National Novel Writing Month

I think it's only fitting that I talk about National Novel Writing Month since it is National Novel Writing Month or NaNo for short. Bascially NaNo is a writing challenge for anyone brave enough to accept it. The goal is to write 50,000 words in the 30 days of November.

I know, I know, that doesn't sound hard at all right? I mean to get the goal you have to write 1,647 words a day. Depending on your typing speed that can take anywhere from half an hour to two hours. Taking into consideration there are 24 hours in a day, that's nothing.

Yet, there are those that fail to complete the goal. There are many reasons for this and I know most of it can be attributed to life getting in the way. Sometimes a person can run out of steam or run out of story. I understand that. It hasn't happened to me but who knows this year might be the year.

I've participated in NaNo2010 and NaNo2011. My goal for this year is 200,000 words. But, let's take a trip back in time...

NaNo2010 was a book entitled 'Trees of Life.' It was an old story from about four years prior that I never fully plotted and never finished. Basically it was about saving the world in a fantasy setting. I won that NaNo with 100,000 words and completed it's 146,828 words. Of course this is a first draft and for a first draft, it's not that bad. There's grammar mistakes and a few things that need to be added but it's decent. I stopped writing after I finished it and did not look back at it until this year.

NaNo2011's book is called 'A Hero’s Dilemma.' It's a sci-fi novel about four reluctant super heros with a nice little plot twist and a cliff-hanger ending. I had the idea for it about four years before NaNo2011. It's 120,823 words long and I finished it by the second week. For kicks, I keep going. I wrote 'Have a Bloody Christmas', 'My Sweet Valentine', 'Odd Things Seen (HodgePodge)' and four fairy-tale gone wrong stories: 'Little Red Glock', 'Sir Andrew and the Dragon', 'Raven and the Seven Warriors' and 'The Warrior Mermaid'. My final word count was 175,000. I haven't read 'A Hero's Dilemma' since I finished it but I've been writing steadily since last year's NaNo.

This year I'm not working on a four-year-old idea like the two years prior. My idea for my 200,000 word goal came to me during last year's NaNo while I was posting on the NaNo Forums. I described a warrior elf named Bob. Bob is now a main in what is called 'Chosen Ones of the Forbidden Object.'

What is 'Chosen Ones of the Forbidden Object' you ask? Why it's a fourth-wall breaking, drunk fairy including, cowardly dragon meeting, talking horse stalking, relucant hero making parody of the Lord of the Rings. Yes. I am writing a parody of the Lord of the Rings.

Now, you're probably wondering why I've been sitting on such an idea for a year. Well, it's the only thing in my story list and idea notebook that will get me to 200,000 words in one shot. Everything else will finish between 120,000-150,000 and I don't want to be writing multiple things if I don't have to.

Why will 'Chosen Ones' finish at 200,000 words? Because I can make it. I have the freedom to pad the HECK out of this sucker because I am breaking the fourth wall. This means I will be talking to my characters ON SCENE. Also, it's a crazy, funny, silly little thing that I need to write after writing so seriously for the past eight months or so.

I will be updating with my progress on the insanity of NaNo when I remember. I know, you're thinking:"But, it's November 3rd. Isn't this an update?" Nope. This is only the beginning. And before anyone asks: No, I will not be including my blog posts in my word count. Until next time: Good night and don't let any demons steal your soul.