November is going to be busy. In February, I booked four weeks holiday (that is a whole complicated story unto itself). I intend to attend my brother’s wedding, try to catch up on garden landscaping and sorting out the edible plants for summer, attend two workshops, Supanova (convention) and a work conference – just to name a few. Most of all, I intend to give my first full-on NaNoWriMo a really good attempt. I look forward to a creative distraction to current stresses.
I attended both NaNoWriMo camps this year – in April and July. Camp is like a mini-NaNoWriMo – you can choose your own project/s and word limit. For my very first camp, I aimed for 10,000 words. I finished with 15,000 words for the month (a record for me).
Doctor Jack‘s first draft was finished in May – totaling 35,000. My first novella (now with my beta reader). In July I decided I needed complete rewrites on a short story, The Day of the Dirigible and make significant headway on my work-in-progress, The Department of Curiosities. The experience was invigorating. I procrastinated less, I wrote more.
April BLog Posts: Now I have done it! There is no turning back? / Of Deadlines, Short Stories and Novellas / Of Post Camp Progress, Pantsers and Plotters.
July Blog Posts: Of Rewrites, Camps and Villians.
November’s NaNoWriMo has a new set of rules and will provide a much bigger challenge. Word goal is 50,000 words. I cannot start writing it before the 1st of November. I can outline the plot or characters. In the past, the project had to be a new one. Recent changes appear to allow for continuing with a current WIP, as long as it is new writing and no rehashing of previous work.
As this is way above my personal best word count for one month, I will not be disappointed if I do not make the target. If I do manage to keep my muse on target, curb my procrastination and manage to make the goal, I will be overjoyed!
Whatever the outcome, I have two options now open to me: to make a start on my second novella, The Wizard of St Pauls or forge ahead with the first draft of The Department of Curiosities.
The Wizard of St Pauls is a story has been mulling around in my head for over a year. It is more gaslamp than steampunk. It is set in the same steampunk world as The Department of Curiosities, with a different agency battling a unique section of society.
On the 1st November, I will know which way the muse takes me. I will keep you posted on my progress and word count, via November’s posts.
NaNoWriMo Word count.
Total Words- first draft: