NaNoWriMo 2013 – Week 2

Well into the second week of National Novel Writing Month, and haven’t stalled yet although some days have been a bit dry.

So far I’m hovering around 20,000 words out of the target 50,000 and that’s comfortably above the line.

What line, I hear you say.

This one!

I read loads of advice on line before starting the challenge, but the one piece that stands out above all others is ‘Don’t look back’.

It is oh, so tempting to keep looking at previous chapters and wanting to rewrite them or put right some inconsistencies.  I have to confess have done that on a couple of occasions, but then panicked when I realised I’d used up almost a whole afternoon’s writing time!  Won’t do it again, but it’s difficult going against an instinct that pulls you back to write the best you can.

One thing that definitely suffers from just ploughing on regardless, is plot.

Mine has totally unravelled from the original plan, and I no longer know what is going to happen next.  It’s exciting, but I’m a bit uncomfortable not having a blueprint in my head to work from.  Apparently Stephen King writes by the seat of his pants, so it obviously works for some.

The Nano web site also shows how many words are being written around the regions, and in London it seems that writing has eased off a lot.  But it may just be that it’s the weekend and everyone’s having a rest!

Here’s the graph for London.

Yes, that’s nearly 15 million words!  Incredible, isn’t it?

There’s not really much point putting any of my writing here, but the blog entry feels incomplete without sharing some of it.

A list.  That’s what I felt I needed.  A list.

Whenever my mind is confused, undecided, stressed, in a whirl, a list usually does the trick.  You create the list, you control it totally.  Cross things off.  Add things on.  Move things up and down.  Unlike a befuddled brain, you are its master.  It does whatever you want it to do.  Without question.  Without judgement.  Yes, a list is a Good Thing.

I grabbed a few sheets of paper from the bureau, and rifled through the cutlery drawer for a pencil.  No idea why the pencils were kept in there.  It was a Heather whim, and out of habit I expect, that’s still where I keep them.

After half an hour of scribbling, I sat back and read my notes.

So many things.  So many things I still wanted to do.  So many things I wanted to do again.  Just so many things.  Too many for the time I could afford.

So, despite thinking I might, I haven’t given up the challenge.

Onwards and upwards!

Well, downwards really.

No looking back!