Well I wouldn't say my writers block is over yet, but I'm certainly getting giddy over something else writing related.
Anyone who knows me, knows that I take part every November in a fun little writing extravaganza called NaNoWriMo (or National Novel Writing Month if you're being posh). Its a technically insane, community driven, caffeine fuelled creative challenge designed to get you out of the planning stage and into the writing stage. In fact, it works by smashing the planning stage completely to pieces with an inflatable squeaky mallet. The idea is to write fifty thousand words in a month, quality and coherency be damned, the theory being that by having a deadline in place, and the pressures of common sense and a restrictive plot thrown gaily to the wind, you are free to unleash the full potential of your creativity and just write. To win, you just have to hit 50k, and the shiny certificate and smug self satisfaction are all yours.
It sounds barmy and a total waste of time to most people (95% of whom I can guarantee have never tried it themselves), but in 2011 236,618 people from all over the world participated (the 2012 figures have not been posted yet) so clearly they thought there was something in it. And speaking as somebody who has participated for six years (and won five of them), and written a large bulk of her literary works in these contests, I'd say that there is definitely something in it. If I tally up roughly all my word counts for each of those six years, that's about 380,000 words - that's 380,000 words more than I would have done if I hadn't done the contests. Its a LOT of novelling!
The beauty of Nano is completely stripping away all your worries. How is this character going to evolve? How is the killer going to cover their tracks? Is the ending going to be happy or sad? Who knows?! You're writing this story as it comes to you! You're taking the journey with them! You're not God in this story - you are one of the characters. All those emotions they feel? You're feeling them too! Plans? Who needs them?! Plans come later, after you've had a chance to meet your characters, have them get captured by aliens, meet a talking turtle, get drunk and steal some traffic cones with them!
Anyway, the point of this is that Nano is pretty awesome. Obviously it doesn't work for everyone - I know plenty of authors who can't function without a plan that has been exhaustively checked, rechecked and triple checked just in case any errors in plot have slipped in like fungus. But for people who have an idea but don't know where to begin, who are stuck in their stories and can't get out, or just want to have some pure uninhibited fun in their writing, it can quickly become one of the most helpful and enjoyable experiences in a writer's life.
The only downside to Nano that I personally have, is that its only once a year...or so I though. I'd vaguely heard about Camp NaNoWriMo on the website, but had no idea what it was. Then I looked, and realised that a pot of gold had landed in my lap. Another Nano event? Held twice a year, with flexible word goals, and allowing scripts, memoirs and blogs to be written as well as novels? Sweetness!
This is just the kickstart that my writing needs now! So off Jess and I go! Come April we will be pounding out words like women possessed, and we couldn't be happier! Want to join us? We'll save you space around the campfire! Happy novelling!
OOO
http://www.campnanowrimo.org/campers/mei1105
No comments:
Post a Comment