Writing off line; Planning for NaNoWriMo

NaNoWriMo: National Novel Writing Month
Check out: http://www.nanowrimo.org/

Runs from November 1st-30th every year.

It's a challenge for amateur writers to write a 50,000 word novel (or novella) in 30 days midnight to midnight. I've signed on each year since 2004. My best year was 2005 when I spanked out 19,700 words before hitting a wall and losing steam. But I made myself feel better when I cheated and found another bit of so-called "writing" I started back in 2002 when I was laid off which ran about 35,000 words...I combined them after the November 30th deadline just to see what 50,000 words looks like.

It was nice.

I signed up for NaNoWriMo in 2006 but 4 days into it I found my lump. Even though I could have mined that drama for material, I lost interest when the word Cancer came up. Oddly enough I had about 6-8 pages started (long hand) about a guy with an illness and his coming to terms with God, which was supposed to spiral into a fictional account of the War in heaven that Lucifer started which gets him and a third of the angels kicked out of heaven before the events in Genesis take place...as the story goes. (I don't remember how I was going to tie this together and I think the character's illness was supposed to be terminal...???)

I scrapped it just before I spotted the lump but now I wish I kept it.

I write all that to mention that I am now beginning to write off-line about what's been going on of late. I don't know what I might do with it if it ever makes any sense but by the time November rolls around I'll have worked my chops into a frenzy and be ready (perhaps) to bang out an actual story that is a complete work of fiction. Not to mention that if all goes as planned my treatment will be nearly 5 months behind me and ripe for the picking...

Either way I'm writing all the time now and as free therapy goes it's pretty cheap and can be done anywhere. Cartooning requires some tools and a work space to speak of. I can write on the PC or long hand in a notebook and get "it" out of my head. Either way it works.

Besides my old art table is still in my parent's attic. It's been there since I moved out 10 years ago.

I don't foresee picking it up anytime soon.