#NaNoWriMo Stage 2 + GIFs

Imagine a rocket lifting off – the vibrations that shake the very foundations of the earth, the almighty roar as the engine blazes to life and the fumes mingled with dust that partially obscures the rocket itself. If you’ve seen it, you know what a majestic sight it offers. You feel a sense of deep relief and awe as it takes off on its calculated course. That was me on the first day of November, hugging my characters with happy tears and addressing the press outside on my soaring success.

Now the said rocket has veered off course and the happy engineer in the control room is in shambles (not to mention the loss of crores of fictional money). She is furiously trying to recalculate the variables and chart a new course that would enable this wayward rocket to successfully complete its mission. That was when she was struck (the clichéd mad scientist scenario, it would seem) by a glorious, impossible idea.

I know I haven’t been subtle in the comparison of my novel to the rocket and myself to the mess currently manning that control room single-handedly (because the rest of the staff live in my head, obviously). I know I missed a post on Friday (hence this). This is how my progress in November looks –

I hate that it looks that way. I hate that life is getting in the way of my writing and I’m letting it. I’m not being fiercely protective of my writing time. I’m making all the wrong choices.

I also know that I’m the only one with the power to change things. So, I’ve devised an insane, probably-a-certain-disaster plan to help me get through November. And here it is: Finish 50,000 words by November 20th.

 

Yes, I know how it sounds, but I have to try. I can’t just give up because I’m behind. I’m not trying to write a masterpiece. NaNoWriMo is about getting the words out of your head and onto paper. That doesn’t sound too hard in theory. This brings me to my super secret tip of the week: You don’t have to write sequentially.

I don’t have a rock solid outline for my novel. Some of the scenes are only vague ideas that need development. Others are gaps I haven’t the faintest how to fill in. The last time I won NaNoWriMo, I was in a similar state. I broke a rule (maybe several and was probably expelled from that writing school I attend in my dreams) and wrote scenes out of order. I didn’t even put chapter numbers. I titled them Random Scene #1 or Random Chapter and kept writing. If, like me, you’re not feeling the story or just can’t write out certain scenes, feel free to skip to those that you really want to write and the ones that fill your daydreams. That way, your word count increases and the writing becomes an easier process. Oh, and I did win the time I did the unthinkable, so I’m pretty sure it works.

---

Well, I managed to write 500 words now, so I think I’ll keep the momentum going and start working on my novel. What about you? How is NaNoWriMo treating you? Still suffering from the US Presidential Elections hangover? Whatever state you’re in right now, I welcome all sort of comments on my posts and will not discriminate based on relevance, I promise. I’ll see you next Friday with a more positive update, hopefully. Until then, don’t forget that I also post on Mondays and Wednesdays. 😛