NaNoWriMo Winner!

Yesterday I completed the National Novel Writing Month challenge! At the beginning of November (when I couldn't resist picking up the gauntlet, perhaps because I saw it as some kind of antidote to babybrain), I had no idea what writing 50,000 words would feel like, or even if it would be possible. I discovered that it is possible, but only with the aid of the stats page on the website, and a particularly competitive personality. And a baby who will sleep for at least forty five minutes at a time. And by cutting down on washing and feeding myself. And by risking my relationship with Phil by sitting in front of my laptop for far too long every evening.

50,000 words is a lot of words - it works out at about 66 pages on NeoOffice. If I am to actually turn it into something I'm proud of, it will take a lot of editing. I imagine that if I edited out all the crap I might end up with a short story, ha ha.

Here is a Wordle word cloud of my text - giving greater prominence to words used most often (yes, the main character happens to be called Walter - how did you guess?!):


If I were to do it again (would it be possible with a 14 month old? Are there enough naps in the day by that age?) I think I would probably do a bit of planning ahead, rather than just writing what came to me on the day, though I did enjoy the freedom of the stream-of-consciousness method. And I would have to make sure I didn't fall behind right at the beginning as I did this time, 1667 words per day is much more do-able than 3000, which is what I was having to come up with towards the end.

That blip (above) on day 15 was when I was convinced I would be able to write more than I actually did, which shows how optimistic I was feeling at the time!

And that's the last you have to hear about it for the time being :D

Novel: Halfway There!

Yes, I am still very behind, but today I passed the 25,000 word mark, horray! According to the stats, at this rate I will finish on December 10th - which is too late to win the challenge - so I'd better get my act together.

I still feel fairly optimistic (although I'm going to need a new burst of inspiration plot-wise and a few more hours in the day) and I'm looking forward to printing out what I've written and doing some editing. As the NaNoWriMo website says, if you're going to edit your novel, you'll need words to edit, so the writing of 50,000 words is really just the beginning. I'm getting a lot out of this challenge though! I haven't had the chance (or the kick up the whatsit) to write for such a long time, though you'd have thought it would be impossible with a new baby to take care of.

I promise that Megan is receiving no less care than she would have otherwise, my priority is (of course) being the best mum I can be. The novel comes second, OK? :D

Now, I'd better get on with it.

Novel Update

The "novel-writing" is continuing when I get a chance (although Megan seems to be sleeping a lot less than usual in order to keep me on my toes), so I thought I'd share my stats with you (rather than any actual writing, ha ha).


As you can see, I'm well behind. Those blue towers of my word count are supposed to be up there with the purple diagonal line of the Daily Goal. But the great thing about these figures is that they're actually helping me to believe it might be possible to write 50,000 words this month - I can finish on time if I manage 1970 words per day... Better keep going then and stop procrastinating... But uh-oh, I think I can hear Meggie stirring...

50,000 Words in a Month

Guess what? I've signed up to National Novel Writing Month, which means that I am joining many thousands of writers all over the world in writing at least 50,000 words over the course of November. Last year there were 167,150 participants, and the concept has captured more and more writers' imaginations since its humble beginnings in 1999 when 21 people signed up.

Don't ask how I expect to find the time or motivation to achieve the goal of writing 1667 words per day, or what I plan to write about - I've decided to wing it, inspired by the instructions (on the NaNoWriMo website) to write now and edit later. I like the idea of stream of consciousness writing, knowing that amongst the rubbish there may be some pearls. Anyway, forcing myself to have the discipline to write such a huge amount is a great challenge, and will hopefully help me to develop my technique.

It's day one, and so far I've written 1717 words. Success!
Anyone want to join me?

It's very exciting! :D

Can a Haiku Make Housework Poetic?

Day Three.

How am I going to make this interesting for you? Perhaps I could reveal my achievements in Haiku-form?

It's been a very satisfying day for me. First off, I've been wearing my new leg warmers ALL DAY, and they feel amazingly toasty! :) Today I did a few of the annoying little jobs which build up over time and which nag at you every time you notice that they need to be done all over again. The kind of things people may not find fascinating to read about! :)

1. Washed up every dirty glass, plate, piece of cutlery and every single pan which was "soaking." The pans were not really soaking. They were waiting for someone who could be bothered to wash them up properly.

I cleansed the dishes
And these so-called soaking pans
We are now baptised

2. Took out ALL of the kitchen scraps and compost waste. The problem had built up to the point that there were several bowls and egg boxes full of decomposing matter, alongside the designated compost tub.

All that reeks and rots
Banished from the kitchen now
Destined for rebirth

3. Cleaned the kitchen surfaces like they'd never been cleaned before. In actual fact they were wiped down only yesterday, but they looked like they'd never been cleaned before.

So smooth and shiny
This crumb-free, scum-free beauty
Lasts until breakfast

4. Cleaned out the fridge and found a very suspicious-looking chicken. Christian, our tenant, has since informed me that the chicken was definitely rotting. It was his chicken, so I will not carry the burden of guilt.

That costly chicken
Died for you, and it could sue
For livelihood lost

5. Sorted through some of the boxes and bags of things that my parents brought round for the Dog Shop. Everything they get rid of is always brought to us first, in case we find a need for it. In the past we have had some lovely woolly rugs, books, clothes, even unwanted food (which I think is their way of making sure Phil and I are eating enough, but without us having to feel as though we are charity cases, ha ha.)

I cannot ask you
Not to bring boxes and bags
Sometimes we like them

That's all for now, what will tomorrow bring? I can hardly wait.