now. I have the feeling I'll be visiting there quite a lot for ideas. Twin boards Nanowrimo University: Instructors and Nanowrimo University: Students are new too.

There are four new shirts in the store as well as a pen that says Nanowrimo, an amazing tote bag, autographed copies of No Plot, No Problem! and I believe a new poster with the Nanoland design on it will be available soon. OLL has a blog which is mentioned on the home page. It isn't exactly brand new, just new-ish. The last new thing that really stood out was a new section next to Donations and More From OLL: Nano Near You. This is going to be really helpful for a large amount of people who didn't know about the regional support- I mean writing groups in their area.

I'm really excited because I'm planning to go to my region's KICK-OFF PARTY!! on the 29th. It's a while away, but I'm really looking forward to it already!

This is the beginning of the end, and I can't wait.

You're Not A Writer

I'm going to get straight to the point here. No crap. I have a friend who is also a writer. She writes these little 'novels' that are actually only about 5-7k words. She's my age (15) and really takes pride in her work. She tells everyone and gets people to read what she wrote. I always read her stuff and tell her what I thought about it (although what I tell her is thouroughly filtered so I don't hurt her feelings).

This is all fine and dandy. The only issue is that when I ask her if she wants to read a small bit of my own writing, she kind of laughs and brushes me off. The first time this happened, I was okay with it. But I've asked her several times since about several different pieces and she does the same thing every time. She doesn't take me seriously! A fellow explorer of this craziness called writing doesn't take one of her own seriously! It's driving me insane!

One thing I haven't mentioned yet; her writing isn't good. No, I'm not just jealous or letting the fact that she doesn't consider me a writer get to me. It just isn't good. Every single thing is a cliche and is a different version of Twilight. She doesn't even think she needs to edit. I understand that some people are really fantastic and don't need to edit, but she isn't one of those people. I like to consider myself a fairly decent writer, and I know that if I didn't edit everything would be a disaster.

Anyway, it's starting to really rub me the wrong way every time she has the nerve to ask me to read one of her pieces when she won't return the favor! I don't want to crush her dreams of being a professional writer by telling her that her writing isn't that good but it's becoming quite tempting! What should I do?

Last One Breathing Wins Their Wildest Dreams

This is a short paragraph describing my new idea for a short story/novella.

What Would You Do?

The dark of night. You and eleven other reality show contestants are dropped off on a remote island where your every move will be broadcast live. Only one will leave it. Each one of you will receive an envelope at midnight. Inside will be a single piece of paper. If your paper is marked with a red dot and a name underneath it, you will be the hunter. If your paper contains a black dot, you may be one of the hunted. It is a secret. At dawn, the hunter begins. All he or she needs to do is kill the person whose name is written on their paper by the next morning. It’s simple. If they fail, the roles will be reversed. Last one breathing wins their wildest dreams.


Yeah, it's a bit macabre but I'm really excited to start working on it!

This is just an excerpt from the NaNoWriMo website's FAQ. It basically sums up why I want to do this.

"NaNoWriMo is all about the magical power of deadlines. Give someone a goal and a goal-minded community and miracles are bound to happen. Pies will be eaten at amazing rates. Alfalfa will be harvested like never before. And novels will be written in a month.

Part of the reason we organize NaNoWriMo is just to get a book written. We love the fringe benefits accrued to novelists. For one month out of the year, we can stew and storm, and make a huge mess of our apartments and drink lots of coffee at odd hours. And we can do all of these things loudly, in front of people. As satisfying as it is to reach deep within yourself and pull out an unexpectedly passable work of art, it is equally (if not more) satisfying to be able to dramatize the process at social gatherings.

But that artsy drama window is woefully short. The other reason we do NaNoWriMo is because the glow from making big, messy art, and watching others make big, messy art, lasts for a long, long time. The act of sustained creation does bizarre, wonderful things to you. It changes the way you read. And changes, a little bit, your sense of self. We like that."

Welcome to the future home of the first draft of my 2010 Nanowrimo! If you don't know what that is, head on over to their website (www.nanowrimo.com) and check it out! Basically, I'm going to be posting my daily 1667 plus words of a fictional story here every night. If the urge strikes you, feel free to read this pile of drivel and PLEASE feel free to leave a comment with a critique or suggestion!

This is my second year doing Nanowrimo and my first year blogging it. I'm hoping that this will give me a boost of motivation!

I'm not sure what my story is going to be about yet. I have a few ideas, but I'm keeping them a secret so you'll just have to wait until November 1st to find out! :)